Kenny Demens (ILB, Arizona Cardinals):
Stats: None
Demens is backing up Foote (next on this list) in Arizona but didn't do much in the season opener. That's probably because Foote was a world-beater in the late-game last night.
Larry Foote (ILB, Arizona Cardinals):
Stats: 8 solo tackles, 2 stuffs, 1 pass defended
What a great start to 2014 for Larry Foote. In his first game in Arizona, Foote more than proved his worth as he was "undoubtedly the player of the game." "He was everywhere on the field," and made the victory-clinching play for the Cardinals. With a little under two minutes remaining, Foote tipped a fourth-and-two pass, causing the ball to fall to the ground and seal the win.
Fitzgerald Toussaint (RB):
After promoting Fitz to the 53-man roster last Saturday, the Ravens waived the rookie running back yesterday afternoon amid the Ray Rice news. We'll have to wait and see if he is asked back to the practice squad again.
Jason Avant (WR, Carolina Panthers):
Stats: 1 reception for 0 yards
The stat line above summarizes Avant's season opener. He didn't do anything.
Ryan Mundy (S, Chicago Bears):
Stats: 7 combined tackles (6 solo)
In his first regular season game with the Bears, Mundy appears to have done all that he could. He led the team in tackles while playing on every defensive snap.
Leon Hall (CB, Cincinnati Bengals):
Stats: 2 solo tackles
Hall missed both games against Ravens last year, and his presence on defense was missed. This year, Cincy's defense shut out Baltimore until the final minutes of the third quarter. Hall briefly received an I.V. in the second half and managed to play on 72 defensive snaps (82%). After a slow start to the season, he'll look to pick it up as he regains his regular season form.
Michael Schofield (T, Denver Broncos):
Schofield was inactive in the Broncos season opener on Sunday night.
Tim Jamison (DE, Houston Texans):
Stats: 2 solo tackles
Backing up J.J. Watt, you wouldn't expect Jamison to see all that much action, but he played on 47 defensive snaps Sunday (71%). This is a huge contrast to last year when he barely saw the field.
Chad Henne (QB, Jacksonville Jaguars):
Stats: 24/43 for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns, 1 rush for 8 yards
Don't let the stats fool you. The quarterback controversy rages on in Jacksonville as it's been announced that Henne will remain the starter for at least three more weeks. Jags head coach Gus Bradley said Henne "performed efficiently" in the season opener and that the team was "pleased with how he played." However, that's not how most people are seeing it. After jumping out to a 17-0 lead, the Jaguars offense went missing in action in the second half. For instance, Henne threw for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the first half and only 99 yards in the second half. As Big Cat Country puts it, "Chad gon Chad." It doesn't seem like Henne's consistent inconsistency is going to end any time soon.
Denard Robinson (RB, Jacksonville Jaguars):
Stats: 5 snaps, 3 carries for 8 yards, 1 reception for 3 yards
After naming Denard the No. 2 back in Jacksonville for Week 1 and using him in practice to replicate LeSean McCoy, I think most people expected Denard to do a little bit more in the season opener. However, the Jags gon Jag, and they pulled a 2013 with Denard, giving him minimal playing time for no apparent reason. BCC postulates that it might be a lack of trust in Robinson's pass blocking abilities, but with a struggling ground game and Denard showing a "spark," it doesn't make any sense to sit him. Especially when you can't score in the second half.
Junior Hemingway (WR, Kansas City Chiefs):
Stats: None
It seemed as though an injury-filled offseason had moved Hemingway to the back of the depth chart in Kansas City. However, Hemingway looked to be the Chiefs primary slot receiver on Sunday as he played on 33 snaps, third-most for K.C. wide recievers. He didn't record any stats in the 26-10 loss to the Titans.
Tom Brady (QB, New England Patriots):
Stats: 29/56 for 249 yards and 1 touchdown, 1 rush for 3 yards
For anyone who missed the Pats season opening loss against the Dolphins, it wasn't pretty for New England fans. Brady did all he could while receiving Devin Gardner-like pressure all game: 17 hits with four sacks and 8 hurries. That adds up to 25 disrupted plays, almost half of his total dropbacks (60). Brady noted that there is "nothing positive" to take from the 33-20 defeat, and he was so "pissed off" that he shaved his beard. A clean Tom Brady will look to get his team back on the right tracks in Week 2.
Jonathan Goodwin (C, New Orleans Saints):
Coming into this game, it wasn't clear whether or not Goodwin had secured the starting job over Tim Lelito in New Orleans. However, he started on Sunday, so it seems as though he's won it, for now. He commented after the Saints painful, 37-34 loss in OT against the Falcons: "We felt like we were pretty balanced and moved the ball well. Of course, you want to eliminate the two turnovers, and in those first two drives, get touchdowns instead of field goals. Things like that can come back to haunt you." Which they did, as a turnover spelled the end of the Saints in overtime.
Stevie Brown (S, New York Giants):
Stats: 9 combined tackles (6 solo)
I have to say, watching Brown get lost in the secondary and allow a 67-yard pass to Calvin Johnson to give the Lions their first touchdown of the season made me happy as can be. Throughout the game, Brown, along with the rest of the Giants defense/secondary, couldn't get on the same page and allowed Matt Stafford to pick his targets at will, with Megatron being an obvious standout. It was a rough opening for the Giants as a whole, but I couldn't care less since the Lions won.
David Harris (ILB, New York Jets):
Stats: 8 combined tackles (5 solo)
Harris led the Jets defense on Sunday in holding the Raiders to a miniscule 1.7 yards per rush. With a strong start to the season, he put himself closer to the 1,000 career tackles mark (he started the year with 869 career tackles and averages 130.3 per season when he starts all 16 games).
LaMarr Woodley (DE, Oakland Raiders):
Stats: 2 combined tackles (1 solo)
After missing some practice last week time for non-injury related reasons, Woodley was pretty quiet in his regular season debut with the Raiders.
Charles Woodson (FS, Oakland Raiders):
Stats: 9 combined tackles (5 solo), 1 interception, 1 pass defended
To prove that he still has it, Woodson laid out to snag his first interception of the year and set up the Raiders first touchdown as well. The pick marked the 57th of his career and gave him at least one interception in each of his 17 NFL seasons. Only Darrel Green has a longer streak at 19.
Brandon Graham (LB, Philadelphia Eagles):
Stats: 27 snaps, 4 tackles, 4 stops, 2 QB hurries, 1 QB hit
At least for one week, Graham silenced the haters in Philadelphia and made everyone reconsider whether or not they want him gone. He earned the highest grade from Pro Football Focus for the Eagles this week - +5.5 - and was a beast, according to Bleeding Green Nation. His stats back that up.
David Molk (G/C, Philadelphia Eagles):
Two Eagles linemen suffered injuries early against the Jaguars on Sunday, thrusting Molk into the lineup at left guard. Molk made the most of his opportunity. He earned a +3.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, the highest score for an Eagles player on offense in Week 1. The injuries ahead of him are expected to be in the 4-6 week range, giving Molk a solid chance to prove his worth in the NFL.
Stephen Schilling (G/C, Seattle Seahawks):
Before last Thursday's game against the Packers, Seahawks backup guard/center Lemuel Jeanpierre suffered a season-ending neck injury. This shifted Schilling into the backup center role in Seattle for the rest of the season. It doesn't look like he played much, if at all, in the season opener.
Jake Long (LT, St. Louis Rams):
The Rams were blown out 34-6 by the Vikings on Sunday, and by all accounts, Long still looked pretty rusty in his first regular season game back from tearing his ACL and MCL. He earned a -4.8 grade from Pro Football Focus, "putting him in the bottom tenth of the league." He'll need to step it up because the natives are getting restless in St. Louis.
Patrick Omameh (G, Tampa Bay Buccaneers):
In his first NFL start, Omameh played on all 56 offensive snaps for the Bucs. Bucs Nation listed Omameh vs. the Carolina Panthers DTs as a key matchup for the game, and while I didn't watch the game and can't find any commentary from someone who did, it looks like Omameh did his part. Of the three DTs listed in the Bucs Nation preview, two had a single tackle on the game while the third had four combined tackles. None of the three earned a sack. This isn't to say Omameh played great - it seems like the Bucs as a whole struggled on offensive, with only 102 yards rushing and 162 passing - but based on what Bucs Nation expected from him, it seems he played his part well.
Taylor Lewan (T, Tennessee Titans):
Lewan didn't see any action until late in the Titans Week 1 matchup against the Chiefs. He proceeded to commit a 15-yard facemask penalty. Not the best outcome when you're trying to jump a veteran on the depth chart.
Mike Martin (DT, Tennessee Titans):
After being limited in practice all week, Martin remained on the sidelines for the season opener with a hamstring injury.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brandon Graham
This was a tough call considering Woodson carried Oakland's defense, Harris showed up strong in New York, and Foote dominated the Chargers last night. However, Graham was on the hot seat all of last season, this offseason, and coming into the regular season. Everyone constantly talked about how the Eagles should trade him or just outright release him. However, Graham showed up big in Week 1, and it looks like he might fit in Philly's defense after all.
TIME TO STEP IT UP: Stevie Brown
Don't lose track of where you are on the field, Stevie. Especially against Megatron.