More surprises, even some stunning upsets. More dominance from certain teams, especially the Florida teams, who are a combined 6-0 in the first two weekends of play. Jacksonville, in particular, has been especially impressive, handing New England their first loss of the season. Kansas City also continues to look incredible behind perhaps the hottest young quarterback out there.
Some games, however, more closely followed the script. The Rams beat the Cardinals, really badly. And the Cowboys, not surprisingly, took out the Giants, who once again look like they are headed for a long season.
Let's take a closer look at the games from yesterday:
Tampa Bay 27, Philadelphia 21 - Who could have predicted, looking at the first two games on the schedule for the Bucs, that they would be 2-0 at this point? Not I, admittedly. But Tampa Bay has been playing some fantastic football. This is especially true on offense, as Ryan Fitzpatrick once again had an incredible day. He completed 35 of 48 pass attempts for 402 yards and four touchdowns, with each going to a different receiver. Tampa Bay had taken a 27-7 lead, before the Eagles really were able to catch their breaths and try to rally, but they fell short, suffering their first defeat in their first title defense as Super Bowl champs.
Kansas City 42, Pittsburgh 37 - Here was another shocker! Patrick Mahomes seems to be the read deal. No quarterback in history has ever gotten off to quite as fast a start as he did. Just one week after leading KC to a victory against the Chargers, he has an incredible day by any standards, completing 23 of 28 pass attempts for 326 yards and a staggering six touchdown passes. Roethlisberger had a strong day as well in a losing cause for Pittsburgh, completing 39 of 60 pass attempts for 452 yards, with three touchdowns.But the Chiefs got hot right away, jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. The Steelers did tie it with an equally impressive second quarter, to bring it to a tie by halftime. But KC got hot again in the second half, and just had a bit too much in what wound up clearly being a shootout between the two teams. A remarkable 2-0 start for KC, who are tied with the Broncos for first place in the AFC West. The Steelers, meanwhile rather shockingly are tied with the Browns for last place in the AFC North, and remain winless for the time being.
Green Bay 29, Minnesota 29 - Another tie! Kirk Cousins, the newest hotshot quarterback in the NFC North, had a great game, completing 35 of 48 pass attempts for 425 yards, with four touchdown passes, and one pick. He actually outshined the great Aaron Rodgers, who completed 30 of 42 pass attempts for 281 yards and one touchdown. Cousins led the Vikings to a tying touchdown drive at the very end of the game to force the tie and overtime, although this was not without controversy. Clay Mathews was called for a roughing-the-passer penalty that kept the drive alive, although he was livid and quite vocal in protesting the call, which he clearly felt was nonsense. Nevertheless, it was enough to keep the Vikings in it. Still, the Vikings missed field goals that could have won it for them, and for a second week in a row, we see another normally rare tie.
Miami 20, N.Y. Jets 12 - A week after the Jets looked like a superpower kind of team at Detroit, they looked much more human this time around. The Dolphins, meanwhile, look incredible so far this season. Right now, they are alone atop the AFC East at 2-0. Ryan Tannehill had a solid game, completing 17 of 23 pass attempts for 168 yards, but threw two touchdowns and no interceptions. Young Sam Darnold, meanwhile, completed 25 of 41 pass attempts for 334 yards and one touchdown, although he also threw two interceptions. Listen, the Jets are going to have these kinds of games. You cannot expect them to go from literally one of the worst teams for a few years running, to a serious contender. However, they are going in the right direction, and even though this was a loss, they seem to be getting better with each passing week.
Atlanta 31, Carolina 24 - Cam Newton received a helmet hit from Falcons safety Damontae Kazee that really shook him up, and which he seemed quite mad about afterwards. Kazee was ejected from the game, although there was a brawl after the play. Indeed, the penalty should have been more severe. Newtonhad a solid game overall, completing 32 of 45 pass attempts for 335 yards and three touchdowns, although he also had one pick, in a losing cause. Matt Ryan, meanwhile, completed 23 of 28 pass attempts for 272 yards, with two touchdowns, although he also had a pick. Surprisingly, Ryan also was effective running, as he got two touchdowns on the ground. For now, this result places both teams in a three way tie with New Orleans for second place in the NFC South, all behind the surprising, unbeaten Tampa Bay Bucs.
New Orleans 21, Cleveland 18 - The Browns played well again against a team wearing black and gold uniforms, but the Saints played just a little bit better, enough to earn their first win of the season. Tyrod Taylor completed 22 of 30 pass attempts for 246 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Drew Brees, meanwhile, had another stellar day, completing 28 of 35 pass attempts for 243 yards an two touchdowns. A made field goal by the Saints, and a missed one for the Browns, allowed the Saints the opportunity to not be the team that falls to Cleveland and ends their historic winless streak, which is growing closer to the record each week. The Browns have not won a game since late in the 2016 season.
Indianapolis 21, Washington 9 - Both of these teams look unpredictable so far. One week, the Colts lose at home against a relatively weak Cincinnati team, while Washington cruises to a convincing win against Arizona on the road, looking like they might be a serious contender. Then this week, the Colts leave no doubt with a road win over Washington. This was Luck's first win since coming back from an injury that sidelined him for quite some time. A solid win, and Indy is right back in the divisional race, one game behind Jax and tied with Tennessee. Washington, meanwhile, loses no ground with this loss, as they are tied with Dallas and Philly for first in the NFC East.
L.A. Chargers 31, Buffalo 20 - The joke now is that the Bills are so bad, they have players retiring by halftime, on the premise that their team absolutely sucks. Yup, apparently, LeSean McCoy was so disgusted at how bad his team, the Buffalo Bills, appear to be this season, that he pulled himself out of the game and retired at halftime. Not sure about you guys, but I never heard of such a thing before.Quarterback Josh Allen had a difficult day, completing 18 of 33 pass attempts for 245 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Philip Rivers had another strong day, completing 23 of 27 passes for 256 yards, with three touchdowns. The Chargers hardly look anywhere near as solid as their crosstown rivals, the Rams. However, they looked very good today. It seems that the Bills will make almost anyone look super, as they do appear headed towards a very forgettable season, possibly, even probably by this point, as the worst team in the league.
Tennessee 20, Houston 17 - Blaine Gabbert, playing in place of injured Marcus Mariota had a decent game for the Titans, completing 13 of 20 passes for 117 yards, including a touchdown. Deshaun Watson played a solid game for the Texans, completing 22 of 32 pass attempts for 310 yards and two touchdowns, although he also had an interception. The Texans were also effective with their running game, netting 148 yards on the ground. Still, the game came down to the final minutes, with Tennessee managing to get a key field goal with just one minute left in the game to lift the Titans over Houston, for their first victory of the season.
Jacksonville 31, New England 20 - The Patriots got the better of the Jaguars twice last season, including the most famous time at the AFC title game up in Foxboro. This was the first time that Jax has had the opportunity for revenge, and man, did they ever capitalize! Tom Brady had a solid game, completing 24 of 35 pass attempts for 234yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. But Blake Bortles had a better one, as he completed 29 of 45 pass attempts for 377 yards and four touchdowns, although he did have one interception. T.J. Yeldon added 58 yards on the ground, and Bortles himself added a dimension of unpredictability based on his scrambling abilities, running for 35 yards and helping to keep the Patriots defense honest. A solid win for the Jaguars, who held a monster lead at one point, but had to hang on during the New England rally before finally icing the game late in the fourth.
Denver 20, Oakland 19 - The Raiders were in charge throughout this game, and seemed to be well on their way to a tough road win. They were up 3-0 after the first quarter, but then added to that to take a 12-0 lead by halftime. Te Broncos finally got on the scoreboard with a Royce Freeman one yard run, but the Raiders answered quickly with a touchdown pass from Carr to Seth Roberts, and Oakland was up by 12 again. But that was when Denver finally took over the game. The Broncos got a field goal in the third quarter, then Case Kennum got a touchdown on a quarterback scramble in the fourth to pull Denver within two points. The Raiders suddenly could not do anything or get any kind of momentum back, and the Broncos managed to ice the comeback win when Brandon McManus kicked a 36-yard field goal through the uprights to keep Denver unbeaten, and the Raiders winless.
L.A. Rams 34, Arizona 0 - This would have to make anyone in the NFC West nervous. Hell, perhaps even the rest of the league should be taking notice. The Rams look like they are unstoppable, and some are suggesting that they have an embarrassment of riches. It sure looks like it so far, as the Rams simply overwhelmed Arizona on both side of the ball. The defense pitched a shutout. So far, after two games, Los Angeles has allowed far and away the fewest total points of any team, although it is still early, clearly. Sam Bradford had a tough game against his former team, completing 17 of 27 pass attempts for only 90 yards and no touchdowns, with one interception. Jared Goff was solid for the Rams, completing 24 of 32 passes for 354 yards and one touchdown, although he also had one interception. Todd Gurley notched three touchdowns on the ground, and the Rams romped to a convincing victory, as they stand alone atop the NFC West as the only unbeaten team remaining in that division.
San Francisco 30, Detroit 27 - Jimmy Garoppolo completed 18 of 26 pass attempts for 206 yards and town touchdowns. Matt Breida picked up 138 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries, and the 49ers got their first win of the season, although they needed to hang on and barely hold off the suddenly resurgent Lions in order to win this one. Matthew Stafford had a solid day, completing 34 of 53 pass attempts for 347 yards and three touchdowns, although that likely will not make fans in Detroit feel much better, as their team falls to 0-2. The 49ers, meanwhile, held on for the win, to remain within a game of the red hot Rams in the NFC West.
Sunday Night Football
Dallas 20, N.Y. Giants 13 - The same problem that had plagued the G-Men and limited their prospects for the past three or so seasons is continuing. Despite some serious talent on offense, the offensive line prevents them from shining as brightly as they otherwise might shine. The Cowboys were able to take advantage of that in numerous ways last night, including turnovers that led to points. Given how relatively close the game was for most of the evening, and how the Giants pulled a bit closer towards the end, it is hard to suggest anything other than that New York's offensive line cost them any chance at winning this game. Same problems, and the Giants still have not found any solutions yet.
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