The first football Sunday is in the books and if your NFL weekly picks didn't quite go as planned, you have a lot of company. And if you think you're feeling out of sorts, imagine how the Colts and 49ers must feel.
It's not uncommon for the Colts to go down to Houston and take a punch in the mouth. The difference has always been that Indy has found a way to get off the mat and go Rocky Balboa on the Texans. Not this time. The Colts defense made a Week One star out of Houston running back Arian Foster, who ran for 231 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Texans' 34-24 win.
WEEKLY
Lest ye think Peyton Manning was merely mortal on Sunday, ye would be mistaken. Ye Olde Sheriff was on point, throwing for 433 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. But he could have used a little more help from his deputies. Some key drops by Pierre Garcon and a fumble by Austin Collie inside the Texans' 10-yard line helped corral a couple of Colts drives.
The loss reaffirmed suspicions that the Colts may not be able to walk over the AFC South as in years past. The Titans and Jaguars have shown an increased ability to compete and if Indianapolis' defensive failures were more flaws than flukes, the Colts could be in for a season-long dogfight.
Meanwhile, a lot of NFL weekly picks came in on the side of the San Francisco 49ers. While no one considered them a true Super Bowl contender, they certainly seemed to be the best team in a bad division - and definitely good enough to take care of the Seattle Seahawks in Week One, right?
Right?
In maybe the most disappointing single team performance on Sunday, the 49ers were dazed on defense and confused on offense during their 28-6 blowout loss to the 'Hawks. San Francisco marched deep into the red zone on three first-half possessions and tallied just two field goals and a failed fourth-down attempt.
The Niners couldn't even work together in the locker room after the game. Head coach Mike Singletary said the offensive confusion and burning of timeouts was the fault of headset communications problems. But quarterback Alex Smith said the issue was the coaches' inability to signal in plays in a timely fashion.
After one week, there's no hard evidence that the 49ers can't still win what is a definitely a weak division. But the on- and off-field performances on Sunday showed that the Boys from The Bay still have a lot of work to do.
NFL Weekly Picks Favorites Take a Punch in Week One WEEKLY
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