From what I watched on Sunday night, the answer to that question is unequivocally yes. From ridiculous catches by un-named wide receivers, to insane interceptions, to Eli Manning being the first player in history to have a reverse contract year (living up to the money he's being paid only after he gets the money, rather than before) the Giants had no business beating the Cowboys in their home opener at the enormous new Cowboys Stadium.
The vaunted defense that is supposed to lead this team to a division title and maybe more allowed 31 points, including 251 rushing yards. They could not stop the run to save their lives. Fortunately for them, Wade Phillips insisted on putting the ball in Tony Romo's hands way too often. Even still, that defense did not look impressive, and if they didn't get three picks (one of with that happened to fall into the hands of the defender after taking a crazy bounce off Jason Witten's foot) they would have been crushed in this game.
The great running game staring Brandon Jacobs was shut down by Dallas. He had 58 yards, 31 of which came on one run. Ahmad Bradshaw was equally unimpressive, accumulating 37 yards on 9 carries. They couldn't control the ball, they couldn't wear down the Dallas D. This doesn't look good the rest of the way.
Now they did win the game, and I can't take that away from them. Eli just about played the game of his life. Do you really expect that kind of performance out of him every time out? I sure don't. They had to get extremely lucky to beat a better team, get every bounce to go their way, and they still only won the game on a last second field goal. Looking ahead, I would be much more confident if I were a Cowboys fan than a Giants fan.
Fantasy impact: Steve Smith and Mario Manningham are going to be the go to guys for Eli this season, especially with injuries to Hixon and Nicks. Pick them up. Tashard Choice gets a little more interesting with the injury to Marion Barber, and could be worth the add in deep leagues.
Last night we saw Peyton Manning at his most lethal. The Colts only had the ball for one quarter of the game, but that is all they needed. 295 yards on only 23 passing attempts. That said, just like the Giants, they got awfully lucky to win the game. Miami controlled the game but they don't have the talent to win when it counts. That last drive was both poorly coached and poorly played. They didn't even look like they were trying to win the game with how slow they were moving. Did Tony Sporano forget there are only 4 quarters in a football game? Ted Ginn dropped a couple of passes that would have led to a Dolphins victory, but that is why he is Ted Ginn, and these are the Miami Dolphins. Neither team impresses me going forward, but the Dolphins are worse, as this was the absolute best they had and they still couldn't get it done.
Fantasy impact: Pierre Garcon could be an interesting add in deep leagues if he cements his role as the number 2 receiver for Peyton Manning. The guy can fly and Gonzalez will be out for quite a few more more weeks.
Moving onto the non prime time games:
Patriots/Jets: The Jets proved that they are legitimate contenders and the Patriots proved that Tom Brady is not fully back yet. I am not too worried about the Pats just yet. They were without Wes Welker and that is a huge blow. He is Brady's safety net. Without him, Brady is never going to look fully comfortable. Short dump offs to Welker basically supplant the running game in this system. When he comes back healthy, expect the offense to be back to full speed. Buy low on Brady if you can.
Revis is an absolute monster at cornerback. Shutting down Andre Johnson and Randy Moss in back to back weeks is about as good as it gets. This defense could be the best in the league, even better than Pittsburgh and Baltimore. It is that good. They will need their offense to come through in key situations though and I'm not willing to crown Mark Sanchez yet. 16 points against New England's bad defense isn't good.
Fantasy impact: Leon Washington and Thomas Jones had an even split in carries this week and I see a lot more of that going forward. This should really cut into Jones' fantasy value. Edelmen had quite a few targets and a decent fantasy game, but unless Welker's injury is very serious, he's not worth an add. No Patriots running back is worth owning.
Saints/Eagles: The Saints look very good. Very, very good. That offense put up 48 points on a very good defense. Can anyone keep this team under 40 points? I'm sure it will happen, but it won't be easy. Drew Brees is the best quarterback going right now.
Kevin Kolb had a lot of yards, but he wasn't good. They had to throw a ton because they were behind and he wasn't very efficient. The Eagles need McNabb back if they are going to live up to their potential.
Fantasy impact: Brian Westbrook is hurt, but of course he is. That was expected. You needed to handcuff him with McCoy before the season and if you didn't, shame on you. Mike Bell is also hurt, so watch that situation. Pierre Thomas should be back next week. 9 different receivers got a catch for the Saints, but Colston was back to being Brees' clear favorite. Brent Celek looked really good for the Eagles, going over 100 yards. Kolb may look to lean on him as long as he remains the quarterback.
Rams/Redskins: The Rams are terrible, but we already new that. What we learned from this game is that the Redskins are not much better. I vastly overrated this team. Campbell doesn't look good, Portis is clearly passed his prime, and they play in a tough division. Good to know now that they really stink.
Fantasy impact: Laurent Robinson is a solid pickup, as he seems to be the go to guy for Bulger. He won't blow anyone away, but he'll be serviceable.
Cardinals/Jaguars: Another game where I learned that a team stinks. I vastly overrated the Jags before this season. They are no good. They couldn't really have played much worse, at home, against a reeling west coast team. Kurt Warner torched them. I thought the defense was better but I was wrong. I admit that they are going straight to the basement this year. The Cardinals may have some life left in them, but this was more of the Jaguars being bad than the Cardinals being good, so I'm not going to put too much weight on this win.
Fantasy impact: Tim Hightower is looking like a pretty clear number one running back for the Cardinals, but that could change if Beanie Wells keeps doing well when he touches the ball. Mike Sims-Walker is one of the first guys I'd look for on the waiver wire if I was shopping for a wide receiver, with Troy Williamson going down for the season, he steps in as the number 2 guy and had a great game.
Panthers/Falcons: The Falcons look really strong, and the Panthers look better than expected. I didn't get to see much of this one, but Jake Delhomme may not be totally dead. Steve Smith had a great game, so if you own him, he'll be fine. Tony Gonzalez was great again, Roddy White and Michael Turner each found the end zone and the Falcons just look great. They are a lock for the playoffs and I can't wait to see how they do against the Patriots this week.
Fantasy impact: Really the only impact is that anyone you drafted in this game is going to be fine. Don't worry about Smith or Turner or Roddy White. They are all studs, nothing much more to add.
Vikings/Lions: This game didn't really reveal anything. the Lions are bad, the Vikings are decent. I don't have a ton to say. The Lions won the first half, then fell apart. Matthew Stafford did not look impressive. He still has a lot of growing pains to go through. Lets see how he does next week against the Redskins, who looked dreadful against the Rams.
Fantasy impact: Percy Harvin got in the end zone again, and seems like he may be a very nice bargain for those who drafted him late this season.
Bengals/Packers: Sigh... the classic trap game. The Packers were a huge let down against a Bengals team that showed they aren't nearly as bad as they were in week 1. This is the reason we can't overvalue week one results. Now, I still don't think the Bengals are all that good, but the Packers just didn't get up for this game and that disappoints me and the rest of their supporters this season. How Cedric Benson rushed for 141 yards is well beyond me. This guy has always been terrible, and I don't know how he's performing this well. I hope the Packers take this as a lesson that you can't roll over for anyone.
Fantasy impact: Cedric Benson a steal? That is how it looks now. He can't keep this up can he? Greg Jennings didn't get a catch but he was targeted 5 times so don't be too concerned. Cincinnati has a much better defense than anyone thought. Coles might be done.
Texans/Titans: Well this game was a fantasy football showcase. Chris Johnson, Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub put on a show. The end result was depressing as a Titans fan though. They just could not stop the passing game and that is a serious concern. This Texans offense is very powerful however and thats a big reason why the Jets look so damn good over the first two weeks. I don't think the Titans are done just yet, it is only two weeks, however going 0-3 will be a huge problem for this team, and they have those very Jets next week. Lets see how the Jets do against a team that has a good defense, which couldn't be said for the Texans or Patriots. Sanchez will have to win that game for them, which isn't something he has needed to do yet.
Fantasy impact: Steve Slaton had another abysmal day against a stout defense. Now is the time to buy low on this guy! Try and steal him away from a frustrated owner. Nate Washington is going to be Kerry Collins favorite target, and if he is available in your league, you might want to take a look in his direction.
Raiders/Chiefs: Boy this really was an ugly game. These teams are bad. JeMarcus Russell is the worst quarterback in football right now, and Cassel didn't look much better. The Raiders stole this game, but don't look for them to win too many. Its going to be hard for them to move the ball on anyone else if they can only score 13 on the Chiefs. Neither team is going anywhere fast.
Fantasy impact: It would be wise to stay away from anyone on these teams. If you own them, pray for the best, try and move them, if you don't, don't try and trade for them, and certainly don't pick up anyone who isn't owned.
Buccaneers/Bills: Nothing really learned from this game. I expected the Bills to win this rather easily and they did. Does that mean the Bills are good? No. It means the Buccaneers are very, very bad. They are one of my teams with a shot at going winless and they have done nothing at all to convince me otherwise. Fred Jackson was outstanding for the Bills and it will be tough for them to keep him off the field even after Lynch comes back from suspension. I love this kid, great player with a great story. We'll see how they play it in two weeks.
Fantasy impact: Kellen Winslow had his second straight good game for Tampa with 90 yards and a touchdown. Great late round tight end steal if you have him. No one else on Tampa can really catch the ball, and he will be targeted a lot. Both Bills wide receivers got into the end zone, but neither racked up the yards. Jackson had another huge day, of course. Tampa's backfield remains jumbled.
Seahawks/49ers: Tough game for Seattle, and for me, as I picked them as my lock of the week and they really let me down. They just had no answer for Frank Gore. He was an animal all day, racking up 207 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. It didn't help that Matt Hasselbeck fractured a rib and had to leave the game. They are going nowhere without him so he needs to get back on the field fast. Once they lost him there was really no chance of them coming back in the game. San Fran's defense could be legit, which means I will be eating a lot of crow for bashing them. Lets see how they fair against non NFC West competition. That will be the true test of how good they are.
Fantasy impact: Gore was pretty much the only thing to take out of this game, but you already knew he was great. Any doubters of his ability should be silenced by now.
Ravens/Chargers: This game went about how I expected. The Ravens offense is legit and better than it has been in years. Their defense, conversely, is not as good as it has been in years past. San Diego missed Tomlinson's ability to just take over a game with him sidelined with an injury, but they will have to get used to that as he is past his prime and doesn't really have that ability anymore. The better team won this game, but the Chargers should still run away with the AFC west. They are the best team in it by far.
Fantasy impact: Lots of fantasy impact from this one, starting with Willis McGahee. I have no idea how he's doing it, but he is their goal line guy and is getting the majority of the carries. Ray Rice is still getting his, and is a force catching the ball out of the backfield, but isn't getting into the end zone. LeRon McClain is the clear 3rd option. Sproles did not look good on the ground, but the Ravens are a great rush defense. He torched them through the air though, going for 124 yards. Vincent Jackson was awesome again, and he should be for the rest of the year. This has transformed into a pass first offense, and Sproles and Jackson will be focal points of that all year. Try and get them if you can.
Steelers/Bears: I wish I could have watched this game closer to see exactly what went wrong for the Steelers. I know they missed two field goals that would have won them the game, but that is no excuse. They should have beaten the Bears. Matt Forte was completely stalled. Cutler had a bounce back game which makes me concerned for the secondary of the Steelers without Polamalu. They should still be ok, just not nearly as potent as they were last year. They better hope he's not out the full 6 weeks. Still, this was a big let down in a game they should have won. Good job taking advantage of mistakes by the Bears.
Fantasy impact: Don't worry about Forte, he'll be just fine, he's just had horrible matchups. Look for a big game against Seattle next week. Just look what Gore did this week. Santonio Holmes is in for a breakout year, great bargain for his owners. He is Big Ben's go to guy, and should be for a long time. The Pittsburgh run game left a lot to be desired. I wouldn't be rushing out to grab Knox because I don't see anyone dominating the targets for the Bears and their are much better options out there in any league.
Broncos/Browns: And I leave you with a big giant thud! The Browns are just so bad. They can't run, they can't throw, they can't play defense. I don't know how they will beat anyone. They are legitimately terrible. I said it before the season and they have proven to be the worst team over the first two games of the season. A bad Denver team beat them by 3 touchdowns. Denver is the worst 2-0 team in the league right now.
Fantasy impact: I don't think we can take anything away from this game. I wouldn't be too happy if I owned anyone on either side though.
And that will do it. I'll be breaking down each game every Tuesday so I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time, See ya!
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