Best And Worst Of Week 1
Sep 12, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Jan 4, 2019, 11:34 am
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
by Andrew Pasquini – Sports 1140 KHTK
Best: Football is back- The games count now and the NFL is officially back. Not only is it back but almost every game was close. Ten of the sixteen games in Week 1 finished within one score.
Worst: The weather- Three games were delayed, including the Thursday night opener between the Falcons and Eagles. In the case of the Dolphins-Titans, there was 3 hours and 59 minutes worth of delay due to lightning and the game lasted 7 hours and 8 minutes, breaking the previous record of 5 hours and 16 minutes in 2013.
Best: Aaron Rodgers- Trailing 10-0 in the second quarter, Rodgers was carted off the field after what looked to be a serious leg injury and all hope was lost for the Packers season. Then, in what some would call a miracle, Rodgers returned after halftime and shredded the Bears defense on one leg. Rodgers threw for 273 and three touchdowns in the second half, bringing the Packers back from down 17-0 to a 24-23 victory.
Worst: Matt Stafford- The New York Jets defense intercepted 11 passes in 2017 and thanks to Stafford, they already have a third of their total from last season. Stafford finished the night with a touchdown and four interceptions and was eventually benched for Matt Cassel, who would also throw and interception in a 48-17 loss.
Best: The Cleveland Browns- For the first time since Week 16 of 2016, the Cleveland Browns didn’t lose a football game, ending the streak with a 21-21 tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They forced the Steelers to turn the ball over five times and were trailing 21-7 in the fourth quarter before scoring twice to force the game to overtime. With the tie, the Browns are off to their best start since 2004, when they started 1-0.
Worst: The Cleveland Browns- The Browns streak of not winning extends to 17 weeks after their tie against the Steelers. With 13 seconds remaining in overtime, the Browns had a chance to win the game with a field goal but it was blocked and the game ended tied. The Browns finished the game with a plus five turnover margin but couldn’t capitalize on the takeaways. Since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999, teams with a plus five turnover margin are 132-4-1. The Browns now own two of those losses and the tie.