The NFL season kicked off this past Thursday night with an exhilarating football game showcasing the reigning super bowl champs (the Baltimore Ravens) and the Denver Broncos.  Although the Ravens put up a strong effort, the Denver Broncos prevailed and won the game 49-27, as Peyton Manning threw a record seven touchdown passes during the game.

Also, the Atlanta Falcons began their NFL season on Sunday with a game against the New Orleans Saints.  Although the Falcons played well, they lost to the Saints 23-17.

Some other notable games and statistics from Sunday and Monday were as follows:

• New England Patriots defeat the Buffalo Bills (23-21) as the Patriots scored the winning field goal in the final nine seconds to win
• Chicago Bears beat the Cincinatti Bengals (24-21)
• The Miami Dolphins start the season off with a win over Cleveland (23-10)
• New York Jets defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (18-17) in a thrilling final minute)
• San Francisco beats Green Bay (34-28) in an exciting game
• Dallas Cowboys defeat the New York Giants (36-31) in a sorry game for both teams
• Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Redskins (33-27) in a close call for the high-flying Eagles.
• Houston Texans defeat the San Diego Chargers (31-28) as the Houston kicker kicked the game winning field goal.