NFL Today, Week 1

NFL Today, Week 1

Buffalo at New England (7 p.m. ET) Terrell Owens takes the spotlight in his first regular-season game with Buffalo, against a Patriots defense that wants to prove it’s just as strong missing five veteran starters.

San Diego at Oakland (10:15 p.m. ET) The Raiders, an NFL-worst 24-72 the past six seasons, try to show they’re headed in the right direction against LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers. Oakland has lost its last 10 appearances on Monday night.

—Drew Brees, Saints, matched a franchise record with six touchdown passes, finishing with 358 yards in a 45-27 victory over the Lions.

—Tony Romo, Cowboys, threw for a career-best 353 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in a 34-21 victory over the Buccaneers.

—Joe Flacco, Ravens, threw for career highs of 307 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead 31-yard score to Michael Clayton in a 38-24 victory over the Chiefs.

—Matt Ryan, Falcons, threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in a 19-7 victory over the Dolphins.

—Peyton Manning, Colts, was 28 of 38 for 301 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 14-12 victory over Jacksonville.

—Brandon Stokley, Broncos, only caught one pass — but it was a big one. He grabbed a deflection and ran 87 yards with 11 seconds left to give Denver a 12-7 win over the Bengals.

—Reggie Wayne, Colts, had 10 catches for 162 yards and what wound up being the decisive touchdown, a 35-yarder in the third quarter of a 14-12 win over Jacksonville.

—Devery Henderson, Saints, caught five passes from Drew Brees, finishing with 103 yards and a touchdown in a 45-27 win over the Lions.

—Patrick Crayton, Cowboys, had four catches for 135 yards and one of Tony Romo’s three touchdown passes in a 34-21 win over Tampa Bay.

—Tony Gonzalez, Falcons, caught five passes for a team-high 73 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown in a 19-7 win over Miami.

—John Carlson, Seahawks, had six catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-0 win over the Rams. The tight end also opened running lanes for Julius Jones, who had 117 yards rushing.

—Adrian Peterson, Vikings, ran for 180 yards and three touchdowns, including a 64-yard run in the fourth quarter that sealed a 34-20 win over Cleveland.

—Thomas Jones, Jets, ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-7 win over Houston.

—Mike Bell, Saints, ran 28 times for 143 yards in a 45-27 win over Detroit.

—Ray Rice, Ravens, carried 19 times for 108 yards in a 38-24 victory over Kansas City.

—Cadillac Williams, Buccaneers, ran 13 times for 97 yards and a touchdown while splitting time with Derrick Ward in a 34-21 loss to Dallas.

— DeSean Jackson, Eagles, returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown — the second longest in franchise history — during a 38-10 rout of the Panthers.

—Jeff Reed, Steelers, kicked a 33-yard field goal with 10:28 left in overtime to give Pittsburgh a 13-10 victory over Tennessee.

—Joshua Cribbs, Browns, scored on a 67-yard punt return for Cleveland’s first touchdown in a 34-20 loss to the Vikings. His seventh career punt return TD tied Eric Metcalf for most in franchise history.

—Hunter Smith, Redskins, scored from 8 yards on a fake field goal in the first half of a 23-17 loss to the Giants.

—Sheldon Brown and Darren Howard, Eagles. Brown made two of their five interceptions, and Howard had two of their five sacks in a 38-10 win over Carolina.

—Kroy Biermann, Falcons, forced an early fumble in a 19-7 win over Miami. The backup defensive end also had a pair of sacks.

—Victor Abiamiri, Eagles, picked up Jake Delhomme’s fumble and plunged 2 yards for the go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter of what turned into a 38-10 rout.

—Osi Umenyiora, Giants, ran back a fumble 37 yards in his return from a knee injury, leading the Giants to a 23-17 win over the Redskins.

The Bengals have found plenty of ways to lose a ballgame over the last few years. This one may have trumped them all. Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley grabbed a deflected pass from quarterback Kyle Orton and raced 87 yards with 11 seconds left to give Denver a 12-7 victory. Stokley even burned a few extra seconds by taking his time going into the end zone.

Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme was benched after completing only 7 of 17 passes for 73 yards and throwing four interceptions. He also lost a fumble in the 38-10 rout by the Eagles. Delhomme tossed five picks and lost a fumble in the Panthers’ 33-13 playoff loss to Arizona in January, but still got a five-year, $42.5 million contract extension in April.

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez was impressive in his first career start, completing 18 of 31 passes for 272 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 24-7 win at Houston. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford didn’t fare nearly as well in his debut, completing 16 of 37 passes for 205 yards with three interceptions in a 45-27 loss to the Saints.

The Jets’ Mark Sanchez became the fourth rookie quarterback since the merger to win his first start on opening day on the road. The Panthers’ Chris Weinke beat Minnesota 24-13 in 2001; the Broncos’ John Elway beat Pittsburgh 14-10 in 1983; and Buffalo’s Joe Ferguson beat New England 31-13 in 1973.

The Eagles’ defense did more than just wear a decal on their helmets in memory of late defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, who died of cancer, they also put together a tremendous performance against Carolina. Led by new coordinator Sean McDermott, Philadelphia had five interceptions and five sacks while allowing only 169 total yards in a 38-10 rout.

Michael Vick watched his new Eagles teammates beat Carolina 38-10 from team owner Jeffrey Lurie’s suite. A protester stood outside the stadium more than two hours before kickoff with pictures of mistreated dogs taped to his body and a sign that said “Forgive This?” He was given little attention, save for a fan in an Eagles jersey who yelled, “Yeah, Michael Vick!” The former Falcons QB is eligible to return in two more weeks.

Carolina’s seven turnovers in a 38-10 loss to Philadelphia matched a team record. … Baltimore amassed a franchise-record 501 yards in its 38-24 win over KC. … Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez became the 21st player in NFL history with 11,000 yards receiving. … Peyton Manning tied Johnny Unitas’ Colts franchise record with his 118th victory. … Tampa Bay’s Ronde Barber had his 24th career sack against Dallas, adding to his record total for a cornerback. … Joshua Cribbs’ seventh career TD punt return tied Eric Metcalf for most in Browns history.

The Browns fell to 1-10 in season openers since 1999 with their 34-20 loss to Minnesota, but they did score their first offensive touchdown in seven games. … Broncos coaches are 9-0 in regular-season debuts, not counting interim coaches, after Josh McDaniels got an improbable 12-7 victory at Cincinnati. … The Cardinals’ 20-16 loss to San Francisco was their first to an NFC West team in two seasons.

The Falcons scored 10 points off turnovers in their 19-7 victory over Miami. … Chiefs RB Larry Johnson managed only 20 yards on 11 carries at Baltimore. … The Vikings outgained the Browns 225-89 on the ground, led by 180 from Adrian Peterson in a 34-20 victory. … The Saints were 9 of 13 on third-down conversions in their 45-27 win over Detroit. … The Chiefs’ Brodie Croyle is 0-9 as a starting quarterback. … The Rams committed 10 penalties in their 28-0 loss to Seattle, including two personal fouls by OL Richie Incognito.

Eagles QB Donovan McNabb cracked a rib during a 38-10 rout of Carolina. Coach Andy Reid did not rule him out for their next game. … Colts WR Anthony Gonzalez strained a knee ligament against Jacksonville. … Giants RB Danny Ware dislocated his left elbow returning the opening kickoff against the Redskins. Giants rookie WR Hakeem Nicks sprained his left foot. … Seahawks LB Leroy Hill hurt his groin and LB Lofa Tatupu injured his hamstring. … Texans WR Andre’ Davis suffered a concussion.

“His offensive line did a hell of a job, but he did a great job of finding time with his feet, just to move subtly. … I don’t doubt even a little bit that he doesn’t have poise at this stage.” —Joe Namath, praising rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, who led the Jets to a 24-7 win at Houston.

“Career-high passing yards? Without T.O.? No, it’s good. It’s good for him. It’s good for this team. It was a team effort. Everybody contributed.” —Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams, after Tony Romo threw for 353 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-21 win over Tampa Bay. Williams took the place of Terrell Owens, who is now with Buffalo.