Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. 49ers 16 at Giants 13 San Francisco 49ers: As if you needed to be told, the passing game is all about Garcia to Terrell Owens. Garcia locks onto to Owens to the point of forcing the ball. Garrison Hearst owners be very careful - Kevan Barlow looks extremely strong. Expect something close to a 50 / 50 split for carries. TE Eric Johnson could be a value. With an off night from Owens, Johnson led the team in receiving yards New York Giants: Jeremy Shockey didn't live up to the hype but is clearly a big part of this offense. What team runs a TE screen in the Red Zone? The Giants did and even though Shockey couldn't hold onto the ball, it was a big statement of what kind of role he'll play. Ron Dayne is becoming less and less a factor. With Barber's hamstring, he should have been a bigger contributor. He wasn't. Still looks very slow. Kerry Collins appeared to just lock onto Amani Toomer. Clearly the first look on most passing plays. 2nd year Cornerback Will Allen looked extremely good covering Owens. He had help but he definitely held his own. Jets 37 at Bills 31 New York Jets: Curtis Martin suffered a sprained left ankle in the second quarter. He walked off towards the sidelines and did not return. X-Rays were negative. LaMont Jordan came in and got all but one carry the rest of the game. Jordan finished with 7 carries for 32 yards and caught 1 pass for 7 yards. The Jets passing offense resembled last year's. Lots of short, quick passes. Vinny Testaverde rarely looked far downfield. Anthony Becht (4 receptions, 36 yards) was a big part of the red zone offense, with a touchdown and 2 point conversion; both plays were designed specifically to go to him. Jets run defense was poor. Last year's 28th ranked run defense has a lot of work to do. Against a supposedly mediocre offensive line for Buffalo, the Jets usually weren't even able to touch Travis Henry until he had already picked up several yards. Buffalo Bills: Travis Henry, Travis Henry, Travis Henry. Ran hard, looked tremendous. Career highs 149 yards & 3 TDs, besting previous career high of 113 (also against the Jets). Lost a fumble while switching the ball to his opposite hand. Coach Gregg Williams went back to him immediately on the next drive. For what it's worth, announcer Phil Simms said "Henry reminds me of Barry Sanders, when he hits the line with that power". On passing situations, both he and Larry Centers were on the field but Henry caught 6 balls while Centers had just one early reception. Drew Bledsoe is the unquestioned leader of this team. Won over even more fans with a crushing block of Jason Ferguson on a reverse to Price. Took numerous big hits but seemed ok. Many passes were quick strikes, as Buffalo's offensive line did not give Bledsoe much time to work until the last drive to tie the game. Establishing a reputation as one of the best 4th quarter QBs in the league. Eric Moulds was a non-factor until the 4th quarter, but then exploded for 95 yards. Nearly dropped the game tying TD from Bledsoe with 26 seconds left. Peerless Price was targeted with the game on the line on a 4th and 3 during the last drive. Price was also targeted on over 10 passes. Jay Riemersma had 1 catch and was never even looked to otherwise. Vikings 23 at Bears 27 Chicago Bears: WR Marty Booker was the best player on the field today, has clearly emerged as Chicago's #1 receiver, and could have actually had close to 250 yards if he caught the two balls he dropped. QB Jim Miller locked in on him on most passing plays. Chicago's offensive line had a horrendous first half, turning RB Anthony Thomas into a non-factor. The line improved run and pass blocking after halftime - Thomas salvaged what could have been a worthless game with a few solid gains and a red zone TD in the second half. The Bears defense consistently gave up yardage on off-tackle runs, and took a few bad penalties that kept drives alive, but came up with two big interceptions in the second half that made their comeback possible. Minnesota Vikings: The "Randy Ratio" held true for the first week - Minnesota lined up for 35 pass plays (including penalties, sacks, and fumbles), and they threw to WR Randy Moss 14 times, a ratio of exactly 40%. Despite the concentrated effort to get Moss the ball, Moss finished with just 58 yards and a TD. The much-discussed double-tight-end offense was not seen much after TE Bryon Chamberlain left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury. The Vikings lined up in the shotgun for most of their red zone plays, spreading the field for short passes or for draws by QB Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper appears to be goal-line runner of choice. Though WR D'Wayne Bates is still officially the Vikings' #2 wideout, WR Derrick Alexander got plenty of playing time in 3 WR and shotgun sets. Neither Bates nor Alexander made a compelling case to be the #2 WR. RB Michael Bennett did not see the field for two drives in the second half after fumbling once and later having a near-fumble ruled down by contact, but the benching may have been a function of the weather - the heat and humidity was brutal, and players on both sides struggled with cramps and the slick artificial playing surface. Chargers 34 at Bengals 6 San Diego Chargers: This game was an impressive debut for "Marty Ball" in San Diego. LaDainian Tomlinson showed he will carry the load of the offense. Drew Brees looked like a seasoned veteran as his confidence grew throughout the game. Brees did not have a primary receiving target and the tight ends were not a factor. However, Josh Norman, rookie backup tight end to Stephen Alexander, had a touchdown catch - the only catch by a Charger tight end in the game. Terrell Fletcher proved he is a fine backup to Tomlinson. San Diego defense shut down Corey Dillon holding him to 10 yards on 9 carries, and blanketed the Bengal receivers. Looked dominant. Cincinnati Bengals: The running game was nonexistent and the passing game anemic. Even Corey Dillon needs some blocking. The defense was steam rolled, giving up 401 yards. 241 of those yards were on the ground. Gus Frerotte, the fifth opening day Bengal quarterback in five years, did not solidify his starting position. Head coach Dick LeBeau did not have enough confidence in Frerotte to throw downfield. Several times in the first half, Cincinnati called a short dump or screen that fell way short of the line-to-gain on third and long. It does not appear Michael Westbrook or Peter Warrick give the Bengals a deep threat. Chiefs 40 at Browns 39 Kansas City Chiefs: Priest Holmes is good. Seriously, he could be the Marshall Faulk of the AFC. This offense clearly centers around him this season and he's proving he is up to the challenge. Was not pulled at the goalline for Tony Richardson. Tony Gonzalez picked up as dominant as he left off even without a preseason The Kansas City secondary played absolutely dreadfully. They looked confused and were burned badly time after time. Definitely something to consider for future matchups. Cleveland Browns: Kelly Holcomb didn't look as good as his stats would indicate. He overthrew receivers several times and often failed to put the ball where the receiver could catch it in stride. His receivers were so wide open is was hard for him not to hit them. Perfect example of where the highlights can be a little misleading. Jamal White outplayed William Green and looked explosive through the holes while Green looked slow and tentative. Falcons 34 at Packers 37 Atlanta Falcons: Mike Vick looks legit as a starting QB. He held together well in the pocket when facing blitzes and made his progressions smoothly, often finding his 3rd or 4th option when he needed to. He also didn't hesitate to run the ball if the situation deemed it necessary. Scored on a called bootleg. Did give up sacks and take hits where he should have thrown the ball away. Not a big deal now but something to watch should he take a beating week after week. Warrick Dunn is clearly the focus of the running game both in the Red Zone and between the 20's. Was not lifted at the Goalline. Duckett got some spot carries but Dunn was definitely the focus of the running game. Green Bay Packers: Ahman Green had three fumbles in this game. This is potentially huge because it was fumbling that got him moved out of Seattle. They may not all show up in the box score but he put the ball on the ground on three occasions. Left the game with a stomach injury but returned and looked fine. Favre didn't seem to lock in on any one receiver. He spread that ball around well between his RBs, WRs, and TEs. Still has the fire and excitement of a kid playing out there. Terry Glenn's debut as a Packer was solid but not spectacular. One big play in each half for a total of 60 yards. Although he did look comfortable in the new offense. Eagles 24 at Titans 27 Tennessee Titans Eddie George is back. He displayed the burst and cutting ability that he did not have last year. Although he only ended up with 42 yards rushing, he was the Titans first option in goal line situations. Jevon Kearse broke his left foot and will be out for 6-8 weeks. After he left the game, the Titans pass rush was not as effective against the Eagles and Donovan McNabb was able to spend more time in the pocket. Steve McNair made great decisions during the game despite being pressured on almost every passing down. Philadelphia Eagles Donovan McNabb is clearly trying to be more of a pocket passer and seemed to run only as a last resort. Duce Staley's playing time could be in danger as Brian Westbrook was used more as the game went on. Dorsey Levens also got some touches, and it seems as if the Eagles are going with a running back by committee approach. The Eagles pass defense numbers do not reflect what they normally would be because Troy Vincent did not play and the Titans were consistently throwing to Derrick Mason. The Eagles lost starting offensive guard Jake Welbourne to a fractured left fibula. Lions 21 at Dolphins 49 Miami Dolphins: Ricky Williams ran well in his first outing in a Dolphin uniform, showing his usual power but also nice burst to the outside. On one nice play he ran the wire up the sideline, then dragged at least 5 Lions along for 5 or 7 yards. Williams ended up with 111 yards and two touchdowns for the day... he was pulled in the fourth quarter in favor of Robert Edwards and Travis Minor. Miami TE Randy McMichael was impressive in his debut, with 4 receptions for 73 yards and a TD. Fiedler looked for him early, and went to him several times in the red zone. Keep your eye on him as he looks to become an integral part of Miami's offense, especially in the red zone. Miami used Robert Edwards during the game. Edwards had two TD's, ran with authority, made good cuts and broke tackles. He was used on several swing passes instead of Ricky Williams (who had no receptions in the game). Edwards did very well in his first game back since his devastating knee injury in February of 1999, though he will likely not be a regular factor in games due to the presence of Ricky Williams. Miami made good use of their new found running game, using it to grind out the yardage. Fiedler was very conservative passing and did not look down field to Chris Chambers at all. Miami's defense was impressive, especially against the run. Detroit Lions: Detroit tried to surprise Miami by going with a hurry up offense on their very first series of the game, but the Miami defense handled it well and the plan did not work. The Detroit running and passing game suffered from the loss of James Stewart (knee). Detroit rotated Lamont Warren, Cory Schlesinger, and Aveion Cason at RB. No word on how long Stewart will sit, but clearly not having Stewart really hurts the already shaky Detroit offense. The Lions offense and defense both played very sloppily with many penalties, including the special teams. Joey Harrington got some work in the game, coming in with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. He led a TD drive, but hurried a lot of his throws and threw some incompletes that were totally off the mark. He was not very impressive in his regular season debut. Cardinals 23 at Redskins 31 Arizona Falcons David Boston was quiet early, but came alive in the second half. He was the only wide receiver to have more than one catch (Running backs Thomas Jones and Joel Makovicka had 3 and 2 catches each). Boston used his size to his advantage, creating mismatches against the smaller Fred Smoot and sometimes even Darrell Green. He finished with 7 catches for 138 yards and 1 touchdown. The Arizona offense still appears to be pass first, run just enough to keep you honest. Thomas Jones was inconsistent. He would break decent 5,6 and sometimes 7 yard runs every once in a while, but most often he would get stuffed at the line for only a small gain, or a loss. Jones had 17 carries for 54 yards. Washington Redskins Steve Spurrier is one step closer to silencing the critics who claim the Fun n' Gun won't work in the NFL. Now he needs to put up similar numbers against a better team. (He'll get his chance Monday against Philadelphia) The offense was both balanced (32 rushes, 40 passes) and effective (443 total yards, 31 points, only 1 turnover). The majority of the time, Washington ran the offense 'no huddle' which kept Arizona from making needed substitutions. Shane Matthews looked very good completing 70% of his passes. He had beautiful touchdown passes to Kevin Lockett (26 yards), Rod Gardner (43 yards), and Derrius Thompson (17 yards). His interception occurred on a fluke play where the ball hit a lineman and was deflected. Stephen Davis was used very often and looks to be a huge part of this offense. Davis was the target of the first four plays. On the drive where he scored his only touchdown, he was targeted in the red zone on both plays. Controlling the latter part of the game with the rushing attack could be a regular occurrence. Ravens 7 at Panthers 10 Carolina Panthers QB Rodney Peete looked sharp in his first start since '98. He was in full command of the offense; his passes were accurate and had nice zip. He finished with 136 yards (1td/1int) but could have easily had about 200 and 2-3 TDs were it not for a few dropped passes and some plays called back. RB Lamar Smith showed good patience and vision and always keeps his legs churning for the extra yard. He has below average speed which keeps him from breaking long runs. He finished with 84 yards rushing on 24 carries. Makes the most with what he has. WR Muhsin Muhammad looked better than his stats would indicate (2-37). He had a couple of receptions called back (including a TD), and also had a nice run on a reverse for 17 yards. Carolina's defensive line was excellent, constantly applying pressure. Brentson Buckner and Kris Jenkins spent a lot of time in Baltimore's backfield. Julius Peppers was quiet until the end of the fourth quarter when he essentially won the game with a quarterback pressure leading to a Dan Morgan interception. Baltimore Ravens: QB Chris Redman looked quite comfortable in the offense; showed good arm strength and accuracy. He is a very impressive play action passer but shows absolutely no mobility. He has a lot of confidence in his arm, sometimes making throws he shouldn't. He threw one interception and had one almost picked off by Terry Cousin. RB Jamal Lewis didn't show any signs of his knee injury. When given any space to operate in, he displayed the combination of speed and power that made him a first round choice in 2000. WR Brandon Stokely is the Go To WR and looked solid. Rookie Ron Johnson has potential. TE Todd Heap looked better than his 5 catches for 20 yards would indicate. He is athletic and catches everything thrown his way. He might be the best receiver option. Colts 28 at Jaguars 25 Indianapolis Colts: WR Qadry Ismail is a huge addition to the Colt's offense. Was the key to the scripted out first drive with a few big receptions, and a TD. Caught 2 TDs with a 3rd TD possibility just off his fingers in the End Zone. QB Peyton Manning looked to be in complete control of the offense once again and appeared as sharp as ever, especially early. Defensive Tackle James Cannida sprained his right MCL, and was taken off in a cart. TE Marcus Pollard left the game with a sprained left knee and Bruised left rib. Up until that point, the Colt's attack included many double TE sets, and it was used primarily in the Red Zone. The injury to Pollard forced the Colt's out of this set. The Colt's Offense never missed a beat in the first half, not needing to punt until the 3rd quarter. The Colt's used the double TE set in a vast majority of plays in the first half and exclusively in the Red Zone, but came away from it after the injury to Pollard. If Pollard is out for an extended period, the Colt's Offense may not run as smoothly. Jacksonville Jaguars: Fred Taylor is back. He rushed 24 times for 83 yards, and Stacy Mack (4 carries) didn't cut into his plays. Taylor made all his normal cuts, and ran with power. Key to the rushing attack. The reports of Mack taking over in the Red Zone are greatly exaggerated as Taylor got all the carries inside the 10 and all but 1 inside the 20. Used as a receiver down field in the passing game, and caught two key 3rd down receptions to keep drives alive when the Jaguars were in an Empty Back field formation. Jimmy Smith is showing no ill effects from the Hold Out. Brunell went to him play after play in the passing attack even though he was double teamed all game. With the game on the line down by 3 in the final 2 minutes, Brunell went to Bobby Shaw on 4th and 4. Shaw was a big part of the game plan, and seems to have gained the total trust of Brunell. Brunell looked to Shaw on several other crucial downs. Seahawks 17 at Raiders 31 Oakland Raiders: The Oakland running game is a running back by committee (RBBC) situation. Charlie Garner had some monster runs through some monster holes that helped him on his way to a huge game, but his rushing stats may give some Garner owners a false sense of security. Garner totaled 20 touches on the day while Wheatley had 21 touches. Jerry Rice and Tim Brown are still an integral part of the passing game. Their numbers were down in this game only because Oakland did not need to pass the ball farther than 5 yards down field. Only one pass was targeted to a WR in the entire second half. This was due to a lack of necessity, not player performance. Oakland dominated on both the offensive and defensive lines. The rushing totals tell the entire story here. Oakland: 221 rushing yards. Seattle: 43 rushing yards. Seattle Seahawks: The winning margin of this game could have been much larger. Consider Seattle won the turnover difference 2 to 0 and were down 31-7 after the third quarter. The second half was an exercise in monotony from a fans perspective. Oakland controlled both sides of the ball the entire game. Shaun Alexander is still the star on this team. It is simply a very poor team right now without Walter Jones, John Randle, Trent Dilfer, and Anthony Simmons. However, Alexander will still get his touches. Matt Hasselbeck played amazingly well for how often he was hit. 2 passing TD's and no INT's was a commendable effort for the disparity in line talent. Isaiah Kacyvenski is no run stuffer, but he was credited for 12 tackles and 5 assists. He could represent great value for players in IDP leagues as it looks like the Seattle defense will be spending lots of time on the field. Saints 26 at Bucs 20 New Orleans Saints: RB Deuce McAllister is for real. With the Saints looking to prove they can do without Ricky Williams, McAllister was a huge part of the offense both rushing and receiving. He was the only running back to have a carry for New Orleans. QB Aaron Brooks appears to be worth the new contract. He looked very sharp and in control of the offense. The Saints may not want to throw it 42 times every game, but Brooks looks to be capable if called upon for that. WR Joe Horn is still the primary receiver but it's clear that 1st round pick Dont� Stallworth will be a contributor. For those wondering after Stallworth's TD, yes, he really is THAT fast. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This may be the Fantasy Football Owner's nightmare team as it's loaded with talent, but they're all sharing the touches equally. QB Brad Johnson is the only player standing out. RBs Michael Pittman and Mike Alstott are sharing time as well as the WR corps of Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell, and Joe Jurevicius. Brad Johnson certainly appears capable of running Coach Jon Gruden's offense. After the beating he took against the Saint pass rush, whether he's capable of lasting through the entire season may be another question. Johnson was sacked three times but was constantly pressured and hit. Guard Cosey Coleman was injured and first round pick from 2001 Tackle Kenyatta Walker was recently moved to the 2nd team. WR Keenan McCardell couldn't be better suited to working opposite Keyshawn Johnson -- and taking that a step further -- Joe Jurevicius gives Tampa one of the league's most dangerous top-three combos. It's tough to say though if any of the three will emerge enough to be a big producer. Rams 16 at Broncos 23 St. Louis Rams: The big question surrounding the Rams was whether their winless preseason was an aberration or a sign of real problems. With a lackluster start in the first half on both sides of the ball, their loss boiled down to a turnover on downs on a controversial 4th and 2 call by Mike Martz where a short field goal would have tied the score late in the third quarter. Plus, poor play calling ate up their timeouts, the last one with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter and the Rams needing two scores for a tie. RB Marshall Faulk was shut down in the rushing game (10 carries for 19 yards) but is still the primary offensive threat in this offense. Don't panic. QB Kurt Warner locked in on Torry Holt who had a good game, but was largely held in check during the second half. Conversely, Isaac Bruce did not have a catch in the first half and was targeted eight times in the game. Jeff Wilkins did not allow Denver to return a kickoff the entire game. Denver Broncos: The cloudy running back situation was clearly a RBBC threesome of Anderson, Portis and Gary in the first half. In the second half, however, Gary got the majority of the play calls and made the best of them. In all, Gary had 16 touches, Anderson 9 touches and Portis 5. Although Coach Mike Shanahan appeared to have confidence in each. With 8:34 to go in the 4th quarter, Shanahan gave the ball to Portis (with a fake to Anderson at FB) on a crucial 4th and inches. Bottom line - no clear winner yet. QB Brian Griese was almost benched in the fourth quarter for Steve Beuerlein, but ended up playing inspired football after Mike Shanahan gave him another shot. If he is your # 1 QB, have a solid backup plan in place. TE Shannon Sharpe looked good early in the game but soon he was drawing more coverage and allowing Smith and McCaffrey to get open for passes. WR Rod Smith and Griese had some good chemistry in the first half. Brian Griese had 2 consecutive INTs to start the second half, one was batted into the air and not a result of forcing a play. The other was forced deep to Shannon Sharpe and picked off. Griese looked deflated, sat by himself on the sidelines and it was obvious his confidence was shaken. The fans in Denver also started booing after the offense sputtered for much of the second half. Denver's defense was impressive, especially in rushing, as evidenced by holding the high-octane Rams to under 20 points and Faulk to less than 20 yards rushing. Jason Elam grabbed his hamstring following every FG. His kickoffs seemed to get shorter as the game wore on until the late TD by McCaffrey seemed to inspire him. Elam also jogged with a noticeable limp. Cowboys 10 at Texans 19 Houston Texans It might not be this season, but QB David Carr will be a contributor to Fantasy Football teams. He looked excellent considering this was his first game. If you believe in signs, his first completion was a TD. And this was behind a patched up Offensive Line missing three starters. Clearly, Corey Bradford is the receiver of choice here. Carr should have had a 3rd TD that Jermaine Lewis badly dropped. Starting RB James Allen seems to have a more secure hold on the job than had been thought. He carried 19 times vs 9 for Jonathon Wells. Allen was more effective with 56 yards vs the 19 yards from Wells. Wells may be the future, but he was not particularly impressive. WR Corey Bradford was heads and shoulders the best receiver for Houston. He appears rejuvenated in Houston and was clearly playing off the electric atmosphere. The former Packer did his version of the "Lambeau Leap" into the crowd after his TD. Dallas Cowboys Emmitt Smith summed it up best: "We did nothing good. We have a long way to go and a short time to get there." QB Quincy Carter looked embarrassingly weak when compared to the other young QB on the field, Carr. He's an uneven player with physical tools but seems a long way from being an effective NFL QB. He did not complete his first pass until the 2nd quarter. RB Emmitt Smith was adequate with 67 yards on 17 carries but one has to wonder if he's not just punching the clock. WR Joey Galloway was something of a bright spot looking as fast as ever on a 21 yard rushing play and catching 6 passes for 69 yards but Carter needs to improve quickly for him to have much value. Pittsburgh Steelers 14 at New England Patriots 30 Pittsburgh Steelers: Kordell Stewart was pressured all night and did not respond well. The Patriots defense should be given a lot of credit, but it is clear that Stewart needs to get better protection from his line and learn how to handle the heat better or it could be a long season. Jerome Bettis split time with Amos Zereoue, and it isn't clear if he is still feeling the effects of last December's groin injury. Though Cowher indicated that he was back 100% before the start of the game, the split workload is not a good sign. Keep a close eye on this one. Hines Ward didn't show any indications of problems from his surgery, and was more involved in the offense than Plaxico Burress. It was also clear from this game that Antwaan Randle El will stay involved in the Steelers offense in the regular season. New England Patriots: The Patriots played like a team on a mission and looked good in every facet of the game. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis called 25 consecutive pass plays in the second and third quarters, and the Patriots lined up with five receivers and tight ends often. Tom Brady looked very calm and had a quick release on his passes. This passing offense looked every bit as good as the stats indicate. As good as Brady looked, it became apparent that the Patriots have a number of viable receiving options and that they intend to spread the ball around. Troy Brown, David Patten, Donald Hayes, Deion Branch, Cam Cleeland, and Christian Fauria were all very involved in the game plan. It's possible this could affect the WRs consistency and overall production. Antowain Smith was not involved in the Patriots game plan until they had built a big lead. It wasn't that the rushing offense looked bad, it was simply not the focal point in this game. The New England defense looked terrific as a unit and put a lot of pressure on Kordell Stewart throughout the game.