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Wow! What a week in the NFL, huh?
Some really good games. That includes a big showdown between the Patriots and the Seahawks, who met in the Super Bowl just a few years ago (second and one, remember?). That wound up being a very memorable contest, just like almost every game when these two teams meet. In the end, the Seahawks just managed to hold off New England for a huge win to remain unbeaten.
That was not it, however. There was another big comeback by the defending champion Chiefs late in the fourth quarter, and into overtime, and they remained undefeated, at least for now. Tennessee and Jacksonville, two teams that most people figured would not be able to produce a ton of points, wound up having a shootout. The Bills stayed unbeaten and took sole possession of first place in the AFC East by beating the Dolphins in Miami.
But the biggest game had to be the Cowboys and Falcons. That game was so good, that I felt it needed to be the one I started this weekend's review with.
So, here goes:
Dallas 40, Atlanta 39 - I am beginning with this game, which is out of order with the way that I did the preview. However, this seemed like such a good, exciting, and surprising game, that it deserved the accolades that it is receiving. When I first saw that the Falcons had taken a 20-0 lead in the first quarter, it was stunning. Admittedly, I was beginning to think that my high expectations of the Cowboys for this season may have been completely unfounded and off the mark. Little by little, they clawed their way back into the game, but the Falcons kept the lead. Atlanta kept answering back, enjoying a 19-point lead twice, and even enjoying a 15-point lead still with just over five minutes left to play in the game. Then came another collapse, one that will have people like me remembering too vividly what happened to the Falcons a few short years ago, after they owned a comfortable 28-3 lead over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Yes, Atlanta collapsed once again, allowing the Cowboys to snatch victory from the jaws of almost certain defeat.
Chicago 17, NY Giants 13 - The only thing that I take solace from in this one is that the Giants defense tightened up late, and their offense finally got something going, and made a tight game of it. Yet, another loss for an 0-2 start. Even worse, Saquon Barkley is hurt with a serious injury, and will be out for an unknown amount of time. No real good news for fans of Big Blue. The Bears earned a solid victory, and remain unbeaten now at 2-0. My pick: Accurate
San Francisco 31, NY Jets 13 - This season reminds me of 1992 in one certain respect: San Francisco figures to be very good and they play two early season road games against the Jets and the Giants, most likely set to dominate both. In '92, the 49ers were 2-1 after week 3, having beaten both the Jets and the Giants by identical scores of 31-14, en route to a 14-2 mark. This season, the 49ers head into another game at the Meadowlands with a 1-1 mark, against a weak Giants team, and having just beaten the Jets in the Meadowlands, 31-13. It was not the worst drubbing that the Jets have taken from the 49ers - I personally was there with my son when they thumped the Jets, 34-0, back in 2012 - but it was still a pretty serious beatdown that left absolutely no doubts. Ironically, the 49ers are in last place at 1-1, with all three other teams in the division managing to stay undefeated at 2-0 so far. But I expect that the 49ers can and probably will overtake at least one, if not two of those teams, and are a legitimate contender to even win the division again. They looked very much like the team that won the NFC title last season in completely dismantling the Jets at the Meadowlands yesterday. My pick: Accurate
Buffalo 31, Miami 28 - Buffalo 31, Miami 28 – The Bills feel that this is finally their year to take a big step up and capture the AFC East title, something that has eluded them, despite having gotten more competitive in the past few seasons. They took a big step towards that goal on Sunday by defeating the Dolphins in Miami in what proved to be a shootout. But the Bills survived, managing not only their second win in as many games this season, but also taking their second straight divisional game. Their offense looks solid thus far, having scored 27 in the first game and 31 in this one, which shows that they have some explosiveness and can both move the ball as well as score some points. This, combined with the Patriots loss to the Seahawks on Sunday night, puts the Bills where they were aiming to be: in sole possession of first place. For the Dolphins, there were high hopes by many for them this season, but a tough 0-2 start feels like a setback for them, even though this season is still obviously very young yet. My prediction: Accurate
Pittsburgh 26, Denver 21 - The Broncos at least fought for this one, albeit unsuccessfully. But we kind of knew that playing in Pittsburgh would be an incredibly tough test for them, right? Yes, the Steelers wound up winning it, even if they struggled a bit more than expected. Their offense does not look unstoppable, but still so far has solidly produced more than enough to remain competitive in every game, and in fact, they have won both to date. As for the Broncos, this was actually a positive sign that they may be on the rise, although it will take some time, and they obviously also have a ways to go. My pick: Accurate
Indianapolis 28, Minnesota 11 - The Colts finally got the job done a week after a bitter divisional loss to the Jaguars, which Indy and their fans surely feel they could and should have won. But they dominated Minnesota in this game, and earned their first win of the season, even if it is against an NFC opponent. They are now 1-1, tied with the Jaguars for second place in the AFC South, with both teams behind the still undefeated Titans. But as for Minnesota, after a great season last year in which they ranked near the elite teams on both offense and defense, and knocked out the Saints in New Orleans before bowing in San Francisco, this season has gotten off to a horrendous start. It kind of makes you wonder how good, or possibly not good, this team really is. They need to win, and soon, before this season spirals out of control. My pick: Accurate
Tennessee 33, Jacksonville 30 - This was not exactly the kind of game that I was figuring on between these two teams. Frankly, I was not sure that either of them had the kind of offense to produce this many fireworks between them. Yet, here we are, with once of the most high-scoring games of this past week, and it winds up being between these two teams. Go figure. A solid win for the Titans, who outlasted the Jaguars. Still, it was also a goof showing by Jax, and despite the 1-1 mark now, they look better than many people expected them to this season thus far. My pick: Accurate
LA Rams 37, Philadelphia 19 - LA Rams 37, Philadelphia 19 – The Rams really seem to have returned to their form of two seasons ago, when they went all the way to the Super Bowl, and narrowly lost to the New England Patriots. So far this season, the Rams have defeated two presumed contenders, knocking off Dallas in week one, and then dominating the Eagles in Philadelphia here in week two. Indeed, the Rams are off to a solid 2-0 start, and right now, they look solid on both offense and defense. They certainly have earned their impressive and as yet unblemished 2-0 mark to this point. As for the Eagles…well, I considered them a contender earlier. But they certainly are not looking like they are a contender, after taking a big lead and then losing to Washington, then getting blown out by the Rams at home. Since taking a 17-0 lead against Washington, Philly has been outscored 64-19. You need to do a bit better than that to be a serious contender. A disappointing loss for them, to say the least.
Green Bay 42, Detroit 21 - Once again, the Lions seemed to flirt with a surprise win after jumping ahead early in this game. And also once again, they began to come apart when that other team really started to apply serious pressure. Yes, once the Packers started to get back on the right track, they not only rallied to win after falling behind, 14-3, but they really were on a roll, crusing to a blowout win over another divisional opponent, the second in as many weeks. For the Lions, yet another setback in a season that surely is beginning to feel very long already for Detroit and their fans. This marks the 11th straight loss for the Lions, dating back to last season. The fact that they were ahead by sizable margins in both games, yet lost both, has to be especially frustrating. It is not a good sign for the Lions, to say the least. So early in the season, yet they urgently need to stop the bleeding. My pick: Accurate
Tampa Bay 31, Carolina 17 – Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski finally got their first win as members of the Buccaneers. This was a solid win, albeit against a weak opponent. Still, a win is a win, and the Panthers are a divisional opponent, so it was important in that sense. The offense looked good. As for Carolina, they drop to 0-2, and have dropped 10 straight games dating back to last season. Brutal. My pick: Accurate
Arizona 30, Washington 15 - The Cardinals are looking very good to this point. They seem to have an offense capable of scoring, and a defense that can contain opponents, at least thus far in the season. With an exciting young quarterback who seems to have added an element of explosiveness to their offense, and marked improvements on the defensive side of the ball, they are looking like a team that can actually contend, although it is early yet, and they are in an obviously tough division, with the defending NFC Champion 49ers in last place officially at 1-1 (hardly an awful mark) and the other two teams being undefeated at 2-0 like the Cards. As for Washington, this gets them down a bit from the high of the comeback win in week one, and sobers them up. But it is still early in the year. My pick: Accurate
Baltimore 33, Houston 16 - The Ravens appear to be rolling once again, picking up this season where they left off last regular season. They have now won 14 straight regular season games (remember, they lost their one and only postseason game to the Titans in between), and just look incredible, as they move up to 2-0. But now, they have a home game hosting the defending Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs, which will obviously be their toughest test to date. As for the Texans, they fall to 0-2, and it is not looking very good for next weekend, either, as they go up to Pittsburgh to face the still undefeated Steelers. Brutal. My pick: Accurate
Kansas City 23, LA Chargers 20 (OT) - These are the kinds of games in which the best teams reveal just how great they can be. Everyone remembers the biggest games, like KC's incredible playoff run, when they became the first team in NFL history to overcome double digit deficits in every single playoff game and came back to win in explosive fashion. But not everyone will remember these kinds of games, when the Chiefs were not playing anywhere near their best, did not light up the scoreboard, yet pulled off a tough win. It's wins like these that help those elite, championship teams make it very far later on in the season and postseason. For a while, the Chargers enjoyed a 17-6 lead in the third quarter. That, of course, seems to be the point when these Chiefs always come alive, and they did again. Down 20-17 late in the fourth, they were unable to convert a chance in the red zone for a winning touchdown, so they got a field goal to force overtime. Then, in OT, Kansas City managed to win it off the foot of Harrison Butker, who incredibly split the uprights from 58 yards out for the win. It keeps the Chiefs undefeated at 2-0, and keeps them atop the AFC West. If the Raiders lose tonight, the Chiefs will have sole possession of first place. For the Chargers, they fought hard and almost won, but there really is no shame in allowing KC to slip the rug out from under them. It must be disheartening, but they have played two games so far this season, and have looked good in both of them. My pick: Accurate
Sunday Night Football: Seattle 35, New England 30 - What a game this one was! There were several exciting games this weekend, but the Sunday Night Football match-up pitted two legitimate contenders who actually also met in a recent Super Bowl. These two teams have met four times in the past eight years, and each of those games - including the Super Bowl - were very exciting and went right down to the wire. Last night's game was no exception, as the Seahawks were clinging to a 35-30 lead. New England's Cam Newton was red hot, playing exceptionally well last night, both with his accurate and explosive arm, as well as with his legs, proving that his mobility was still a serious threat. He led the Pats all the way to the 1-yard line, but there was only time for one play left. The Patriots had just used up their last timeout, and it was clear that Newton was going to try to pound the ball into the end zone. But he was upended and fell quite short, preserving the victory for Seattle. They remain unbeaten at 2-0, tied with the also undefeated Rams and Cardinals atop the NFC West, while the Patriots drop to 1-1, and in second place behind Buffalo in the AFC East. My pick: Accurate
Monday Night Football: Las Vegas 34, New Orleans 24 – Talk about a surprising outcome (at least one that took me by surprise), the Raiders look incredible so far! I figured that they would be a playoff contender, and believe that I have them in the playoffs this season. But to defeat the Saints, a team that is a legitimate Super Bowl contender, is something beyond what I thought this team would be capable of. Yet, in the second quarter, it did not look like they could match up very well, as the Saints owned a comfortable 17-7 lead, and seemed to have everything going their way. But the Raiders scored and benefited from a New Orleans turnover to add a field goal and nod things up by halftime. Then, they managed to score a touchdown on their first drive of the second half. They never looked back, taking control of the game. At 31-24, with less than two minutes to play, Las Vegas head coach Jon Gruden gambled with a field goal that could have given the explosive and always dangerous Saints offense a short field to work with. But it proved to be profitable, as they made it to ice the win. Impressive! My prediction: Inaccurate
San Francisco 31, NY Jets 13 - This season reminds me of 1992 in one certain respect: San Francisco figures to be very good and they play two early season road games against the Jets and the Giants, most likely set to dominate both. In '92, the 49ers were 2-1 after week 3, having beaten both the Jets and the Giants by identical scores of 31-14, en route to a 14-2 mark. This season, the 49ers head into another game at the Meadowlands with a 1-1 mark, against a weak Giants team, and having just beaten the Jets in the Meadowlands, 31-13. It was not the worst drubbing that the Jets have taken from the 49ers - I personally was there with my son when they thumped the Jets, 34-0, back in 2012 - but it was still a pretty serious beatdown that left absolutely no doubts. Ironically, the 49ers are in last place at 1-1, with all three other teams in the division managing to stay undefeated at 2-0 so far. But I expect that the 49ers can and probably will overtake at least one, if not two of those teams, and are a legitimate contender to even win the division again. They looked very much like the team that won the NFC title last season in completely dismantling the Jets at the Meadowlands yesterday. My pick: Accurate
Buffalo 31, Miami 28 - Buffalo 31, Miami 28 – The Bills feel that this is finally their year to take a big step up and capture the AFC East title, something that has eluded them, despite having gotten more competitive in the past few seasons. They took a big step towards that goal on Sunday by defeating the Dolphins in Miami in what proved to be a shootout. But the Bills survived, managing not only their second win in as many games this season, but also taking their second straight divisional game. Their offense looks solid thus far, having scored 27 in the first game and 31 in this one, which shows that they have some explosiveness and can both move the ball as well as score some points. This, combined with the Patriots loss to the Seahawks on Sunday night, puts the Bills where they were aiming to be: in sole possession of first place. For the Dolphins, there were high hopes by many for them this season, but a tough 0-2 start feels like a setback for them, even though this season is still obviously very young yet. My prediction: Accurate
Pittsburgh 26, Denver 21 - The Broncos at least fought for this one, albeit unsuccessfully. But we kind of knew that playing in Pittsburgh would be an incredibly tough test for them, right? Yes, the Steelers wound up winning it, even if they struggled a bit more than expected. Their offense does not look unstoppable, but still so far has solidly produced more than enough to remain competitive in every game, and in fact, they have won both to date. As for the Broncos, this was actually a positive sign that they may be on the rise, although it will take some time, and they obviously also have a ways to go. My pick: Accurate
Indianapolis 28, Minnesota 11 - The Colts finally got the job done a week after a bitter divisional loss to the Jaguars, which Indy and their fans surely feel they could and should have won. But they dominated Minnesota in this game, and earned their first win of the season, even if it is against an NFC opponent. They are now 1-1, tied with the Jaguars for second place in the AFC South, with both teams behind the still undefeated Titans. But as for Minnesota, after a great season last year in which they ranked near the elite teams on both offense and defense, and knocked out the Saints in New Orleans before bowing in San Francisco, this season has gotten off to a horrendous start. It kind of makes you wonder how good, or possibly not good, this team really is. They need to win, and soon, before this season spirals out of control. My pick: Accurate
Tennessee 33, Jacksonville 30 - This was not exactly the kind of game that I was figuring on between these two teams. Frankly, I was not sure that either of them had the kind of offense to produce this many fireworks between them. Yet, here we are, with once of the most high-scoring games of this past week, and it winds up being between these two teams. Go figure. A solid win for the Titans, who outlasted the Jaguars. Still, it was also a goof showing by Jax, and despite the 1-1 mark now, they look better than many people expected them to this season thus far. My pick: Accurate
LA Rams 37, Philadelphia 19 - LA Rams 37, Philadelphia 19 – The Rams really seem to have returned to their form of two seasons ago, when they went all the way to the Super Bowl, and narrowly lost to the New England Patriots. So far this season, the Rams have defeated two presumed contenders, knocking off Dallas in week one, and then dominating the Eagles in Philadelphia here in week two. Indeed, the Rams are off to a solid 2-0 start, and right now, they look solid on both offense and defense. They certainly have earned their impressive and as yet unblemished 2-0 mark to this point. As for the Eagles…well, I considered them a contender earlier. But they certainly are not looking like they are a contender, after taking a big lead and then losing to Washington, then getting blown out by the Rams at home. Since taking a 17-0 lead against Washington, Philly has been outscored 64-19. You need to do a bit better than that to be a serious contender. A disappointing loss for them, to say the least.
Green Bay 42, Detroit 21 - Once again, the Lions seemed to flirt with a surprise win after jumping ahead early in this game. And also once again, they began to come apart when that other team really started to apply serious pressure. Yes, once the Packers started to get back on the right track, they not only rallied to win after falling behind, 14-3, but they really were on a roll, crusing to a blowout win over another divisional opponent, the second in as many weeks. For the Lions, yet another setback in a season that surely is beginning to feel very long already for Detroit and their fans. This marks the 11th straight loss for the Lions, dating back to last season. The fact that they were ahead by sizable margins in both games, yet lost both, has to be especially frustrating. It is not a good sign for the Lions, to say the least. So early in the season, yet they urgently need to stop the bleeding. My pick: Accurate
Tampa Bay 31, Carolina 17 – Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski finally got their first win as members of the Buccaneers. This was a solid win, albeit against a weak opponent. Still, a win is a win, and the Panthers are a divisional opponent, so it was important in that sense. The offense looked good. As for Carolina, they drop to 0-2, and have dropped 10 straight games dating back to last season. Brutal. My pick: Accurate
Arizona 30, Washington 15 - The Cardinals are looking very good to this point. They seem to have an offense capable of scoring, and a defense that can contain opponents, at least thus far in the season. With an exciting young quarterback who seems to have added an element of explosiveness to their offense, and marked improvements on the defensive side of the ball, they are looking like a team that can actually contend, although it is early yet, and they are in an obviously tough division, with the defending NFC Champion 49ers in last place officially at 1-1 (hardly an awful mark) and the other two teams being undefeated at 2-0 like the Cards. As for Washington, this gets them down a bit from the high of the comeback win in week one, and sobers them up. But it is still early in the year. My pick: Accurate
Baltimore 33, Houston 16 - The Ravens appear to be rolling once again, picking up this season where they left off last regular season. They have now won 14 straight regular season games (remember, they lost their one and only postseason game to the Titans in between), and just look incredible, as they move up to 2-0. But now, they have a home game hosting the defending Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs, which will obviously be their toughest test to date. As for the Texans, they fall to 0-2, and it is not looking very good for next weekend, either, as they go up to Pittsburgh to face the still undefeated Steelers. Brutal. My pick: Accurate
Kansas City 23, LA Chargers 20 (OT) - These are the kinds of games in which the best teams reveal just how great they can be. Everyone remembers the biggest games, like KC's incredible playoff run, when they became the first team in NFL history to overcome double digit deficits in every single playoff game and came back to win in explosive fashion. But not everyone will remember these kinds of games, when the Chiefs were not playing anywhere near their best, did not light up the scoreboard, yet pulled off a tough win. It's wins like these that help those elite, championship teams make it very far later on in the season and postseason. For a while, the Chargers enjoyed a 17-6 lead in the third quarter. That, of course, seems to be the point when these Chiefs always come alive, and they did again. Down 20-17 late in the fourth, they were unable to convert a chance in the red zone for a winning touchdown, so they got a field goal to force overtime. Then, in OT, Kansas City managed to win it off the foot of Harrison Butker, who incredibly split the uprights from 58 yards out for the win. It keeps the Chiefs undefeated at 2-0, and keeps them atop the AFC West. If the Raiders lose tonight, the Chiefs will have sole possession of first place. For the Chargers, they fought hard and almost won, but there really is no shame in allowing KC to slip the rug out from under them. It must be disheartening, but they have played two games so far this season, and have looked good in both of them. My pick: Accurate
Sunday Night Football: Seattle 35, New England 30 - What a game this one was! There were several exciting games this weekend, but the Sunday Night Football match-up pitted two legitimate contenders who actually also met in a recent Super Bowl. These two teams have met four times in the past eight years, and each of those games - including the Super Bowl - were very exciting and went right down to the wire. Last night's game was no exception, as the Seahawks were clinging to a 35-30 lead. New England's Cam Newton was red hot, playing exceptionally well last night, both with his accurate and explosive arm, as well as with his legs, proving that his mobility was still a serious threat. He led the Pats all the way to the 1-yard line, but there was only time for one play left. The Patriots had just used up their last timeout, and it was clear that Newton was going to try to pound the ball into the end zone. But he was upended and fell quite short, preserving the victory for Seattle. They remain unbeaten at 2-0, tied with the also undefeated Rams and Cardinals atop the NFC West, while the Patriots drop to 1-1, and in second place behind Buffalo in the AFC East. My pick: Accurate
Monday Night Football: Las Vegas 34, New Orleans 24 – Talk about a surprising outcome (at least one that took me by surprise), the Raiders look incredible so far! I figured that they would be a playoff contender, and believe that I have them in the playoffs this season. But to defeat the Saints, a team that is a legitimate Super Bowl contender, is something beyond what I thought this team would be capable of. Yet, in the second quarter, it did not look like they could match up very well, as the Saints owned a comfortable 17-7 lead, and seemed to have everything going their way. But the Raiders scored and benefited from a New Orleans turnover to add a field goal and nod things up by halftime. Then, they managed to score a touchdown on their first drive of the second half. They never looked back, taking control of the game. At 31-24, with less than two minutes to play, Las Vegas head coach Jon Gruden gambled with a field goal that could have given the explosive and always dangerous Saints offense a short field to work with. But it proved to be profitable, as they made it to ice the win. Impressive! My prediction: Inaccurate
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