Philadelphia Eagles Swamp St. Louis Rams 31-13 (VIDEO)

ST. LOUIS — The lockout didn't bother Michael Vick. It simply left him with fresh legs for the season opener.

The Eagles quarterback was in dazzling form and the other Philly game-breakers were hard to catch, too, as the team opened its self-proclaimed Super Bowl drive with a 31-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.

"It felt great to know that I can go out and play lights out, not have to worry about anything," Vick said. "I feel better than I've ever felt before and I give a lot of credit with the situation with the CBA, giving us a lot time to get rest and to prepare ourselves.

"I feel like I can play another four quarters right now."

The Rams couldn't keep up, especially after losing stars Steven Jackson and Sam Bradford. Jackson will undergo an MRI for a right quadriceps injury Monday. X-rays were negative on Bradford's right index finger.

In a pre-game tribute to Sept. 11, players and coaches from both teams stepped forward, all touching a huge flag that covered much of the field. Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo began his postgame remarks by praising the remembrance as a "special tribute."

Vick rushed for 98 yards and passed for two scores, LeSean McCoy scored twice and DeSean Jackson topped 100 yards receiving against a defense that couldn't use injuries as an excuse.

"It was just a real disappointment the way we played," end Chris Long said. "We had a lot of self-inflicted mistakes. They made us make a lot of mistakes."

The Eagles had 239 yards rushing, were 8 for 11 on third downs, and had 16 plays good for at least double digits. And yet, Vick felt it was far from perfect.

Steelers, Ravens Fight In 3rd Quarter: Ref Goes Down (VIDEO)

A referee landed on his back after a fight broke out in the third quarter of Baltimore's 35-7 beatdown of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Tempers flared immediately after the Steelers appeared to get a first down. There was some late pushing after the play and then it looked as if Ravens running back Ray Rice and Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu dragged each other down. The situation escalated quickly as more players jumped entered the fray. A referee, trying to separate a few of the players, got pushed and landed on his back.

The officials only penalized the Steelers, but as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk pointed out, plenty of fines will probably be handed down.

Ted Ginn Touchdowns: 49ers Player Scores On Kick & Punt Return In Win Over Seahawks (VIDEO)

On Sunday afternoon, the Seattle Seahawks pulled within two points of the San Francisco 49ers after Tavaris Jackson threw a long touchdown pass with a little less than four minutes left in the game. After struggling to produce any sort of offense throughout the game, it appeared that the Seahawks had finally found some rhythm against their division rivals.

Then Ted Ginn happened.

And then he happened again.

Ginn, who runs a blazing 4.28 in the 40-yard dash, notched both a San Francisco kick return TD and then a punt return TD in less than 60 seconds to secure a 33-17 victory for the 49ers.

The former top-10 pick, who is widely considered a bust because of his inability to find playing time as a wide receiver, proved that he could be a valuable weapon for the 49ers without being on the field during an offensive snap.

In total, Ginn had 268 return yards on the day, which is a greater output than any other team had on Sunday by more than 100 yards.

His fantastic performance will likely cause teams to implement a very strict special teams strategy when they play the 49ers this season: Kick it out of bounds.

Cam Newton Breaks NFL Record In Panthers Loss To Cardinals (VIDEO)

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Cam Newton's NFL debut was as magnificent as they come, except for the outcome.

Instead, another rookie scored the game winner.

Patrick Peterson made amends for a long afternoon at cornerback with an 89-yard punt return for the go-ahead touchdown and the Arizona Cardinals escaped with a 28-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Newton, the No. 1 draft pick playing on the same field where he led Auburn to the BCS championship in January, completed 24 of 37 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, the first rookie to throw for more than 400 yards in his NFL opener.


The Cardinals, meanwhile, drove inside the Carolina 6 twice in the second quarter and came away with nothing.

On second-and-goal from the 4, Beanie Wells, who rushed for 90 yards on 18 carries including a 7-yard touchdown run, muffed a pitch from Kolb and Carolina's Thomas Davis recovered.

After forcing a punt, Arizona drove to the Panthers 5, but a crackback block penalty against Andre Roberts drove the team back, and Jay Feely's 36-yard field goal try was wide left. Feely was 14-for-14 from inside the 40 a year ago.

The Panthers took over at their 36 with 1:03 to play in the half. Daryl Washington intercepted Newton's pass over the middle, but the play was nullified by a roughing-the-passer penalty against Peterson.

Moments later, Smith beat Peterson in the corner of the end zone and Newton lofted the ball perfectly in place to give Carolina the lead in front of the stunned crowd.

Arizona went 54 yards in six plays on its first possession, with Wells scoring on the 7-yard run.

After the subsequent kickoff, the Panthers had a third-and-7 from their 23 when new defensive coordinator Ray Horton called a blitz.

Sunday Night Football: Cowboys vs. Jets

Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets
Sunday, 9/11/11, 8:25 PM EST, TV: NBC
Opening Point Spread: New York Jets -4
Current Betting Line: New York Jets -5.5
Opening Total: 41
Current Total: 40.5

Dallas will begin its first full year under the direction of head coach Jason Garrett, taking over control of the team after the mid-year firing of Wade Phillips. The Cowboys finished with a 5-3 record in his eight games and possesses plenty of offensive weapons that opposing head coach Rex Ryan is aware of. “Start with tight end Jason Witten, he caught almost 100 balls or something last year,” commented Ryan. “And then you have Dez Bryant, the young kid from here Miles Austin, they’re loaded.” Quarterback Tony Romo is also back after missing the final 10 games of the 2010 campaign with a broken left clavicle. Dallas is 7-3 ATS as an underdog the last two years.

The Cowboys entire season may hinge on the offensive line that will possess three new starters and has been challenged early by injuries. Dallas will be dealing with one of the more ferocious defense units in the entire league and it’s a cause for concern. Sunday’s meeting will be the 10th between the two teams, as the Cowboys are 7-2 in the previous nine contests, including a 34-3 win at Cowboy Stadium on Nov. 22, 2007. It will be an emotional scene in the Big Apple with the game taking place on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

New York is hoping to go one further step this year after being knocked out in the AFC Championship Game in consecutive years. The Jets bring back 18-of-22 players and third-year quarterback Mark Sanchez has led the team to 23 wins in his first two years. A lot of the focus offensively from the media will be centered around the return of wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who will be playing in his first regular season game in 1,001 days and is no stranger to the New York scene. He caught 505 passes for 7,845 yards and 55 touchdowns in 128 games while playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Giants. New York is 8-8 ATS at home.

The Jets will be dealing with another storyline in the game with twin brothers Rex and Rob Ryan facing each other for the ninth time in their careers. Good thing for the team is its head coach leads the series, 5-3, including a 26-20 win over Cleveland last year when Rob spent the season leading the Browns defense. Expect a lot of running from the offense, as it finished fourth in the NFL, averaging 4.4 yards an attempt and gaining 148.4 yards a game last year.

Bettors will find that the Cowboys are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games, while the Jets are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games as a home favorite of 3.5 to 10 points.

Sam Bradford Makes Girl Cry After Rams Preseason Game (VIDEO)

Step aside Mark Sanchez, it looks there's another young heartthrob NFL quarterback and his name is Sam Bradford.

After Friday's preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, some of the Rams staff members were able to make a female fan very, very happy. The girl gave an employee her sign that read, "Marry Me Bradford" and gave it to the 23-year-old to sign. Bradford gladly autographed the sign and when the girl got it back, she became overwhelmed with tears. Well done, Sam.

Sometimes athletes just have that kind of influence over a fan. Just last month, Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett gave a kid a ball before the game and made him so happy that he started hysterically crying.