By David HelmanFOX Sports Dallas Cowboys Writer
Does anyone do better than the NFL?
If you’re ever confused as to why this competition is gaining so much popularity every year, look no further than the rankings. If you squint, you can see the outliers. There are two or three teams that are the best, and there are a handful of teams that we can predict will have a bad year.
Anyone else? About even. Current situation: 19 of the 32 teams in the league are sitting at 1-1 after two wild weeks. Only six teams have gone 2-0 without a goal. And perhaps the most interesting? Thanks to the Week 1 matchup between Indianapolis and Houston, even the minor leaguers sit at 0-2 – just five.
That’s a lot of fun for fans and media alike, though it’s causing quite a headache to put together the Week 2 rankings.
Here’s how things go through the two games. See if you can tell where all the hell starts.
The Bills look like they’re playing Madden, and they really need to pick up the slack. Everyone expected them to beat Tennessee, but knocking them off the field was a different story. Buffalo is the Super Bowl favorite until it is announced.
Still, the Chiefs turned in one of their best wins of the weekend, coming back from a 17-7 deficit to take the division win. Kansas City scored 13 second-half points from its defense and special teams, proving the burden didn’t always fall on Patrick Mahomes.
Tampa’s struggles no doubt have to do with injuries throughout their front line, which was cut to start the year. Considering that against Green Bay would not be fun. Fortunately for the Bucs, they’ve got a defense that’s allowed just 13 points through two games, which is a good thing to have if you’re going to win against a bad team.
Tom Brady, Bucs snap skid vs. Saints, win 20-10 in Week 2
Mike Evans and Marcus Lattimore were both ejected from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – New Orleans Saints game yesterday after the team’s first scrimmage. To see also : 10 Easiest Multiplayer Video Games for Beginners. From that point on, the Buccaneers would go on to outscore New Orleans 17-7 to win 20-10.
If the Eagles can get their offense running three-dimensional like they did against Minnesota, they are a tough team to stop. Everything is building to his ability to run the ball well, and if that continues there are plenty of weapons in the passing game that he can handle. And as interesting as that is, Darius Slay shutting down Justin Jefferson and making Kirk Cousins look silly at the same time might be even better. Few teams had a better Week 2 showing than the Birds.
A vehicle. It was crazy enough that the Dolphins overcame a 35-14 quarterback deficit in Baltimore on Sunday, but they also learned a lot about the young quarterback. It’s no secret that Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t played as well as Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert to this point in their careers, but his 469 yards and six touchdowns give a glimpse that may be about to change. With Tagovailoa throwing to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, things look interesting in Miami right now.
Does Dolphins 21-point comeback win vs. Ravens make them AFC contenders?
The Miami Dolphins came back from 21 points down to beat Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens with a 42-38 win in Week 2. See the article : List of top video games with a release date from August to December 2022. Joy Taylor celebrated her biggest Dolphins win, and shared how impressed she was.
There’s no shame in losing to one of the NFL’s powerhouses, but Justin Herbert’s pick-six was a bad move for 14 points in the fourth quarter. Hopefully the skin on his broken ribs won’t be a long-term issue, because this certainly looks like a team that has the talent to make some noise this season.
Credit to the Dolphins for the dramatic finish, but the bottom line is the Ravens had a 35-14 lead early in the fourth quarter and blew it. They even got a vintage performance from Lamar Jackson and it wasn’t good. Injuries have been there, but their defense has completely collapsed, and their offense can play very well with the lead. In a crowded AFC playoff picture, this is a loss that could have caught up with them.
What looked like a game almost turned into a disaster, as the Falcons’ special teams helped them rally in the fourth quarter. It’s good to see the Rams offense look like we expected, but the ball defense still looks like a problem.
We may have been too excited about the exciting Vikings opener. This doesn’t look like the same team from Week 1 — which is something Minnesota has become very familiar with in the primary. The defense had no answer for Jalen Hurts, and Kirk Cousins played clearly his worst half of the season so far. Back into the football darkness of the day you go, Vikings.
Let’s not overdo it for a dominant win against the Bears. But it is worth noting that there is a definite formula for success in the way this team is built. If the Packers can run the ball down their opponent’s throats, play good defense and get a handful of Aaron Rodgers things in the passing game, they can win a lot of games.
Aaron Rodgers, Packers bounce back with 27-10 win vs. Bears
Aaron Rodgers showed why he owns the Chicago Bears, finishing 19-of-25 for 234 yards and two touchdowns in the Green Bay Packers’ 27-10 Week 2 win. Read also : This Week in Navy Sports Presented by the Naval Academy – Naval Academy Sports. Is the package officially back?
This is where things start to go off the rails. Yes, San Francisco lost a nasty game to Chicago last week, but this is the Trey Lance 49ers. Sure, it was a big upset when Lance ended before it really started, but we have a pretty good idea who this team is with Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm. When he stepped in for Lance, things looked very familiar, with the floor match and Jimmy G clearly performing in an easy win.
Do I really think the Giants are a bunch of players? Not really – or not, anyway. But you tell me how I can match 19 different teams 1-1 in this group. I have no idea, so it makes sense to reward the Giants for a 2-0 start. Sunday’s win wasn’t very good, but points are the style of the players. Just win, baby.
That’s what we get for trying to bury everyone after one game. The Cowboys had a bad Week 1 as you’d expect, losing their starting quarterback – and they managed to put together a perfect team win a week later. Kudos to Cooper Rush and the Dallas villain line for the riots, but the real star of the show is Micah Parsons. If the Dallas pass rush can hit any quarterback the way it hit Joe Burrow on Sunday, the Cowboys might just hang around until Dak Prescott returns from injury.
It would be ridiculous to say the Cardinals had a great game, but it’s all about how you finish. Kyler Murray showed exactly why he is so valuable, because the Raiders just couldn’t get him on the ground. The Cardinals will need to learn how to start well, but no excuses are needed to find a way to win the game.
Kyler Murray leads Cardinals to wild OT win vs. Raiders in Week 2
Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals were down 20-0 at halftime against the Las Vegas Raiders before coming back strong and winning the game. Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe responded to the Cardinals’ comeback victory.
It’s great to see all of these big-time draft picks. Devin Lloyd had six tackles and an interception, while Josh Allen had two sacks and Travon Walker forced an interception and a quarterback hit. Trevor Lawrence also led the offense on three long drives. Nice day, everywhere.
Minkah Fitzpatrick doesn’t get enough love for how special he is, and this Pittsburgh defense will be an important part of what this team looks like. That said, the limitations of the Steelers offense were on full display against New England. It may be too early to call out Kenny Pickett, but Mitchell Trubisky hasn’t shown much of a vertical threat in the passing game.
The Bucs defense looked legit, so it made sense that the Saints battled for points. But this offense has now struggled with consistency for two straight weeks. They’ve been awful on third down in both games, and it didn’t help that Jameis Winston (despite being hurt) returned to his 2019 self on Sunday, throwing three picks in one quarter. game.
Bucs-Saints brawl gave former coach Sean Payton a case of FOMO
Former Saints coach Sean Payton joined Colin Cowherd on The Herd to not only share his thoughts on the Saints-Bucs matchup, but explain why this game was the first time he really missed being on the coaching sidelines.
It’s not a guarantee of long-term success, but it’s fun for the Lions. The score said only nine hits, but Detroit was in control for most of the game. They ran the mountain for 191 yards, and Amon-Ra St. Brown had 184 rushing yards as he continued to prove himself as one of the league’s sneaky stars. It is not known how many games the lions will win, but they will not be easy for many teams.
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Sorry to hate on the win, but man, it’s just hard to figure out where the Pats points will go from this year. Their first touchdown of the day came on a man-of-the-match effort from Nelson Agholor, and the second came after a Pittsburgh punt that was fumbled set them up on the Steelers’ 10-yard line. Kudos to them for getting the job done, but it’s hard to imagine they’ve come up with the right offense to beat the league’s top teams.
Well, this is a disaster. After racing out to a 20-0 lead in the first half, the Raiders offense only put together one drive that covered more than 23 yards the rest of the way. The lack of composure has made it difficult for their defense, which just couldn’t get off the field in Arizona where they had 11 goals, 9 games and 18 games. Everyone has to step in when you blow a point lead. 20, and this will be hard to shake.
It may be too early to panic, but it’s hard not to. We know the offensive line won’t be the best in the league, but it should improve to prevent Joe Burrow from getting sacked 13 times in two games. And while the defense isn’t great, opposing quarterbacks will be stronger than Mitchell Trubisky and Cooper Rush. All is not lost, but the Super Bowl hangover feels very real.
It’s always amazing to see an NFL team win – literally. In a league where four yards per carry is the norm, the Lions doubled that number as they rushed for 191 yards on the day. Add in the Commanders’ inability to protect Carson Wentz, giving up five sacks on the day, and it was a rough day in the Washington dugout.
It’s certainly not Nick Chubb’s fault the Browns lost this game. But it’s too bad to think that, if he had gone down after taking the first down on the Jets’ goal line, Cleveland could have knocked down the clock at 24-17. Instead, the Browns’ secondary has completely collapsed. If the goal is to stay fit until Deshaun Watson returns from suspension, this is the kind of win they need.
Jets capitalize on a Browns meltdown for a Week 2 win
Craig Carton celebrates after the New York Jets came out of Week 2 with a win added to their schedule. They took advantage of the Cleveland Browns’ breakdown in the second half of the game.
It’s hard to say what’s more troubling between Russell Wilson’s poor play and Nathaniel Hackett’s coaching decisions. In two weeks, Hackett seemed to be worried about the strategy of the game. Denver managed to win, but it’s just hard to get excited about much of what they put on tape.
Do Broncos fans’ boos show Nathaniel Hackett is over his head?
The Denver Broncos narrowly beat the Houston Texans at home, winning 16-9 in Week 2. The fans booed Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett for his play calling and team issues. Colin Cowherd explains how Hackett is on his own.
There are some really good soccer edits here. The Bears ran the ball well against a solid defense, and held Green Bay to a good 3-of-5 in the red zone. My thing is: if a team’s goal is to value Justin Fields, how come he’s only trying to pass 11 times a game? Obviously, the offensive line is a weak spot, but you have to find a way. Being one-size-fits-all doesn’t fit them all.
Will this win lift the Jets to an amazing final record? Probably not. But it is important for the youth group to learn how to overcome adversity. Rallying from a 30-17 deficit may not be a big deal for Joe Flacco, who has played in the big leagues, but the rest of this roster is full of guys who need to learn what success feels like. Given what this franchise has been through these past few years, any positives are huge. Not to mention, Garrett Wilson looks like a guy.
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There couldn’t be a team in the league off to a more disappointing start than these guys. What else can be said for a team that is not only successful in the season – but also just closed? Between Matt Ryan’s three picks, a bad day at the office and a lack of weapons in the outfield, it’s hard to find much to be happy about for this Indianapolis offense.
This looks like an expected Seahawks team. The 49ers defense threw against Seattle’s running game, and the Seahawks threw two interceptions – one of which was in the red zone. Of course, we all think highly of San Francisco’s defense, but it’s not fair that Seattle’s only points came on special teams.
In a game the Panthers lost by three, they opened the day by turning the ball over inside their own 40-yard line – twice in a row. Unfortunately, Carolina played their first two games close, but they were not clean enough to get the results they wanted. The offense may not have been the main reason they lost, but a passing offense that only averaged five yards per attempt didn’t help.
Baker Mayfield, Panthers fall short in Week 2 loss vs. Giants
Baker Mayfield will have to wait another week to get his first win as a Carolina Panther. The Panthers fell 19-16 to the New York Giants in Week 2. Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe’s class Baker’s Week 2 performance.
How exciting would it be if the Falcons bounced back from a 28-3 deficit of their own? For the shortest time, it looked like it was going to happen. It doesn’t change the bad first half, but credit to them for the win against the Rams.
A lot of teams will lose against the Bills, but it will be a step in the right direction to at least catch you on the field. The Titans were outplayed in every way imaginable on Monday night, and 0-2 is not a pleasant place to be for a team that was the No. 1 seed last year. Every part of this team had a bad week 2.
It says a lot about how little the Texans think that they are 0-1-1 and we are all pleased with how well they played. Kudos to them for the cancellation, but they still managed just 254 yards of offense and failed to win the game in Denver.
David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in the production of “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @davidhelman_.
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