Week 2 of the NFL season is nearly done. The second week featured plenty of great comebacks, a brawl in New Orleans, and numerous upsets.
Below are my biggest takeaways from Week 2.
Miami Dolphins 42 – Baltimore Ravens 38
Hard to Run with a Cheetah
The Ravens should have won this game when they had the chance. Baltimore’s inability to sustain drives and convert short-yardage situations were essential factors to Miami’s historic fourth-quarter comeback.
Consequently, this was a crucial day for Tua Tagovailoa. It is not hyperbole to say that this was the most important game of his career. The young QB played with poise and took advantage of miscues in the Baltimore secondary. He looked like the franchise quarterback he had been promised to be.
Let us hope that this is not a unicorn game from Tua and the Dolphins. A date with the Super Bowl favorites, the Buffalo Bills, presents Miami with the opportunity to alter the NFL hierarchy.
New York Jets 31 – Cleveland Browns 30
Joe Fluke-o
Cleveland led by 13 points with less than two minutes remaining and the Jets had no timeouts left. It had been more than 20 years since a team lost a game in a similar circumstance, and the Browns did just that.
This was certainly a flukey win by the Jets, but head coach Robert Saleh surely intends to keep receipts from this contest.
Detroit Lions 36 – Washington Commanders 27
Hard Knocks Hype is Vindicated
Voila! The Detroit Lions are tied with the Kansas City Chiefs as the highest-scoring team through two weeks of the 2022 season.
The narrative surrounding Lions QB Jared Goff has suggested he was merely a castoff of the L.A. Rams/a bridge to an inevitable future of the position for Detroit. Yet Goff is sneakily building his case to be the Lions’ future at the position. He was stellar on this day, and his on-field connection with second-year WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is palpable.
On the other side of the ball, Washington’s defense looked especially inept in the game’s most crucial moments. If this theme continues throughout the season, it will be difficult to overlook with such a defensive-minded coaching staff in D.C.
Jacksonville Jaguars 24 – Indianapolis Colts 0
Scheduled Loss for Indy
Make that eight consecutive losses for the Colts when playing in Jacksonville.
The Colts were outplayed in every facet of the game, and QB Matt Ryan’s limitations were glaring. Indianapolis was shorthanded on this day, but that cannot be a justification for such a result.
Things don’t get any easier for Indy. A date with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs looms.
New England Patriots 17 – Pittsburgh Steelers 14
Smartest Guy in the Room
This game’s result was the consequence of a handful of plays, and further cemented the concerns surrounding both these teams’ offensive capability.
The Patriots executed their game plan en route to their victory, but the issue is that the plan seems to require the opponent to accept the terms that scoring won’t be at a premium.
Box-score reporting may indicate improved play from QB Mac Jones, but counting numbers misses dropped interceptions left on the field by the Steelers’ secondary. The Patriots’ offense remains a hindrance to any playoff hopes, and the Steelers are likely approaching the Kenny Pickett era.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20 – New Orleans Saints 10
Boredom turned Impatience
On a day highlighted by defensive prowess, Saints QB Jameis Winston threw his team out of the game late in the fourth quarter. Winston surely grew impatient with the lack of offense in a 3-3 game, and carelessly gave away the football in attempts to stretch the field versus an elite Tampa defensive backfield.
An interception return touchdown punctuated the Bucs’ defensive dominance on this day and epitomized the gap between these NFC South rivals: Jameis Winston is tiers below Tom Brady.
Carolina Panthers 16 – New York Giants 19
It Took Jay-Z Seven Years
In the waning weeks of a tumultuous 2021 season, Carolina Panthers HC Matt Rhule quipped in his post-game presser that “it took Jay-Z like seven years … to become an overnight sensation.” At the time, it was hilarious to liken the artist’s career arc to the Panthers’ reclamation project. It is somewhat depressing now.
Since Rhule took over as Panthers HC in 2020, the Panthers are 1-24 in games in which their opponent has scored 17 or more points. Coach Rhule surely doesn’t have seven years, and it’s doubtful he’ll have seven weeks at this rate.
Los Angeles Rams 31 – Atlanta Falcons 27
Sometimes the Score is Misleading
Sloppy ball control late in this contest fueled the Falcons’ comeback. Do not confuse the score as an interpretation of the gap between these two teams.
The Rams very much looked like the reigning Super Bowl champions on this day. Stafford hummed, and fans should be encouraged by L.A.’s integration of WR Allen Robinson and RB Cam Akers into the offense.
Los Angeles is still amongst the NFC’s elite.
Denver Broncos 16 – Houston Texans 9
Russ Can’t Cook
Offseason questions regarding what the Broncos’ offense would look like were phrased optimistically. The tune has certainly changed through two weeks.
The Broncos struggled mightily in their home opener and were fortunate to escape with a win. Head coach Nathaniel Hackett’s fourth-down indecision was once again a theme for Denver, and quarterback Russell Wilson struggled to find a rhythm versus a middling Texans defense.
Despite their victory, it is very difficult to perceive Denver as a threat in the AFC West. A looming Sunday Night showdown with the San Francisco 49ers is crucial for this team’s narrative moving forward.
Dallas Cowboys 20 – Cincinnati Bengals 17
Joe Cool-Aid
Any skepticism surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals heading into the season is, thus far, justified.
The Super Bowl runner-ups have vindicated all doubters of a season ago. Losses to opposing QBs Mitch Trubisky and Cooper Rush are inexcusable, and fans should suddenly be worried as to whether or not this team can beat Joe Flacco and the Jets in a matchup at MetLife Stadium in Week 3.
San Francisco 49ers 27 – Seattle Seahawks 7
Insurance is Expensive
The result of this game is a footnote to the health of second-year quarterback Trey Lance.
The 49ers selected Lance with the third pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, and they were hopeful to quantify his growth this season. With Lance expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the year, such assessments of the young QB will now be put on hold.
This season, however, will not be a lost one for the 49ers. The organization’s decision to retain Jimmy Garoppolo as Lance’s backup was much maligned, but it will surely pay dividends.
The 49ers should be held in similar esteem to their team of a season ago.
Arizona Cardinals 29 – Las Vegas Raiders 23
Kyler Murray Double-XP Week
A 20-0 Vegas lead at the half and the headlines were already written. The Cardinals’ overall ineptitude and their lack of offensive identity were both glaring and inexcusable at this point in head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s tenure. And suddenly, as it so often does, the narrative changed.
Arizona trailed 23-7 entering the fourth, and the Raiders’ inexperience showed itself. Kyler Murray’s unique skill set in conjunction with the Raiders’ lack of ability to close out the game led to yet another improbable comeback victory on the Week 2 slate.
Neither of these teams should feel comfortable regarding their outlook for the remainder of the season. The Raiders, however, are teetering much closer to the panic button following their 0-2 start.
Green Bay Packers 27 – Chicago Bears 10
Easy to Relax versus Chicago
An encouraging opening drive for the Bears was a red herring for those believing Chicago could keep this one competitive. Five consecutive drives without a first down quickly put this game out of reach, and Green Bay once again flexed their muscles at Lambeau Field.
The Bears’ early abandonment of the run game was surprising, and their recommitment to it with the game out of reach was confounding. One would hope that such circumstances would lend fans an opportunity to better assess second-year QB Justin Fields, but this was not the intention of the Bears’ staff, as the former first-rounder only attempted 11 passes on this night.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers own the Chicago Bears. Pencil in another victory for Green Bay on Dec. 4.
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