Aaron Rodgers (QB, Green Bay Packers)/Drew Brees (QB, New Orleans Saints)
-It's tough to say here who deserves the player of the game award from this one. Granted, the Packers came out on top, but I still maintain that it was the Packers' defense that won that game (although the offense was outstanding); had it not been for the fumble on the Saints' first drive and the goal-line stop at the end of the game (both great plays), the Saints could have stayed in this one and maybe pulled out a W. Regardless, both quarterbacks played absolutely great, and ended up with similar stats (Rodgers went 27 of 35 for 315 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs, while Brees went 32 of 49 for 419 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs). It was incredible to watch both of them at work, and honestly, I couldn't not put both of them in this post in some capacity. This was one of my favorite games to watch this weekend, and thanks to it, I still think that both of these teams will see each other again in the NFC Championship game.
Cam Newton (QB, Carolina Panthers)
-I'm still unsure if Cam Newton will turn out to be a great quarterback in the NFL in the long term, but I have to admit, he was really freaking impressive against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. He went 24 of 37 for 422 yards, had 2 TDs passing, 1 rushing TD, and just 1 INT in his first NFL game ever, breaking the record for first-game rookie passing yards set by Peyton Manning. Although this might become a question of "Is Cam Newton really that good, or is the Cardinals' defense really that bad", it's hard to argue with play that good. I didn't see it during the preseason, and I'm still skeptical that he can keep it going (especially against the Packers next week), but Newton finally showed flashes of why the Panthers picked him Number 1 overall in the NFL draft.
Baltimore Ravens Offense and Defense (distinctions go to Haloti Ngata, Joe Flacco, and Ray Rice)
-That game was just all Ravens, all day. They completely and utterly dominated the Steelers, forcing seven turnovers, including 3 interceptions and 2 fumbles from Ben Roethlisberger on the way to a 35-7 beatdown. Ngata especially was disturbingly good on the defensive side of the ball. But as dominant as the Ravens defense was, their offense was far more dynamic than they have been against the Steelers in the past. Joe Flacco played the best game he has ever had against the Steelers, throwing for 224 yards and 3 TDS to a 117.6 passer rating. Ray Rice also ran all over the place with 107 yards rushing and 42 yards receiving. The Steelers, who were completely smothering last year, looked lost, and this game definitely shifted the balance of power in the AFC North to the Ravens.
New York Jets Defense
-I'll admit it, I thought the Jets D would take a slight decrease in production this year. But they looked great on Sunday, playing with emotion and power to make a phenomenal comeback against the Cowboys on Sunday. With a little over 9 minutes left in the game, down 24-10, the Jets D forced Tony Romo to fumble the ball on the Jets 2-yard line. The Jets scored to bring it within a touchdown, and a blocked Cowboys punt a few minutes later by Joe McKnight was run back for TD to tie the game. But it was the interception by Darrelle Revis that sealed the Cowboys fate, as it stopped the Cowboys from going down the field, and helped to put the Jets in position to kick the game-winning field goal with 32 seconds left in the game. If the Jets can keep this up for the rest of the season, they're gonna have a great year.
Tom Brady (QB, New England Patriots)
-It gives me great personal pleasure to put this in here, but c'mon, after the way Brady played on Monday night against the Dolphins, he deserves it. Brady was out of control, throwing for a career-high 517 yards (a team record) and 4 TDs. This included a 99-yard TD pass to Wes Welker. 517 yards is off the charts, and even though he threw his first regular season interception in 358 passes (an NFL record), he played like last years' MVP.
Tony Scheffler (TE, Detroit Lions)
-Because this celebration, after a TD against the Bucs, is awesome.
LVPs
Ben Roethlisberger (QB, Pittsburgh Steelers)
-This is not often said about Big Ben, but this game almost might have been better had he not shown up. Sure, he threw for 280 yards and 1 TD, but any time a QB throws 3 INTs and loses 2 fumbles, no matter how good the defense is (and again, the Ravens' defense was outstanding), he deserves to be on this list. I don't think he'll stay in this funk, but it was a poor way for the Pittsburgh offense to start.
St. Louis Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
-Yes, I am a St. Louis fan, and it hurts me to put this here. But I almost put the St. Louis Rams in general, due to the massive amount of injuries they sustained in the first game of the season. But seriously, Rams receivers? SERIOUSLY? Even after looking good in the preseason, the Rams passing game couldn't get anything going against the Eagles, and before you say anything about how good the Eagles' defense is, I have one word: drops. Drops, drops, drops. No one could hold on to the ball. In fact, the only Rams receiver who made any sort of impact all day was Danny Amendola, who is now out indefinitely due to a dislocated elbow. Brandon Gibson showed flashes of decency near the end of the game, but someone (Lance Kendricks? Mike Sims-Walker?) needs to step up and actually grab the football, or the Rams are done. The only silver lining from this game was that Cadillac Williams proved to be a wise pickup for the rushing game, getting 91 yards rushing and 49 yards receiving once Steven Jackson left the game after scoring a 47-yard TD on the first Rams offensive play of the game. If Jackson needs to sit next week against the Giants, at least the Rams have Williams to lean on. And at least the Giants looked terrible this weekend.
Donovan McNabb (QB, Minnesota Vikings)
-Not much to say here. I was expecting at least a decent showing from McNabb after leaving Washington for the Shanahan-free pastures of Minnesota. But he threw for only 39 yards. With a longest pass of 12 yards. No way the Vikings are going far if McNabb keeps playing like that.
Tony Romo (QB, Dallas Cowboys)
-Granted, the Jets defense played really well, but with a 14 pt lead in the 4th quarter, a veteran QB like Romo should know to make better decisions. For instance, take care of the ball if you're going to try to pound it in to the end zone. Or, on a possibly game-winning drive, don't throw towards the guy who is arguably the top cornerback in the NFL. Hopefully he learns from this, or the Cowboys are in for a long season.
Kansas City Chiefs' Defense
-The Bills played really well, but any defense that allows a team to score 41 points on them (especially the Bills), and allows Ryan Fitzpatrick to go 17 of 25 for 208 yards and 4 TDs, is just sad. Losing safety Eric Berry for the season with a torn ACL was just an extra kick in the crotch.
NFL Kickoff Return Rules
-Most people, myself included, thought that the new kickoff return rules were essentially the end of the kickoff return in the NFL. But three kickoffs were taken to the house this weekend (Percy Harvin of the Vikings, Ted Ginn of the 49ers, and Randall Cobb of the Packers), including the record-tying 108 yard return in the opening game by Cobb. This won't continue, but what a great way to show the fans that kickoffs can still be an exciting part of the game.
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