Think anyone in Chicago cares were Cedric Benson is these days? Bears’ rookie running back Matt Fotre rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown as Chicago hammered the Colts 29-13 on Sunday night.

• Matt Forte’s 123 yards are the second-most for a rookie RB in Week 1 in the last 10 seasons (Cadillac Williams had 148 in 2005).
• The 29 points for the Bears are the most in a season-opening game since 1995 (31-14 win over Vikings).
• The Colts allowed their first safety since Nov. 19, 2000 at Green Bay.
• Kyle Orton improved to 13-6 as a starter for the Bears.

Outside of Devin Hester’s attempted fake on a kick return that cost the Bears valuable field position at the start of the second half, Chicago played a perfect game. They put pressure on Peyton Manning, caused turnovers, kept Joseph Addai in check and obviously ran roughshod on the Colts’ defense. Kyle Orton (13 of 21 for 150 yards) wasn’t anything special, but he didn’t have to be with how good Forte was. The important thing for Orton was that he didn’t turn the ball over and kept the offense moving. Chicago’s offensive line (which was a concern entering the season), was also solid.

Manning was off all night, but looking back should that really have been a surprise? Even though not much is expected of the Bears this year, their defense is still one of the best in the NFC and they completely took the Colts out of their game. Plus, Manning missed the entire preseason, only had one practice under his belt and didn’t have All-Pro center Jeff Saturday helping protect him. Manning and Indy are going to be fine. But the run defense was a concern the year they won the Super Bowl and it didn’t look good again Sunday night. With Adrian Peterson and the Jaguars coming up the next two weeks, the Colts better shore up their run defense.

Below are snippets of all the Week 1 action in the NFL. For more analysis and discussion on each game, click on the links provided.

- Tom Brady was knocked out of the Patriots’ 17-10 win over the Chiefs. It’s unclear at this point the severity of Brady’s injury, and whether or not he’ll be able to play next week.

- Michael Turner rushed for 220 yards and Matt Ryan won his NFL debut as the Falcons crushed the Lions 34-21.

- The Bills won their home opener 34-10 over Seattle, holding the Seahawks to only 85 yards on the ground.

- The Titans intercepted Jaguars’ quarterback David Garrard twice and sacked him seven times in their 17-10 victory. Quarterback Vince Young left the game with a sprained left knee.

- Brett Favre won his Jets’ debut as New York beat the Dolphins 20-14. Thomas Jones also rushed for 101 yards.

- The Saints rallied to beat NFC South rival Tampa Bay 24-20. Drew Brees threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns.

- The Eagles blasted the Rams 38-3 as Donovan McNabb threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns. Philly’s defense held St. Louis to only 166 total yards.

- The Steelers built a 35-3 lead on their way to a 38-17 rout of the Texans. Willie Parker bounced back from a season ending knee injury last year, rushing for 138 yards.

- Joe Flacco won his NFL debut as the Ravens topped the Bengals 17-10. Cincinnati failed to score an offensive touchdown as Carson Palmer was held to under 100 yards passing.

- Tony Romo picked apart the Browns’ secondary for 320 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ 28-10 win. Marion Barber and rookie Felix Jones also combined for 142 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

- Jake Delhomme found Dante Rosario on a 14-yard touchdown pass as timed expired in the Panthers’ 26-24 win over the Chargers. LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 97 yards, but Carolina kept him out of the end zone.

- Kurt Warner passed for 197 yards and a touchdown as the Cardinals topped the 49ers 23-13. Anquan Boldin caught eight passes for 82 yards.

- The Bears spoiled the opening of Lucas Oil Stadium, dominating the Colts 29-13 on Sunday Night Football. Rookie running back Matt Forte rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown.

- In the Thursday Night Game, the defending Super Bowl champion Giants beat division rival Washington 16-7. Brandon Jacobs rushed for 116 yards on 21 carries.

Here are some fantasy observations from Sunday’s games. I indicated the games I actually watched with an asterisk.

Lions 21 @ Falcons 34
Holy Michael Turner, Batman! The Falcons’ prized free agent rushed for 220 yards on 22 carries and scored twice. Turner owners should be pleased, but keep your expectations in check – he was playing against the Lions…Matt Ryan had a decent day, but only threw 13 passes since Atlanta was so far ahead. He did connect with Michael Jenkins for a long TD early in the game…Roddy White had only two catches, but made them count for 54 yards. This was kind of a disappointing day considering the opponent…Jerious Norwood turned 16 touches into 99 yards and a score…Jon Kitna got off to a slow start but finished with 262 yards, two TD and a pick. Expect Kitna’s second half numbers to outweigh his first half numbers as the Lions will be throwing more late in games as they try to catch up…Calvin Johnson (7-107) had a nice day and Roy Williams (3-47-1) got off to a slow start but finally scored in the second half…Kevin Smith turned 20 touches into 80 yards and a TD. Not a bad day for the rookie…Rudi Johnson only had three carries, so it looks like Smith is the main guy for now.

Bengals 10 @ Ravens 17
Willis McGahee was active, but didn’t have a carry in the game. Ray Rice turned 22 touches into 83 yards, which included three catches for 19 yards…Joe Flacco finished with decent numbers (129 passing yards, 1 rush TD) and Mark Clayton (3-21) had a 42-yard rush TD on a reverse…The Bengals offense was brutal. Carson Palmer threw for only 99 yards and a pick…T.J. Houshmandzadeh (3-44) and Chad Ocho Cinco (1-22) were both quiet, and Chris Perry turned 19 touches into just 42 yards…With all the firepower they have on that offense, there’s no reason they should be putting up such poor numbers.

Jake Delhomme found Dante Rosario on a 14-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the Carolina Panthers’ 26-24 win over the San Diego Chargers.

The Panthers gave the Chargers hell all game and even when San Diego scored a go-ahead touchdown with only 2:27 left to go in the game, you got the sense Carolina was finished. With Delhomme (23 for 41, 247 yards, 1 TD), the Panthers are a completely different team offensively. It helps when DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart combine for 139 total yards on the ground, too.

Many expected the Panthers to be improved this year, but the Chargers are supposed to be a Super Bowl contender. How did San Diego allow Rosario to catch that ball? It was a remarkable play, but two defenders were there and neither could get a hand on the ball to knock it down. One game isn’t going to make or break a season, but it’s not a good sign when a team drops their home opener to a team without their best offensive weapon (Steve Smith). LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 97 yards on 22 carries, but Carolina kept him out of the end zone.

Impressive win for the Panthers. It’s hard to go into San Diego and pull off a win, but they did and this was by far the game of the day.

Marion Barber and Felix Jones combined for 142 yards and three touchdowns while Tony Romo threw for 320 yards and one touchdown as the Dallas Cowboys handled the Browns 28-10 in Cleveland.

The Cowboy receivers were able to find soft spots all game as Romo completely dissected Cleveland’s inexperienced secondary. And with the Browns playing mostly in zone to try and stop Dallas’s passing attack, the Cowboys’ offensive line was able to manhandle Cleveland’s front seven in the run game. The rookie Jones was very impressive, although the holes that he was running through in the second half were massive.

After struggling in preseason, the Browns needed to come out and have a good showing Sunday. But they looked like they weren’t even in the same league as Dallas on Sunday, at least defensively. Jamal Lewis rushed for 62 yards on 13 carries and Derek Anderson threw for 114 yards and a touchdown, so for the most part they were fine. But this was a rough start for a team that gave up multiple top draft picks to improve its defense.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are highly regarded as a potential Super Bowl contender this year, but they’re off to a rough start after losing 17-10 to the Tennessee Titans.

• The Titans recorded seven sacks and intercepted David Garrard twice (he threw three all of last season). Cortland Finnegan had both interceptions after having one in his first two NFL seasons.
• The Jaguars were held to 33 yards rushing (1.9 yards per rush), their fewest in a game since Oct. 1, 2006 when they were held to 32 at Washington.
• Tennessee rookie Chris Johnson rushed for 93 yards (6.2 per attempt) in his NFL debut.

I realize Tennessee is coming off a playoff season and Vince Young keeps them competitive with his athleticism, but this game was still a shocker. For the Titans to hold the Jags to only 33 yards rushing was impressive. And Garrard only threw three interceptions total last year, but threw two in one game Sunday. For a team that is often regarded as one of the more physical squads in the league, Jacksonville was manhandled Sunday.

Speaking of Young, he continues to struggle in the passing game and eventually left the game on crunches after spraining his left knee. He threw for only 110 yards on 12 of 22 passing, and also added two interceptions. The home crowd even booed him on the second interception.

The defense is going to keep Tennessee in most games, but this team needs Young to develop (not too mention stay healthy) in the passing game or else there will always be a ceiling on the Titans’ success.

The Houston Texans are highly regarded as a potential sleeper playoff team this year in the AFC. And entering Week 1, many figured they were prime candidates to pull off an upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers. So much for that – Pittsburgh crushed mounted a 35-3 lead and eventually routed the Texans 38-17.

Two main concerns for the Steelers entering the season were the offensive line and the health of Willie Parker. Both looked fine Sunday as Parker rushed for 138 yards on 25 carries and the o-line kept Ben Roethlisberger (13 for 14, 137 yards, 2 TDs) upright.

Houston QB Matt Schaub was largely effective, throwing for 202 yards on 25 of 33 passing and a touchdown. But he threw back-to-back interceptions in the first half, one leading to a Steelers’ touchdown. As for the Texans’ running game, which was a concern entering the season, didn’t quell any fears. Houston totaled just 75 yards on the ground.

The Buffalo Bills lost one of their most productive defenders less than a week ago, but still managed to hold the Seattle Seahawks to only 85 yards rushing in their 34-10 Week 1 victory.

Bills’ quarterback Trent Edwards threw for 215 yards and a touchdown on 19 of 30 passing. Marshawn Lynch added 76 rushing yards and a touchdown while Lee Evans totaled 102 yards on only four catches.

This was a complete trap game right from the start. The Bills were favored by a point and everyone was scratching their head because Seattle is arguably the better team (not too mention coming off a playoff year). But the Hawks’ running game was a mess in preseason and looked bad again Sunday. The surprising thing was how bad Seattle’s defense played. Edwards and Lynch are nice young players, but the Seahawks defense has a solid front seven and an above average secondary. There’s no reason for them to keep thrashed for 338 yards and 34 points.

Many pundits consider the Philadelphia Eagles a Super Bowl contender this season. Of course in the same breath, those same pundits will also note how McNabb has to stay healthy for the Eagles to make a title run.

In his first game of the season, McNabb threw for 361 yards on 21 of 33 passing and three touchdowns as the Eagles thrashed the St. Louis Rams 38-3. Not that the Rams’ defense is anything to brag about (although they did improve in the offseason), but McNabb was outstanding. Brian Westbrook also added 91 rushing yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns (one on the ground, one through the air). The Philly defense was also excellent, limiting the Rams to only 166 total yards. (In comparison, the Eagles offense gained a whopping 522 total yards.)

The Rams just couldn’t get anything started offensively. It’s going to take time for St. Louis to grasp Al Saunders’ offense, which has a ton of terminology to learn. Still, it has to be incredibly disappointing for the Rams to only score three points and get thrashed after such a disastrous 2007 season.

Rookie Joe Flacco outplayed Carson Palmer as the Baltimore Ravens topped AFC North rival Cincinnati 17-10. Flacco completed 15 of 29 passes for 129 yards while Palmer was just 10 of 25 for 99 yards and an interception.

• Rookie quarterback Joe Flacco was forced into the starting lineup due to injuries but rushed for the winning score and helped the Ravens outgain the Bengals 358-154 in total offense.
• Carson Palmer was held to 99 passing yards, only the third time in his career he has been held under 100 yards. He also didn’t have a TD pass for the 12th time in his career, three of those times coming at the hands of the Ravens.
• Baltimore improved to 12-4 at home against the AFC North since 2003.

Nice start for the 2008 rookie quarterback class as both Flacco and Matt Ryan earned victories in their debuts. Flacco was particularly impressive, even though the Ravens didn’t ask him to do too much. He was steady and didn’t make any mistakes, which is exactly what Baltimore needs from their rookie at the start of his career.

The Bengals only touchdown came from a 65-yard fumble recovery by Jonathan Joseph in the fourth quarter. Baltimore’s defense is still one of the best in the league, but it’s a little shocking that Cincy’s only touchdown came from its defense. Bengals’ running back Chris Perry rushed for only 37 yards on 18 carries, which is significant seeing as how longtime starter Rudi Johnson was recently cut to give Perry an opportunity to start.