NFL Week 1 Game Recaps

of touchdowns as Atlanta easily bested Carolina, 20-6, in a Week 1 NFC South showdown at Bank of America Stadium.The Panthers (0-1) clearly missed their big play threat, wide receiver Steve Smith. Smith, who led the NFL with 103 receptions, 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, was inactive because of hamstring problems that have hampered the All-Pro throughout the preseason. His absence allowed the Falcons (1-0) defense to stack the box with eight defenders and dare the other Carolina receivers to make them pay. Vick was 10-of-22 for 140 yards for the Falcons, who are coming off an 8-8 season. Without his top target, Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme was ineffective. Delhomme connected on 21-of-39 passes for 186 yards and an interception for the Panthers, who are coming off an 11-5 regular season and a pair of road playoff victories that landed them in last year's NFC conference title game. DeShaun Foster ran for 54 yards on 15 carries while Drew Carter caught five balls for 62 yards for Carolina.

Final Score: Seattle 9, Detroit 6

Detroit, MI (MySportbook.com) - Josh Brown converted a 42-yard field goal as time expired to give the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks a 9-6 win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. The game-winning drive was highlighted by a 17-yard run by Seahawks running back Maurice Morris, who was pushed out of bounds at the Detroit 24-yard line. Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was 25-of-30 passing for 210 yards, while Jon Kitna was 21-of-37 for 229 yards in his debut for Detroit (0-1). Last season's Most Valuable Player, Shaun Alexander, had just 51 yards rushing on 19 carries for the Seahawks (1-0). Rod Marinelli was making his debut after being named the Lions' 24th head coach on January 19. He spent the past 10 seasons as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Final Score: Cincinnati 23, Kansas City 10

Kansas City, MO (MySportbook.com) - Rudi Johnson rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown while Carson Palmer returned to meaningful action for the first time since a serious knee injury in last season's playoffs, as Cincinnati defeated Kansas City, 23-10, at Arrowhead Stadium. Palmer suffered a devastating left knee injury in the Bengals' AFC Wild Card matchup against the Steelers on January 8, putting an end to Cincinnati's 2005 Super Bowl hopes. He returned to action earlier than anticipated and was efficient, completing 13-of-19 passes for 127 yards without an interception or touchdown pass. Chad Johnson made five catches for 48 yards for the Bengals (1-0), who have won eight of their last 10 road games. Herm Edwards' coaching debut for the Chiefs was less than successful as he lost not only the game, but also his starting quarterback, Trent Green. Green left the contest in the third quarter with an apparent head or neck injury. Before his exit, Green had completed 11-of-15 passes for 90 yards with an interception. He was replaced under center by Damon Huard. Huard finished his effort having completed 12-of-20 passes for 147 yards with a TD pass. He also fumbled twice, losing one. Tony Gonzalez made 10 catches for 88 yards with a score for the Chiefs (0-1), who had won two of their previous three games against the Bengals.

Final Score: St. Louis 18, Denver 10

St. Louis, MO (MySportbook.com) - Steven Jackson ran for 121 yards and Jeff Wilkins hit a franchise-record six field goals to account for all of the Rams' scoring, as St. Louis held off the Denver Broncos, 18-10, at the Edward Jones Dome. Marc Bulger completed 18-of-34 passes for 217 yards and Torry Holt had seven receptions for 80 yards for St. Louis (1-0), which failed to score a touchdown despite spending most of the game in or near the red zone in head coach Scott Linehan's debut. Jake Plummer completed 13-of-26 passes for 138 yards, but threw three interceptions and lost a fumble for the Broncos (0-1), who committed five turnovers that led to nine points for the Rams. Javon Walker made his debut with the Broncos and ended with three catches for a team-leading 41 yards. Tatum Bell started in the backfield and ran for 103 yards on 15 carries. Undrafted rookie free agent Mike Bell had 58 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts for Denver, which fell behind early and had trouble recovering.

Final Score: NY Jets 23, Tennessee 16

Nashville, TN (MySportbook.com) - Chad Pennington threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns, leading the New York Jets to a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in the opener for both teams at LP Field. Pennington, coming off another shoulder injury that curtailed his 2005 season, completed 24-of-33 passes without an interception. He hit Chris Baker with a 12-yard scoring pass with 2:10 left for the go-ahead touchdown. Laveranues Coles caught eight passes for 153 yards in the victory, as the Jets (1-0) withstood a pair of missed field goals and an extra point by Mike Nugent and blew a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter before pulling it out. Kerry Collins completed 17-of-38 passes for 223 yards with a pair of interceptions after being named Tennessee's starting quarterback just before game time. Drew Bennett caught eight passes for 106 yards for the Titans (0-1), who showed signs of life after a dismal first three quarters. Vince Young made his NFL debut on Tennessee's fourth offensive series and had an early impact, as the Titans marched from their own 36 to the New York 32. Young completed his first three passes for 27 yards, but his fourth attempt was severely underthrown and intercepted by Andre Dyson at the six-yard line.

Final Score: New Orleans 19, Cleveland 14

Cleveland, OH (MySportbook.com) - Drew Brees threw for 176 yards and a touchdown in his New Orleans debut, and Josh Bullocks picked off a pass late in the fourth quarter to seal the Saints' 19-14 win over the Cleveland Browns. Reggie Bush showed the versatility that made him such a hot commodity coming out of college, as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 Draft and reigning Heisman Trophy winner rushed for 61 yards on 14 carries. The Southern Cal product also hauled in eight passes for 58 yards. Marques Colston caught the lone touchdown for the Saints (1-0), who are off to a good start under new head coach Sean Payton. Brees, who joined the Saints after playing in San Diego for five seasons, completed 17-of-31 passes and was also picked off once. Charlie Frye connected on 16-of-27 passes for 132 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, while Kellen Winslow caught eight balls for 63 yards and a touchdown in his first game since September 19, 2004. Winslow broke his leg against the Cowboys in just his second career game, and was sidelined for the remainder of the 2004 season. Frye also led the Browns (0-1) in rushing with 44 yards. Reuben Droughns was held to 27 yards on 11 carries.

Final Score: Philadelphia 24, Houston 10

Houston, TX (MySportbook.com) - Donovan McNabb threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns to pace the Philadelphia Eagles to a season-opening 24-10 win over the Houston Texans. Donte' Stallworth, traded from New Orleans last month, caught six passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. He played an instrumental part in the victory, not just with a 42-yard scoring catch, but also by setting up the go-ahead touchdown just before halftime. McNabb, who missed the second half of last season with a sports hernia, completed 24-of-35 passes and was picked off once. Brian Westbrook ran for 71 yards on 17 carries and caught a touchdown pass for the Eagles (1-0), who are looking for a bounce-back year. They followed up their NFC title showing of 2004 with a dismal 6-10 campaign last season. David Carr, who was sacked a league-high 68 times last season, was taken down five times on Sunday. He completed 18-of-27 passes for 208 yards with a touchdown for the Texans (0-1), who are coming off a league-worst 2-14 record in 2005. Andre Johnson caught six passes for 101 yards for Houston, while newly- acquired Eric Moulds had six receptions for 68 yards and the Texans' lone touchdown.

Final Score: New England 19, Buffalo 17

Foxboro, MA (MySportbook.com) - Ty Warren's sack of J.P. Losman in the end zone with 8:33 left in the fourth quarter propelled the New England Patriots to a season-opening come-from-behind 19-17 win at Gillette Stadium. After completing 3-of-11 for 30 yards in the first half, Tom Brady finished the game going 11-for-23 for 163 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Brady improved to 10-1 versus Buffalo with 19 touchdowns and 10 picks for his career. First-round draft pick Laurence Maroney rushed for 86 yards on 17 carries for the Patriots (1-0), who have won the last six meetings. New England plays the New York Jets at Giants Stadium next week. Brady didn't miss Deion Branch, who is holding out for a new contract, as he spread the ball to six different receivers led by Ben Watson with three catches for 50 yards. Troy Brown made two catches for 18 yards and a touchdown. He is the second Patriots player, joining Stanley Morgan, to reach 6,000 receiving yards. Losman was 15-of-23 for 164 yards while Willis McGahee rushed the ball 20 times for 70 yards for the Bills (0-1), who play the Dolphins in Miami in week two. McGahee also made two receptions for 24 yards.

Final Score: Baltimore 27, Tampa Bay 0

Tampa, FL (MySportbook.com) - Steve McNair completed 17-of-27 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown in his formal debut for the Baltimore Ravens in a 27-0 rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Jamal Lewis rushed for 78 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown for the Ravens (1-0), who recorded a 6-10 finish in 2005, the worst mark of coach Brian Billick's seven-year tenure. Mike Anderson added 25 yards on the ground on seven attempts in his first game as a Raven. Daniel Wilcox caught three passes for 52 yards and a touchdown for the Ravens, who won their first road game since a 20-17 overtime victory against the New York Jets on November 14, 2004 curtailing a league- long 11- game skid. The Ravens picked off Chris Simms three times, with one of the interceptions being returned 60 yards for a touchdown by Chris McAlister. Simms completed 17-of-29 passes for 133 yards for the Buccaneers (0-1), whose 11-5 mark last season came complete with an NFC South title and the franchise's first trip to the postseason since 2002. Cadillac Williams rushed for just 22 yards on eight carries, and Michael Clayton caught three passes for 34 yards for the Bucs, who got shut out at home for the first time since 1996.

Final Score: Arizona 34, San Francisco 27

Glendale, AZ (MySportbook.com) - Kurt Warner completed 23-of-37 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns to pace Arizona to a season-opening 34-27 win over San Francisco in the first regular season game at Cardinals Stadium. The Arizona receiving duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin played a big part in the victory. Fitzgerald hauled in nine passes for 133 yards while Boldin had four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown. Edgerrin James, who signed with Arizona (1-0) as a free agent in the offseason, ran for 73 yards and a touchdown. James also caught three passes for 13 yards. San Francisco's second year quarterback Alex Smith threw for 288 yards on 23- of-40 passing with a touchdown in the loss. Frank Gore rushed for 87 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns for the 49ers (0-1) and also caught six passes for 83 yards. Vernon Davis, who was the No. 6 overall pick in the NFL draft by San Francisco, caught five passes for 37 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

Final Score: Chicago 26, Green Bay 0

Green Bay, WI (MySportbook.com) - Rex Grossman threw for 262 yards and a touchdown and the Chicago defense picked up right where it left off last season in leading the Bears to a 26-0 rout of Green Bay at Lambeau Field. Green Bay had a streak of 233 consecutive games without being shutout come to an end as the Bears defense, ranked first in the NFL last year in points allowed, dominated the Packers. The last time Green Bay was shutout was October 17, 1991, in a 10-0 loss to Chicago. Grossman finished 18-of-26 and threw an interception, while he found Muhsin Muhammad six times for 102 yards. Thomas Jones ran for 63 yards on 21 carries and Desmond Clark picked up 77 yards on five catches for the Bears (1-0), who beat Green Bay for the third straight time. Robbie Gould connected on all four of his field goal attempts for Chicago. Brett Favre was a shadow of his former self, completing 15-of-29 passes for 170 yards with two interceptions. Ahman Green rushed 20 times for 110 yards, and Donald Driver hauled in seven passes for 96 yards for the Packers (0-1), making new head coach Mike McCarthy's debut a very unpleasant one.

Final Score: Jacksonville 24, Dallas 17

Jacksonville, FL (MySportbook.com) - Byron Leftwich threw for a touchdown and ran for another to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars over the Dallas Cowboys, 24-17, at Alltel Stadium. Leftwich completed 23-of-34 passes for 237 yards and his six-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter gave his team the lead for good, as Jacksonville rallied from a 10-0 deficit to score 24 straight points and escape with the victory. Fred Taylor added 74 yards and a touchdown rushing and Matt Jones hauled in five passes for 71 yards for the Jaguars (1-0), who turned three interceptions of Dallas quarterback Drew Bledsoe into 14 points. Bledsoe finished 16-of-33 for 246 yards with one touchdown, but his three mistakes proved costly, as Dallas (0-1) failed to hold on to an early lead and couldn't move the ball consistently late. Terrell Owens had six catches for 80 yards with a touchdown in his Dallas debut and Julius Jones had 72 yards and a touchdown rushing in a losing effort.

Final Score: Indianapolis 26, NY Giants 21

East Rutherford, NJ (MySportbook.com) - In the first battle between two quarterback brothers in NFL history, Peyton Manning's team came out on top as the Indianapolis Colts defeated Eli Manning and the New York Giants, 26-21, in a Week 1 contest at Giants Stadium. Peyton Manning went 25-for-41 for 276 yards with a touchdown and an interception and Marvin Harrison had nine receptions for 113 yards for the Colts (1-0), who return home to face Houston next Sunday. Dominic Rhodes, who started in the backfield for Indianapolis, which lost Pro Bowl running back Edgerrin James to Arizona in the offseason, carried the ball 16 times for 29 yards and a score and added three receptions for 14 yards. Eli Manning went 20-for-34 with 247 yards, two touchdowns and an interception and Tiki Barber carried the ball 18 times for 110 yards and added five receptions for 61 yards for the Giants (0-1), who play in Philadelphia next Sunday. Plaxico Burress had four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown for New York, which fell to 6-7 in the series between the two teams.

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