The first Sunday of the NFL season ended with a final flourish of wan incompetence. Eli Manning tossed a useless throw in the direction of Brandon Marshall to the left flat, time running out as the ball bounced near the 30-yard line as the New York Giants trailed, 19-3. Even if Marshall had caught the pointless pass, it would not have counted, because the Giants had not lined up properly and drew a flag.
It marked both a nadir in quality and a fitting cap to Sunday’s offensive ineptitude. All day, teams flailed in attempts to form an offense, and not just those with unproven quarterbacks.