Finally, football is back.  With the early games now over, let's recap the early week 1 action.

Brady-less Patriots escape with 17-10 win:  Tom Brady took a shot to the leg in the first quarter, and did not return to the game.  Matt Cassel played decently in his place, but despite the yardage they gained, the Patriots were only able to score 17, and the Chiefs were in it all game.  The Chiefs also lost their quarterback Brodie Croyle to injury, and Damon Huard came in.  KC late had 4 chances at the endzone from inside the 10, but the Patriots were able to stop them.  Not an impressive win by any stretch, but still a win.  The question of course is Brady's health.

Michael Turner goes crazy in 34-21 Falcon win:  I'd say the Falcons are glad they signed him.  Turner very quickly proved to anyone who doubted his starter status wrong, as he gained 220 yards on 22 runs with two touchdowns.  His counterpart Norwood struggled.  Granted, it's the sorry Lions D, but still an impressive game.  The Lions had decent offensive success, but the D was awful.  Rookie Matt Ryan only threw 13 balls, but he completed 9 of them for 161 yards and a touchdown.

Steelers make a statement, beat Houston 38-17:  The Steelers offense just ran circles around the Houston defense in this one.  Willie Parker ran for 138 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Ben Roethlisberger only had one incompletion out of 14 throws.  The Texans offense also struggled, as they couldn't run, and they allowed 5 sacks.  10 of the 17 Texan points came late in the game when it didn't matter a huge deal.  

Eagles destroy Rams 38-3:  Nothing really to see here.  Rams offense struggled, Steven Jackson was held to 40 yards.  Donovan McNabb threw for 3 touchdowns, and for those worrying about the Eagles receivers; THREE different guys had over 100 yards.  DeSean Jackson, Hank Baskett, and Greg Lewis.

Jets hold on over Dolphins 20-14:  The Brett Favre debut had a lot fewer throws than you'd expect.  He only threw 22 times, but he completed 15 for 194 yards for two touchdowns.  The supposedly scary Dolphins running game was bad, as Ronnie Brown and Pothead gained only 47 yards.  But Chad Pennington had a solid game passing, and the Dolphins had a shot right at the end to win, but it ended in an interception.

Bills flatten the Seahawks 34-10:  The Bills D just shut down Seattle's offense.   Special teams scored twice for the Bills, once on a punt return by Roscoe Parrish, and the second on a fun fake field goal.  DE Ryan Denney was away from everyone, and the Seahawks didn't notice.  Punter Brian Moorman easily found him for a TD.

Titans D reigns surpreme over Jaguars 17-10:  When you hold the Jaguars running game to 33 yards, your D had a great day.  On top of that, the Titans had 7 sacks, two by the Headstomper, and the Jaguars struggled all day.  Vince Young was his usual mediocre self, with two interceptions, and a late injury.  Rookie Chris Johnson was the man of the hour, getting 92 yards on the ground on 15 carries.

Ravens D shuts down Bengals 17-10:  Bengals fans, this is going to be a long year.  Carson Palmer only completed 40% of his passes, and the Bengals had no offensive attack.  Despite no Willis McGahee, the Ravens ran for 229 yards as a team between Le'Ron McClain, Ray Rice, and two long touchdown runs by WR Mark Clayton and QB Joe Flacco.

Saints beat Buccaneers 24-20 in close game:  Drew Brees had a good game, throwing 3 touchdowns and 343 yards.  He did have an interception that Phillip Buchanon returned for a touchdown, but the Buccaneers offense was only able to be average.  They had a chance to win it late, but on a 4th down late near the red zone, Scott Fujita intercepted a pass to end it.

Dallas is already up 7-0 over Cleveland in the national late game.  Arizona leads San Fran 3-0, and Carolina vs San Diego is scoreless.  FOOTBALL IS BACK!

(Photo by Yahoo Sports)