Recap from week 1 in the NFL

Week 1 brought lots of surprises around the league with upset victories and a season-ending knee injury to arguably one of the best players in the NFL. We got to see Brett Favre compete in his first regular season game as a Jet and he did a solid job leading the Jets to a 20-14 victory over the Dolphins. Despite all the pressure Aaron Rodgers came out on Monday Night Football to throw 18 for 22 in the game to beat the Vikings 24-19.

Clearly those were just a few stories that surrounded the NFL this weekend. Some people might wonder why football is the most popular sport in America. Well I'll tell you, it's because of three main reasons in my mind there are an endless amount of headlines from week to week. Another reason is parity, it is so high in the NFL and any team can be beaten in any particular week. The last reason is because it is the most violent sport out of the 4 main sports. All Americans like violence, it's fun to watch, and who doesn't like to hit somebody every once in a while.

Let's continue with the stories starting first in the AFC. Tom Brady just underwent season- ending knee surgery, which promises to shakeup the AFC quite a bit for the rest of the season. Shawne Merriman decided to have season-ending knee surgery as well on Tuesday. Now can Matt Cassel the backup quarterback for the Patriots carry the load for New England for the remainder of the season? I don't know if he can, he hasn't started a football game since High School. In College he backed up Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC. One thing is for sure, even without Brady the Patriots are still a playoff team.

Vince Young left Sunday's game against the Jaguars with a knee injury. On Monday Young's family was worried about his emotional state of mind. So with no word from Young for over 4 hours, his family ended up calling the police to find him. Cause for concern? I would say it's a big concern, remember rumors came out about a year ago saying Young wanted to retire then. Is his mind right and does he still have the passion to play football week in and week out? Those are some of the questions I have and only time will tell to see what the answer is.

As for teams that impressed me on Sunday from the AFC. The Buffalo Bills took care of business against the Seattle Seahawks dominating them 34-10. Pittsburgh defeated the Houston Texans 38-17, Steelers in my mind are my favorite to go to the Super Bowl this year if I had to pick today. Along with the Jets good game, the Denver Broncos came out and pounded the Raiders 41-14. The Broncos looked very strong, it seems Jay Cutler is ready to lead his team to an AFC West Division crown.

As for the teams that disappointed me on Sunday in the AFC. It has to start with the Indianapolis Colts, they opened up their brand new stadium against the Chicago Bears. Well the Bears cam out even with Kyle Orton at the helm defeating the Colts 29-13. Is this just a fluke I'm not sure but it's safe to say the Colts did not look good in their new stadium. The Cleveland Browns didn't look so good against the Cowboys losing 28-10. I mean the Browns should have at least contended for the victory in their home opener. San Diego came out and laid an egg at home in their season opener against the Carolina Panthers. Now Carolina is good, but San Diego should win this game when it's played out west. I wouldn't be too concerned about the Chargers just yet, they started out last year 1-3 on the season before turning it around to make the playoffs. How about the Jaguars? I felt like they were going to come out and make a statement against the Titans. They ended up losing 17-10 and lost both starting offensive guards for the season.

In the NFC the headlines aren't quite as extensive as the AFC. San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith is out for season with a broken shoulder according to team sources from the 49ers. Saints wide receiver Marquez Colston is out 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury. Also Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback Jeff Garcia is out for this weekends game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Let's go to the NFC now with teams that impressed me after Week 1 of play. I really liked the way the Cowboys came out and played at Cleveland winning 28-10. In my mind they are primed for a long run in the playoffs this year even if Jessica Simpson opens her mouth. I was very impressed with the Philadelphia Eagles in their beat down of the St. Louis Rams 38-3. I also liked the way the Giants and Saints competed in their victories from the first week. Who can forget the Bears? Chicago went to Indy and finished coming home with a 29-13 stunner over Peyton Manning's Colts. Carolina came away with a big victory over the Chargers out west. The Falcons stunned all the Lions fans with their blowout vs. Detroit with Michael Turner's running ability.

Now I will finish out with the disappointments from the NFC in week 1. This has to start with the Detroit Lions, they stunk it up, and clearly forgot how to tackle players who carry the football. For more on the Lions read my article just down on my main blog page. The Minnesota Vikings didn't look very good either, especially Tavarius Jackson in his first game of the season. Washington, Seattle, and St. Louis all looked awful this past weekend. Washington couldn't move the football down the field against the Giants only scoring seven points. Seattle got blasted by the Buffalo Bills on the road by 24 points. The Rams probably played the second worst football game in the NFL this weekend only scoring three points vs. the Eagles. Of course the Lions played the worst because they lost to the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are arguably the biggest franchise in disarray right now coming off of Vick and Petrino.

Overall it was a fun week of football and it's great to get the opportunity to watch football on Sunday until February now. Lots of uncertainty remains for the rest of the season in the NFL. Football is a dangerous sport and expect more injuries to come. For your own teams just hope an impact player doesn't get injured. Stay tuned for a preview of week 2 in the NFL coming soon.