Unplug the MAF and see if that helps.

That exact same thing happened to me once. The IAC must have stuck or something, because when I tried to start it, I had your symptoms. When started it with the gas pedal to the floor, it screamed to life and then ran fine.

You may also want to get your fuel pressure tested.

After researching a little on the internet, I found a few more cases of the same symptoms I had- and for some the fix was replacing the fuel pressure regulator. I looked on here and found the write up for checking. I pulled the line and was pretty sure I smelled a faint amount of gas. Does the gas smell need to be strong? Or is any smell bad? Anything else I can do?

You shouldn't be getting any gas smell in your vacuum lines. Whether you do smell it or only think you do, eliminate a variable and replace the FPR if your budget allows (~$50). We have a write-up on replacing it, too.

Also, if you have access to a fuel-pressure tester, hook it up and tell us what you see. Normal readings are around 40-47 psi on our years.