On opening day we saw the Seattle Seahawks emphatically launch their Super Bowl defence. On Sunday we saw three games head to overtime. We saw Antonio Brown karate-kick Browns punter Spencer Lanning in the head, Maurice Jones-Drew fumblepunt (you're welcome) the ball after a vicious clothesline from Quinton Coples, a rare successful fake punt from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay's Josh McCown haplessly fumbling before recovering and throwing an interception. We also saw some pretty great individual and team performances. This weekly report breaks down the most notable efforts - good, bad and everything in between - from around the league.
J.J. Watt
On Sunday, J.J. Watt delivered a performance that could be deemed worth every penny of his $100 Million contract. He was arguably the biggest factor in the dismantling of the Redskins' offense, and spent most of the afternoon harassing Robert Griffin III in the Washington backfield. Even though Jadaveon Clowney left the field early, Watt still enjoyed one-on-one blocking by the hopelessly outmatched Tyler Polumbus and as a result racked up seven hits, one sack, a fumble recovery, one pass knocked down and a blocked PAT. Not a bad day at the office then, and - barring a miracle - you can probably end the discussion for NFL Defensive Player of the Year now.
Knowshon Moreno
As I wrote two weeks ago, Knowshon Moreno positioned himself for a big season in Miami after a strong but limited outing in the preseason. I wrote that he possesses superior decisiveness, vision, burst and finishing ability to Lamar Miller. Those traits saw the former Bronco outshine his team-mate and just about everyone else on the field as he torched the New England Patriots for 134 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Moreno is that dangerous type of back who can run around and through defenders, so don't be surprised if he starts to receive a greater share of carries going forward.
Matt Ryan
Despite the gulf that emerged between the two NFC South rivals in 2013, few were expecting the Saints to completely dominate the Falcons on Sunday. Even fewer expected Matt Ryan to shred the vaunted Saints defence - now including Jarius Byrd and a healthy Kenny Vaccaro - to the tune of 448 yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 128.8. He completed passes to nine different receivers, and Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan had no answers to what could emerge as the league's most potent offense.
Brian Hoyer
Sorry Johnny, but it looks like you'll be keeping the bench warm in Cleveland a little while longer. Not necessarily a bad thing in all honesty, as Manziel didn't look quite as polished as Blake Bortles and Derek Carr did in the preseason, and could use some extra time on the bench. The Browns may have fallen short to Pittsburgh, but they lost on the final play of the game (a Shaun Suisham field goal) and almost pulled off an unlikely upset following a stirring performance from Hoyer. After a slow start, and a 27-3 score going into half time, the former Patriot capped his improbable rise to 'starting NFL quarterback' status with three touchdown drives to tie the game at 27 points. Browns fans can rest easy knowing they have both the present and future on their roster right now.
Allen Hurns
No, I hadn't heard of Allen Hurns before Sunday either. Jaguars fans, pundits and coaches certainly had though; the undrafted rookie out of Miami continued his strong preseason form and blew up in the first half of the Jaguars game against a stunned Philadelphia Eagles team. Hurns cooled off after a stellar first half that saw him haul in four passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. While it may be premature to crown Hurns the Next Great NFL receiver, he's given the Jaguars plenty of reasons to feature him more prominently as the season progresses.
Graham Gano
Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano makes the list for still managing to make his halftime practice kicks despite being surrounded by the Bethune-Cookman marching band. Good effort, Graham.
