NFL. The League. Opening Sunday. Week One. Today.

NFL.com:

Russell Wilson was flawless in the Seattle Seahawks ' final three drives, making a number of ridiculous improvised plays to win in a comeback over the Panthers. ... We have no idea how Russell Wilson ended up with 320 passing yards. The Panthers pressured him all day, Seattle barely moved the ball, and then Wilson made magic in the fourth quarter on command. Just like last year. ... The Panthers lost despite totally shutting down Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks ' running game.

 

ESPN justed pointed out the Eagles had the most plays run in a half since 1998...15 years ago

 

NFL.com:

"Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden (1st Round pick in 2012 Draft out of Oklahoma State) ...sputtering out of the gate, he tossed three interceptions before halftime (and was hit a whopping 16 times in the game, sacked 6 times for negative 45 yards, took 5 of the 6 sacks in the second half, for the game, he converted an appalling 1-of-14 third downs and only completed 49% of his total passes). We love his strong arm, but Weeden's missing a chip ...He's frustrating to watch."


The Cleveland Plain Dealer:

"The best that can be said about Weeden in his second career opener is that his quarterback rating was 48.4 -- a vast improvement over the 5.1 he dropped on the Eagles as a rookie last year. And this year, he threw only three interceptions instead of four. ... Amazingly, Weeden pulled it together enough to throw a 7-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Cameron in the back right of the end that (was the only TD Weeden had all game)"


Weeden: "It sucks. ... It's a long year and this one's over. We can't do anything about it.''

 

NFL.com:

"Christian Ponder (taken 12th overall in 2011 Draft out of Florida State) is his own worst enemy. Not all of the Vikings' (4) turnovers were solely on him (Ponder threw 1 TD to 3 INTs and a pick six was nullified by an Ndamukong Suh chop block penalty), but he continues to make terrible mistakes. The falling-away forced interception at the end of the half that led to a momentum-changing score for the Lions is inexcusable for a third-year pro."


ESPN:
"Ponder will probably be a better talk-radio topic than a cornerstone quarterback."

 

NFL.com:

"We didn't make much of it when Josh Freeman (1st round pick in 2009 Draft out of Kansas State) was stripped of his captaincy, but this game (vs the Jets) got us thinking."
...
"Rex Ryan did what he does, confusing the opposing quarterback with multiple looks."


ESPN:

"Most Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are growing tired of quarterback Josh Freeman. ... let’s be totally honest: Josh Freeman did not look good Sunday. When he didn’t look good in the preseason, it was easy to shrug off, but this was the real deal, and it’s time to start getting concerned. ... Freeman has looked terrible in the field. His decision making has been poor and he’s been the main culprit in underwhelming performances."

 

NFL.com:

"Andrew Luck came out of the gate on fire ... Luck looks every bit the part of a legit MVP candidate"

 

Sports Illustrated:

"the Jets' Geno Smith, the Bills' E.J. Manuel and the Raiders' Terrelle Pryor all exceeded first-week expectations for the struggling teams they hope to lead at quarterback. Smith and the Jets were the only ones to get rewarded for their strong opening work.
...
Smith more than did his part to help keep Mark Sanchez as yesterday's news. Hurting the Bucs with both his arm and his legs, not to mention his poise, Smith was a cool 24-of-38 for 256 yards, with one touchdown, one interception and one fumble lost. ... Both of Smith's turnovers were in the first half, and he played with increasing confidence in the final two quarters, making good decisions...It's early, it's early, it's early, but score this one for new Jets GM John Idzik, who wanted Smith to be the guy in Week 1 all along.
...
Manuel, the other rookie starting quarterback in the AFC East, came within five seconds of getting his first career win... The most impressive part of Manuel's game was how he took care of the football like a veteran. While the Patriots' Tom Brady threw one interception and committed a costly fumble near the Bills' goal line in the third quarter, Manuel had no picks and no fumbles."
...
Maybe the most surprising development of Week 1 on the quarterbacking front was how well Pryor played in defeat. The former Ohio State star...wound up rushing for a quarterback team-record of 112 yards on 13 carries for Oakland, and added another 217 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-29 passing ... Pryor...adds an element of playmaking to the Raiders' offense that has been lacking for years. It wasn't all upside for Pryor against the Colts, however. His two red-zone interceptions cost Oakland big time, and he took a killer sack late in the game after the Raiders had moved within the Indy 10 yard line, with a chance to make one more play and pull the upset.
...
the trio of Smith, Manuel and Pryor acquitted themselves quite well. It's a major stretch to see any of them making playoff runs in 2013, because of the lack of talent around them, but they gave their teams chances to win on Sunday, and nearly went 3-0.
Close doesn't count in the NFL, but for starters, the kids inspired some hope in New York, Buffalo and Oakland"

 

Sports Illustrated:

"the Dolphins might already have a diva issue on their hands in the person of (Pro Bowl WR) Mike Wallace (of Ole Miss). The team's big-money free-agent receiver had just one catch for 15 yards against the Browns, while his fellow Dolphins receivers ( Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson ) ran wild, catching a combined 16 passes for 221 yards and a score. Wallace told the media he didn't "feel like talking'' after the game, and instructed them to "ask coach [Joe Philbin]'' as to why he wasn't more involved in the win.
That's never the right message to send after a win, and Wallace should know that at this point in his NFL career... At least we know he's not willing to play the decoy very happily, even if it does open up the field for the Dolphins' two other top receivers."

 

Sports Illustrated:

"Right away, the pressure is back on Carolina head coach Ron Rivera and quarterback Cam Newton. With the Panthers' slow starts dooming their past two seasons, it's must-win time already next week when Carolina travels to Buffalo"

 

Sports Illustrated:

"For a week at least, Reggie Bush was just what the doctor ordered in Detroit. The ex-Dolphin, ex-Saint was at his explosive best in the Lions' 34-24 win over visiting Minnesota... (he had) 90 yards rushing...a total of 191 yards offense (he had four catches for 101) ...
If Bush can continue making this kind of impact, defenses aren't going to be able to focus almost exclusively on taking away the Lions' Calvin Johnson -led receiving game."