NFL Week 2 Takeaways
Photo by David Tulis from UPI
Week 1 of the NFL season was fantastic.
Week 2? Eh, not quite as much.
But there were still some great games!
Let’s see what we learned.
Chiefs defeat Chargers 24-17
Last week, the Chargers won a game they almost threw away. I deemed it the moment the Chargers have turned things around, because those are the exact type of games they would lose in the past.
How did they respond to that?
With a pick 6 at the goal line in the 4th quarter with the game tied at 17.
Turns out, that Chargers DNA is still in there…
Dolphins defeat Ravens 42-38
The comparison for Tua according to talking heads was Jimmy Garoppolo.
Jimmy G is fine (we’ll talk about him later) but the concerns with him was always can he actually lead a team with a deficit and bring them back, or is he just a game manager?
Well, we’ve still yet to see Jimmy G do that.
Sunday, we saw Tua come back from down 21 on the road to lead the Dolphins to victory.
This isn’t to say Tua is automatically a top 5 QB in the league.
But it sure as hell means he’s not just a game manager.
Jets defeat Browns 31-30
The Browns led 30-17 with under 2 minutes left and lost.
Couldn’t have happened to a better franchise…
As for the Jets, that is a very good win by a franchise who has had years of struggles and me making fun of them.
Credit where it’s due, even if they played a Browns team without Deshaun Watson.
That’s a big, big win.
Lions defeat Commanders 36-27
The Lions put up 35 on the Eagles and 36 on the Commanders so far this season.
It’s early, but the offense is clicking.
The defense could still improve, but it’s a good start for a rebuilding organization.
Buccaneers defeat Saints 20-10
This game was so boring that Mike Evans and Marson Lattimore decided to fight and get ejected so they could be done early.
Giants defeat Panthers 19-16
The Giants are not a playoff contender. Let’s just start with that.
However, they are 2-0, and Brian Daboll has already done a good job changing the culture in New York.
Kenny Golladay hasn’t been good in practice? He’s not going to play.
Doesn’t matter how much money he makes.
It’s paid off, with other skill players stepping up.
Such as West Virginia legend David Sills!
(You know I had to mention him).
Patriots defeat Steelers 17-14
I get that there’s benefit from having players sit and learn behind a veteran, but there’s no point in the case of the Steelers.
It’s time to start Kenny Pickett.
Jaguars defeat Colts 24-0
The Jags always defeat the Colts in Jacksonville, but this time it wasn’t because of some curse the Colts seem to have in Florida.
The Jags were flat out the better team on the day.
The defense made Matt Ryan and the Colts look dreadful. Trevor Lawrence had his best game as a pro by far.
The Jaguars now lead the AFC south.
Will they stay there? My guess would be no but considering what we’ve seen from every other team in the AFC South I can’t definitely say that they won’t!
Rams defeat Falcons 31-27
I hate the Rams.
You can call it bias if you want, but it’s not unfound bias.
If you know NFL football, you know the history of the Falcons and 28-3.
Well, the Falcons trailed this gam 28-3, and brought it all the way back to 31-25 late in the 4th quarter.
On a day of pretty boring football, there was a chance for happiness throughout the country. A cursed team finally exercising some demons and being on the other end of a 28-3 comeback this time around.
And the Rams, with their awful jerseys and in front of their fans who don’t actually care about football because it’s Los Angeles, ruined it and couldn’t let anyone be happy.
I hate them.
49ers defeat Seahawks 27-7
As mentioned earlier, Jimmy Garoppolo is good enough for the Niners.
They went to a Super Bowl (and should have won it) in 2020, and were a dropped interception away from going to another one last year.
And despite being the backup this year behind Trey Lance, he’s back as the starter due to a terrible Trey Lance injury.
But the whole QB situation with the Niners made me realize that they really botched this whole situation.
If you feel you need a better option than Jimmy G, that’s fine. So did the Rams, Browns and Broncos.
But the Rams, Browns and Broncos went out and got Matt Stafford, Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson.
The Niners sent boatloads of draft picks to the Dolphins to take a guy who has taken 450 dropbacks.
Not in the NFL. That includes college as well.
The end result? The Niners mortgaged the future on a quarterback who just got hurt and everyone’s reaction to it is “The Niners are actually better now that he’s hurt.”
Weird.
Cowboys defeat Bengals 20-17
The Bengals lost the Super Bowl because Joe Burrow got sacked on a 4th down when he had Ja’maar Chase open for potentially a game winning touchdown.
It was a sign that the Bengals needed to improve the offensive line.
Did they?
Well, Joe Burrow has been sacked 12 times in 2 games and they’re 0-2.
So…no. They did not.
Broncos defeat Texans 16-9
I said last week that the Broncos would be fine.
Nathaniel Hackett panicked with game management in his first game in a tough environment, and Russell Wilson, despite good numbers, didn’t play his best game because he missed all of preseason.
I still think the Broncos will be fine.
But man oh man, the issues I listed above are still not fixed.
Russ played terribly. Hackett’s game management was atrocious again. They continued to struggle getting the plays in.
They need to get those fixed quickly, because you aren’t going to play the Texans every week.
Also, Broncos fans booing your new $250 million dollar quarterback already?
What a bunch of classless clowns…
Cardinals defeat Raiders 29-23
After the Cardinals got smoked by the Chiefs, they were headed towards another trampling by the Raiders down 20-0 at halftime.
But Kyler took over, and led the Cardinals all the way back for an overtime victory.
My takeaway from this?
I have no idea who the real Cardinals are.
I guess we’ll just need to keep waiting and see.
Packers defeat Bears 27-10
The NFL put the Bears on Sunday Night Football, against an opponent they can never beat, all for us to watch Justin Fields throw 11 passes and lose again.
Stop putting the Bears on national TV until they can prove to us they deserve it.
Bills defeat Titans 41-7
Last week, you saw the Bills when they weren’t at their best.
Last night, you saw the Bills at their best.
It’s terrifying.
Eagles defeat Vikings 24-7
Jalen Hurts was spectacular, and the Eagles defense shut down a Vikings offense with loads of weapons.
If you’re an Eagles fan, I don’t see how you could have any complaints after a game like that.
But, you’re also Philly fans. So I’m sure you do.
Gotta love em…
