If Week 1 of the NFL season is a week of discovery session, Week 2 is a week of reacting. Week 2 can confirm our assumptions from the week prior or throw everything we thought we knew into question.
It was a darn entertaining slate of games, with two overtime games and nearly a third after a converted Hail Mary by the Denver Broncos. Here’s what we learned from a thrilling Week 2.
NFL Week 2 Takeaways
The Atlanta Falcons are zigging while the NFL is zagging
I want to open this week’s takeaways with some thoughts on the Falcons. The NFL is a passing league. Quarterback play is more critical than ever. Receiving depth charts are loaded with talent. Pass rushers and cornerbacks have become two of the most important position groups on rosters. And more defensive schemes are predicated on giving up yards on the ground and short passes to prevent the league’s best quarterbacks from beating them with big plays.
Then there are the 2-0 Falcons, who have won their first two games with just 352 combined passing yards. Instead, coach Arthur Smith has created a dynamic ground game headlined by rookie RB Bijan Robinson, who has been as good as advertised through his first two professional games.
Atlanta’s formula is to pound the rock, wear down opposing defenses, and get just enough from Desmond Ridder and their defense to win. And through two weeks, that formula has worked.
But as always, the NFL adjusts pretty quickly. And while Smith and the Falcons deserve a ton of credit for finding a different way to win, it’ll be fascinating to see how Atlanta performs against teams that can stop the run. Atlanta has the talent to win their division, but we’ll have to see how Ridder performs when he has to bring the team back from a deficit. If there’s one doubt I have with this team, it’s under center.
The Falcons will be a short-road underdog in Detroit next week and will be a team I’ve got circled for a bet in Week 3.
The AFC is in flux…
Who would you bet right now to win the AFC? I ask because the top AFC contenders have performed below expectations to start the year.
The defending AFC champs, Kansas City, look shakier than they’ve ever been on offense since Patrick Mahomes took over. Mahomes threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns in a 17-9 win over Jacksonville. But the Chiefs went just 2-for-4 in the red zone, went 4-for-13 on third down, and committed 12 penalties and three turnovers against a questionable Jags defense.
Speaking of the Jags, Trevor Lawrence looks completely lost at times, as the Jaguars averaged a paltry 4.2 yards per play against the Chiefs.
The Cincinnati Bengals might have some serious issues. Joe Burrow was inefficient once again, as the Bengals averaged just 5.1 yards per pass and seemingly abandoned a running game that was averaging 4.4 yards per clip. Cincinnati can’t even blame its offensive line, which surrendered just one sack Sunday. But Baltimore’s defense was without Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Williams, two of its most important players in its secondary. The results were simply unacceptable, and it feels like coach Zac Taylor needs to put a greater emphasis on the running game and force teams to load up the box a bit more than they’re doing.
The Buffalo Bills bounced back nicely at home, but their 38-10 win was the most predictable outcome of the weekend. And the Ravens deserve some credit after an impressive road win in which the final score doesn’t indicate how much better they were over Cincy.
To me, the team to watch closely for a Super Bowl future is Miami. The Dolphins won their first two games on the road in entirely different fashions. In Week 1, they outlasted the Los Angeles Chargers in an epic shootout. In Week 2, they won a grinder of a game in New England in which they took what Bill Belichick gave them and rode their running game and defense to victory.
I’m not sure last year’s Dolphins team would’ve won that game in New England. And the addition of Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator is already paying big dividends. Miami’s ability to win with versatility on the road is awfully impressive and could come in handy in the postseason.
The Chicago Bears might be the worst team in the NFL
I’m not sure there’s a team in the league that has performed worse relative to their expectations than the Chicago Bears. The defense cannot get stops and allowed a Baker Mayfield-led Buccaneers offense to average 6.4 yards per play and convert 8-of-15 third down attempts.
But the bigger concerns are on offense. Justin Fields does not look like the franchise QB many hoped he would develop into. Fields is clearly trying to develop as a pocket passer, but he doesn’t seem to see the field well. His offensive line is horrible, no doubt, but at least a couple of Chicago’s six sacks allowed were a result of Fields holding onto the ball far too long.
Right now, it’s between Chicago and Houston for the worst team in the league label through two weeks. And the Bears now have to travel to Kansas City to face a Chiefs offense that’s looking to get itself back on track. If Baker Mayfield averaged 9.3 yards per pass, what can Patrick Mahomes do?
While backing big favorites isn’t something I often do, I might have to lay it with Kansas City or take a Chiefs team total over. If not in Week 3, I’ll be looking for opportunities to fade the Bears all season.
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