"After a four-month lockout and a summer with more labor talks than football discussion, the NFL returned for its opening weekend on the 10-year anniversary of 9-11.

In Glendale, Ariz., Cardinals fans were eager to get their first look at free-agent quarterback Kevin Kolb in a real game. While Kolb's Cardinals won 28-21, Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton stole the show with a record 422-yard passing performance at University of Phoenix Stadium, where Newton led Auburn to the Bowl Championship Series title seven months earlier.

Newton, the No. 1 overall pick, had shown flashes of brilliance during the preseason - sandwiched around errant passes that left him with a completion percentage of 42.1 in four exhibitions."