NFL Week 1: Surprise Sunday Performance for Each Team

Buffalo Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel (3). Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The first Sunday of the regular season is usual the wildest one, and we had some major surprise performances (both good and bad) this week. This feature is dedicated to taking a look at one performance from each team that surprised us (or others), and there’s no shortage of options to choose from after a Sunday that included nail-biting games and upset victories (Miami Dolphins).

New England Patriots: Tom Brady disappoints big time

The New England Patriots didn’t have a strong opener against the Buffalo Bills last year, but at least they managed to escape with a victory after an expert two-minute drill from Tom Brady, who was clutch all year long. This year, the Pats dropped a 33-20 loss to the rival Miami Dolphins, who are the Patriots only legitimate source of competition in the AFC East. Armed with a better offensive coordinator and some upgrades on both sides of the ball, the Dolphins look poised for a playoff bid under breakout QB Ryan Tannehill, even if he wasn’t exactly strong against the Patriots. It was surprising to see the Pats run defense get manhandled, but the biggest surprise was Brady’s play.

It wasn’t all his fault, as he faced pressure all game long from an offensive line that lacks cohesiveness and talent up the middle without Logan Mankins around. That was a cost-cutting move to free up money for the future (they have extensions coming up, too), but it might have been too much of a penny-pinching move. Nevertheless, it’s no excuse for Brady, who looked inaccurate on his way to an awful 4.4 yards per attempt. He didn’t throw an interception, but that’s hardly consolation. Brady looked lost in the second half, and he was an absolute train wreck in the fourth quarter,  going against everything his reputation says of him. It was a day to forget from Brady, whose only truly reliable target was Julian Edelman.

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Miami Dolphins: Where did that front come from?

It was pretty incredible to watch the Miami Dolphins score 23 unanswered points in the second half to down the rival Patriots, and the most striking part of their upset victory was the offensive line. They made a couple of big upgrades there this offseason, and tackles Branden Albert and Ja’Wuan James looked the part against two pass rushers who are probably better run defenders (Chandler Jones absolutely has to break out this year). The Dolphins weren’t expected to be this good at moving the pile with Mike Pouncey out, but punching bag veteran Samson Satele had a game for the ages, as Vince Wilfork and the injured Sealver Siliga were beaten far too easily. Another patchwork veteran in Daryn Colledge showed off his run blocking chops yesterday, and Knowshon Morneo rolled for a big game and looks like the “hot hand” in the Dolphins “committee”.

Buffalo Bills: E.J. Manuel sold in upset

When talented young CB Stephon Gilmore was listed as an inactive, it looked like the Buffalo Bills were screwed as they headed into a matchup against the Chicago Bears juggernaut passing attack. But the Bears offense looked far more “average” than “great”, while E.J. Manuel got his season off to a good start against one of the league’s worst safety groups. The Bears defense forced Manuel to toss just six incompletions, as the second-year Florida State product averaged 7.9 yards per attempt and rushed for a touchdown in the overtime victory. Coming into the season, the biggest storyline was how much of a failure Manuel could prove to be, but he did a nice job yesterday. The Bills QB still needs to prove his franchise designation, but there’s now one less reason for the Bills to consider switching to Kyle Orton.

New York Jets: Secondary plays well

With Dee Milliner out, it looked like the New York Jets were headed for a lousy game against strong-armed rookie Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders, but the Jets came away with a gritty win. Their secondary looked like it was in shambles heading into the contest, but they did an excellent job. Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson won their battles on the line (as expected), and Antonio Allen, Calvin Pryor, Kyle Wilson, and Dawan Landry generally played well in the defensive backfield. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson and QB Carr are getting some criticism in the Raiders inept offensive performance, and Carr wasn’t exactly helped by a pathetic running game spearheaded by “name” RBs Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden. Those two should get better, and Carr will go up as they do. As for the Jets, they held deep threat Denarius Moore to just two receptions for eight yards on eight targets, and Allen did indeed look like a safety playing corner…in a good way, as he kept everything in front of him. The Raiders tried to utilize quick passes to keep the aggressive Jets pass rush at bay, so the Jets DBs were helped by what could be a fluky performance if they don’t repeat.