NFL News: Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers Highlight Biggest Week 1 Winners & Losers

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Sep 08, 2014 03:05 PM EDT

The first week of the National Football League is almost complete, and multiple players stood out, for better or worse reasons.

Late-game heroics and failures highlighted much of week one. There's still 15 games left to play, but here are the biggest winners and losers from the first week of the NFL season:

Biggest Winners

Carolina Panthers Win With Backup

The Panthers were by far the biggest winners this week. Without their starting quarterback Cam Newton, they were able to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-14 in Tampa. A huge divisional victory on the road with Derek Anderson at the helm. Anderson was terrific with 230 yard, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Matt Ryan Has Career Day

The New Orleans Saints always give the Atlanta Falcons and Matt Ryan problems. Despite playing at home, many people still picked the Falcons to lose. Ryan shut up the doubters, throwing for a career-high and a franchise-record 448 passing yards. A 37-34 divisional overtime victory is just what the doctor ordered for Ryan, who was 4-12 last season as a starter.

Seattle Seahawks Dominate

This team appears to be unbeatable at home. Facing one of the best quarterbacks in the game, the Seahawks took over where they left off last year. After shutting down Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl, they did the same thing to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, winning 36-16 at home. The Legion of Boom secondary is scaring opposing quarterbacks like we've never seen before.

J.J. Watt Relentless Against Redskins

Watt played one of the greatest regular seasons you will ever see. The Washington Redskins offensive line had no answer for Watt, who just received a $100 million contract. The Redskins tried everything, and they just couldn't stop him all game long against the Houston Texans, who won 17-6. Even when Watt was double teamed, he still deflected passes down at the line of scrimmage.

Biggest Losers

Chicago Bears Lose Overtime Blunder

There's no denying who the biggest loser from week one was. The Bears hosted the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field and couldn't get the victory. The Bears allowed 193 rushing yards at home and lost to the Buffalo Bills in overtime, 23-20. Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall combined for three turnovers in the loss. Next game, the Bears will have to travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers.

Kansas City Chiefs Off to Rocky Start

A lot of people think last year's Chiefs team was just a "fluke." It was a bad offseason for the Chiefs, who lost a lot of defensive players. On Sunday, they lost to the Tennessee Titans 26-10 in a game that was never even close. Losing your home opener by 16 is a bad sign for a team that is hurting and has limited options at wide receiver.

Spencer Lanning Takes Karate Kick By Antonio Brown

It's no surprise to see the Cleveland Browns lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 30-27. They've only won one game at Heinz Field, which came in 2003. But this game had a bit of a twist. On a Steelers punt return, Antonio Brown turned into the "Karate Kid." It looks as if he tried to hurdle over punter Spencer Lanning, but soon bailed out after he realized he could complete the jump.