Marshawn Lynch Sean McVay rock Week 1 Carson Palmer flops

Marshawn Lynch, Sean McVay rock Week 1; Carson Palmer flops Published: Sep 11, 2017 at 05:54 AM Contributing Columnist What a fantastic first NFL Sunday! got it done when it mattered the most. The are in first place. And Chuck Pagano's got beat up so badly . You gotta love sports. Which developments could have the most significance -- for better or for worse -- going forward? Let's take a look, Schein Nine style: REAL DEAL 1) Marshawn Lynch, running back, Oakland Raiders "Beast Mode" is back. After sitting out the 2016 season, looked fresh while barreling over the in in Nashville. Lynch is a major upgrade over , and his value goes beyond the box score (18 rushes for 76 yards, plus a 16-yard catch). Lynch provides tremendous balance for the great (22 of 32 for 262 yards and two touchdowns, with a 114.3 pa ser rating), who picked up right where he left off before breaking his leg last Christmas Eve. And when Lynch clobbers and carries opponents acro s the gridiron, it busts a defense's will. The 31-year-old back set the tone right off Tyler Smith Jersey the bat on Sunday, in a cutting, spinning, tackle-breaking blur of action. The NFL is just better with on the field. The burst and power is definitely still there. And the return to his hometown is glorious. Dude looks good in silver and black. Lynch and Oakland made noise with this quality road win, a few days after . As many a sumed all offseason, the AFC West is shaping up to be a bear of a division in 2017. 2) Sean McVay, head coach, Los Angeles Rams Absolutely love this cat. McVay's energy and offensive acumen, as well as the all-star coaching staff he put together, have reinvigorated this franchise. I know, I know: His beat up on the Andrew Luck-le s in . L.A. took full advantage of Scotty Tolzien, a quarterback who shouldn't even be in the league, much le s . All that's true -- it's why the were my Week 1 pick in the survivor pool. But let's give some credit where credit's due. McVay's Dallas Cowboys Women Jersey looked like a real football team, as opposed to the underachieving, inept me s we saw for years under Jeff Fisher. looked the part, posting the first 300-yard game of his NFL career. McVay, of course, rose to prominence in Washington by getting the most out of . Los Angeles brought in the 31-year-old coach to have a similar impact on the No. 1 overall pick from the 2016 . So far, so good. And McVay executed quite a coup when he snatched up Wade Phillips to direct his defense. The unit notched two pick-sixes, four sacks and a safety on Sunday -- and that was without all-everything DT , who . The didn't sleepwalk or overlook a weak foe, despite playing in front of a sparse crowd at home. A dandy debut for McVay. 3) Matthew Stafford, quarterback, Detroit Lions I never understood anyone who criticized . Is he the best quarterback in the NFL? Absolutely not. But he's a true franchise quarterback, and true franchise quarterbacks get paid. Yes, at the moment, he's the highest-paid player in the NFL. That will be the case until the bill comes due on another true franchise quarterback. This is how busine s is done with the game's most important position. Get over it. The wisely took care of Stafford before the season. It eliminated distraction -- and paved the way for Stafford to do what Stafford does: snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Detroit's QB set an NFL record with eight fourth-quarter comebacks last season. And he notched his first such win in Week 1 of the 2017 campaign. Trailing throughout the first three quarters on Sunday, the outscored Arizona 20-6 in the final period, giving Detroit . Stafford completed more than 70 percent of his pa ses, with four TD strikes (against one interception) and a 113.1 pa ser rating. I don't love the ' roster or head coach. But Stafford's gritty comeback ability is absolutely the real deal. 4) Calais Campbell and the Jacksonville Jaguars' toughne s For all of the jokes this past offseason (I made more than a few), everyone saw the potential in Jacksonville's defense. After the signed Campbell in free agency, -- -- this would have on the team. In his regular-season debut, Campbell was a straight-up game wrecker, spearheading . Honestly, it looked like Campbell was cloned for this game, given all the damage he did to , and Co. (SEE: four sacks, five QB hits and six tackles). Fellow free-agent signee had a strong debut, too. And was all over the field. On the other side of the ball, Dallas Cowboys Men Jersey , the No. 4 overall pick in April, had a sturdy debut, rushing for a crisp 100 yards and also catching three pa ses. Remember when Doug Marrone said he wants a back who can run the ball when the opposition knows it is coming? Marrone can coach. The ' attitude and toughne s was omnipresent Sunday. If you love blue-collar football, it was fun to watch. And with the brutal news that and is done for the season, it puts even more pre sure on the Jags' defense and run game to carry the day. 5) Pittsburgh Steelers newbies T.J. Watt and Joe Haden The ' first-round pick made quite a first impre sion on Sunday, becoming just , . And it was Haden, the former Brown, who in his first contest as a Steeler. These are real-deal upgrades for this AFC power. Pittsburgh needed pa s-rush help. Watt is dreamy. And the cornerback position was quite thin. I loved how after the foolishly cut Haden. Major boon for the . REAL CONCERN 6) Carson Palmer, quarterback, Arizona Cardinals I've always been enamored with the ' talent and approach under Bruce Arians, but never been a big fan. And now, with the great expected with a dislocated wrist, the pre sure and scrutiny on Arizona's aging QB is magnified. And I'm not confident he can handle it. While Stafford deserves credit for the comeback in this game, Palmer was the main culprit in . The 37-year-old threw three gruesome picks. On the heels of last year's underachievement, this is a real concern. Arizona needed to start fast to show last year was a fluke (as I believed it was). Spitting the bit in a winnable game -- especially given how sloppy Detroit's offense looked in the first half -- was quite disconcerting. 7) Cincinnati Bengals barely practiced and didn't play in the preseason. Baltimore suffered yet another injury at running back with going down on the NFL Dallas Cowboys Jersey Raven's first drive. Yet still, -- at home. It was the perfect time to play the , but the were asleep at the wheel. looked like he was in a playoff or prime time game, racking up four picks and taking five sacks. It was alarming. didn't get the requisite touches. Cincy's defense was lackluster. This is one of those games that raises a familiar question: How does Marvin Lewis hold his job? Cincy was flat as a pancake at home in Week 1. Unacceptable. 8) Seattle Seahawks' offensive line Without question, Dom Capers' defense had a fantastic game in over the . But Seattle's offensive line -- a big problem for and Co. last season -- was a major i sue once again. DL and OLB terrorized the DeMarcus Lawrence Jersey unit throughout Sunday's marquee matchup, finishing with 1.5 sacks a piece. I still think Seattle will win the division, but this kind of O-line play would be crippling in the playoffs. 9) New York Giants' offensive line Yes, the obviously mi sed Jr. in , but that's not the biggest reason the were limited to a measly three points and 233 total yards of offense. Big Blue might have the worst offensive line in the NFL. The unit made a suspect defense look elite, made look like Lawrence Taylor. In , I did not have the making the playoffs -- and this is why: The O-line will hold this team back. GM Jerry Reese did little to improve this unit during the offseason, and now and Co. are paying the consequences. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
Click here Click here Click here