I'll just go over some of the more surprising results from this Sunday:
1. Saints/Browns: This was the big shocker. The Saints' slow start, plus their inability to get off the field when they really needed to against an offense missing its best players (and which wouldn't look that good on paper even if it had them) did them in. The Browns started their final drive at their own 4 and got all the way to the Saints 29, a drive which was capped off by a 20-yard pass play to Andrew Hawkins who was ridiculously wide open.
I think the Saints' road troubles from last year were a bit overstated; no team is as good on the road as they are at home, and the Saints just played a really tough slate of road games last year, but this loss is bad for them. Being a September game against a 4-12 team from last year, it figured to be one of the Saints easiest road games of the year, and now it goes down as a loss. Conversely, it's an impressive sign of life for a Browns franchise that's been moribund since it came back to the league in 1999. I still expect them to be well under .500, but it's always good for a team's psyche to pull out close games like this.
2. Bears/49ers: The keys to this game were the 49ers turnovers and penalties (over 100 yards worth), the Bears' red zone efficiency, and the 49ers' utter inability to generate a pass rush; without Aldon Smith, I have no idea how the 49ers are going to generate pressure on opposing QBs. The Bears' much-maligned D made a lot of big plays; rookie CB Kyle Fuller looked especially impressive playing in place of Charles Tillman.
3. Chargers/Seahawks: A surprising result, but not entirely shocking. The Chargers have an incredibly efficient offense: they punted less than any other team in the league last year, and that was the story of this game. They possessed the ball for over 40 minutes. I don't think this loss is a huge setback for the Seahawks, especially with the 49ers losing to the Bears. The Seahawks are still the team to beat in the West and in the NFC as far as I'm concerned. I also don't think Richard Sherman was 'exposed' by any stretch of imagination. The dude gave up three completions; I wouldn't be worried about it if I were a Seahawks fan.