The NFL is back. Following the plentiful chaotic upsets in week one, at least some order has been restored to the league as many of the favorites won. This week featured multiple overtimes, last minute comebacks, and broken records.
Thursday
Vikings 28, Eagles 34
Thursday night showcased a stunning Eagles offense securing a 34-28 victory over the Vikings. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for two touchdowns and threw a 63 yard pass to DeVonta Smith for another. Star running back D’Andre Smith finished the game with a touchdown and a career high 175 rushing yards on 28 carries. On the other hand, the Vikings were sloppy on offense, with three fumbles in the first half alone, one of them being Justin Jefferson’s 30-yard catch, which rolled into the end zone and out of bounds for a touchback. This means trouble for the Vikings as their record slides to 0-2, severely hurting their chances at the playoffs.
Sunday
Ravens 27, Bengals 24
Sunday started off with the Baltimore Ravens winning 27-24 against AFC North division rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals. Recently, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow became the NFL’s highest paid player, yet so far this season, he has failed to live up to it. Although this week’s performance was significantly better than last week’s, Burrow still ended with a mere 5.4 yards per attempt average, much less than Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s 7.2. Jackson also ran for over forty yards, threw two touchdown passes, and went 24 for 33 on pass completion. The game also featured devastating injuries for both teams as Burrow aggravated his calf injury from earlier this year and Ravens receiver Odell Beckham Jr. exited the game with an ankle injury, adding to the already long list of injured Baltimore starters.
Seahawks 37, Lions 31
After a remarkable overtime performance, the Seattle Seahawks emerged victorious against the Detroit Lions with a score of 37-31, pushing both teams’ record to 1-1. The Lions began the season last week with a massive upset against last year’s Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. But this week’s loss took some of the excitement out of their big season opening win. The score was relatively close for most of the game, with both teams trading leads every so often. Finally, midway through the fourth quarter, the Seahawks secured a ten-point lead, bringing the score to 31-21. However, the Lions came back from the ten point deficit in the last three minutes, causing the game to go into overtime. The Seahawks won the coin toss and quarterback Geno Smith advanced the team 75 yards in 9 plays, throwing a six yard pass to Tyler Lockett for the game-winning touchdown.
Colts 31, Texans 20
In Houston, the Indianapolis Colts came away with a big AFC South division win against the Texans, 31-20. The game wasn’t very competitive as Indianapolis was ahead the entire time, stretching their lead to 21 points at one point. Both teams started rookie quarterbacks, who broke records within their first two games. Colts’ Anthony Richardson became the youngest quarterback to score two rushing touchdowns in a game, which he did in just one quarter as he left the field after a concussion. Although Texans’ CJ Stroud was sacked six times, his 384 passing yards are the second most by a player 21 or younger, trailing only Matthew Stafford’s 422 in 2009.
Bears 17, Buccaneers 27
Following the Chicago Bears’ humiliating defeat against the Packers last week, this week was unfortunately no better, resulting in a 27-17 loss in Tampa Bay against the Buccaneers. Tampa handed Chicago their 12th consecutive loss, a franchise record. The Bucs’ offense, led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has had a turnover free season so far, and wide receiver Mike Evans, who caught six balls for 171 yards and scored a touchdown, are proving to be a force to be reckoned with. The Bears’ offense, however, is not. Although Chicago quarterback Justin Fields scored a rushing touchdown in the first quarter, he was sacked six times and threw two interceptions, largely a continuation of last week’s offensive struggle.
Chiefs 17, Jaguars 9
The defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, are back after last week’s loss against the Lions with a 17-9 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes, including one to star tight end Travis Kelce, who made his season debut on Sunday. For much of the Mahomes Era, the Chiefs have relied heavily on their offense, but this week, they were forced to depend on their defense to cover up several offensive blunders. While their offense showcased two fumbles and an interception, their defense held the Jaguars to only nine points. Jacksonville had plenty of chances to win, but their offensive line struggled to protect quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He was 0 for 7 in passing in the red zone, and the Jaguars had to settle for a field goal in the fourth quarter after a first and goal at the one yard line.
Packers 24, Falcons 25
The Atlanta Falcons pulled away with a 25-24 victory against the Green Bay Packers after a stunning comeback in the fourth quarter. Heading into the fourth quarter, Green Bay was up 24-12. However, this lead was short-lived. After a touchdown by Desmond Ridder and two field goals by Younghoe Koo, the Falcons obtained the lead. Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson had a great game, rushing 124 yards on 19 carries and adding another 48 yards on 4 catches. Jordan Love, the Packers’ replacement for Aaron Rodgers, played well with three more touchdown passes this week but was unable to secure a last minute drive that could have won his team the game.
Raiders 10, Bills 38
Following the Buffalo Bills’ four turnover game against the Jets last week, they are back with a 38-10 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. Bills quarterback Josh Allen, fueled by last week’s failure, finished 31 for 37 in pass completion with 274 yards and three touchdowns. Buffalo running back James Cook led the Bills with a career high 123 rushing yards. The Raiders were simply outmatched. Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, who led the league in rushing yards last year, ended with a career worst of -2 yards. Their only points were from Devonta Adams’ touchdown three minutes into the game and a field goal in the second quarter.
Chargers 24, Titans 27
A Tennessee Titans overtime victory of 27-24 against the LA Chargers finally broke their eight game losing streak since November of last year. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, bounced back from one of the worst games of his career last week, throwing 246 yards and running for a touchdown. The score was relatively close for most of the game and the Chargers tied it at the end of the fourth quarter with a field goal, leading to an overtime. LA won the coin toss, but threw three straight incompletions, resulting in a Titans possession and Nick Folk’s 41 yard field goal that won the game.
49ers 30, Rams 23
The San Francisco 49ers beat their NFC West division rivals, the LA Rams, with a final score of 30-23 for their ninth consecutive regular season victory. The 49ers winning offense featured quarterback Brock Purdy, who passed for 206 yards and scored a rushing touchdown, and running back Christian McCaffrey who rushed 116 yards and also scored a touchdown. While the 49ers defense had two interceptions, they struggled to stop Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua. Nacua broke the NFL’s single game record for receptions by a rookie with fifteen for a total of 147 yards. Although the game was tied at the end of the first half, the 49ers quickly racked up points in the second through Deebo Samuel’s touchdown and two field goals, leading to a San Francisco victory.
Giants 31, Cardinals 28
Bouncing back from their embarrassing loss last week, the New York Giants won against the Arizona Cardinals, 31-28. The first half of the game featured the same terrible Giants offense from last week, with a Cardinals lead of 20-0 at halftime. New York continued to trail 28-7 for most of the third quarter. However, the Giants made a stunning comeback in the end, scoring three touchdowns to tie the game and a field goal in the last 19 seconds to win it. This 21 point comeback helped them rebound from their 40-0 loss against the Cowboys last week and pushed their record to 1-1.
Jets 10, Cowboys 30
In Dallas, the Cowboys won against the New York Jets, 30-10. Earlier this year, the Jets acquired former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. They were counting on him to finally push their team to a strong playoff run, but their luck ran out when Rodgers injured his Achilles tendon during the first four plays of week one, potentially ending his season. Jets’ backup quarterback, Zach Wilson, struggled against the Cowboys, throwing three interceptions and getting sacked three times. New York had some hope when Wilson threw a 68 yard touchdown pass and ran 36 yards to secure a field goal in the second half, lowering the point deficit to eight by halftime. However, this small victory was quickly lost, with four second half turnovers and no more points scored. The Cowboys came off a 40-0 win last week, and this game was just as easy. They had the ball for over 42 minutes and ran almost twice as many plays as their opponents.
Commanders 35, Broncos 33
The Washington Commanders were victorious against the Denver Broncos with a final score of 35-33. Denver picked up an early lead halfway through the second quarter, 21-3, but Washington quickly made up part of the deficit, trailing by only seven at halftime. The second half featured a strong Washington offense with three touchdowns and a field goal, putting them on top. The Broncos just couldn’t keep up and a completed Hail Mary 50 yard pass at the end of the fourth from quarterback Russel Wilson still only brought them to 33 points as they failed to score their two point conversion attempt.
Sunday Night
Dolphins 24, Patriots 17
Sunday Night Football featured the Miami Dolphins traveling to Gillette Stadium to face off against the New England Patriots, where they won 24-17. Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert ran for two touchdowns and quarterback Tua Togovailoa threw a pass to Tyreek Hill for another. Late in the fourth quarter and trailing 24-17, the Patriots appeared to have a chance to score by almost converting an astonishing fourth down play. Quarterback Mac Jones threw a pass to Mike Gesicki just short of the first down, but the tight end tossed the ball back to left guard Cole Strange, who lunged forward. The play was originally called as a first down, but after further review, the ball was turned over to the Dolphins, who ran out the clock and crushed any hope for a Patriots comeback.
Monday
Saints 20, Panthers 17
Monday Night Football showcased the New Orleans Saints visiting one of their NFC South division rivals, the Carolina Panthers, for a 20-17 victory. Saints backup running back Tony Jones Jr. made the most of his playing time after replacing Jamaal Williams late in the first half, rushing 34 yards and scoring two touchdowns. The New Orleans defense did the rest, limiting the Panthers to 239 yards and sacking rookie quarterback Bryce Young, the top overall draft pick, four times. Another Saints player who needs some attention is wide receiver Chris Olave, who made the play of the game when he managed a diving one handed catch for a 42 yard gain. He ended the match with six catches for 86 yards and set up both of Jones’ touchdowns. Even though the first half was full of offensive blunders by quarterback Derek Carr, who threw an interception into triple coverage and missed several open targets, the Saints stepped up their game in the second, ending the match with a victory.
Browns 22, Steelers 26
The other Monday Night game featured the Pittsburgh Steelers defense carrying them to a 26-22 victory against their AFC North division rivals, the Cleveland Browns. The Browns had a lead for part of the game, but a knee injury to their star running back, Nick Chubb, quickly depleted much hope for success. The Steelers’ rushing game struggled, with just one yard in the first half and only 55 in the whole game. Their passing also could have been better as quarterback Kenny Pickett completed only 15 of 30 passes and threw an interception in the first drive of the game. On the other hand, their defense played excellently with a 30 yard pick six in the first nine seconds and another fumble recovery in the fourth quarter, scoring the game-winning touchdown.
