Hawkeyes in the NFL: Week 1 Recap

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The National Football League opened its regular season this past weekend. A number of former Iowa Hawkeyes saw action for their respective teams.

Former Iowa All-American Shonn Greene, the 2008 Doak Walker Award Winner, carried 27 times for 97 yards and a touchdown for the New York Jets in their 48-28 win against the Buffalo Bills. Tight end Scott Chandler hauled in four grabs for 38 yards and a score for the Bills.

Chad Greenway and Christian Ballard led the Minnesota Vikings to a season-opening, 26-23, overtime victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Greenway led the way with a game-high 13 total tackles. The former Iowa All-American turned in nine solo stops and two passes defended. He recorded the second-most tackles of all NFL players during the opening weekend. Ballard, a second-year defensive lineman, tallied two solo tackles.

The Atlanta Falcons downed the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-24. Falcons defensive lineman Jonathan Babineaux registered his first sack of the season. Chiefs tight end Tony Moeaki hauled in three catches for 37 yards in his return after missing last season due to an ankle injury.

Detroit Lions defensive back Amari Spievey registered one tackle as the Lions downed the St. Louis Rams, 27-23. St. Louis defensive back Bradley Fletcher notched three total tackles, including two solo stops and two passes defended.

Offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga, now in his third season with the Green Bay Packers, started his 25th career game in Green Bay’s loss to San Francisco.

Tight end Dallas Clark, who played nine seasons for the Indianapolis Colts, recorded a 33-yard reception in his first game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Former first round draft pick Adrian Clayborn, now in his second season, tallied a tackle in the Buccaneers’ 16-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. Charles Godfrey, now in his fifth season with Carolina, tallied six solo tackles. Godfrey became the first rookie in team history to start all 16 games at safety in 2008. He has started 58 of the last 59 games for the Panthers.

The Baltimore Ravens downed the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football, 44-13. Defensive back Sean Considine and OL Marshal Yanda both saw action for the Ravens. Yanda has started 59 games on the Ravens’ line. Rookie defensive back Shaun Prater is on injured reserve for the Bengals.

The Chargers and Raiders followed on Monday night. Nate Kaeding, the NFL’s all-time most accurate field goal kicker (.868), is back for his ninth season as the Charger’s placekicker. He enjoyed a great season debut, making all five of his field goal attempts, the most of any kicker in week one. Brandon Myers, the starting tight end for the Raiders, returns for his fourth season in the silver and black. He has started 13 games for the Raiders. He caught six passes for 65 yards on Monday night, as San Diego defeated Oakland, 22-14.