NFL Week 1 Recap

16 September, 2009
The first week of action had no shortage of excitement. Underdogs had a slight edge going 8-7-1 but only winning 3 of these contests straight up. The Jets, Broncos and 49ers managed to cover the spread and steal a victory on the road from their opponent. The point totals were evenly balanced featuring 8 Overs & 8 Unders. There were several events that surprised NFL fans in week 1. We will analyse each event and its potential impact on the 2009 NFL season.

Jake Delhomme struggles again: Just when you thought Delhomme couldn’t possibly struggle more than he did last year in the NFC playoff game versus Arizona, he turned the ball over 5 times to the Eagles, throwing 4 picks, 1 interception and no touchdowns in Carolina’s 38-10 blowout loss to Philadelphia. I hope you don’t have him in your fantasy pool! John Fox indicated that he plans on starting Delhomme versus Atlanta next week despite his recent struggles. The Panthers signed A.J. Feely as an insurance policy just in case they realize at some point this season that they cannot win games with Delhomme taking reps.

AP continues to dominate: Following Minnesota’s 34-20 win over Cleveland, Brett Favre indicated in a press conference that his job as starting quarterback was a lot easier with Adrian Peterson as his running back. Favre had only 21 passing attempts as AP had a monstrous performance rushing for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns including a 61 yard td. The Vikings definitely look like a force to reckon with and are definitely worthy of being considered a Super Bowl Contender this year.

Brees hasn’t lost a beat: Many fantasy poolers were afraid to risk a high pick on Brees, worried that he would be destined to have a disappointing season. He threw for 358 yards and 6 touchdowns in his first game of the season in New Orleans’ 45-28 victory over Detroit. I have a feeling that these people are regretting not taking him when he was available. It looks like the Saints definitely have a chance at winning the NFC South this year or making the postseason as a Wildcard opponent.

The Broncos get lucky: I don’t know what to say to the poor bettors who bet on the Bengals moneyline or had them on a teaser ticket this weekend. The Bengals figured that they probably won the game when they took a 7-6 lead with 41 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Orton was not having a great game throwing for only 156 yards at that point. All of a sudden he throws a pass to Brandon Marshall that gets tipped by a Bengals’ defender and ends up right in Brandon Stockley’s hands and turns into an 87 yard touchdown reception.

The Jets & 49ers look sharp: The Jets demolish the Texans 24-7 in Houston in Rex Ryan’s debut allowing only 183 yards and forcing 2 turnovers. The 49ers were almost just as strong as they defeated the 2008 NFC Champions 20-16 in Arizona. Mike Singletary’s squad intercepted Kurt Warner twice. It looks like The Jets and the 49ers may be two sleeper teams this year who may find a way to make it to the postseason.

Key Injuries: Donovan McNabb suffered a fractured rib. His status is uncertain but the Eagles took no chance as they signed free agent Jeff Garcia to a one year contract. The Eagles are currently 1 point favorites over the Saints in week 2. The Bears and Steelers’ took a big blow to their defense as linebacker Brian Urlacher is out for the season with a wrist injury and safety Troy Polamalu is out for up to 6 weeks with a sprained knee. The Steelers are a 3 point road favorite against Chicago this weekend. Anthony Gonzalez suffered a knee injury and is expected to miss 2-6 weeks. Giants’ rookie receiver Hakeem Nicks is out 2-3 weeks with a sprained foot.

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