NFL football is finally back, and it didn’t disappoint. Week One of the regular season had a little bit of everything, including an NFL record four games decided by exactly one point in the same week. No single week has ever seen more than two.
It started with the Denver Broncos 21-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers in a Super Bowl 50 rematch on Thursday Night Football. A missed field goal by the Panthers as time expired sealed the win, and the Broncos sent the Panthers home without the satisfaction of revenge.
Missed kicks were the underlying theme Sunday as well.
The Oakland Raiders brought the game back from a 24-10 deficit against the New Orleans Saints. They didn’t even lose faith after Brandin Cooks burned them for a 98-yard receiving touchdown.
With less than a minute left, the Raiders found the end zone to make it a one-point game. Instead of kicking the extra point, however, Jack Del Rio opted to go for the two-point conversion. A ballsy move, no doubt, but it paid off.
Drew Brees led the team down the field; however, a missed 61-yard field goal sealed the 35-34 victory for the Raiders.
The Cincinnati Bengals were also helped out by two missed kicks. In their 23-22 win over the New York Jets, Nick Folk missed a field goal and an extra point. Costly missed opportunities.
The New York Giants also missed an extra point in their 20-19 victory over the Dallas Cowboys; however, the real story was the Cowboys’ failure to get out of bounds at the end of the game to set up a potential field goal.
Dak Prescott showed the world he’s up to the challenge in his regular season debut, but Terrance Williams failed to step out, opting instead to dive forward for more yards, and the clock expired.
Victor Cruz stole the show in his first game in 700 days, scoring a touchdown to regain the lead in the fourth quarter.
If Week One is any indication of what’s to come this season, 2016 will be one of the best of all time.