The 2011 NFL season has begun. After just 1 week of preseason games, the pressure is on to hammer out the kinks before the regular season starts in September. Here is a roundup of what’s happened so far during the preseason.

The 2011 season looks to have as many surprises as 2010. The Green Bay Packers, the 2010 Super Bowl champions, lost their first game to the Cleveland Browns, who had one of the worst records last year. Likewise Pittsburgh, who lost 16-7 to the Washington Redskins, who had only a 0.373 winning percentage in 2010. Indianapolis, traditionally a strong team, also lost to St. Louis by 23 points. And the Atlanta Hawks, winners of the NFC South last year with 13 wins, were defeated by the Miami Dolphins. Oh, what a difference an offseason makes.

But perhaps the biggest turnaround is by the Carolina Panthers, who thumped the Giants 20-10. After Carolina’s abysmal 2-14 season last year, they needed a good win to jump start 2011. The Panthers will need a good confidence boost, since they face off against Green Bay next, who will be looking to reestablish themselves as worth contenders for the playoffs again this year.

Not everything was a surprise, however, as there were some consistent performers. New England cruised to a 47-12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, looking as strong as they have looked for any of the past several years. Philadelphia also was present in the winner’s column, which will be welcome news to Eagles fans. For years now, these teams have had high hopes and this year looks to be no different.

Based on the first week of preseason play, this season will be full of surprises and plenty of drama. If the 24-23 Dallas victory over Denver is any indication, we are in for a nail-biting year. With Philadelphia playing Pittsburgh next, week 2 of the preseason should be as interesting to watch as this past week. Some other must-watch preseason games are Green Bay at Indianapolis, Atlanta at Pittsburgh, and when the Giants and Jets face off in the battle for New York. Make sure you are rooting for your team when these games are on.

For rooting, you need some team merchandise. For football fans looking for their favorite team jerseys, hats, and apparel, the best place to go is the shops at the stadiums. It’s much better if you can look and feel the products before you get them. But if you need to shop online, the NFL Shop is the place to go. Just make sure you look for a NFL Shop promo code, because football merchandise is expensive and we’re not all made of money.