"New Places, Old Faces, Same Great Week One"

Sundays in Buffalo mean either one of two things to people: A) A day of rest and worship or B) Football in mass consumption. The NFL's first week brought new beginnings for stars who have signed with new teams, including Terrell Owens in Philadelphia; Jeff Garcia in Cleveland; Warren Sapp in Oakland; Deion Sanders in Baltimore; Kurt Warner in New York; Corey Dillon in New England; Clinton Portis in Washington; AJ Feeley in Miami: and Champ Bailey in Denver.

Jacksonville 13, Buffalo 10

Hometown hopefuls were left disappointed once again, as the Bills gave up a touchdown to rookie Jaguar Earnest Wilford in the back of the end zone as time expired. The Bills had an unacceptable 33 percent efficiency rating in the red zone, and gave up 78 costly yards in penalties.

New England 27, Indianapolis 24

Thursday night's season opener featured the highly anticipated rematch of last season's AFC championship game. Peyton Manning mustered 256 yards in the air, and connected on two touchdown passes, while Edgerrin James rushed for 142 yards on the ground. The defending NFL champions accumulated 402 total yards. The Pats forced a crucial sack on Peyton Manning in the red zone with only 34 seconds remaining, which led Mike Vanderjagt to miss a 48-yard, game-tying field goal.

Tennessee 17, Miami 7

The Titans seemed to be another thing Miami could not control. In his first start as a Dolphin, AJ Feely posted 21-31 passing for 168 yards, and a lonely touchdown. The Ricky-less rushing attack managed only 68 yards between the four Miami running backs, while giving up 4 fumbles to Tennessee. The game was moved to Saturday afternoon because of hurricane warnings.

San Diego 27, Houston 20

The Chargers became one of the many losing teams in 2003 to come out victorious in week one. On the road, LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 121 yards, 3 receptions, and a touchdown. The Texans' offensive stayed conservative, adding zero touchdowns from Quarterback David Carr and giving up two interceptions to the lowest ranked defense in the league last season.

Cleveland 20, Baltimore 3

The return of Deion Sanders was hardly noticeable as Cleveland's Jeff Garcia threw for 180 yards and a touchdown, while also running one in from three yards out on a QB draw play. The 2003 rushing champion was held in check to a mere 57 yards on 20 carries.

Detroit 20, Chicago 16

A Lions and Bears match up would have seemed like a contest straight from the Land of Oz if it were 2003. Detroit totaled 262 total yards of offense and snapped their 22-game road losing streak. On a low note, the Lions lost second year receiver Charles Rogers for the season after he broke his collarbone in the same spot that sidelined him for much of his rookie campaign in 2003.

Washington 16, Tampa Bay 10

The nation's capital was treated to a 64-yard touchdown rush by Clinton Portis to open the 2004 season. In addition to one touchdown, Portis rushed for 148 yards on 20 carries and four receptions. Tampa Bay was a lost cause, giving up three fumbles, 44 yards in penalties, and only 169 total yards for the contest.

St. Louis 17, Arizona 10

The rams charged into 2004 defeating their division-rival Cardinals on a late game, eight-yard touchdown by Isaac Bruce from Marc Bulger. Bulger was 22/34 with 272 passing yards on the day. Cardinals' rookie, Larry Fitzgerald found the ball four times for 70 yards, and Emmit Smith scored an 11-yard touch down while adding 87 yards on the turf.

Pittsburgh 24, Oakland 21

The Steelers stole a win from the Raiders in week one when Jeff Reed banged a 42-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired. Jerome Bettis redefined the laws of mathematics as he rushed for only one yard and scored three touchdowns. Rich Gannon, the 2002 League MVP, returned to form for Oakland, adding 305 yards through the air along with two touchdowns.

New York Jets 31, Cincinnati 24

The J-E-T-S combined for 438 yards on offense while Chad Pennington threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns. The Bengals' Carson Palmer proved he was ready for a starting role as he matched Pennington's day in the air with two touchdowns and 248 yards passing.

Philadelphia 31, New York Giants 17

The Eagles soared out of the gate on the back of Terrell Owns via Donovan McNabb for two first quarter touchdown connections (three on the game) and 68 yards receiving. McNabb threw for 338 yards and four touchdowns, while the Giants offense found little light in Tiki Barber's 121 yards on the ground in addition to a touchdown.

Minnesota 35, Dallas 17

Perhaps the week's most stellar match up was when Vinny Testaverde proved he still has fuel left in his tank throwing for 335 yards in the air. Keyshawn Johnson had nine receptions for 111 yards. However, the Cowboys could not stop Daunte Culpepper from racking up 242 yards and five touchdowns. Randy Moss caught four receptions for two touchdowns as well as throwing a 37-yard pass.

Other teams coming up with week one wins include Denver over Kansas City, Green Bay over Carolina, Atlanta over San Francisco and Seattle over New Orleans. Important week two match ups include Buffalo at Oakland, Carolina at Kansas City, Indianapolis at Tennessee, and Minnesota at Philadelphia on Monday night.