Week 2 in Review

Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season is in the books. It was a wild week filled with crazy finishes, questionable decisions, and unfortunately, a multitude of serious injuries to some of the league’s best players. Let’s get into it.

Browns 35-30 Bengals

The Browns offense finally decided to show up and deliver on its promises after over a year of questions and doubts. Baker Mayfield looked fantastic on Thursday night, slinging the ball with confidence all over the field to the tune of 219 yards and 2 TDs, although he did have an interception on a poor read across the middle. Odell Beckham Jr. splashed onto the scene for the first time in 2020 with a diving 43 yard touchdown catch to the avail of Browns fans everywhere who have been waiting for him to truly emerge as the elite receiver he was in New York. But the real story of the Cleveland offense was the run game. The Browns one-two punch of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt looked like the best in football as they combined for 210 yards and 3 TDs on just carries. If Cleveland’s run game can play at that level consistently, then they could truly be one of the league’s best offenses. On the Bengals side of things, rookie QB Joe Burrow continued to look very promising despite being under extreme duress every time he dropped back. Burrow set the NFL record for completions in a game by a rookie with 37, adding 316 yards, 3 TDs, and no interceptions. He did turn the ball over once on a strip sack from Myles Garrett, but it was no fault of Burrow’s as his offensive line is proving to be one of the worst in football. Even with the horrible circumstances that he is in, the #1 overall pick looks to be the franchise QB that Bengals fans have been hoping for.

Bears 17-13 Giants

Sunday’s contest between New York and Chicago provided one of the saddest moments of the young NFL season. Superstar Giants RB Saquon Barkley tore his ACL while being tackled on the sideline, and will miss the remainder of the 2020 NFL season. Heartbreaking news for the entire league. In his absence, the Giants still managed to put up a good fight at Soldier Field. The Bears lifted off for a 17-0 lead, with QB Mitchell Trubisky continuing his improved play in 2020. The Giants slowly crept back in the second half, scoring 13 unanswered points. The game was almost put away by Chicago’s defense, as star safety Eddie Jackson picked off Giants QB Daniel Jones and returned it for a touchdown, but the play was nullified due to a very questionable defensive pass interference call. The Giants kept pushing to the Bears goal-line, with the clock winding down. On the game’s final play, the Giants needed a touchdown to win, but were kept out by the Bears stellar secondary. The win vaulted Chicago to a somewhat surprising record of 2-0, and bumped the Giants down to 0-2, where things are likely only going to get worse. Bears fans would probably like their team’s games to not come down to the final play anymore, but they certainly must enjoy being undefeated on the young season.

Cowboys 40-39 Falcons

There is so much to say about this game that I don’t even know where to begin. The Falcons jumped out to a red-hot start, going up 20-0 in the first quarter (!!). It easily could’ve been more, but the Falcons offense seems to hate the redzone. Dallas looked shockingly bad with 2 fumbles, and Mike McCarthy made everyone scratch their heads as he attempted (and failed) two fake punts. But for some reason, the game never felt out of reach. Both teams went back and forth scoring on one another, with the Cowboys closing the gap to as little as 5 points in the 3rd quarter. With 8 minutes left in the game, Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo put Atlanta up 39-24. So, game over, right? Wrong. This is the Atlanta Falcons we’re talking about here! But what transpired in the final 5 minutes of the game were special even by Georgia sports standards. Dallas reached the endzone, got a stop, and got back in the endzone to cut the lead to just 2 with 109 seconds remaining. If Dallas wanted to complete the improbable comeback, they’d need to recover an onside kick, perhaps the hardest thing to do successfully on a football field. Onside kicks are virtually impossible to recover these days, especially with the rule of not running up before the kick. To make things even harder, Dallas kicker Greg Zuerlein kicked the ball straight off the turf without a tee. It was a very slow rolling kick that was almost moving in slow motion. It should have been a simple recovery for the Falcons hands team, but instead of falling on the slow motion football, they watched and watched as it rolled further and further until it crossed the 10 yard threshold… and the Cowboys fell on it. I would like to think that nothing with this team should shock me anymore, but that just might be the most inexplicable special teams gaffe I’ve seen in a professional football game. The Cowboys pulled the seemingly inevitable and kicked the game winning field goal to emerge with a most improbable victory. Dallas QB Dak Prescott had an incredible game with 450 passing yards and 4 total touchdowns. The QB on the other side, Matt Ryan, continued his stellar play as well with 273 yards and 4 TDs, but his team lost him the game; a story he is all too familiar with. Georgia sports… you never cease to amaze.

Packers 42-21 Lions

The Lions got off to quite a hot start in Lambeau on Sunday, going up 14-3 in the first quarter. But, that was just about it for their offense. Green Bay’s aerial and ground attack looked unstoppable as they strung together 31 unanswered points. Packers RB Aaron Jones was the star of the show with 168 yards and 2 TDs on the ground, including a 75 yard sprint to the house, and a receiving touchdown to boot. The Packers defense also looked very nice, holding the Lions to only 89 yards rushing and picking off QB Matt Stafford for a touchdown late in the game. Green Bay has looked like one the league’s best teams after dismantling two of their division rivals in the first two weeks of the season, but they’ll still have a lot to prove down the stretch, and that starts next week in New Orleans on Sunday Night Football. Let’s see what this team is really made of.

Titans 33-30 Jaguars

Nothing like a good old fashioned AFC South barnburner, is there? Tennessee and Jacksonville battled it out for 60 minutes on Sunday and it was awesome. It was an offensive explosion as Titans QB Ryan Tannehill thew for 239 yards and 4 TDs and Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew had 339 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs. The Jags came back from a 2 score deficit in the 4th quarter, tying the game at 30 with only 7 minutes left in the game. But with 1:36 to play, Titans kicker Stephen Gostowski nailed a game-winning field goal from 49 yards out to give Tennessee the lead. Trying to lead a drive to tie or win the game, Minshew was picked off by LB Harold Landry, and the Titans held on for the win to improve to 2-0. Tennessee looks like a very solid team in the early going of the season, perhaps proving that their 2019 playoff run wasn’t just a fluke. The Jaguars have battled for back to back weeks and look like they have a lot of fight in them, especially in Gardner Minshew. For that very reason, I’m taking Jacksonville out of the Trevor Lawrence conversation. I think they’ve found their guy.

Colts 28-11 Vikings

3 years, $86 million, fully guaranteed. That was the contract that the Vikings gave to QB Kirk Cousins 2 years ago. Now in the 3rd year of that contract, it’s becoming painfully obvious that the Vikings overvalued and overpaid their signal caller. Cousins had one of the worst QB games you’ll ever see on Sunday, completing 11 of 26 passes for 113 yards, no scores, and THREE (3) interceptions. The absence of Stefon Diggs in Minnesota is clearly having very negative effects on this once-potent aerial attack. The Vikings offense looked atrocious on Sunday against an albeit stellar Colts defense, and it needs to improve fast if this 0-2 club wants to compete for a wild card spot this year. Colts rookie RB Jonathan Taylor looked great in his first start with 101 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Unfortunately for Indianapolis, two of their young stars suffered some harsh injuries. 2nd year WR Parris Campbell suffered a PCL/MCL injury and will miss significant time, and star 4th year safety Malik Hooker tore his achilles and will miss the rest of the year. We’re all hoping for speedy recoveries for the two former Buckeyes.

Bills 31-28 Dolphins

The Josh Allen coming out party is officially underway. The Bills QB looked stellar once again on Sunday, setting a new career high in passing for the second consecutive week, this time with a whopping 417 yards. Allen also added 4 TDs with no INTs. The addition of WR Stefon Diggs is already paying massive dividends in Buffalo, as the former Viking caught 8 balls for 153 yards and a touchdown. The Dolphins also aired it out a ton as QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 328 yards and two scores. This was a wild, wacky, and wet game that was delayed over an hour due to inclement weather, and it was quite fun to watch. The Bills now stand at 2-0 and look like one of the better teams in the league. Their defense was always great, and now their offense looks stellar. This is certainly not a team to be slept on.

49ers 31-13 Jets

Holy mother of injuries. San Francisco dominated the Jets all game long, but got decimated along the way. 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa is gone for the year with a torn ACL. 2017 3rd overall pick Solomon Thomas is also gone for the season with a torn ACL. QB Jimmy Garoppolo hurt his ankle, didn’t return to the game and will likely miss at least 1 week. RB Raheem Mostert opened the game with an 80 yard touchdown sprint, but ended up hurting his knee and will miss some time. RB Tevin Coleman hurt his knee and will miss “multiple weeks”, per HC Kyle Shanahan. Oh, and TE George Kittle and DE Dee Ford already didn’t play due to injury. San Francisco had one of the best rosters in football, but it is now thinned for the time being in some places and for the rest of the year in other places. Luckily for them, they play another injury-riddled team in the Giants next Sunday, and can hopefully regain their strength. As for the Jets, they continued looking like the worst team in football, despite QB Sam Darnold showing some great flashes. The fact that Adam Gase is still employed is mind-boggling.

Rams 37-19 Eagles

Are the Rams back? It certainly appears so. The Rams are now 2-0 with 2 very good-looking wins. Their offense looks as efficient as it has been in years past, and QB Jared Goff looks as comfortable as ever in his 4th year with Sean McVay. Both sides of the ball look very sound for LA as they look to keep fighting in the toughest division in football. However, it seems like the story of the game was the Philadelphia Eagles. More specifically, QB Carson Wentz. The man who was once one of the league’s best quarterbacks is now facing heavy criticism from analysts and fans alike, as he has had 2 awful games to start the 2020 season. Wentz threw 2 INTs for the 2nd consecutive game and didn’t throw a single touchdown all game. RB Miles Sanders continued to look good, but this team is going nowhere fast if Wentz doesn’t stop regressing. The schedule isn’t getting any easier as well. Perhaps we’ll see Jalen Hurts at QB before long.

Steelers 26-21 Broncos

Another game filled with injuries. The Broncos not only lost the game, but they lost WR Courtland Sutton for the year with a torn ACL and QB Drew Lock for an extended period of time with a shoulder injury. In Lock’s stead, QB Jeff Driskel didn’t play half bad. The Broncos stayed in the game until the end, only losing by 5. This was a game that the Steelers should have dominated, but I have a feeling their offense will patch things up and keep improving. The Pittsburgh defense continues to be stellar, especially against the run. Their front 7 is one of the best in football, and it’s almost impossible to run against them. That defense could prove to be the difference maker in games later in the season.

Buccaneers 31-17 Panthers

Tom Brady officially has his first ever win outside of New England. The Bucs looked very solid on both sides of the football against Carolina. On offense, Brady finally established a connection with WR Mike Evans in Chris Godwin’s absence. The run game looked great as both Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II ran circles around the Carolina defense and each reached the endzone. Tampa’s defense wasn’t in question after a fairly good performance in New Orleans last week, but now that their offense has found its rhythm, the Bucs are looking like a force to be reckoned with in the stacked NFC.

Cardinals 30-15 Washington

After an inspiring comeback win in Week 1, the Washington Football Team looked absolutely lifeless on Sunday in Arizona. Granted, they were playing a much better team, but the boys in burgundy played an awful game for about 50 minutes. The Washington offensive line was seemingly nonexistent as QB Dwayne Haskins had less than 2.5 seconds to throw on average, with one rush leading to a strip sack. I would implore my fellow Washington fans to pump the brakes on the slander and hate towards this team, especially towards Dwayne Haskins. It’s Week 2 of a completely new system, he didn’t have a preseason, and he hasn’t even started a full season’s worth of games yet. Give it time, and I’m sure he’ll figure it out. The only positives for Washington was its running backs, Antonio Gibson and JD McKissic, who looked very good at times, and WR Terry McLaurin, who is continuing to be this offense’s best player by far in his 2nd year. Washington’s defense was also a bit of an issue, as emerging star QB Kyler Murray diced up the secondary on both the ground and through the air. The 2nd year quarterback out of Oklahoma looked stellar despite an early interception, and has now garnered a lot of media attention. I felt that Kyler had a lot of potential to be great and thought that at his best he could enter the MVP conversation. Well, here we are in Week 2, and he has very well entered it. He has to keep it up against a cupcake schedule for the next month or so. Seems easy enough. Watch out for the Cardinals. They are flying high.

Chiefs 23-20 Chargers (OT)

The Chargers had one of the more interesting developments of the week as starting QB Tyrod Taylor was a last-second scratch due to complications from a pre-game painkilling injection. When the Chargers rolled out rookie QB Justin Herbert from Oregon, the #6 overall pick in this year’s draft, we were all shocked and expected him to play poorly due to being thrust into a game against the Super Bowl champs with no preparation whatsoever. Instead, what we got was an incredible game from the rookie. Herbert arguably outplayed the reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes with 311 yards, 1 passing TD and 1 rushing TD on 22-33 passing. The Chargers led for most of the game, but some Mahomes magic brought the Chiefs back and sent the game to OT. The Chargers decided to punt the ball to Kansas City instead of going for it on a 4th and 1, and Harrison Butker nailed a game winner to send the Chiefs to 2-0. Chargers HC Anthony Lynn is insisting that Tyrod Taylor will remain the starter if healthy, which is just asinine to me. You drafted Herbert 6th overall. He just gave your team life when they didn’t have any. He has to be your starter. Don’t overthink the room.

Ravens 33-16 Texans

Lamar Jackson vs. Deshaun Watson is always fun on paper. It was certainly fun when they were both in college. But Sunday’s game was pure Baltimore domination. The Ravens continued to look like the best team in the league, and it honestly isn’t very close. They simply don’t have a flaw: quarterback, offensive line, running backs, wide receivers, front 7, secondary, even special teams are all incredible in Baltimore. It’s hard to picture them losing a game this season. They’ll have a tough test next Monday night against Kansas City in what should be a great game. Houston didn’t look great on Sunday, but for the most part, that’s to no fault of their own. However, the absence of DeAndre Hopkins is being felt heavily. Deshaun Watson can’t do it all on his own. It’s a shame to see someone so talented being wasted.

Seahawks 35-30 Patriots

The Cam vs. Russ/Bill Belichick vs Pete Carroll matchup lived up to the hype and then some. Sunday night’s affair was one of the best games I’ve seen in a very long time. Both QBs played exceptional football. Let’s start with Russell Wilson, who is certainly cooking. Russ continues to amaze on a weekly basis, this time throwing a whopping 5 touchdowns to 5 different receivers, with seemingly every throw being an absolute beauty. His only “mistake” was a pick 6 which was the result of an inexplicable drop by TE Greg Oslen. Russell Wilson now has 9 touchdowns on the year and ONLY 11 incompletions. There’s a serious case for Russ being not only the best QB in the league, but the best player in the league. He has almost got me on that train, and he doesn’t need to do much more for me to get on it. On the other side, Cam Newton looked spectacular in his second game in New England. After last week, it seemed like the Patriots would ask Cam to run more than throw, but he threw the ball exceptionally well against a very good Seattle secondary. He had 397 yards (179 going to Julian Edelman, a career high for him) and 3 total TDs, with 2 coming on the ground. It could have been 3 TDs on the ground, but Cam was stopped by the Seattle defense on the goal line on the final play of the game in a thrilling finish. Seattle truly looks like one of the league’s best teams, especially with the MVP frontrunner, but their defense needs to improve if they want to stop teams like Baltimore and Kansas City.

Raiders 34-24 Saints

Welcome to the NFL, Las Vegas. The Raiders’ first game in fabulous Las Vegas at their new stadium was as impressive as any win this week. The silver and black got off to a slow start, going down 17-7 early, but it was all Vegas from there on out. Derek Carr looked spectacular airing the ball out all over the field, and RB Josh Jacobs continued to impress with powerful running on the ground. Perhaps the most interesting development on Monday night was the struggles of Drew Brees. The Saints QB truly played like a 40 year old, barely throwing the ball down the field, making terrible reads and throws including an interception directly to a Raiders LB. He filled up the stat sheet by checking down to receivers or to his RBs, namely Alvin Kamara who led the team with 9 catches for 95 yards. Brees’ struggles can likely be tied to the absence of star WR Michael Thomas, but if he still plays subpar football when Thomas returns, then it might be the case that Drew Brees’ incredible career is nearing its end. The Saints face a tough Packers team next Sunday night in what should be a great game and a great indication of where this team currently lies.

All stats and quotes are taken from ESPN.