Week 1 Rewind

First things first about Week 1 of the NFL season ...

We can speculate all we want to during the offseason, and the preseason for that matter, about how much better/worse/healthier/softer/etc. someone or some team appears. None of that matters until the games matter.

Case in point - many anointed Chicago and Green Bay as Super Bowl contenders after the Bears acquired quarterback Jay Cutler and the Packers steamrolled everyone in sight. What many conveniently forgot is Cutler threw 18 interceptions last season while throwing to a far more talented group of receivers than he has in Chicago. Meanwhile, we should have listened to Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt's comments after his team lost in the preseason to the Packers. The Cards coach said, in effect, that his defense hadn't game-planned for the Packers, who obviously had done just the opposite. So of course the Packers looked unstoppable.

Repeat, nothing matters until the games start to matter.

Week 1 surprise teams
The Good - The Raiders have a pulse! Oakland played physical defense and might have more talent on offense than some realize. Really liked rookie WR Louis Murphy. ... The Chiefs, while clearly less talented than the Ravens, could have won that game at Baltimore. It says here that Todd Haley had a lot more to do with Arizona's success last season than has been reported. ... The Jets started a rookie QB in Mark Sanchez and had two starters in their front seven suspended and they dominated the Texans in Houston. ... The Eagles overpowered the Panthers in every phase of the game. I had questions about the Philly defense after defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's passing, the free-agent exodus of safety Brian Dawkins and the season-ending injury to middle linebacker Stewart Bradley. I have a lot fewer questions now. ... The Bengals, boosted by a vastly improved defense, should have defeated the Broncos.

The Bad - The Panthers looked lost, aside from one sustained drive early in the game, in getting hammered by the Eagles. I think I will regret picking them to win the NFC South. ... The Chargers appear - again - as if they're only going to play as well as they think they need to. I suspect they're going to lose more games this season than they should if that is not corrected. ... The Dolphins, another team I liked going into this season, did exactly what they didn't do last season - commit turnovers and penalties by the bushel full. With a tougher schedule, Miami could take a huge step back if that isn't fixed. ... The Cardinals got the 49ers' best shot, and they couldn't recover. Losing a home opener to a division rival is damaging on several levels.

The good news? It's just one week of 17.

Top 5 Teams
1. Pittsburgh - Give Big Ben the ball and 2 minutes and you'll pay.
2. NY Giants - They won't be the most exciting team to watch, but they won't beat themselves either
3. Philadelphia - The Eagles made a statement, punking the defending NFC South champs on their home turf.
4. New England - All those new defenders have some things to learn.
5. Minnesota - The Vikings won one they should have and appear strong in all phases except kick coverage.

Bottom 5 Teams
32. St. Louis - It's going to be a long season under the Arch
31. Cleveland - Couldn't pass on the Vikings.
30. Detroit - The offense showed some signs of life, but the defense cannot defend the pass.
29. Houston - Thrashed at home
28. Carolina - Really thrashed at home

Key injuries

• Eagles QB Donovan McNabb - Not only does this hurt the team's continuity, but think what it does to the discussion about Michael Vick's role.
• Bears LB Brian Urlacher - A huge loss for a defense that had some teeth.
• Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson - I might regret writing this, but I think he's only the team's second-best back at this point.
• Colts WR Anthony Gonzalez - Indy already appeared thin at this position.

Coming up ... the Week 2 Preview on Friday