Week One in the NFL saw a series of close finishes with the only real blowouts coming on Monday night - who are the winners and losers?
AFC EAST
New England Patriots (W 23-21 @ Arizona) Grade A
There will be few complaints from Bill Belichick (makes a change perhaps) after a narrow win over the tough Cardinals. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo performed well in place of the suspended Tom Brady although things could have been different but for a missed Chandler Catanzaro field goal. Still probably goes down as the best performance of the week, given the strength of opposition.
Miami Dolphins (L 10-12 @ Seattle) Grade B+
Adam Gase was so close to an A+++ victory but the Dolphins were unable to cope with Seattle's two-minute offence and succumbed to a late Doug Baldwin touchdown after previously giving up only two field goals. Lack of offence could be a concern but the Seahawks are a tough foe on home soil.
New York Jets (L 22-23 v Cincinnati) Grade C
The Jets could never really break clear of the Bengals at MetLife Stadium and they came away disappointed with their passing game on both sides of the ball. Brandon Marshall had only three catches for 32 yards and they gave up the best part of 400 yards to Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton.
Buffalo Bills (L 7-13 @ Baltimore) Grade D
Buffalo's defence rallied well after conceding the game's one big play - a 66-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Mike Wallace - but their offence was almost non-existent in Baltimore. Tyrod Taylor's short-range passing game simply didn't work and running back LeSean McCoy was unspectacular.
AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh Steelers (W 38-16 @ Washington) Grade A
The Steelers took a quarter to get going, but once they did it was a cracking start to the season for Mike Tomlin's men. Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown were in sync straight away and slot receiver Eli Rogers made a big impact as well, even if his touchdown was somewhat lucky!
Cincinnati Bengals (W 23-22 @ New York Jets) Grade A-
The Bengals have to be happy with a gutsy road win over a tough Jets team. Andy Dalton threw the ball well and AJ Green was at his sensational best with 12 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown. They will need to establish the run game a little better down the road.
Baltimore Ravens (W 13-7 v Buffalo) Grade B
The Ravens looked to be getting back to something like their best in the first half at M&T Bank Stadium but they went into their shell after half-time and relied on their defence, which was among week one's best in yardage allowed terms.
Cleveland Browns (L 10-29 @ Philadelphia) Grade D-
The Browns actually played fairly well in the opening half, well more so in the second quarter, but NFL games are an hour long so there is still a long way to go for Hue Jackson's men. Defeat also cost them the services of summer acquisition Robert Griffin III until at least week nine - a bad day at the office for sure.
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans (W 23-14 v Chicago) Grade B+
Plenty of positives for the new-look Texans, although they will face much tougher foes down the road than the continually disappointing Bears. Lamar Miller passed 100 yards on his debut, Brock Osweiler overcame an early interception and rookie wide receiver Will Fuller outshone DeAndre Hopkins. A fine second-half defensive effort shut out any hopes Chicago had.
Jacksonville Jaguars (L 23-27 v Green Bay) Grade B
This looked like being an 80-point game at half-time but the Jaguars' porous defence really stepped up after the break and they matched the Packers, one of the Super Bowl favourites, for long spells. They have one of their toughest games out of the way already but will want running back Chris Ivory back from his illness after TJ Yeldon (21 rushes for 39 yards) struggled in the run game.
Tennessee Titans (L 16-25 v Minnesota) Grade B-
The Titans were looking very good for the first 30 minutes, taking a 10-0 lead and shutting down Adrian Peterson completely. But two big offensive miscues would come back to haunt them with a 77-yard pick six and a fumble also costing them a touchdown. They did keep the Minnesota offence out of the endzone, but the game still ended in defeat.
Indianapolis Colts (L 35-39 v Detroit) Grade C-
It was an ugly first day at work for the Colts defence which gave up more than 450 yards and five touchdowns to a Lions team which struggled badly in the early part of last season. They continually lost Theo Riddick and were only kept in the game by a superb second-half showing from quarterback Andrew Luck, one of few Colts plus points to come from an exciting game.
AFC WEST
Oakland Raiders (W 35-34 @ New Orleans) Grade A
Jack del Rio gets the plaudits for not taking the easy option and accepting overtime in New Orleans, going for a two-point conversion to take a superb win. Little defence was played in this game, and the Raiders will have to improve on that, but Derek Carr looked composed at quarterback and rookie Jalen Richard had an exciting debut with a 75-yard touchdown run. Lots to look forward to for Raider Nation.
Kansas City Chiefs (W 33-27 OT v San Diego) Grade A-
A real mixed bag from the Chiefs, who take a small downgrade for allowing themselves to fall into a 24-3 hole early in the third quarter. From then on it was record-breaking stuff in Kansas City, with a franchise best comeback to secure the win. Spencer Ware starred with 199 all-purpose yards and with Jamaal Charles due back soon, this could just be the start of a very good season.
Denver Broncos (W 21-20 v Carolina) Grade B+
A good week for the division started on Thursday when the dominant Broncos defence did just enough to win the rematch of Super Bowl 50. They hustled Cam Newton all game but still only just held on for the win with Graham Gano missing a vital late field goal. Denver will need better showings from Trevor Siemian down the line unless their 'D' continues to stuff up opponents.
San Diego Chargers (L 27-33 OT @ Kansas City) Grade C
A real Jekyll and Hyde performance from the Chargers, who dominated the first half on Melvin Gordon's two touchdowns and some very good defence. But they scored only three points after the interval and went missing on D, leaving many questions to be answered on a day that had started so positively, and also lost star receiver Keenan Allen for the season.
NFC EAST
New York Giants (W 20-19 @ Dallas) Grade A-
A massive victory for the Giants, beating their biggest rivals on the opening day of the season and getting some huge performances, most notably from rookie receiver Sterling Shepard and veteran Victor Cruz, returning from two lost seasons to score the winning touchdown. They constantly stopped Dallas drives at the right time and only conceded one touchdown all game.
Philadelphia Eagles (W 29-10 v Cleveland) Grade B+
A very nice start to the season for the Eagles and their rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, although that has to be tempered by the fact they were playing a team that might struggle to win three games this season. Wentz looked composed in completing 22-of-37 passes for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns and his relationship with Jordan Matthews is one to look out for.
Dallas Cowboys (L 19-20 v New York Giants) Grade C
Huge disappointment in Dallas where Dez Bryant was double covered most of the night and had a touchdown correctly reversed. Rookie star Ezekiel Elliott scored but struggled to get running room and quarterback Dak Prescott started to throw more and more wildly as the game went on. Plenty to be concerned about for Cowboys fans.
Washington Redskins (L 16-38 v Pittsburgh) Grade E
Kirk Cousins is costing the Redskins a lot of money this season - his franchise tag is just under $20m - and the quarterback needs to be much better to justify that kind of spending. Two costly interceptions take away from decent yardage numbers, and the rest of the 'Skins were poor - no running game to speak of and a porous defensive effort.
NFC NORTH
Detroit Lions (W 39-35 @ Indianapolis) Grade A-
No doubt there are concerns over their defensive backfield after giving up four scores to Andrew Luck but the Lions produced one of the week's biggest shocks against a team expecting to be tough to beat at home. Matthew Stafford impressed along with Theo Riddick as the Lions proved there can be life after Megatron.
Minnesota Vikings (W 25-16 @ Tennessee) Grade B
A game of two units in Tennessee, where the Vikings' offence was poor and rescued by their dominating defence. Shaun Hill didn't make any big mistakes but Minnesota need more from Adrian Peterson than 31 yards on 19 carries as they will not get touchdowns on interceptions and fumbles every week.
Green Bay Packers (W 27-23 @ Jacksonville) Grade B
It wasn't pretty for the Packers during the second half in Jacksonville, but they just about managed to get the job done. Neither side was able to defend in the opening 30 minutes but that changed completely after the break when yardage was tough to come by. Mike McCarthy will be happy to get out of Florida the win with Aaron Rodgers having been shut down as the game progressed.
Chicago Bears (L 14-23 @ Houston) Grade D
The Bears were maddeningly inconsistent last season and appear not to have changed a great deal. They led at half-time but produced little afterwards as Jay Cutler was sacked five times. Chicago made big changes on defence in the off-season but still looked very easy to run on as Lamar Miller rushed for 106 yards.
NFC SOUTH
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (W 31-24 @ Atlanta) Grade A-
A very nice start for the Buccaneers, who get a road win against a divisional rival and see Jameis Winston throw for four touchdowns. They excelled on run defence as well, holding the Falcons to 52 yards on 22 attempts. Linebacker Kwon Alexander will go down as one of the defensive stars of the week with 17 total tackles and a sack.
Carolina Panthers (L 20-21 @ Denver) Grade B
There will be no long unbeaten run to start the season for the Panthers but they will take positives from their narrow defeat in Denver, possibly the biggest being quarterback Cam Newton coming away from the game with his head still attached to his shoulders after a series of hard hits. There will be many easier games for Carolina, whose defence performed well, but they need more from running back Jonathan Stewart to take the pressure off Newton.
New Orleans Saints (L 34-35 v Oakland) Grade C
Drew Brees, Willie Snead and Brandin Cooks get an A+ for their performances but the rest of the Saints should be coming back for extra work after falling to a late defeat on a two-point conversion. Snead and Cooks combined for 315 yards receiving but the Saints defended poorly and, after a struggle for long spells last season, the early signs are not particularly positive for Sean Payton.
Atlanta Falcons (L 24-31 v Tampa Bay) Grade C-
Disappointing from the Falcons, who struggled to get their running game going after a positive first quarter which saw Mohamed Sanu score his first touchdown for the franchise. Their defense, bar one Desmond Trufant interception, struggled to read Jameis Winston all afternoon, meaning 334 yards of passing from Matt Ryan counted for little.
NFC WEST
San Francisco 49ers (W 28-0 v Los Angeles) Grade B
While we shouldn't be ready to anoint the 49ers as a contender, at least it was a positive start to the season for the Niners after a dreadful 2015. Blaine Gabbert was efficient but it was their running game that made the difference converting three touchdown drives with Carlos Hyde getting two of them - he needs to stay fit this year.
Seattle Seahawks (W 12-10 v Miami) Grade B
Not the greatest of performances from the Seahawks but they come out of the game with a 1-0 record and couldn't do more than that. Their struggles on offence were cancelled out by some stifling defence and a late touchdown proved enough for a narrow win. There will be much better days to come for quarterback Russell Wilson.
Arizona Cardinals (L 21-23 v New England) Grade B-
A somewhat disappointing start for the Cardinals, although it was a close game throughout and they were a missed field goal from opening up with an A-rated win. Larry Fitzgerald had two touchdown catches but Arizona will need more from David Johnson who, barring one 45 yard run, managed only 44 yards on his other 15 carries.
Los Angeles Rams (L 0-28 @ San Francisco) Grade F
They looked ready in Hard Knocks but the Rams simply were not. No rhythm at all on offence and gaping holes in their defence, although San Francisco's yardage totals were nothing to write home about. How long until Jared Goff replaces the ineffective Case Keenum? At least things can only get better.