Joe's Final Drive: Week 1

Week one of the 2009 NFL season is in the books. Filled with injuries, blowouts and a dramatic ending out in Cincinnati, let’s take a look around the league in this first edition of the Final Drive!

Minnesota Vikings 34, Cleveland Browns 20

For Brad Childress’ sake, this should be the formula for every Vikings game this season. All Favre has to do is throw a downfield pass every now and again in between hand-offs to Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. Short accurate passes to Viking playmakers will keep this offense balanced.

Oh, Brady Quinn was Cleveland’s starting quarterback. Was it an advantage Mangini? Not really, as the Browns offense was anemic after the first half, mainly hitting short throws that didn’t move the chains. That’s not an offense Eric.

Denver Broncos 12, Cincinnati Bengals 7

In the most outrageous and unbelievable ending I’ve ever seen, Josh McDaniels and his Broncos escaped Cincinnati with a victory. With less than 30 seconds left, a Kyle Orton pass from the 13 was tipped in the air and landed in the hands of a lucky Brandon Stokley who took it 87 yards for the winning score. They’re still going to be pretty bad, but there’s one highlight for the Bronco season.

Luckiest. Play. Ever.

How heart-breaking is that for Bengal fans? Your team finally gets a scoring drive (in what was a horrible game for both offenses) and you lose the game on a freak play? Ouch.

New Orleans Saints 45, Detroit Lions 27

Even if it was against the Lions, Drew Brees’ six touchdowns are nothing short of amazing. They were from all over the field, hitting multiple receivers. They let a rookie QB lead his team to 27 points, but it was a great first game for the Saints.

So good.

Sorry Lions, your rookie savior Matthew Stafford got picked off three times. I still think you should have started Daunte Culpepper. Now there’s no going back.

Dallas Cowboys 34, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21

T.O. leaves for Buffalo, and Tony Romo sets a career high in touchdowns (3) in his first game without him? Coincidence? I think not. Hopefully Romo’s ankle is fine, but as he found three different receivers on those scores, sharing is the key in Dallas.

Um... go Tampa Bay? Sorry, I have nothing constructive to say about them, though it was nice to see Cadillac Williams return to form. They're a 7-win team at best.

Philadelphia Eagles 38, Carolina Panthers 10

Philly’s defense looked downright scary on Sunday. Donovan McNabb went down with a fractured rib, opening the door for Kevin Kolb to start their next game against the Saints. In what could be a high-scoring affair, it could be a rude awakening for Kolb. Vick won’t be able to play until week three, so the Eagles signed veteran Jeff Garcia on Monday as an insurance policy. The only question is: which of these four quarterbacks is the odd man out when Vick is back and McNabb is healthy?

Um… Jake Delhomme looked awful. Again. His four interceptions and one fumble just continued his dreadful performance in last year’s playoff meltdown. He was benched for Carolina’s second QB Josh McCown, who left the game with an injury. Third stringer Matt Moore came in the game with even less success. Delhomme looks finished, but it’s only a two-game stretch. How long can you go to him?

New York Jets 24, Houston Texans 7

Mark Sanchez sure didn’t seem like a rookie did he? Crisp passes and poise in the pocket give Jets faithful reason to be hopeful for the future and present. That intimidating defense and balanced rushing attack won’t hurt either.

Sorry Houston. I still don’t believe in you, and a loss to a rookie head coach and quarterback tandem doesn’t help my opinion. Your 200r third-ranked offense should be able to put up more than a touchdown.

New York Giants 23, Washington Redskins 17

Just as in Dallas, sharing the wealth might replace some of the production lost from losing their best receiver. If the G-men’s running game can pound their opponents every week, the receivers won’t have as much pressure on them. Losing rookie Hakeem Nicks for a few weeks won’t do Manning any favors though. Oh, Osi Umenyiora is back and angry too.

Sorry Jim Zorn. Albert Haynesworth plugged up the middle of the defensive line, but your offense struggled mightily. If Jason Campbell is only going to throw 26 times (which is smart), you need to run the ball more. With only 16 carries, Clinton Portis was wasted.

New England Patriots 25, Buffalo Bills 24

That’s why they’re the Patriots. Despite being down 11 points with only four minutes to go, Tom Brady found a way. Randy Moss caught 12 balls for 141 yards, proving that he’s still a difference maker. Still, I don’t think Belichick wanted Brady to throw 53 times.

That’s why they’re the Buffalo Bills. They had this game wrapped up, but return man Leodis McKelvin had to fight for yards on a kickoff instead of going to the ground, letting the Patriots strip him of the ball. Without that turnover, Brady may not have gotten the ball back. Terrell Owens was a non-factor with only two catches, which is just how I like him.

Yep Trent, you're a Bill. Sorry.

San Diego Chargers 24, Oakland Raiders 20

So… LT didn’t look all that great, and it brought him a seat on the sidelines as the game was on the line in the fourth quarter. Philip Rivers looked flustered at times until his final drive when the Raiders gave him every check-down he wanted enough space to gain ten yards.

Oakland deserved to win this game until their awful drop-back defense late. Newly acquired Richard Seymour played admirably, even though he arrived in Oakland only two days ago. Still, moral victory or not, it still counts as a loss at the end of the year. Tough break.

See you later this week for my Opening Drive and Bears Preview!