The NFL season officially kicked off on Thursday, but its largest slate of games got underway on the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on America.
After an exceptionally patriotic start to the day, teams go back into their normal groove and battled it out on the field in an effort to start their respective seasons on the right foot.
Some teams stepped up big, while others let their fans down. Those results will be beaten like a dead horse over the next several days, so we’ll take things in a different direction.
Here’s a look at the top 5 individual performances of Week 1.
5. Kwon Alexander (Linebacker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
This spot could have just as easily gone to Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, who finished a 31-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons with 281 yards passing and four touchdowns, but Kwon Alexander deserves his due for one of the best defensive performances of the week.
Alexander led the NFL with 17 tackles in Week 1, but perhaps even more impressive than that was the fact that 15 of those were solo tackles. For good measure, Alexander also added two tackles for a loss, one sack and two quarterback hits.
He was a one-man wrecking crew on Sunday afternoon, but in an pass-happy offensive league, Alexander isn’t likely to receive much spotlight.
“Preparation,” Alexander told the Tampa Bay Times of what led to his huge game. “When you’re ready for the game and you know what’s going on, you’re going to make a lot of plays.”
NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors are likely in Alexander’s immediate future.
Final line: 17 tackles (15 solo), two tackles for a loss, one sack and two quarterback hits.
4. Andrew Luck (Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts)
After missing nine games a season ago, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck returned on Sunday and quieted any critics or doubters he may have had with a monster statistical performance.
Luck finished his first game back with over 400 total yards and four touchdowns, which included a late fourth quarter touchdown pass that put the Colts in a position to win with only 37 seconds remaining. Unfortunately for Luck and Co., their defense cracked in the final moments and a Matt Prater field goal would secure a 39-35 victory for the Detroit Lions (there was a safety on the final kickoff).
“The quarterback, obviously, was exceptional,” Colts head coach Chuck Pagano told ESPN of Luck’s performance.
Despite his big day, Luck shouldered the blame for Indianapolis’ loss, saying he and the offense got off to a slow start which led to their team playing from behind.
“Tired of talking about slow starts, tired of being a part of slow starts, disappointed in myself for being part of a slow start and that surely affected it,” Luck said. “That’s a quality Detroit Lions team that deserved to win. Don’t want to take credit from them by any means but we know at home we’ve got to start faster to give ourselves a chance to win. It’s hard to win in the NFL and when you go down 21-3, it’s that much harder.”
Slow start or not, Luck did his part to bring the Colts back and put them in a position to win.
Final line: 31-of-47 for 385 yards and four touchdowns. Three rushes for 21 yards.
3. Drew Brees (Quarterback, New Orleans Saints)
Big games are nothing new for Saints quarterback Drew Brees, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth recognizing.
Brees threw for more than 420 yards on Sunday — a league high for the week — but still came up short as his team fell to the Oakland Raiders 35-34. It was one of four games decided by a single point.
The loss aside, Brees continues to prove that age isn’t slowing him down. In addition to his 420-plus yards, the 16-year NFL veteran tossed four touchdowns to three difference receivers and finished the game with a 131.3 quarterback rating. That rating also topped the league.
The one negative for Brees is that he lost a fumble, which is always crucial in tight contests. The Raiders would score three points off his turnover, which proved to be the difference in the game.
“Obviously we could do without the turnover on the first possession,” Brees told ESPN after the game. “Completely my fault. I just held on to it too long … should’ve just punted and moved on. Because obviously that’s three points and when you look at the end of the game, that three points matters.”
The loss and the fumble will ultimately overshadow Brees’ monster performance, but statistically, it’s worth praising.
In addition to all of his other big numbers, Brees’ four touchdown passes propelled him passed Tom Brady on the all-time list, while his 98-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandin Cooks was the longest offensive play in Saints history and the longest touchdown of Brees’ career.
Final line: 28-of-42 for 423 yards, four touchdowns and one fumble lost.
2. Leonard Williams (Defensive tackle, New York Jets)
The New York Jets defensive line absolutely feasted on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton on Sunday, but no defender in the league eclipsed the performance of Leonard Williams.
A first-round pick of the Jets a year ago, Williams finished his rookie season with only three sacks. He nearly matched that total on Sunday with 2.5-sack performance, but that only tells a small portion of the story.
Not only did Williams lead the entire league with 2.5 sacks in Week 1, he also record six tackles (three solo), which was second on the Jets. You can add in two tackles for a loss and five — yes, five — quarterback hits on top of that.
Despite his huge statistical day, the Jets would ultimately fall to the Bengals by a score of 23-22, and that soured Williams’ personal best performance.
“It feels good,” Williams told Jets.com of his 2.5 sacks. “[But] we lost. This is a team game; we win and lose as a team. We’re always going to think we can do better no matter how well we did [as a defensive unit].”
The loss undoubtedly stings, but Williams can still expect to be named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Final line: 6 total tackles, 2.5 sacks
1. A.J Green (Wide receiver, Cincinnati Bengals)
Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is already considered one of the elite wideouts in the league, but in case anyone had forgotten, he reminded them with a remarkable performance against the New York Jets on Sunday.
Primarily lined up across from cornerback Darrelle Revis, who is also considered one of the best in the league at his position, Green hauled in 12 receptions for 180 yards and a score. But even beyond those numbers, the most impressive stat Green put up in Week 1 was his 12 receptions on 13 targets.
Had those numbers come against a lesser cornerback, they wouldn’t have been nearly as impressive. But to haul in 12 receptions on 13 targets when primarily being shadowed by the best in the game, that’s saying something.
“[Green] had a great game,” Revis told the New York Daily News after the game. “I can take a punch on the chin.”
Ultimately, it was Green’s performance that held the Bengals together in the face of seven Jets sacks on quarterback Andy Dalton. Had Green not stepped up and had a big day, including an incredible touchdown grab over the aforementioned Revis, New York would have come away with the victory.
Final line: 12 receptions (13 targets) for 180 yards (15.0 average) for one touchdown.
