CONCERN FOR EAGLES, STEELERS?
Concern grew for a few teams with Super Bowl hopes in the
second week of the 2018 NFL season. The Patriots, Eagles and Steelers all fell,
the Vikings and Packers settled for a tie (yes, another one!) and the Saints
just slipped by for a close win.
HERE ARE ALL OF THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 2.
KANSAS CITY
CHIEFS 42, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 37
The Chiefs have reason to believe they can outscore the
49ers next Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium -- and any of their other opponents down
the line. They started strong offensively last year before hitting a midseason
slump, but they also didn't have Patrick
Mahomes at quarterback. His presence, plus an improved
collection of skill players that includes Sammy Watkins,
makes them more difficult to defend this season.
The Steelers' offense still has its fastball and looks ready
to win shootouts after Ben
Roethlisberger's 452-yard performance, but why should it have to?
The team has spent significant draft capital on a defense that looked confused
and overmatched against the Chiefs. Players admitted communication breakdowns
dug them a 21-0 deficit and that shouldn't happen on a team stocked with
veterans. Monday Night Football will be a gut check for a 0-1-1 team with Super
Bowl hopes.
DALLAS
COWBOYS 20, NEW YORK GIANTS 13
Darnold wasn't great in a loss on Sunday, but he remains the
best bet as Tom Brady's AFC East successor. No pressure, Sam.
It was only Week 2, but Cowboys owner and general manager
Jerry Jones knew the importance of Sunday's game against the Giants. The
Cowboys avoided the dreaded 0-2 hole with their 20-13 win, stopping the sky
from falling -- temporarily at least -- after a disheartening season-opening
loss to the Panthers. "It was on the line tonight," Jones said.
"This was a big game for us. Not any more for [Dak Prescott],
but it was on the line tonight." The Cowboys travel to Seattle next week,
followed by back-to-back games against winless Detroit and Houston. This win
can set them up for an early-season run that balances out a tough stretch
toward the close of the season.
Again, the Giants are 0-2 after they lost 20-13 to the
Cowboys. This is the fifth time in six years they've dropped their first two
games. It's trouble. Since the inception of the current playoff format, 88
percent of teams to start 0-2 miss the playoffs. You have to wonder
where this Giants team is headed with an aging and ineffective quarterback
behind a bad offensive line that allowed six sacks. It deems all their
weapons mute. The Giants have two touchdowns in their first two
games. Next up: a tough Texans defense ... on the road.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS 29, GREEN BAY
PACKERS 29
The most frustrating aspect of Sunday's tie relayed by
Vikings players and Coach Mike Zimmer was how many chances they had to put the
Packers away. The Vikings settled for field goals, which rookie kicker Daniel
Carlson missed. "Guys are supposed to do their jobs,"
Zimmer said. "Maybe we should've thrown a ball into the end zone a couple
of times at the end, but I believed that the guy was going to make the
kick." The Vikings have a good chance to improve to 2-0-1 when they host
the winless Bills in Week 3.
Daniel Carlson misses a 35-yard field goal attempt in
overtime as time expires, giving the Vikings a 29-29 tie with the Packers.
The most talked about subject after the Packers' tie wasn't
how Aaron Rodgers valiantly
played with an injured left knee. Rather, it was the questionable
roughing-the-passer call on Clay Matthews that
wiped out a late fourth-quarter interception that might have clinched the win.
And you can bet it will be a point of discussion right up until next Sunday's
game at Washington, which became even more critical after the tie
ATLANTA
FALCONS 31, CAROLINA PANTHERS 24
Matt Ryan made
plays with his arm and his feet, accounting for four TDs and igniting his
teammates with some Cam Newton-like
scrambles. With Ryan playing at a high level, rookie Calvin Ridley scoring
a TD and the Falcons establishing a running game behind Tevin Coleman (16
rushes, 107 rushing yards) -- not to mention creative play calling and an
admirable job by a banged-up offensive line -- the Falcons go into next week's
showdown with the Saints confident in their ability to put up points.
The run defense, in the word of Panthers coach Ron Rivera,
was "terrible" and the number of dropped passes was
"disappointing." Throw in a makeshift offensive line because of
injuries, and it was almost a miracle Carolina had a chance to tie Atlanta on
the last play. Nevertheless, it put more emphasis on the need to win the next
two games at home against Cincinnati and the New York
Giants. Win those to get to 3-1 with outside linebacker Thomas Davis returning
from a four-game suspension and the sting from Sunday's loss won't feel so
bad.
TAMPA BAY
BUCCANEERS 27, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 21
This "Fitz-Magic" thing is real. Ryan
Fitzpatrick has thrown for eight touchdowns and has a rushing
TD and the Bucs are 2-0 for the first time since 2010. But credit also goes to
the defense for getting more pressure on Nick Foles than
they did Drew Brees last
week. Rookie defensive backs Carlton Davis, M.J. Stewart and Jordan
Whitehead looked fine stepping into big roles because of
injuries.
The Eagles have some issues to deal with coming out of their
loss to the Bucs. Jason Peters and Mike Wallace got
banged up, and there was a lack of discipline and execution on both sides of
the ball. But the winds are about to shift. Carson Wentz is
expected to make his return next week at home against the Colts, which will
likely invigorate this team and keep the sting of this loss from
lingering.
NEW ORLEANS
SAINTS 21, CLEVELAND BROWNS 18
Two weeks and two wake-up calls for the Saints, but at least
they got a victory this time. The Saints' offense flopped for most of the day
while the defense actually kept them afloat (the exact opposite of Week 1's
48-40 loss to Tampa Bay). Drew Brees said
they might have left more "points out there" than he could ever
remember. The good news: New Orleans goes into this week's game at Atlanta with
a "huge sense of urgency for our improvement," according to
Brees.
A quick turnaround for Thursday night's game against the
Jets awaits, so the Browns can't wallow after another brutal loss. The team
that can't seem to get things right may face the Jets with a new place-kicker
after Zane Gonzalez missed
two field goals and two extra points in a three-point loss to the Saints.
INDIANAPOLIS
COLTS 21, WASHINGTON REDSKINS 9
Andrew Luck's
play may no longer dictate whether the Colts win or lose, if Sunday was any
indication. Luck hurt the Colts with two interceptions on their side of the
field, only to be bailed out by the defense. The D, which has finished 20th or
worse in five of the past six seasons, held Washington to nine points.
Second-round pick Darius
Leonard was the best player on the field this week with 18
tackles, a sack and an interception. Indy faces the defending champion Eagles
in Week 3.
The Redskins' offense can't just sling the ball around and
win without a consistent run game. Against the Colts, they rushed for only 65
yards -- 117 less than a week ago. The offensive line did not handle the Colts'
movement up front, so they can expect to see more of this style moving forward.
Considering they play high-powered Green Bay next week, the Redskins can't
afford another bad day in the ground game. -- John Keim
TENNESSEE
TITANS 20, HOUSTON TEXANS 17
In Mike Vrabel's first victory as an NFL coach, creativity
and tempo helped generate a spark without quarterback Marcus
Mariota and top offensive tackles Taylor Lewan and Dennis Kelly.
Safety Kevin Byard had
a 66-yard touchdown pass on a fake punt, and Tennessee mixed in Derrick Henry in
a Wildcat look. Vrabel said Mariota (elbow) will be further evaluated after not
playing on Sunday, as the Titans hope to have their QB back for next week's
road trip to Jacksonville
The Texans need better pass protection for Deshaun
Watson, who was hit nine times and sacked four Sunday. Watson
constantly faced pressure and didn't have time to throw, especially
early. Julie'n
Davenport, who started at right tackle after Seantrel
Henderson was put on IR last week, said the offensive line
"has to be better" starting next week when the Texans host the
Giants.
MIAMI
DOLPHINS 20, NEW YORK JETS 12
The Dolphins are 2-0 for the first time since 2013, and
Coach Adam Gase said they plan to "keep surprising people." An
efficient Ryan
Tannehill and attacking defense led the way for a team that is
riding an early-season high and feels like they can be a surprise playoff
contender. The field is open for them in a weak AFC.
Memo to those who believe Sam Darnold had
arrived after his big debut: He's a rookie. He will make mistakes. He threw two
interceptions as the Jets dropped their home opener, and now he has only three
days to prepare for the Browns' blitz-heavy defense on Thursday night. This is
the growing-pain phase
LOS ANGELES
CHARGERS 31, BUFFALO BILLS 20
The Chargers earned their first victory without the services
of defensive end Joey Bosa. Melvin Ingram and Derwin James filled
the void, helping the Chargers to five sacks against rookie Josh Allen.
The Chargers face another tough task against the Rams -- a Week 3 battle for
Los Angeles at the Coliseum -- which will be a barometer on if the Bolts remain
favorites to reach the postseason for the first time since 2013.
Allen's NFL starting debut was overshadowed by another poor
defensive performance, at least in the first half. After allowing 47 points to
the Ravens in the opener, Buffalo trailed the Chargers, 28-6, at halftime. When
it returned for the second half, cornerback Vontae Davis had
abruptly retired and Coach Sean McDermott had taken over play calling duties
from defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. The Bills have four of their next
five games on the road, including the next two at Minnesota and Green
Bay.
JACKSONVILLE
JAGUARS 31, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 20
It may be only Week 2, but the Jaguars' victory over the
Patriots should send a message to the rest of the NFL that their success in
2017 wasn't a fluke. The franchise had been 0-8 against Tom Brady and
had beaten the Patriots once in 12 previous meetings. The Jags can't dwell on
this victory too much, though, because they host division-rival Tennessee on
Sunday. Tennessee swept the Jaguars last season, and a victory on Sunday would
give them a 2.5-game lead in the AFC South.
The Patriots' defense was the biggest disappointment
as Blake Bortles
finished with 377 yards and four scores. The Pats didn't follow through on one
of their key game-plan points of keeping Bortles in the pocket. A trip to
Detroit is on deck, where the Patriots would like to show former New England
defensive coordinator Matt Patricia that they're better than they played
against the Jaguars.
LOS ANGELES
RAMS 34, ARIZONA CARDINALS 0
The Rams' defense has posted six consecutive scoreless
quarters, and while Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh aren't
filling up the stat sheet, their presence certainly has been felt by opposing
quarterbacks. The challenge next week against the Chargers and Philip Rivers will
be to force turnovers, which they were unable to do Sunday.
There is a lot of work to be done for the Cardinals,
especially on offense. Arizona has scored only six points in eight quarters,
struggling to run or pass the ball. In fact, the Cardinals are 4-of-20 on third
downs this season, so unless the offense can figure something out soon, the
Cardinals' season could be lost before it really gets going. -- Josh
Weinfuss
SAN FRANCISCO
49ERS 30, DETROIT LIONS 27
The Niners couldn't afford a loss to Detroit, especially
with difficult road games against the Chiefs and Chargers up next. With a
66-yard jolt of lightning from running back Matt Breida and
a fortunate defensive holding call on the Lions, the 49ers got the job done.
"A win is a win, but it felt like a loss," cornerback Richard
Sherman said after the game. They must be better in all phases
if they're going to slow down the Patrick Mahomes train next week in Kansas
City.
There are signs of life for the Lions, and that's encouraging
for a team that looked in real trouble after the first seven quarters of the
season. Multiple players even admitted that Sunday was "progress"
after a 31-point loss to the Jets on Monday. Detroit gave itself a shot to win
at the end, so, at least in theory; the Lions have something to build on
heading into Week 3 against New England.
DENVER
BRONCOS 20, OAKLAND RAIDERS 19
Two games, two fourth-quarter comebacks and two wins for the
Broncos. "We showed a lot of character and fight, and that's good, but we
can't keep waiting like that," cornerback Chris Harris
Jr. said. With games coming up against the Ravens, Rams and
Chiefs, Denver can't keep racing the clock in the fourth quarter to try to
clean up early mistakes. The Broncos had one first down in the first half
Sunday and didn't have an offensive touchdown drive until their first
possession of the third quarter.
Yes, 0-2 is ugly, but as down as the locker room was after
the loss; there was also a strange sense of optimism because if the Raiders
make one of at least 10 plays, they win the game. "We're this
close," Derek Carr said.
But offensive tackle Donald Penn pointed
out, "That's the difference between good teams and mediocre teams. Right
now, we're a mediocre team."
CINCINNATI BENGALS 34,
BALTIMORE RAVENS 23
The Bengals are 2-0 for the first time since 2015 and have
all the confidence in the world as they head into a two-game road stretch
against the Panthers and Falcons. Andy Dalton and A.J. Green proved
their connection is alive and well with three touchdowns in the first half,
which bodes well for the future of the team's offense.
Joe Flacco goes
from the place where he struggles the most (Cincinnati) to his comfort zone,
back home next week at M&T Bank Stadium to face the Broncos. When playing
at home in September, Flacco is 16-2 with 31 touchdowns and eight
interceptions. His passer rating is 99.5.
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