Week One Takeaways

The first week of the 2012 NFL season is in the books now.  Half the teams are winless, and half the teams are undefeated.  The Packers find themselves among the winless, with a .500 record as our Week 2 aspiration.

So what do we think after Week One?

We think that the Packers have significant company.  While we lost at home – a painful business, to be sure – we lost to perhaps the best defense in the Conference, and to a team that went 13-3 last year and made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game.  The team that went on to win the Super Bowl, meanwhile, also lost at home, and theirs was a Division loss, and to an 8-8 team from 2011.  And the other major power from the NFC last year, the 13-3 New Orleans Saints, also lost at home in Week One, and theirs came at the hands of a rookie quarterback.  

We think it may be an all-Harbaugh Super Bowl.

We think Jim Harbaugh ought to consider getting a rabies shot.

We think that Peyton Manning outshone his successor.  For that matter, so did Robert Griffin, III.

Philly ought to worry about barely squeaking out a victory in Cleveland on a day when the Browns quarterback threw 4 interceptions.

The preseason worries about the Jets’ offense were overstated.

Meanwhile, regarding the Packers’ loss, we wonder a few things…

We wonder whether it was a close game or not.  Both teams scored three touchdowns.  The 49ers ended with only one more first down and only about 50 total net yards more than the Packers.  Green Bay’s defense earned one more sack than San Francisco, and had a much better third down efficiency on offense.  We equaled the 49ers in red zone efficiency and goal-to-go efficiency. And we had more return yardage.  And yet, for all of that, it didn’t feel like a close game.  Hopeful at points, yes, but not close.  What was it?

We wonder if the turnover statistic proved, again, to be the deciding factor.  The Packers turned it over once, and the 49ers did not turn it over at all.  Was that ultimately the key?  If Rodgers had not thrown that uncharacteristic interception – which was both a score-changer and a momentum-changer – would the Packers have come back to win?

We wonder which stat is more important.  That we went 15-1 last year, or that we have lost 3 of the last 5 games that we’ve played.  Including the last two at home.

Things to think about with Week Two right around the corner.