The week that was in the NFL

Published 9:58 pm Thursday, September 11, 2008

Rarely has one week so dramatically changed the stratosphere that we call the National Football League.

Here we are, a single game into the 2008 season, and almost everything has been turned upside down. The only three AFC teams considered serious Super Bowl contenders have serious problems. The group of possible contenders to the Dallas Cowboys’ perch atop the NFC is just as shell-shocked right now.

What in the name of Vince Young is going on here?

If the NFL wanted parity, Week 1 made certain that the league got it. The only Super Bowl contenders who came away looking the part were the Cowboys, who will only make the seat of Wade Phillips that much hotter come playoff time, and the New York Giants (remember them?). On a similar front, Pennsylvania’s two teams — Philly in the NFC and Pittsburgh in the AFC — made loud statements that they too should be in the discussion.

Other than that, it was a rough, rough week for those teams with Super dreams.

New England, New Orleans, San Diego and Tennessee suffered significant setbacks on the injury front. Indianapolis and Minnesota struggled on the field. And the Seahawks, well, they endured both kinds of pain — a 34-10 loss to Buffalo and the season-ending injury that will sideline their only experienced receiver for the season.

Who could have guessed that Matt Ryan and Eddie Royal would look like Pro Bowlers, while Peyton Manning and Chad Ocho Johnson would play like rookies? Who could have foreseen losses by both San Diego and Indy? The Chargers, Colts, Vikings, Jaguars and Browns lost, while the Falcons, Broncos and Cardinals won.

And that was Sunday. The days that followed made the playoff picture even more like a Dali painting. When Tom Brady went down, the Patriots’ goal of again going 16-0 quickly turned into a desperate struggle to stay above .500. Shawne Merriman’s season-ending knee surgery, combined with an opener that saw the Chargers give up too many rushing yards, has the city of San Diego wondering if the good times are in the past.

The Saints lost wide receiver Marques Colston, while the Titans don’t know whether they should be more concerned about Vince Young’s knee or his state of mind.

Here in Seattle, the Seahawks have been hit by so many injuries — Nate Burleson, Rob Sims, Mo Morris — that we’ve temporarily forgotten about Matt Hasselbeck’s bulging disc, the Seahawks’ lack of a running game and the way Kelly Jennings kept getting lit up by Jim Kelly … er, Trent Edwards. Nothing brings the rest of the pack up to a favorite’s level like three injuries, four dropped passes and five days of roster moves.

If Seahawks fans can find solace, it’s in the reality that they’re not alone. New England fans haven’t been this concerned since Curt Schilling’s ankle started bleeding. Colts fans haven’t been faced with an 0-1 record since 2004 — heck, Peyton and Co. hadn’t lost a September game in 12 tries before Sunday’s humbling at the hands of the Bears. And the whole Vince Young situation has tarnished the Titans’ Week 1 win over Jacksonville.

Anyone who has been privy to an NFL press conference will regurgitate the old refrain about injuries being a part of the game. And this certainly isn’t the first year that high-profile players have gone down in the opener.

But this time, the alarming number of injuries and upsets has brought the Haves back to the Have Nots. The Patriots aren’t likely to be asked any questions about another quest for perfection. The Colts aren’t going to run away with the AFC South. And anyone who prematurely anointed the Vikings as the team to beat in the NFC North might want to watch more tape of Tarvaris Jackson.

And then there’s Seattle, where NFC West titles have become as expected as November drizzle. This was supposed to be another laugher in the division, and yet the never-ending number of aches, pains, tears and cracked bones could bring the Seahawks back to the pack.

Parity is king in the NFL again. Only this time, he brought police batons and baseball bats to the party.

Scott M. Johnson is The Herald’s pro football writer.