- Cam Newton was nothing short of spectacular in his NFL debut, throwing for 422 yards and two touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals. The yardage is the most ever for a rookie quarterback in his NFL debut, crushing Otto Graham’s old record of 346 (via the Elias Sports Bureau). Granted, the Arizona defense isn’t exactly all-world, and Newton isn’t even a week removed from being named the Panthers’ starting quarterback, which is noteworthy since the guys he beat out -- Derek Anderson and Jimmy Clausen -- might be the two worst quarterbacks in the NFL. So while Newton doesn’t deserve a Hall of Fame bust just yet, it’s still tremendously encouraging for the Carolina Panthers, who at last have something to be excited about.
- Kerry Collins passed Joe Montana for 10th place in all-time passing yards, but that was about the only bright spot for the Colts on Sunday, who got trounced by a Texans squad that didn’t even have Arian Foster. Collins wasn’t the only reason Indianapolis lost; this was a breakdown on almost every level. But the 38-year-old quarterback certainly didn’t inject any energy into their offense. Without Peyton Manning standing in the pocket, screaming at players and pointing the routes out for them, the Colts offense looked clueless and even lethargic at times. They lost that game before it even began, and though Collins doesn’t deserve to be the scapegoat, someone needs to breathe fresh life into them, a task the recently un-retired Collins simply isn’t capable of. David Garrard, however, is still available...
- Here’s another interesting tidbit via the fine folks at Elias: Kerry Collins fumbled the ball twice in the first quarter yesterday, more than Peyton Manning had fumbled in his last 56 games dating back to 2007.
- When the NFL changed the rules so that kickoffs began at the 35 yard-line rather than the 30, many fans were worried that one of the game’s most exciting aspects was gone for good. And yet, there were three kickoff returns for touchdowns this week, and all of them went for at least 100 yards -- the most triple-digit returns any week has seen since 1958.
- According to the New York Times, 647 points have been scored this week, an average of 46.7 per game. If that many points are scored in both of tonight’s games, this will finish as one of the ten highest-scoring weeks in the history of the NFL. The highest-scoring opening week came in 2002, when 788 points were scored. The increase in scoring could be a direct result from the new kicking rules, which increases the number of touchbacks, which puts offenses at the 20, which makes teams have to throw the ball more. Between the high number of kickoff return touchdowns and the dramatic increase in scoring, opponents to the new kickoff rules don’t have much ground to stand on, especially with the caveat that it’s making the game safer.
- Speaking of scoring, boy did NBC cash in on a juicy Cowboys-Jets game that came down to the final seconds. 23.1 million viewers tuned it, making it the most-watched Sunday Night Football game in history, as well as having the best ratings for an opening week primetime game in 15 years. As to how many of those viewers NBC will retain for their regular weekday lineup, I’d venture to say... none.
- For the first time since 1992, the Buffalo Bills scored 40 points in a season-opener. Kansas City, their opponent, suffered its worst opening day defeat in franchise history and looked like a one-year-wonder. They benefited from an incredibly favorable schedule last season, and though their main challengers in the AFC West -- the Chargers -- looked mediocre against the Vikers, losing 41-7 to the team with the second-worst record in 2010 bodes badly for the rest of the season.
- The Bills’ tight end, Scott Chandler, had an awesome day, reeling in five catchers and a pair of touchdowns. It’s the first multi-touchdown game for a Bills tight end in a road game since Pete Metzelaars did it in the second week of the 1992 season.
NFL Notes & Records: Week 1
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It’s hard to a begin a season worse than the Rams did on Sunday. Losing at home to the Philadelphia Eagles, 31-13, was a bad enough, but in the process, they also lost their quarterback (Sam Bradford), their running back (Steven Jackson), and their top receiver (Danny Amendola) to injuries. Their next five opponents on the schedule are the Giants, Ravens, Redskins, Packers and Saints. In a word: ouch.
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