Week 1 Heroes & Zeros

This was a great week to start…

QBs

Matt Ryan, Falcons – Passed for 299 yards and 3 TDs, and ran for 25 yards and another score, with no turnovers.

Tony Romo, Cowboys – Got a measure of revenge with 307 passing yards and 3 TDs, plus one early INT.

Drew Brees, Saints – Struggled much of the game, throwing 2 INTs, but finished with a solid 339 passing yards and 3 TDs.

Mark Sanchez, Jets – Shook off the Tebow distraction to record 266 passing yards and 3 TDs, with 1 INT.

RBs

CJ Spiller, Bills – Took advantage of his opening and rumbled for 169 yards and 2 TDs, and added a pair of catches for 25 yards, after an early fumble.

Arian Foster, Texans – What knee injury?  The consensus top pick scored twice while running for 79 yards.

Adrian Peterson, Vikings – What knee injury?  The freakish athlete looked like the AP of old with 84 rushing yards and 2 TDs.

Ray Rice, Ravens – Rushed for 68 yards and 2 TDs, adding 3 receptions for 25 yards.

Alfred Morris, Redskins – For one game, at least, he was the bomb, racking up 96 yards and a pair of TDs.

Kevin Smith, Lions – Had 62 yards rushing, 29 yards receiving, and a TD both ways.

WRs

Julio Jones, Falcons – Staked his claim to elite status with 6 receptions for 108 yards and a pair of TDs.

Brandon Marshall, Bears – Got back in the swing with Cutler, hauling in 9 catches for 119 yards and a score.

Andre Johnson, Texans – Racked up the same stats on one fewer catch than Marshall.

Lance Moore, Saints – Amassed 120 yards and a TD on 6 receptions.

This was a great week to play against…

RBs

DeAngelo Williams, Panthers – J-Stew sat out, so DeAngelo had -1 yard rushing? Oh yeah, he had a 5-yard catch, too.  Unbelievable.

Trent Richardson, Browns – The heralded rookie only managed 39 rushing yards and a 5-yard catch in his first action since his latest knee surgery.

Michael Turner, Falcons – Managed just 32 yards on the ground.

Chris Johnson, Titans – Taken out of the game as Tennessee played from behind, running for a paltry 4 yards and adding 6 catches for 47 yards.

Cedric Benson, Packers – When you run against the 49ers, you end up with 18 yards.  It just happens.

Peyton Hillis, Chiefs – Totaled just 24 yards rushing and receiving.

Rashad Jennings, Jaguars – Left with an injury after combining for just 40 yards.

Roy Helu and Evan Royster, Redskins – Neither contributed much, with just 37 total yards between them.

Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams, Cardinals – Maintained Arizona’s pitiful rushing tradition with just 23 yards on the ground.  Williams added 2 receptions for 17 yards, and a fumble.

Fred Jackson, Bills – Left with a knee injury after just 15 rushing yards.

Robert Turbin, Seahawks – This is why you don’t drop a good player for a backup on mid-week speculation. Lynch played, Turbin totaled 7 yards.

Ronnie Brown, Chargers – Starting in place of Ryan Mathews, Brown mustered just 5 rushing and 26 receiving yards while Curtis Brinkley did little better with twice the carries.

WRs

Wes Welker, Patriots – Lost among a galaxy of stars, and yielding some snaps to Julian Edelman, he managed just 14 yards on 3 catches.

Greg Jennings, Packers – Played a bit role, presumably due to a groin injury, catching 5 balls for only 34 yards.

Hakeem Nicks, Giants – Just 38 yards on 4 catches.

Vincent Jackson, Bucs – Only 47 yards on 4 receptions in his Tampa Bay debut.

Justin Blackmon, Jaguars – It’s going to take the rookie a little time. He had just 24 yards on 3 catches.

Greg Little, Browns -- Targeted 4 times, but caught nada.

TEs

Jason Witten, Cowboys – Played courageously, just not productively, with 2 catches for 10 yards.

Dustin Keller, Jets – Just a 7-yard catch to show for his day.

We didn’t see them coming…

Kevin Ogletree, WR, Cowboys – Picked up where Laurent Robinson left off with 8 receptions for 114 yards and 2 TDs.

Stephen Hill, WR, Jets – It’s not that the rookie lacks talent; it’s just that we didn’t expect Mark Sanchez to make him a star.  His 89-yard, 2-TD debut means he’s worth a flier.

Jeremy Kerley, Jets – Caught 4 passes for 45 yards and a TD, and returned a punt for another score.