Week 2 of the NFL has come and gone and it has left me wondering, “How long until Sunday?” Here is a quick recap of the Week 2 action:
Statement Games:
The Jets beat the Patriots 28-14. The Jets were able to muster some offense in this highly anticipated game. After a horrible performance last Monday against the Ravens, many people were wondering what was wrong with the Jets’ offense. Sanchez didn’t play well and the feature back (Shonn Greene) couldn’t hold onto the football. Well after watching this game against the Patriots, maybe the offensive struggles of the Jets in Week 1 was a testament to how good the Ravens defense is. Sanchez played tremendous throwing for 220 yards and a career high 3 TDs.
The Bengals rebounded from the beating the Patriots gave them in week 1 by edging the Ravens 15-10. The Bengals really stepped up on defense in this game and completely made Joe Flacco a non-factor. Flacco was horrible in this game completing only 17 of 36 passes with 4 INTs. The Ravens defense played another solid game by holding the Bengals to only field goals. The Ravens new high powered offense has yet to show up this season (only 20 points combined), but maybe that is because they have played two of the top defenses in the league. Still, it has to be disheartening to Ravens fans.
Michael Vick made a statement this week against the Lions during the Eagles 35-32 victory. Vick proved that he is back in form and ready to be a starting QB in this league again. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 284 yards and 2 TDs with no INTs. Coach Andy Reid might not have watched Vick last week or this week, because he has already named Kevin Kolb as the starter for next week’s game against the Jaguars. If Kolb struggles, we have a QB controversy and Eagles’ fans will let their cries be heard.
The Texans also made a statement in Week 2. They fought back from a 17 point 3rd quarter deficit to beat the Redskins 30 – 27 in overtime. This week it was the passing attack that led the way for the Texans. Matt Schaub threw for 497 yards and 3 TDs in the victory. On a positive note for the Redskins, Donovan McNabb looked much better this week. He threw for 426 yards, which made it the first time since 1994 that both teams had a QB that threw for more than 400 yards.
The Chargers rebounded strongly from their poor performance last Monday by crushing the Jaguars, 38-13. The Chargers must like the warm sunny weather better than monsoons, and I don’t blame them.
The Bills made a statement against the Packers this week. Except, it is not the statement that they wanted to make. The Bills got crushed by the Packers 34-7 and really showed that they do in fact have the best chance of going 0-16 this season.
The Colts made a statement in the 2nd ever Manning Bowl. The Colts dominated the Giants, 38-14. First rule of the NFL- never doubt a team led by Peyton Manning.
Say It Ain’t So:
The Minnesota Vikings couldn’t muster any offense for the second straight week. This time it resulted in a loss to the Miami Dolphins. Brett Favre has really not looked sharp at all this season and he is proving everyone that said there was no way he’d repeat last season’s number right. Favre threw 3 INTs and lost a fumble in the loss. The absence of Sidney Rice really seems to be affecting the Vikings, and I bet they are praying to land Vincent Jackson. On a positive note, Adrian Peterson had a great game.
The Dallas Cowboys lost their home opener against the Chicago Bears. The Cowboys have talent, but they just don’t seem to be clicking yet. The biggest concern is the Dallas running game, they haven’t been able to get that going at all this season. On the other-side, Jay Cutler seems to be clicking very well with new offensive coordinator. It doesn’t hurt when you have receivers making catches like this:
Both the Cowboys and Vikings were popular Super Bowl picks during the off-season, and now after starting 0-2 things don’t look so good. Since 1978, history has indicated that there is an 11 percent chance of making the playoffs after starting 0-2. But, that doesn’t say the Vikings and Cowboys can’t win the Super Bowl. Remember the Giants in 2008? They started 0-2 and then went on to be the perfect Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Surprise, Surprise:
The Chiefs are 2-0 after beating the Browns, 16-14. The Chiefs are obviously much improved and they do have a lot of young talent, but I’m not convinced that they will have a great season. Of the 37 points they have scored this season, 21 have come on defense and special teams. They still need some work on the offensive side of the ball.
The Bucs are also 2-0 after beating the Panthers, 20-7. The most impressive part of this win was the fact that it was in Carolina. The Panthers are now in some real trouble. They are 0-2 and it looks like the Jimmy Clausen era will be starting next week. Matt Moore was the starter, but was benched in the 4th quarter due to poor performance.
The Steelers have started 2-0 despite missing Ben Roethlisberger due to suspension. The offense hasn’t done much, but the defense has really stepped up big time for the Steelers, forcing the Titans into 7 turnovers. The Steelers will now also be without Dennis Dixon who suffered a knee injury and looks to be sidelined 3-5 weeks. They recently re-signed Byron Leftwich, who they cut on Saturday.
The 49ers have surprised many for two reasons this week. First, the early NFC West favorite has started the season 0-2 after losing to the Saints 25-22. Second, the 49ers surprised many people by playing a thrilling game against the Saints. It didn’t start well for the 49ers, but they stepped up big time after a poor first quarter. Alex Smith looked really good, particularly down the stretch. He executed a perfect 2 minute drill to march the Niners down the field to score the game tying TD and two-point conversion. The problem was that the drive was too perfect, leaving Brees enough time to drive down the field for the game winning field goal.
The Rest:
The Falcons rolled over the Cards, 41-7. The Raiders squeaked by the Rams, 16-14. The Broncos roughed up the Seahawks, 31-14.
That will do it for the Week 2 Recap, be sure to tune back in next week for a recap of week 3.
[Randy Moss Photo Credit: Sportsfan4.com]
[Adrian Peterson Photo Credit: SportsNewsAuthority.com]
