Winners and losers from the NFL's opening week

No championships were won or lost in Week 1 of the NFL's 2017 season, but clear winners and losers still emerged from the action. Here they are.

WinnersAlex Smith

The NFL's leader in passing is a quarterback commonly referred to as a game-manager.

Alex Smith quieted those calling for a rookie to take his job with an electric opening-night performance in which he went 28-for-35 for 368 yards and four touchdown passes. Thursday's display stood up as the best quarterback output in Week 1. Now, can he keep it going?

Rookies

Kareem Hunt. T.J. Watt. Tarik Cohen. DeShone Kizer. Dalvin Cook. Leonard Fournette. Garett Bolles. Deshaun Watson. Cooper Kupp.

These names and more were among the rookies who impressed in their NFL debuts. Some earned starting roles while others made their mark despite failing to win the lead job in training camp.

The 2017 draft class looks set to take a large role in how this season plays out.

Sean McVay

You may be shocked to know the team with the most total points scored after Week 1 is the Los Angeles Rams, who finished last in that category in 2016.

Sure, they were facing an Indianapolis Colts club missing its top corner, starting center, and franchise quarterback, but the Rams took advantage of an inferior opponent to the tune of 46 points.

The Rams' offense looked renewed under head coach Sean McVay. Jared Goff had what was unquestionably his best day as a pro, and all of the offensive weapons added through the draft and in the offseason made their presence felt. For at least one more week, McVay can continue operating under the guise of a boy genius.

Cowboys

Days away from the season opener, it appeared the defending NFC East champs would have to traverse the 2017 season without the league's leading rusher from a year ago. Expectations for the Cowboys diminished as odds climbed.

But with Ezekiel Elliott cleared to play in, at minimum, the season opener, the Cowboys scored an important win over their closest division rival, who swept the season series last year.

LosersAdrian Peterson

Peterson spoke all offseason about his intention to stick it to his former team in the season opener. However, in his debut with the New Orleans Saints, he was limited to six carries for 15 yards.

One could see Peterson wanted nothing more than to score against the Minnesota Vikings, the team that jettisoned him in the offseason. Yet, despite multiple goal-to-go opportunities, the Saints gave Peterson just one carry from inside the Vikings' 10-yard line.

Viewers could actually pinpoint the second when his heart broke.

Fans

Fans are likely just happy to have football back in their lives, but Week 1 was glaringly short on close scores and thrilling finishes.

The most exciting closing sequence came when the Chicago Bears had four opportunities to score a winning touchdown on the Atlanta Falcons. The game ended with quarterback Mike Glennon face-planted in the turf.

And despite the league's decision to relax its rules on touchdown celebrations, there were few notable ones. The best might have come from Stefon Diggs, who attempted to punt a ball into the stands, but instead hit a ball boy in the back.

Colts

The Colts' fan base expressed concern when the team released backup quarterback Stephen Morris in favor of veteran Scott Tolzien as part of their roster cuts. Those fears proved legitimate when Tolzien threw a pick-6 on his first pass of the 2017 season, and things went even further downhill from there.

Tolzien was benched for Jacoby Brissett, who had been a Colt for 10 days, and Indianapolis got whooped 46-9 by the Rams.

The Colts' quarterback saga - which includes resting the recovering Andrew Luck, releasing Morris, starting Tolzien, and trading for Brissett - put a black cloud over the impending season. Injuries to Ryan Kelly and Vontae Davis further underlined how inferior their roster is beyond Luck and receiver T.Y. Hilton.

It looks as though it will be a long season in Indy.

Home teams

Entering Monday night, just five home teams emerged victorious. Wins by the Vikings and Broncos brought that total to seven.

Nonetheless, plenty of fans left their home stadium disappointed as eight hosts took an L in Week 1.

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