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This week, a full slate of NFL games took place, showcased by huge upsets, big performances, and rookie standouts.
Buffalo Bills 31, Miami Dolphins 10
Week two got off to a hot start Thursday night, as the Buffalo Bills visited the Miami Dolphins in an early season divisional matchup. James Cook led the way for Buffalo by scoring three touchdowns and leading them to a convincing 31-10 over Miami. Cook would finish the game with 78 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns and a 17 yard touchdown catch. However, the biggest storyline from the game was Tua Tagovailoa leaving the game with yet another concussion. This will be the third concussion of Tagovailoa young NFL career. Tagovailoa was knocked to the turf after taking a hit from Bills safety Damar Hamlin in the third quarter. The Bills were able to limit the Dolphins explosive offense and keep speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill at bay. Hill finished the game with only three catches for 24 yards. Additionally, the Bills defense picked Tagovailoa off three times, the last going for a pick-six. De’von Achane led the way for the Dolphins offense finishing with 96 yards rushing and 69 yards receiving on seven catches and a touchdown. Following a week that saw Josh Allen heroically lead the Bills to a come-from-behind victory against the Cardinals, he was able to take a backseat to the Cook show, as Allen finished the game with 139 yards and one touchdown and, despite only have two rushing attempts. Also of note, Allen was seen wearing a white glove on his non-throwing hand after hurting it in last week’s win.
New Orleans Saints 41, Dallas Cowboys 19
Alvin Kamara had a huge day scoring four touchdowns leading the Saints to a dominating win over the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. This win by the Saints ended a 16 game home winning streak in the regular season that the Cowboys were riding. The Saints stormed to an early lead scoring touchdowns on all five of their first half possessions, with the Cowboys only able to manage a pair of field goals, a touchdown, and an interception in the same amount of possessions. Derek Carr and Kamara continually shredded the Cowboy defense, with Carr finishing with 243 yards, two touchdowns, one pick, and a rushing score. Kamara finished with 115 rushing yards, 65 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. Ceedee Lamb had a decent game finishing with four catches for 90 yards and a score.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, Detroit Lions 16
In a rematch of last year’s NFC divisional round, Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers got revenge on Jared Goff and the Lions by a score of 20-16. Mayfield finished the game with 185 passing yards, 34 rushing yards, two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) and a pick. Chris Godwin was his favorite target in the game, finishing with seven catches for 117 yards and a score. Tampa Bay fell behind only once in the closely contested game, and stopped Detroit when they had two chances to drive for a go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes. The Lions turned the ball over on downs at the Bucs six yard line with 53 seconds left and again at their 26 with two seconds left. Lions coach Dan Campbell lamented a mistake he made in the first half, causing confusion for his offense and special teams that had both units on the field. That drew a flag that ran off the clock and took away an opportunity to kick a short field goal and pull within four points. If Detroit made that field goal, it potentially would’ve been a kick away from winning the game in the fourth quarter. Goff finished the game with 307 yards and two interceptions. Amon-Ra St. Brown had a very nice game finishing with 11 catches for 119 yards. Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson had three sacks in the first quarter and finished with a career-high five sacks.
Green Bay Packers 16, Indianapolis Colts 10
Malik Willis and the Green Bay Packers rushing attack overwhelmed the Colts en route to a 16-10 victory for Green Bay. The first game without Jordan Love, new Packer QB Malik Willis had a very efficient day finishing with 122 yards and one touchdown through the air and 41 yards on the ground. Packers running back Josh Jacobs finished with 151 rushing yards on 32 carries. Willis was able to run Matt Lafleur’s offense and do just enough for Green Bay to win. Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor rushed for 103 yards on 12 carries, but didn’t touch the ball in the fourth quarter. Anthony Richardson was 17 of 34 for 204 yards with one touchdown to go along with his three interceptions. Richardson also ran for 37 yards on four carries. Richardson, however, continued to struggle throwing the ball accurately which resulted in those three interceptions. The Colts’ run defense stiffened in the second half, but they couldn’t come all the way back because their offense failed to capitalize on opportunities. The Colts failed to score on three separate trips into Packers territory. Indianapolis cut the Packers’ lead to 16-10 on Richardson’s four yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce with 1:47 left, but Green Bay’s Evan Williams recovered the ensuing onside kick. The Colts got the ball back at their own five yard line with 43 seconds left, but Williams intercepted a Hail Mary attempt from the Indianapolis 41 to end the game.
New York Jets 24, Tennessee Titans 17
After well over a year, Aaron Rodgers finally got his first win in a Jets uniform after finishing off the Titans by a score of 24-17. Rodgers was aided by the NFL’s youngest player, Braelon Allen, who scored two touchdowns to help lead the Jets to victory over Will Levis and the Titans. Rodgers threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns. One of those TD passes by the 40-year-old Rodgers was to the 20-year-old Allen, marking a score by the NFL’s oldest and youngest players. The Titans however did have a chance at the end to tie the game up, Will McDonald IV, who had three of the Jets’ four sacks, got his third with 23 seconds left on third down. Levis threw to Tyler Boyd on fourth-and-goal from the 14 with Jets safety Tony Adams helping break up the pass to turn it over on downs. The Jets got 17 points off Titans’ mistakes. First came an interception by Brandin Echols. There was a roughing penalty by two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons on third down that kept a New York drive ahead for the Jets’ first lead at 14-10 to start the third quarter. Then, Irvin Charles blocked Ryan Stonehouse’s punt that resulted in a 33-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein and a 17-10 lead. Levis, who now has five turnovers in the span of six quarters to start his second NFL season. Levis finished the game with 192 yards, one touchdown, one pick and a fumble.
Minnesota Vikings 23, San Francisco 49ers 17
Sam Darnold shredded the San Francisco defense time and time again in order to lead the Vikings to a 23-17 win. Despite being down his second best wide receiver in Jordan Addison, his best tight end, T.J. Hockenson, and later in the game would lose his best wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Darnold still found a way to will his team to victory. Had it not been for a red zone interception and an Aaron Jones fumble inside the 2 yard line, this game could have been a blowout in favor of the Vikings. Darnold finished the game with 268 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Before leaving with injury Justin Jefferson finished with four catches for 133 yards and a score including a 97 yard touchdown catch and run. Once again down Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers had to rely on Jordan Mason, and he showed up finishing with 100 yards and a touchdown. Brock Purdy finished with 319 yards, one touchdown and one interception but when it came down to the end just couldn’t do enough to win. Deebo Samuel was the leading receiver for the 49ers finishing with eight catches for 110 yards. However, following the game Samuel was ruled out for multiple weeks with a calf injury.
Seattle Seahawks 23, New England Patriots 20
Jason Meyers was the hero for Seattle as he booted a 31 yard field goal in overtime to give the Seahawks the win over New England. The game-winner capped a three-for-three day for Myers kicking the ball. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith led Seattle on an eight-play, 71-yard drive to the New England 13 to set up the winning score. Smith was 33 of 44 for 327 yards on the day, with a 56-yard touchdown to DK Metcalf in the first half. Metcalf finished with 10 catches for 129 yards. The Seahawks also got a 100-yard receiving game from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, having 12 catches for 117 yards. Playing in their home opener under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, the Patriots got 81 rushing yards and one touchdown from Rhamondrae Stevenson and 96 rushing yards from Antonio Gibson. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett was 15-for-27 for 149 yards and one touchdown to rookie Ja’Lynn Polk. The Seahawks kept their hopes for a win alive late in the game after Julian Love blocked a 48-yard field goal attempt that would have put the Patriots up by six with 3:59 left in regulation.
Washington Commanders 21, New York Giants 18
In a game that featured one team kicking seven field goals to win and another losing their kicker on the opening kickoff of the game, the Commanders ultimately came out on top giving rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels his first career NFL win. When it mattered most, Daniels got the job done, beating the New York Giants 21-18 on Sunday thanks to a franchise-record seven field goals from new kicker Austin Seibert. The Commanders came back to win an ugly game after the Giants lost kicker Graham Gano to an injury on the opening kickoff. Not having Gano forced New York to go for it on several fourth-down situations after punter Jamie Gillan missed an extra point attempt early. Daniels was 23 of 29 for 226 yards, and rushed for 44 yards in his second professional start, beating former LSU teammate and fellow top-10 pick Malik Nabers in their first matchup in the league. Nabers was the Giants’ best player with 10 catches for 127 yards and his first career TD reception. Daniel Jones, coming off a pretty abysmal week one rebounded nicely finishing with 178 yards and two touchdowns, and he also had 32 yards on the ground. Devin Singeltary had 95 rushing yards and a score also in the loss for the Giants.
Los Angeles Chargers 26, Carolina Panthers 3
Justin Herbert threw two touchdown passes to Quentin Johnston, J.K Dobbins ran for 131 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown, and the Los Angeles Chargers crushed the Carolina Panthers 26-3. The Chargers methodically wore down the Panthers, piling up 219 yards on the ground while holding Carolina to just 159 total yards and seven first downs. Second-year quarterback Bryce Young had another miserable game, finishing 18 of 26 passing for 84 yards with one interception and was booed repeatedly by the home crowd while falling to 2-16 as a starter. At times, it appeared the Panthers were playing not to let the score get more out of hand, twice running the football in the final minutes of the third quarter while down by 20 much to the chagrin of the home crowd, the majority of which left before the fourth quarter. Quinton Johnston finally had a nice game for LA finishing with five catches for 51 yards and two scores.
Cleveland Browns 18, Jacksonville Jaguars 13
Deshaun Watson ran for a touchdown, Dustin Hopkins kicked three field goals and the stingy Cleveland Browns did just enough to hold off Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars 18-13. The Browns dominated much of the rainy day, sacking Trevor Lawrence four times and holding Jacksonville in check for nearly three quarters. The Jaguars woke up late, with Lawrence finding rookie Brian Thomas Jr. for 66 yards to set up a touchdown and then adding a field goal to make it a one-score game. The Jags got a chance in the final minute and mustered a threat with eight seconds left, but Lawrence’s pass to the end zone fell to the ground. Lawrence was a non-factor most of the afternoon, and “TrEverBank Stadium” was not to be. Lawrence completed just 14 of 30 passes for 220 yards as the Jaguars lost for the seventh time in their last eight games, dating back to last season. Watson was 22-of-34 passing for 186 yards, with 73 of those going to Jerry Jeudy. Jerome Ford ran for 64 yards.
Las Vegas Raiders 26, Baltimore Ravens 23
A week after coming within a toe of having a chance to beat the Chiefs, Baltimore followed up that showing by blowing a 13 point second half that lead to Gardner Minshew and the Raiders coming back, ultimately falling 26-23. Minshew led three scoring drives in the fourth quarter, Daniel Carlson kicked a go-ahead 38-yard field goal with 27 seconds left to give Vegas the lead and the win. The comeback defied logic, given that Minshew came in with just a 15-23 career record as a starter. Not only that, but Las Vegas scored only 10 points last week in a loss to the Chargers. Not to mention, the Raiders haven’t had a winning season since 2021, and were on the road against a team that forged the best record in the NFL just one year ago. Minshew went 30 for 38 for 276 yards. He was sacked five times and intercepted once, but none of that mattered as he led the Raiders to a stunning comeback on the road. Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson completed 21 of 34 passes for 247 yards. He was limited to 20 yards rushing after amassing 122 on the ground against the Chiefs. Isaiah Likely who had a huge game vs Kansas City was only held to two catches for 26 yards. Zay Flowers was the leading receiver for Baltimore logging seven catches for 91 yards and a score. On the receiving side for Las Vegas, Davante Adams led the way with nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown and rookie tight end Brock Bowers had nine catches for 98 yards respectively.
Arizona Cardinals 41, Las Angeles Rams 10
A week after only having one catch, rookie wide receiver for Arizona Marvin Harrison Jr followed it up by having a great game, finishing with four catches for 130 yards and his first two career NFL scores. The Cardinals’ offense highlighted by the Kyler Murray-to-Harrison combo dazzled on the way to a 24-3 halftime lead. Murray would finish the game with 266 yards, three touchdowns and no picks to go along with 59 rushing yards and showed on Sunday when he is healthy, he is one of the most entertaining players to watch. James Conner ran for a five-yard score on the first drive of the third quarter, high-stepping into the end zone for a 31-3 lead. Conner finished with 122 yards rushing and the 29-year-old passed 5,000 yards on the ground for his career. While Arizona’s offense was thriving, Los Angeles was sputtering. Matthew Stafford was sacked three times in the first half and the Rams couldn’t find the end zone. On the final play of the second quarter, coach Sean McVay elected to go for a touchdown from the four yard line instead of kicking a field goal, but Stafford’s pass sailed well over Tyler Johnson’s head and out the back of the end zone. To make matters worse, star receiver Cooper Kupp left in the second quarter with an ankle injury and didn’t return. The Rams have had a rough run of injuries through the first two weeks, putting three key players on injured reserve this week. Stafford finished the game 19 of 27 passing for 216 yards.
Pittsburgh Steelers 13, Denver Broncos 6
So far through two weeks the Steelers offense has only put up eight field goals and only one touchdown, but find themselves sitting at 2-0 and on top of the AFC North. Justin Fields, who’s subbing for injured starter Russell Wilson, did just enough to lead his team to victory. Fields threw a touchdown pass and finished 13 for 20 for 117 yards with no interceptions. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix had another average game throwing for 246 yards on 20-of-35 passing, he never found the end zone and was intercepted twice, and he was sacked twice. Nix, who had a pair of turnovers deep in Seattle’s territory in his NFL debut, was intercepted by Cory Trice Jr. in the back of the end zone in the third quarter, squelching Denver’s best drive. In 20 drives under Nix so far, the Broncos have just two field goals and two touchdowns to go with 11 punts, three interceptions and two turnovers on downs. T.J. Watt had another monster game defensively for Pittsburgh finishing with one sack, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. Watt at this point of the season seems to be the front runner for defensive player of the year.
Kansas City Chiefs 26, Cincinnati Bengals 25
It may have not been the prettiest game for Patrick Mahomes and company, but at the end of the day Harrison Butker drilled a 51 yard field goal as time expired, giving the Chiefs a one point lead over their bitter rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, all those mistakes didn’t matter. At the end of the day, the Chiefs played the best football when the game mattered most and had it not been for a Ja’Mar Chase unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and rookie safety Daijahn Anthony getting called for defensive pass interference on a crucial fourth down with the game on the line, the Bengals might have come out on top against the two time defending Super Bowl winners. It was a back and forth game all day that saw five lead changes in the 4th quarter alone. Patrick Mahomes threw for 151 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, but it was his incomplete pass intended for Rashee Rice on fourth-and-16, on the game’s final drive from the Kansas City 35 that turned out to be decisive. Anthony arrived a split-second early and moved Rice from behind with his body, and flags flew with 38 seconds remaining to keep the Chiefs alive. This play happened following what looked to be a fourth down conversion to Rice but was called back after Chiefs left tackle Wanya Morris was called for an illegal hands to the face on Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. Morris was replacing starting left tackle Kingsley Suamataia who was benched after struggling to block Hendrickson all day. Hendrickson finished with two sacks, two tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits, but he also forced multiple holding calls including one that negated a Travis Kelce 51 yard reception. Joe Burrow threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns, both to Andrei Iosivas, as the Bengals came up empty against one of their biggest nemeses for the third straight time. Ja’Mar Chase was limited to only four catches for 34 yards as Chiefs corner, Trent McDuffie, had Chase covered all day. However, the biggest news for Kansas City was the loss of Isiah Pacheco for 6-8 weeks, as he fractured his fibula after he was tackled awkwardly on the game’s final drive.
Houston Texans 19, Chicago Bears 13
In a second half where C.J. Stroud and the Houston offense struggled to move the ball, the Texans’ defense stepped up Sunday night to secure a win over the Chicago Bears. Houston picked off rookie Caleb Williams twice after halftime and the Texans held on for a 19-13 victory. Stroud threw for 260 yards and a touchdown, that touchdown went to Nico Collins who finished his night with eight catches for 135 yards and one touchdown. Houston managed only a field goal after halftime, but the defense made it hold up. Caleb Williams, the number one overall pick in the NFL draft, was 23 of 37 for 174 yards. He was sacked seven times. Six different Houston players logged a sack in the win with Will Anderson Jr and Danielle Hunter leading the way with 1.5 sacks each. DJ Moore was Chicago’s leading receiver, a group that was without veteran Keenan Allen who was out with a heel injury, and with a hobbled Rome Odunze. Moore finished with six catches for 53 yards. The Bears defense had quite another nice showing but was held back continually by the lethargic Bears offense.
Atlanta Falcons 22, Philadelphia Eagles 21
Kirk Cousins pass to Drake London with 34 seconds left stunned home fans at Lincoln Financial Field as the Falcons walked out Philadelphia winners by the score of 22-21. Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a seven yard go ahead touchdown. Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush. The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the final drive before ultimately hitting London to put the Falcons ahead. Bijan Robinson had a solid night rushing for 97 yards and catching four passes for 25 yards out of the backfield. Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline. Hurts finished the game with 183 yards one touchdown and one interception to go along with 85 yards and one touchdown rushing. Saquon Barkley in his home debut had 95 yards on the ground and four catches for 21 yards through the air. With no A.J. Brown for the Eagles, as he was dealing with a hamstring injury, Devonta Smith stepped up in his place catching seven passes for 76 yards and a score.
Next week, the football schedule kicks off with a Thursday Night Football matchup of the Jets and the Patriots. The full slate of Sunday games will wrap up with the Falcons and Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. On Monday, the week wraps up with a pair of games, with the Jaguars set to play the Bills, and the Commands in line to play the Bengals.
