NFL Week 1 Recap - Notable Matchups, Winners and Losers

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NFL Week 1 Recap By: Chris Watford for NoLuckNeeded.com

After a long and grueling offseason it’s finally back. Football’s back in swing and we now have an excuse not to get off the couch for hours on end. The first week has already brought us some insane highlights, some depressing lowlights and the Cleveland Browns. With the image of Nathan Peterman’s Sunday night stats burned into the minds of Bills’ fans, let’s recap the most notable matchups from Week One.

Buffalo Bills (0-1) @ Baltimore Ravens (1-0), 3-47

Normally we wait a couple of weeks for a blowout of this magnitude, but the Bills and Nathan Peterman may have wanted to get this blowout out of the way quickly. The score of the game was sitting at 40-0 midway through the third while the Ravens were able to cash in on Peterman’s two interceptions. Although Peterman went 5-18 and threw for 24 yards it wasn’t all his fault. The Bills’ o-line had some glaring issues and obvious holes that forced Peterman to get sacked or put immense pressure on him. When it looked like Peterman was going to throw a good pass his receivers often times couldn’t hold on. I’m not saying Peterman is good at football, but maybe we should cut him a tiny bit of slack.

Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0-1) @ Cleveland Browns (0-0-1), 21-21

Last week I wrote an article stating that the Browns can’t get any worse than last year, and I was right. Well, sort of. For the first time in nearly two years the Cleveland Browns didn’t lose a game - they tied! In the last 15 seconds of Sunday night’s game the Browns were lining up for a 43-yard, game winning kick and as the loyal fans are dressed in their orange ponchos screaming and cheering for the Browns to win their first game in over 600 days, the kickoff is blocked. Browns’ fans went home that night, covered in rain and the stench of $8 Bud Light not knowing how to feel. Brown’s head coach, Hue Jackson, now holds a record of 1-31-1 for the Browns.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) @ New Orleans Saints (0-1), 48-40

One name: Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick had the game of a lifetime, throwing 21/28, 417 yards and 4 TD’s. Fitzpatrick has already thrown a third of his yardage totals from last year. It’s possible that this was probably a once in a lifetime fluke, but it was still a sight to see. After the Bucs’ record of 5-11 last year, this could be the kickstart that they need to push them to the extra limit. Fitzpatrick might have some pressure on him in his next outing against the Eagles, but if he can perform even half as good as his game against the Saints, it’ll still be an accomplishment.

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