The San Francisco 49ers topped the Seattle Seahawks 33-17, handing head coach Jim Harbaugh a victory in his first game, and providing him a leg up over Pete Carroll as the two renew the rivalry they had when both were college coaches – Carroll at USC and Harbaugh at Stanford.

The 49ers received a huge boost from special teams, when wide receiver and return specialist Ted Ginn returned two kicks – a kickoff and a punt – for two TDs in a span of less than a minute.  The 14 points came in the fourth quarter, right after the Seahawks had cut the 49ers lead to 19-17 and were the dagger into Seattle’s heart to finish off the win.

The 49ers also won the turnover battle 3-0, on two fumble recoveries and an interception, in a game where the two teams combined for 20 penalties for over 180 yards.

“I slept like a baby last night,” Harbaugh, a father of two young daughters, quipped after the game. “I woke up every hour crying, making sure these guys were prepared in every way.  And they had our back. Our players did a heck of a job.”

Chargers Battle Back to Sink Vikings

The San Diego Chargers overcame a first half deficit to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 24-17 at home.  The Chargers were down 17-7 at halftime, after giving up a 103-yard return for a TD on the opening kickoff to Percy Harvin, before battling back and scoring 17 unanswered points in the second half.

The Chargers dominated statistically, with over twice as many total yards as the Vikings (407 to 187).  Chargers QB Philip Rivers threw for 335 yards in the game, while Vikings QB Donovan McNabb only managed 39 yards on 15 pass attempts.

After losing their kicker to a knee injury on the opening 103-yard return, the Chargers had to rely on punter Mike Scifres to do their kicking.  “When we face adversity, we don’t curl up and call it quits,” said Scifres after the game.

Jaguars Edge Titans

The Jacksonville Jaguars edged out the Tennessee Titans 16-14 in a home victory for the Jags.

In a game set to feature two of the top running backs in the game, Maurice Jones Drew turned in a solid performance with 24 carries for 97 yards and a TD.  Titans’ running back  Chris Johnson, freshly back from a contract holdout, was almost a non-factor in the running game, managing just 24 yards on 9 carries.

The win helped to justify the faith that the Jags showed in quarterback Luke McCown when they released last year’s starter David Garrard just days before the opener.  McCown was a serviceable 17 of 24 for 175 yards and managed another 10 yards rushing.