Ravens dominate Bengals; Chargers capitalize on Raiders mistakes to open MNF

Back-to-back NFL games on a Monday night?! You can’t ask for more if you’re a hardcore football fan trying to quench your thirst of professional football. Particularly because both games involved heated division rivalries. The first game between AFC North rivals took place in Baltimore (que The Wire opening track) as the Ravens received the Cincinnati Bengals. Most people thought that this was the season the Ravens would take their team’s game, and QB Joe Flacco’s to the next level. The Ravens certainly proved to be among the AFC’s elite last night, using a huge second half to beat the Bengals 44-13. The Bengals were just outplayed in every part of the game. The Ravens were so effective on offense that they only punted twice the entire game AND didn’t commit a turnover. Joe Flacco and Ray Rice led the Ravens offense (each with 2 TDs) and with the help of their defense (returning an interception for a TD) the Ravens rolled. Nothing else needs to be said, this Ravens team is for real.

Did anyone stay up for the this game? The late start didn’t have as many fans watching but it was an interesting game. Turnovers were definitely the key in this game. The Chargers took advantage of the Raiders miscues on special teams (two blocked punts) and San Diego put up enough points to take the victory 22-14. Chargers QB Philip Rivers wasn’t great stat-wise but he didn’t commit key turnovers that doomed this team so many times last season. The Chargers can hang their hat on that and their kicker (made 5 FGs to lead the scoring) but they must find a way to have a better running game if they intend to have a more efficient offense. The Oakland Raiders also had a lack of rushing offense, which is very surprising because they have Darren McFadden who is among the best running backs in the league. Fix those pesky special team problems along with the running game and the Raiders can do some damage next time they play a division opponent.

Until Thursday! Thanks for an awesome opening weekend NFL.