The NFL did not disappoint on opening weekend. Several games came down to one final drive, even one final play in some instances.

$.01--The Sunday night marquee matchup between New England and Arizona did not disappoint. New England clung to a hard-fought 23-21 win when Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro missed a 47-yard field goal with under a minute left.

New England won with Jimmy Garoppolo under center in place of the suspended Tom Brady. They didn’t have all-world TE Rob Gronkowski, either. Yet Bill Belichick and his staff formulated a smart gameplan that repeatedly attacked Arizona’s weaknesses. LeGarrette Blount ran like a tank in a tulip field, and a series of quick-hit passes kept the Cardinals defense from getting into a groove.

Larry Fitzgerald, who notched his 100th career TD, and fantasy darling David Johnson did their best to keep the Cardinals in it. Yet even with a +2 turnover margin and a decent outing from Carson Palmer at QB, Arizona couldn’t vanquish the diminished Patriots.

Not that New England needed it, but this was a statement win. It’s a statement they can beat one of the top contenders even without Brady and Gronk, as well as two starting offensive linemen. The loss hurts Arizona and proves they have a serious hole at CB opposite Patrick Peterson and some special teams work to do, but this New England win will resonate across the league. To pull this off on the road with so many obstacles stacked against them? Yeah, the Patriots are definitely on a mission to rub Roger Goodell’s nose in the inflated footballs.

$.02--Jack Del Rio won opening Sunday. The Raiders coach dialed up an impressive, furious fourth quarter comeback in New Orleans. Three touchdowns drives of 60+ yards brought Oakland back, needing each one as the Saints offense kept lighting up the Raiders defense.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Del Rio wasn’t afraid to make the calls. He went for two after Jalen Richard’s 74-yard cannon blast up the middle closed the gap to 27-25, and Derek Carr found Amari Cooper for the conversion. After Drew Brees quickly answered with a 3-play, 84-yard touchdown drive to seize back the lead, Carr once again led the Raiders down the field.

He found Seth Roberts over the middle to pull the Raiders within one point. But Del Rio had no interest in kicking the extra point to tie; kicker Sebastian Janikowski never even donned his helmet. Del Rio was going for two, period.

Many fans chastised the decision. So did the broadcast crew. Not me, I applauded Del Rio for going for the win.

It worked. Carr lobbed a jump ball to Michael Crabtree, who made a fantastic catch over backup CB Ken Crawley to secure the two-point conversion and give Oakland the lead. The Saints came closer than expected on a 61-yard field goal as time expired, but it just missed.

The Raiders escaped with the dramatic win, but Del Rio wasn’t done scoring. This is how you win on social media, folks…

 

For those of us who believe that win probability statistics are mystical hooey, this is a victorious haymaker from Del Rio. The passive-aggressive troll job is the perfect rebuttal. Nothing will unify Raider Nation behind Del Rio more than this, embracing the renegade attitude so many Oakland fans hold dear. 

$.03--The Houston Texans are the only 1-0 team in the AFC South, and their uneven effort against Chicago doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence in Houston either.

Rookie wideout Will Fuller made up for dropping a sure touchdown earlier with a couple of nice grabs, including an 18-yard touchdown from Brock Osweiler. I was a harsh critic of Fuller’s hand coming out of Notre Dame, where he had an ugly 17.8% drop rate in his final 15 games. But he showed here that he can fundamentally alter the defense with his speed and the plays he makes are usually more valuable than the ones he fails to make.

The rest of the AFC South, well…

Jacksonville at least looked pretty impressive. They took the Green Bay Packers to the wire on a steamy afternoon in north Florida before one of the worst play calls in memory ruined them. On 4th and 1 from the Green Bay 14, Jacksonville called a short-side bubble screen to their slowest, least elusive wideout in Allen Hurns. This is the dreaded “you have to learn to win before you can win” moment for an improved team that went toe-to-toe with a strong Packers team, falling 27-23.

Indianapolis struggled to find enough healthy bodies to field an 11-man defense in a 39-35 home loss to Detroit. The Lions thoroughly dominated the first half, rolling out to a 21-3 lead before a combination of dreadful Lions coaching and Andrew Luck waking up nearly cost the visitors. Luck rallied the team to a 35-34 lead, but Matthew Stafford out-Lucked him with an impressive comeback drive of his own. Stafford played a fantastic game, Detroit ran the ball well and Matt Prater made the game-winning FG. The undermanned Colts sorely needed the win and the mistake-prone Lions defense nearly handed it to them. Lions fans (I’m one myself) will take the win, but this was a game where Indianapolis was just worse on offense, defense and the coaching box than Detroit. Really.

Tennessee lost at home, falling 25-16 to Minnesota in a game that had Vikings fans bereft at how awful their own team looked. Marcus Mariota threw a pick-six and then botched a handoff to produce a fumble return TD to post half of Minnesota’s points. The sloppy teams combined for 129 yards on 50 carries, bad news for the two offenses most reliant upon the run.

That’s three of four AFC South teams losing at home to NFC North foes. Houston won the division last year at 9-7 and is well on its way to an exact repeat. The first team to 3 wins outside the division should sew it up.

$.04--The Cincinnati Bengals scored an impressive gut-check win over the New York Jets. Josh Shaw secured the 23-22 win with an INT off Ryan Fitzpatrick and Cincinnati goes home a winner. It was not easy.

The Jets defense was everywhere early, racking up 5 first-half sacks and generally disrupting everything Andy Dalton wanted to do. The Cincinnati offense clearly missed injured TE Tyler Eifert but also departed wideouts Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu. The Jets much-ballyhooed front threesome lived up to the hype against what should be one of the NFL’s better offensive lines. This is how the Jets will win games.

Dalton and the Bengals stayed the course, which is what good teams do when faced with a challenge. Having A.J. Green certainly helped. The superstar wideout turned Revis Island into Fantasy Island, lighting up the future Hall of Fame corner for 10 catches on 10 targets for 152 yards and a touchdown. That’s the bulk of his 12-catch, 180-yard afternoon. Green paid his venerable respect to Revis after the game, a classy move in victory when others (say, Jalen Ramsey) would self-aggrandize and gloat.

Special teams also helped. Margus Hunt finally did something positive, blocking a field goal. New York’s Nick Folk also missed an extra point, which made up for Cincy’s own Mike Nugent missing a 52-yarder just as the NFL Red Zone channel put up the graphic he’d never missed a kick in September in New York, his former team. Nugent made the 47-yarder when the team needed it the most.

Remember this game later on in the season. Both these teams figure to be right in the mix in what looks to be a middle-heavy AFC playoff race. For Cincinnati to earn the road win, it really bolsters their chances to get to the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season.

$.05--San Diego came out with guns blazing in Kansas City, racing out to a 21-3 halftime lead over the rival Chiefs. Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense could do no wrong, scoring TDs on the first three drives, two by second-year RB Melvin Gordon.

Then star wideout Keenan Allen went down with a serious knee injury. Allen was weeping as he was carted off.

I don’t know how much of a psychologic impact losing their top offensive player made, but thereafter the Chargers struggled badly. The Chiefs subsequently, methodically rallied for the largest comeback in franchise history, tying the game with a minute to go before walking off winners in overtime.

Kansas City scored on four of its final five possessions, as Alex Smith’s steady hand kept the chains moving and capitalized on the opportunity. Meanwhile, the Chargers gained 45 yards on their final 16 plays over four drives that produced a missed field goal and three punts. Even one more first down or 10 more yards might have made a huge difference, but the Chiefs D stopped San Diego’s depleted offense.

This is a huge divisional win for the Chiefs, mounting a record-breaking comeback despite not having star RB Jamaal Charles. Kansas City builds upon the longest active regular-season win streak, building confidence the impressive 10-game run to conclude 2015 was no fluke.

It’s a crushing defeat for San Diego, which hasn’t beaten an AFC West rival since Week 11 of the 2014 season. Already down Stevie Johnson, losing Allen leaves their wide receiver cupboard pretty bare. Tyrell Williams and Browns castoff Travis Benjamin are the starters now with Dontrelle Inman and a practice squad refugee to be determined as the reserves. The Chargers are the only AFC West team to lose on opening weekend, one year after mounting a furious comeback of their own on opening weekend. 

$.06--The season kicked off on Thursday night in Denver with a Super Bowl rematch. Carolina and the host Broncos did not disappoint, as the AFC hosts bested the NFC champs once again with a 21-20 squeaker.  

Carolina’s Graham Gano yanked a game-winning 50-yard field goal wide left after Cam Newton rallied the Panthers with an impressive two-minute drive. Thus ended a hard-hitting defensive struggle.

Some of those hard hits on Newton merited penalty flags. I saw three different times where a Bronco hit Newton in the head and yet earned no flag. Newton needed sideline treatment after one blast, action which conveniently wasn’t on the national television broadcast.

This is where the NFL continues to point the gun squarely at its own feet. So many rules are made in the name of player protection. Hits that everyone grew up knowing as “football” get penalized, yet obvious headshots on some players in the direct view of anyone watching get ignored. The game moves awfully fast, and it’s unrealistic for the officials to catch everything in that very rapid real time. I’ve officiated enough to know that it’s difficult to process all that information.

The next innovation for the NFL is to institute the collegiate system of targeting, but with needed tweaks. Every personal foul penalty needs immediate review in the stadium by an off-field official. If the victim of the questionable hit did something to make the hit worse, such as ducking or sliding once the hitter had already committed to an action, that flag needs to be rescinded. And a shoulder to the chest should never be a penalty, even if the hit resulted in the other player hitting their head or snapping their neck violently.

But they also must catch all those head shots, like the missed ones on Newton. This is where that off-field official comes in, with the help of the players. When a player gets deliberately hit in the head, they need to have the ability to inform the referee and ask for a review. The off-field official gets to look at the play and judge…quickly. Incidental grazing, say a pass rusher’s hand slipping up off the QB’s shoulder and brushing the earhole, needs to be treated differently than a player launching head-first and striking.

$.07--Former Baylor coach Art Briles took to the College Gameday airwaves to try and defend himself for the rampant and disgusting violations that took place within the Baylor program under his watch. It did not go well for the deposed Briles.

If you want to watch a weasel talk, you can check out the full Briles interview here courtesy of FOX. How can a grown man try to wiggle out of calling a gang rape of a volleyball student by several of his prized football players “sketchy?” What’s sketchy about your players being convicted of sexual assault in a court of law?

The culture of rape, violence and illicit behavior at Baylor under Briles’ tenure smacks of Donald Trump’s picture of Mexicans. For a private, pious Christian institution led by the sanctimonious Ken Starr to willingly and knowingly allow this sort of rampant miscreant behavior to dominate the campus in the name of a winning football team should make you sick. I haven’t found “thou shall allow violence and rape against women so long as the football team gets better” anywhere in the Bible. Have you, Mr. Starr and Mr. Briles?

Both men were forcibly removed from their positions. Unfortunately that doesn’t help all those victims of the lawless hooliganism that prospered while they ran the school. And make no mistake about it, Briles had as much power at Baylor as Starr did.

Art Briles should never be allowed to coach again at any level, not even as an unpaid secondary assistant at a middle school. I don’t believe Briles feels bad about what happened to the scores of women his players raped and pillaged. I believe he feels bad it came to an end because enough was finally enough for enough people around him. He even played the victim card, bringing up his parents who died in a car crash 30 years ago. Despicable, thy name is Art Briles. 

$.08--NFL Quickies

--Nice to see Victor Cruz back on the field, as the happy-footed wideout helped the Giants knock off the Dallas Cowboys 20-19. Cruz had missed the last 26 games but caught the winning TD from Eli Manning. Dak Prescott looked like he belonged for Dallas, but the Giants bottled up the run and nearly blanked Dez Bryant (1 catch, 8 yards). It will be a long time before Cowboys fans forgive Terrence Williams for failing to even try and get out of bounds, too.

--Drew Brees to Brandin Cooks on the 98-yard touchdown was the fantasy highlight of the weekend. And as much as the Raiders are improved, their CBs are going to struggle with quick receivers like Cooks all year.

 

--Baltimore beat Buffalo 13-7 in a game I hope you didn’t spend any time watching. The Bills managed just 160 yards on 48 plays but hung around because the Ravens couldn’t run or block either.

--Really like what I saw from Jameis Winston in Tampa Bay’s win over Atlanta. With a few exceptions, Jameis was poised and on target in the first game of his second season. The Falcons didn’t help themselves with way too many missed tackles and one-step-late coverages, but Winston and the Bucs looked legit. Nice, hard-hitting game from LB Kwon Alexander, too.

--Seattle barely beat Miami in a game where one of the stories is Russell Wilson’s tender ankle. He went down when getting sacked by Ndamukong Suh, who grazed Wilson’s ankle with his foot. Despite the uproar and his dubious history, this was not an intention “Suh Stomp”. Bad day for Miami QB Ryan Tannehill, as this game was his for the taking but he couldn’t do it.

--Fun stat from the Lions win over the Colts. Matthew Stafford completed every targeted pass he threw, other than six misfires while aiming at Marvin Jones. Throwing to 7 other receivers, Stafford was a perfect 27-for-27 for 255 yards and 3 TDs. Jones did catch 4 of his 10 targets for 85 yards and Stafford threw two other passes away, getting sacked once.

$.09--College/Draft Quickies

--In a dog of a game at the Big House, Michigan CB Jeremy Clark stood out with his NFL-type skills. Clark doesn’t get near the fan hype of fellow CB Jourdan Lewis, but the redshirt senior is the better NFL prospect. 6’3”, 210-pound corners with good hips don’t grow on trees outside of Seattle, and that’s Clark. He’s steadily improved and played a monster game Saturday, albeit against a completely overmatched UCF.

His size and athleticism will get him drafted before Lewis, who has yet to play this year with a back injury and is at least 5” and 20 pounds smaller. Lewis is a fantastic college corner but just a later-round draft prospect because of his size. This situation reminds me of Mississippi State when they had Johnthan Banks and Darius Slay. Fans loved Banks because he was great for the Bulldogs, but scouts always said Slay was the better prospect. They were proven correct and that will be the case here too, except I think Lewis is a better player than Banks. But 5’9”, 180-pound corners are a tough NFL sell.

--There was a nice QB prospect duel in Stillwater between Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph and Cooper Rush of Central Michigan. Neither is in the top tier with the likes of Deshaun Watson or DeShone Kizer, but I like both at or near the top of the next grouping.

Rudolph had an uneven game. His light footwork for a 6’4”, 235-pounder really stood out. Known for his deep ball, he spent much of Saturday throwing short hitches and dump downs. A bad INT on an end zone fade ruined one chance to go ahead. But Rudolph also delivered several strikes and showed some mobility. His ability to throw anticipatory throws outside the hashes is well-developed.

Rush also had some poor drives but was money when the Chips were down. Aside from the Hail Mary, the prolific senior demonstrated a feathery touch and deft ball placement throughout the game. Rush doesn’t have a big arm but can add velocity to shorter throws without sacrificing accuracy, an underrated trait. He also has better running ability than the box score scouts will believe.

Oh yeah, the game was a thriller. Here’s how it ended:

 

Fire up Chips!

--Georgia barely beat Nicholls State. Clemson squeaked past Troy. LSU had a longer-than-expected dance with Jacksonville State. Central Michigan pulled the upset in Stillwater. Nick Saban was so unhappy with Alabama’s 38-10 win over Western Kentucky he erupted on Lane Kiffin late in the game. It was a rough weekend for a lot of so-called power teams.

This is quickly becoming the norm, and it will continue throughout 2016. This is the most wide open college football season I can remember. While Alabama is deservedly No. 1, the field behind the Crimson Tide is going to ebb and flow all year. After two weeks, I think Ohio State is the No. 2, with Florida State, Houston, Michigan and Wisconsin close behind.

$.10--On a day where it would have been easy to write political and patriotic-tinged narratives, the focus winds up on the field where it belongs. Sports are a diversion from the drudgery and reality, not a supporting player in it.

Frankly, I’m tired of arguing about the national anthem, whose lives matter more than others, what is a proper way to protest, etc.

I don’t think the 15th anniversary of 9/11 is the proper time to do something that some may interpret as unpatriotic, but I also understand the concept that there is no better time because it will draw even more attention and scrutiny. What’s the point of protesting if nobody notices?

I’ve never been a proponent of performing the national anthem before every game, every week. I think it diminishes the importance when it’s something so many consider a nuisance, and I’ve seen that firsthand too many times to count. On 9/11, feel free to double up the national anthem with America the Beautiful…especially in New York.

I wish we all could have had one day free from the hyper-charged, politicized overkill. For a few precious hours on Sunday afternoon, we got that thanks to football. I hope you enjoyed the fleeting escape.