Speaking of black eyes, as soon as the first games kicked off major names began dropping like flies. The Cincinnati Bengals lost A.J. Green to turf toe early in their game against the Atlanta Falcons; the Washington Redskins lost both Robert Griffin III and DeSean Jackson within moments of one another; Knowshon Moreno fell to a dislocated elbow; Gerald McCoy and Mark Ingram left their respective games with broken hands; Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman and New York Giants linebacker Jon Beason both aggravated recent injuries; Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry both left the Chiefs game against the Broncos with ankle sprains, and both Allen Hurns and Marcedes Lewis picked up injuries in the Jaguars' loss to Washington. Other notable casualties were Vernon Davis, Jason McCourty, Vontaze Burfict, Justin Gilbert, Roy Helu, Shawn Lauvao (it was a bad day for the Washington Redskins), Walter Thurmond III, Eric Decker, Tavon Austin and Ryan Mathews.
It was - in a word - a massacre, and I can't think of a more injury-filled week in the NFL. Despite that, a number of survivors still managed to string together some eye-popping performances:
Aaron Rodgers
After a quiet week one in which the Packers were soundly outplayed and outmatched by the Seattle Seahawks, Aaron Rodgers rebounded with a huge performance that saw him go 25-of-42 for 346 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Packers rallied after falling behind to the Jets early (the Packers were down 21-3 at one point in the second quarter), and Rodgers' performance was crucial in securing the win and avoiding falling to 0-2 on the season.
Bobby Rainey
Doug Martin has been another injury casualty of the season so far, but the Buccaneers won't have missed him against the St. Louis Rams after Bobby Rainey rushed for 144 yards on only 22 carries (6.5 yards per carry). A touchdown would have been the ultimate exclamation point on his dominant performance, but Rainey - who has hopped around the league and experienced brief stints at Cleveland and Baltimore - will have undoubtedly secured himself a bigger role in the Bucs' offense going forward.
Jordy Nelson
Directly linked to Aaron Rodgers' monster performance is Jordy Nelson. Nelson appeared to be the main beneficiary of the Packers' attempts to wrest the lead from the New York Jets, and caught nine balls for a staggering 209 yards and an 80 yard, comeback-clinching, game-winning touchdown that arguably 'saved the Packers' season'. It's a testament to Nelson's character that his reaction after the game was:"um ... I don't know...I left some plays out there, honestly."
Darren Sproles
Seven receptions, 152 yards, 21.7 yards average. Numbers you'd normally associate with a wideout the calibre of a Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall or A.J. Green. Those numbers actually belong to Philadelphia's diminutive, 31 year old running back Darren Sproles, who proved that he still has plenty left in the tank after a performance that helped carry the Eagles past the Indianapolis Colts. Sproles also added a cherry on top in the form of 26 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Chandler Jones
New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones was a big reason why the Pats were leading the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 at halftime. Already down 17-7 and enjoying a torrid start to life in their temporary home stadium, the Vikings' misery worsened when the freakishly athletic Jones burst through their line, blocked kicker Blair Walsh's attempted field goal, scooped the ball up after a perfect bounce and sprinted 60 yards for the special teams Touchdown of the Year (I'm sorry, but this will take some beating). He added eight tackles and two sacks in a defensively dominant outing by the Patriots.
Charles Woodson
For doing the right thing and bluntly declaring that the Oakland Raiders do, as many people suspected, "suck".
After a quiet week one in which the Packers were soundly outplayed and outmatched by the Seattle Seahawks, Aaron Rodgers rebounded with a huge performance that saw him go 25-of-42 for 346 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Packers rallied after falling behind to the Jets early (the Packers were down 21-3 at one point in the second quarter), and Rodgers' performance was crucial in securing the win and avoiding falling to 0-2 on the season.
Bobby Rainey
Jordy Nelson
Directly linked to Aaron Rodgers' monster performance is Jordy Nelson. Nelson appeared to be the main beneficiary of the Packers' attempts to wrest the lead from the New York Jets, and caught nine balls for a staggering 209 yards and an 80 yard, comeback-clinching, game-winning touchdown that arguably 'saved the Packers' season'. It's a testament to Nelson's character that his reaction after the game was:"um ... I don't know...I left some plays out there, honestly."
Darren Sproles
Seven receptions, 152 yards, 21.7 yards average. Numbers you'd normally associate with a wideout the calibre of a Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall or A.J. Green. Those numbers actually belong to Philadelphia's diminutive, 31 year old running back Darren Sproles, who proved that he still has plenty left in the tank after a performance that helped carry the Eagles past the Indianapolis Colts. Sproles also added a cherry on top in the form of 26 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Chandler Jones
New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones was a big reason why the Pats were leading the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 at halftime. Already down 17-7 and enjoying a torrid start to life in their temporary home stadium, the Vikings' misery worsened when the freakishly athletic Jones burst through their line, blocked kicker Blair Walsh's attempted field goal, scooped the ball up after a perfect bounce and sprinted 60 yards for the special teams Touchdown of the Year (I'm sorry, but this will take some beating). He added eight tackles and two sacks in a defensively dominant outing by the Patriots.
Charles Woodson
For doing the right thing and bluntly declaring that the Oakland Raiders do, as many people suspected, "suck".
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