10 Things We Learned From Week 1 in the NFL

Opening weekend wasn't just exciting. It was also educational.

Chris Szagola/CSM/Landov

We saw some storylines pick up right where they left off on Monday Night Football as Robert Griffin III took the field and struggled against the Eagles in Monday Night Football before pulling it together late in the game in Washington's 33-27 loss. There was also that crazy Texans comeback against the Chargers that was highlighted by an amazing interception by Brian Cushing.

This all happened on Monday, and it was all very exciting. The rest of the excitement in the prior games came mixed in with some education as Adrian Peterson epicness continued (momentarily), the #ManningFace came back, and Ryan Seacrest  more Peyton Manning goodness in the opening game showed us that was indeed still one of the greatest in the league. So what were the 10 Things We Learned From Week 1 in the NFL? Let's break it down.

Terrell Pryor as a starting quarterback may actually work.

Player(s): Terrelle Pryor
Date: 9/8/2013

Before many were thinking that the Raiders quarterback situtation must've been pretty bad to have Terrelle Pryor competing for the starter position. His performance against the Colts yesterday showed that things might not be so hard for Oakland after finishing at .500 only twice within the past ten years. Pryor set a franchise record for most rushing yards by a quarterback with 112 and threw a touchdown and two picks. Not bad at all.

He's not the one to take moral victories though. He told CSNBayArea.com that he was still dissatisfied 21-17 loss to the Colts. "I don't care what my numbers are," he said. "I just want to do well for the team, and I didn't do well enough. What happened today was unacceptable, and that's on me." It's good to see he's not buying to the culture of losing at Oakland. Is the Raiders comeup coming soon?

Flying clotheslining a star QB outside of kayfabe is not all right.

Flying clotheslining a star QB outside of kayfabe is not all right.

Player(s): Colin Kaepernick, Clay Matthews
Date: 9/8/2013

You've got to be sort of in your feelings when you're going up against the 49ers if you're Clay Matthews, especially after the torching Colin Kaepernick gave Green Bay in the playoffs. That doesn't mean delivering a flying clothesline like an acrobatic, pre-Caeser haircut Triple H (has anybody ever really gotten used to his new style?) is all right. The move did nothing but cause a penalty and piss off a bunch of his teammates.It certainly didn't stop Kaepernick either. He threw for three touchdowns and 412 yards and walked away with a 34-28 win.

How Not to Do a Touchback

Player(s): Darius Reynaud
Date: 9/8/2013

Here's a rather obvious rule: Both feet have to be in the end zone when the ball is caught for a touchback. If you catch the ball outside and then step into the end zone, that is NOT a touchback. That's a safety a.k.a two points and a possession for the other team. That's a fact that five-year veteran Darius Reynaud showed in his error yesterday against the Steelers. Despite the bad start, the Titans were still able to beat Pittsburg, 16-9.

Television networks will do anything possible to keep Ryan Seacrest relevant.

Player(s): N/A
Date: 9/5/2013

To be fair, Ryan Seacrest is a decent looking guy. Those teeth are pristine enought to clean toothbrushes, not vice versa. Seacrest doesn't even sweat; he glistens.

That's still not a good enough reason to shove Seacrest down the throats of discontented football fans everywhere though. They've been waiting for months for some more football, and somehow finding a way to continuously plug in someone who has nothing to do with the sport for the sake of promo is a bit much. It's like Jesse Williams constant appearances during the NBA Finals, minus the obnoxiousness.

You have to earn the right to play against the piece of greatness known as Darrelle Revis.

Player(s): Darrelle Revis
Date: 9/8/2013

Don't be silly. Just because a team is scheduled to play against Darrelle Revis doesn't mean they've earned the right to play against him. You have to have proven yourself worthy, according to three-time Super Bowl champion Ty Law. The former cornerback said in an interview with Sports Illustrated that Revis should sit out because the Jets simply aren't worth the trouble; Revis is only looking to face the best of the best after all.

The Jets did end up beating the Buccaneers though. They won because of a really bad mistake by Tampa Bay, but a win is a win. Are they worthy enough yet or no?

You don't want to start a season with a #ManningFace.

You don't want to start a season with a #ManningFace.

Player(s): Eli Manning
Date: 9/8/2013

Running back David Wilson showed one of the perks of having Eli Manning as your quarterback; social media won't dog you for your screw ups if Manning has some fails too. Wilson ended up getting benched after fumbling the ball twice. He also fumbled in last season's opener against the Cowboys.

Manning's three interceptions overshadowed that, however, and the Twitterverse slandered him because of it—perhaps unfairly so. Throwing an interception on your very first pass is laughable, but at the same time, four touchdowns and 450 yards is nothing to ignore. Plus, the final one—a pick six that came when Manning's pass bounced off backup Da'Rel Scott's hands and into Brandon Carr's during a potential comeback drive—wasn't even entirely his fault.

With all that in mind, we're completely OK with another hilarious #ManningFace. Especially one that looks vaguely similar to Eeyore's from Winnie The Pooh.

Peyton Manning is more Peyton Manning-er than ever.

Player(s): Peyton Manning
Date: 9/5/2013

It was kind of a suprise that the Ravens beat the Broncos to begin with in last year's Divisionals. Baltimore was playing at a raucous Mile High stadium, and of course, playing against Peyton Manning is usually a disadvantage in itself. You knew Manning was going to come out slinging to avenge his loss in the rematch, especially with the added help of Wes Welker.

With that said, god damn. Manning spent the game torching the Baltimore defense like they've never been torced before. The 49 points the Ravens allowed is the most in franchise history. Manning also threw seven touchdowns on the Ravens. That's the most thrown since 1969. Manning is playing every game like his last, while a post-Ray Lewis Baltimore isn't looking so hot.

You're not really safe with a fair catch.

You're not really safe with a fair catch.

Player(s): Brynden Trawick, Jacoby Jones
Date: 9/5/2013

You gotta feel for Jacoby Jones for this one since he did pretty much what you'd want a returner to do in that situation: wave for that fair catch and focus on catching the ball to prevent a potential turnover. What does he have to show for it? A sprained MCL just because Bynden Trawick momentarily forgot how to control his body.

Could you imagine the locker room conversation with between these two right after? Jones must've been looking at Trawick like:

Risking looking like an idiot for the sake of a touchdown celebration is definitely not worth it.

Player(s): Danny Trevathan
Date: 9/5/2013

Have you ever been in that situation in NFL Blitz where you have a clear route to the end zone, and the player you're controlling decides to high step into the end zone only to have a defender catch up to him and force a fumble. It's extremely frustrating—the author nearly pops a blood vessel just thinking about it—but you have to accept the events because the high step is an involuntary motion in the game.

Danny Trevathan is not a video game character, however. He's an actual linebacker who made the choice to attempt to celebrate be tossing the ball before he was completely in the end zone after an interception. So that's not a touchdown but a touchback since the ball ended up rolling out the end zone. The Ravens scored on the consequent possession. DeSean Jackson definitely didn't screw up for mistakes like this to still be happening.

Running for 2,500 yards is, in fact, harder than how Adrian Peterson makes it seem.

Player(s): Adrian Peterson
Date: 9/8/2013

How could you not be hyped when Adrian Peterson broke out that 78-yard touchdown on his first touch of the season, cutting right through the Detroit defense almost untouched. It basically said we didn't have to wait for Peterson to shake off whatever "rust" he might have, which would be ridiculous because cyborgs don't rust. AP was continuing right where he left off from 2012, and it looked like that 2,500-yard mark was possible. An absurdly high bar, but still possible even though he missed Eric Dickerson's 2,105-yard record last season.

One thing about cyborgs, though, is that they're part human, and Peterson was very much human numberwise. He scored two more touchdowns but finished the game with 18 carries and 93 yards rushing.

This means Peterson is going have to be even more bananas for a shot at breaking 2,500; he'll have to average about 160 yards per game to catch that mark. He's also slightly off pace with Dickerson's record, too, as the Rams great ran for 138 yards in the first game of that record-breaking season. That said, it's not impossible for Peterson to meet either of those marks, so it wouldn't be time for Dickerson to break out a celebratory two-step just yet.

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