Monday 9 September 2013 18:18, UK
Suddenly, everything feels right in the world of sport. The NFL is back and that means it's time to reflect on opening weekend, in particular the action that unfolded during our seven hours of live coverage on Sky Sports Sunday evening.
Must do better If head coaches actually sat down on a Monday morning and reflected on their weekend - school report-style, Jacksonville's Gus Bradley and Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin would definitely be penning the words: 'Must do better.' The Jags were crippled with offensive ineptitude that was, well... offensive! They journeyed past their own 36-yard line just once in their 28-2 home loss to Kansas City and failed to score a single offensive point. If you're new to the NFL, that's bad - really bad. Blaine Gabbert 'won' the starting quarterback's job over the summer but was slow out of the blocks, throwing for just 121 yards and two interceptions. He even threw an interception straight to Kansas City's Tamba Hali when the defender was right in front of him. I know what you're thinking. How did he not see a man who stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 275 pounds? Well, he didn't and the result was a touchdown. Pittsburgh struggled terribly on offense in their 16-9 home defeat against the Tennessee Titans, with their lone touchdown coming with just over a minute remaining. The Steelers racked up just 195 yards of total offense and a miserable evening was made worse with the news that center Maurkice Pouncey (torn ACL and MCL) and linebacker Larry Foote (torn bicep) are gone for the rest of the season. Saints find their defense The 2012 New Orleans Saints were statistically the worst defense in the history of the NFL, allowing opponents to gain 7,042 yards. Enter often-publicised defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who was given this simple task: 'Make us at least a middle of the road defense.' The feeling is that with something approaching a respectable defense, the Saints are a playoff team again because they can be potent on offense. They were more than just respectable during Sunday night's 23-17 win over Atlanta. I thought they showed aggression and swarmed to the football. They also got some decent pressure on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. The final play of the game saw Ryan intercepted by Roman Harper in the end zone. The Falcons passer was forced to throw off his back foot due to considerable pressure up the middle. That was a positive sign for the Saints on a night when they defeated their hated rivals. Manning looks supreme I know this goes back to our season-opening game on Thursday night, but it's hard to ignore the record-setting performance of Denver's Peyton Manning, who threw seven touchdown passes in a 49-27 demolition of the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. Manning was in sublime form at the age of 37. He began the game attacking the Ravens over the middle and that produced two touchdowns apiece for tight end Julius Thomas and slot receiver Wes Welker. When the Ravens made their adjustments, Manning fired three touchdown strikes to the outside - two to Demaryious Thomas and one to Andre Caldwell. Manning may not have the arm strength of his prime and his passes are no longer going to win any beauty contests, but he still has incredible accuracy and can unpick a defense due to the fact that he is like having a coach or an offensive coordinator in the huddle. He and the Broncos are going to frustrate a lot of defenses this season.
