The 50 Yard Line: Week 1 Preseason Wrap-Up

The 50 Yard Line
By Zachary Walter, SA Contributor

This is the first of many of my columns to come, titled "The 50 Yard Line," covering various topics from the NFL. Enjoy.

Week 1 Preseason Wrap-Up

The first week of the preseason is wrapping up, with the Giants playing the Jets tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. I understand that this is only preseason, but after a several month long period of no football, this week has been refreshing. Tune into the game, and see Eli and company face off against Rex Ryan's trash talking group. Ryan has informed the media that he plans to play starters into the second quarter of the game.

Here are the results for this week's other games:

Thursday, August 12th

Patriots 27 - Saints 24

New Orleans started off slowly. Belichick and crew looked good as usual.

Ravens 17 - Panthers 12

The Ravens look to be an offensive powerhouse with a revamped set of wideouts, a returning Ray Rice, and gunslinger Joe Flacco. Panthers will focus on their running game with two new quarterbacks battling it out.

Raiders 17 - Cowboys 9

Dallas only mustered three field goals, while Oakland scored 17 in the fourth quarter. Romo & Co. look to contend for the NFC East, while Tom Cable and the Raiders look to improve with Jason Campbell at QB.

Friday, August 13th

Eagles 28 - Jaguars 27

Players on both sides looked solid, with Kolb leading the way for Philadelphia. The Eagles scored 9 in the fourth for a come from behind victory.

Redskins 42 - Bills 17

Donovan McNabb suited up in a game for the first time with Washington, and looked solid with a TD pass. The Bills looked like...the Bills, and Fred Jackson now has a preseason ending hand injury.

Falcons 20 - Chiefs 10

The Chiefs are looking solid in their rebuilding efforts, but still had turnover troubles. Rushing went well in this one, while field goal kicking didn't. Neither starting quarterback shined.

Saturday, August 14th

Dolphins 10 - Buccaneers 7

The weather caused frustration in this one, with many turnovers and missed opportunities. Josh Freeman looked more comfortable, tossing a TD pass to Stroughter, while the Dolphins had good field position because of Tampa Bay mistakes. Overall, a very strong showing from the Tampa Bay starting unit.

Steelers 23 - Lions 7

This game was tight until halftime and beyond. Dennis Dixon has the strongest showing, with three scoring drives of 60+ yards. Stafford tossed the lone TD for Detroit.

Browns 27 - Packers 24

Surprisingly, Jake Delhomme was successful and efficient in his debut as Cleveland's starter-while Aaron Rodgers was also successful. Green Bay's offense has been able to compensate for their lackluster defense. However, Ryan Grant is now being monitored after suffering a blow to the head (concussion).

Vikings 28 - Rams 7

The main storyline for this game is going to be about Favre, and whether or not he comes back. The Vikes still looked good in his absence, with Rosenfels tossing a few scores, and Sam Bradford fizzling out in his first NFL game for St. Louis.

Cardinals 19 - Texans 16

Houston came out looking great, while the Arizona starters faltered. The backups ended up winning this one with 19 points in the fourth quarter. Leinart has big shoes to fill.

Chargers 25 - Bears 10

The second half was all San Diego, who started out well despite the absences of Jackson and McNeill. Rivers is looking like the same elite passer he was a year ago. The Bears have defensive questions to answer in the secondary.

Seahawks 20 - Titans 18

Pete Carroll's debut as Seattle's coach went well, even though it is only preseason. The Seahawks' backup QB, Charlie Whitehurst, tossed two touchdowns and threw for over 200 yards. Carroll displayed his excitement on the sidelines before, during, and after the game. Tennessee tossed an interception in their comeback attempt.

Sunday, August 15th

49ers 37 - Colts 17

The Colts started out strong, with Manning helping them to a 10-0 lead in the first. Curtis Painter, his backup, failed dismally with three interceptions, leading to 34 strait points by San Francisco. Multiple Indianapolis starters sat out-even so, this team would be lost without Manning. SF will contend for their division this year.

Bengals 33 - Broncos 24

Orton tossed two touchdown passes, bringing Denver to an early 14-0 lead. After that, Cincy looked solid, while Brady Quinn stepped in and looked awful, tossing a pick-six. Tebow ran for a late touchdown in his first NFL game.