Niners Show They Don't Need Read-Option The Packers made good on their pregame promise to hit Colin Kaepernick every chance they got - even when that meant Clay Matthews illegally tackling him out of bounds. San Francisco's vaunted read-option was rendered obsolete Sunday thanks to Green Bay's unblocked outside linebackers, who were the aggressors and immediately attacked the unprotected Kaepernick. This was a big reason the Niners, who finished fourth in the league in rushing last season, managed just 90 yards on 34 carries. But in a twist that should be nothing short of terrifying to the rest of the N.F.C., the Niners overcame their ground struggles with 412 yards through the air in a 34-28 win. Kaepernick completed 27 of 39 passes with three touchdowns. The new wideout Anquan Boldin was on the receiving end of nearly half of those completions, registering 208 yards - just 9 shy of the career high he posted in Week 1 of 2003 as a Cardinals rookie. The bulk of Boldin's catches were a function of outstanding play design by Coach John Harbaugh and the offensive coordinator, Greg Roman. Against frequent two-deep coverages, the Niners regularly put Green Bay's safeties in a bind with combination routes that forked at the 16-23-yard range. Those routes demanded strong-armed throws, which Kaepernick, with his compact release motion, does well (particularly between the numbers). A lot of them were also simple either/or reads, which the still-developing 25-year-old needs. Far too often on Sunday, Kaepernick broke down in the pocket before any pass-rush pressure arrived. His athletic gifts and the craftily designed system he plays in masked the issue. That shouldn't have been the case against a defense that had seen him before. Rams 27, Cardinals 24 Jared Cook made a lot of people look smart in his Rams debut. Picked by many to be a breakout star in 2013, the $35 million free agent caught seven balls for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns. It would have been three touchdowns if not for a great rundown-from-behind forced fumble by the rookie safety Tyrann Mathieu on what appeared to be a breakaway score. Tavon Austin figures to be the focal point of St. Louis's new speed-oriented offense, but on Sunday, Cook was the most lethal movable chess piece. Cowboys 36, Giants 24 The Cowboys" main inspiration for replacing the defensive coordinator Rob Ryan with Monte Kiffin was the opportunity to force more turnovers. In Ryan's man-heavy scheme, back-level defenders often had their backs to the quarterback and were reacting to their assigned players in coverage. In Kiffin's zone scheme, defenders can keep their eyes on the quarterback and the ball. Being in attack mode instead of reactive also allows them to play faster and go for the strip. Through one week, the change has paid off. After just 16 forced turnovers last season, the Cowboys got six in their season opener, beating the Giants for the first time at Jerry World. Patriots 23, Bills 21 The Patriots were not particularly sharp on offense, but running 89 plays (28 more than their opponent) left them with a greater margin for error. While the Wes Welker clones Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman both made their marks - Amendola registered nine first downs on 10 receptions; Edelman caught a pair of touchdown passes - New England's brightest ball-handler was Shane Vereen. A third-year back, he carried the ball 14 times for 101 yards and caught it seven more for 58 yards. He showed the same burst, flexibility and short-area acceleration that he used in destroying the Texans in the divisional round last January. In a hurry-up offense, a versatile back who can make plays out of the backfield and/or split out wide is invaluable. Expect to hear Vereen's name more and more. Bears 24, Bengals 21 It wasn't always pretty, but the Bears" offense did just enough in its debut under the spread-oriented passing guru Marc Trestman. After spending all of last season eyeing Brandon Marshall for as long as he could before taking a big hit, Jay Cutler showed a newfound discipline in quickly going through his progressions. It helped that he got better protection. After an early breakdown on a third-and-2 in the opening quarter, Chicago's pair of rookie blockers on the right side - the first-round guard Kyle Long and the fifth-round tackle Jordan Mills - steadied themselves and did a spectacular job neutralizing Cincinnati's deep rotation of athletic defensive linemen. The star defensive tackle Geno Atkins was a nonfactor. They also did a solid job picking up blitzes and zone exchange pass rushes. This should have Bears fans very excited. Dolphins 23, Browns 10