With two weeks already under way, the NFL season offers some possible solutions to those who are most attentive and, by force of circumstances and results, the state of the forces is already profoundly shaken up compared to expectations at the start of the campaign.
There are a few lessons to be learned from this exciting Week 2 of the Goodell Tour and I’ll highlight a few of them for you.
The Feast of the Neglected
After the Falcons’ late comeback against the Eagles on Monday night, Week 2 ended with a familiar note in terms of results: it was a triumph for the underdogs.
The favorites combined for just seven wins and nine losses this weekend. If you watch sportsbooks and point spreads, the underdog bet paid off in 10 of the games.
Better yet, the six teams with the biggest points advantage played close games or lost the game outright. Only two of those six teams won their game (Texans and Chiefs).
The Ravens, Lions, Cowboys and Eagles have all lost games in which they were heavily favored.
The Ravens’ loss, in particular, comes on top of the Bengals’ Week 1 loss, so we start the campaign with losses for the two most favored teams in terms of points for a game.
Keep an eye on the match schedule for Week 3, surprises seem to be in fashion this fall.
Jaguars don’t have claws
Let’s be blunt: the Browns did everything they could to lose the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Over 100 yards of penalties, a lack of opportunism at key moments and the Jaguars were even given a few lives to move up the field.
But no, there was nothing to be done. A safety on a questionable play call late in the game put a damper on Jacksonville’s aspirations.
Trevor Lawrence did not mince his words after the meeting: ” We suck right now “.
This is the first 0-2 start of Lawrence’s career in 2021 and his performance so far has left something to be desired. The team has come up short against the Browns often without really making a mark on the scoresheet.
We were hoping for a nice progression from Lawrence after his big contract, but it seems more like things are burning between him and coach Doug Pederson. His seat must be starting to warm up, since a coach will always leave before a franchise quarterback.
A game against Buffalo next Monday doesn’t bode well for the Jags.
The Chargers dominate… on the ground!
New Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh is known as a great motivator for quarterbacks, having played the position in the NFL during his career. His time in San Francisco and the University of Michigan suggested Justin Herbert would be a potential breakout player under center.
But no, at least not yet. Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman have concocted a plan to revive the running game, and it’s that unit that’s dominated the first two games.
JK Dobbins leads the NFL in rushing yards after two weeks and Jim Harbaugh has quickly established that he’s going to run the ball with his new Chargers.
Justin Herbert, meanwhile, has only 46 total passes attempted in the first two games, a far cry from his usual career pace.
No one can doubt the results, however.
Welcome to the NFL Marvin
In the Cardinals’ season opener, fourth-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr. was pretty quiet, if not invisible. Local media jumped on it to question whether the chemistry was good between him and quarterback Kyler Murray.
Then, just minutes into Sunday’s game against the Rams, Harrison already had two touchdowns to his name.
With 130 yards in the game, Harrison Jr. looked like his father on the field. In fact, he’s the first rookie receiver with two touchdowns and at least four catches in a quarter since his father in 1996. To add to the fun, Jim Harbaugh was the quarterback behind his father’s passes at the time.
On the other hand, with his 130 yards, his son has more gains in one game than his father during all the games of his first season.
Let’s just say he found a way to stand out on the field.
The best offense in the NFL?
47 and 44 points.
That’s the New Orleans Saints’ offensive output through the first two games of the season.
Better yet, Derek Carr and his teammates ran through the Cowboys in front of their home fans in Dallas on Sunday with 35 points in the first half alone.
What explains this explosion when many saw the Saints in a year of transition?
Klint Kubiak joined the Saints coaching staff to lead Dennis Allen’s offense and the former 49er has breathed new life into the group starting with the offensive line which in turn paves the way for Alvin Kamara who appears to have found his legs from a few years ago.
Even Derek Carr, who has been a bit left behind in recent seasons, seems comfortable with nice protective pockets to make his passes and he finds his lineup full of explosive receivers.
It’s night and day compared to last season and while it’s too early to draw conclusions, let’s just say the Saints will heat up the Bucs and Baker Mayfield in their division. Great news for Louisiana fans waiting for some new blood since Drew Brees retired.
In bulk…
The Panthers seem to have given up on the Bryce Young project after less than two seasons. It’s hard to fault the pick since the performances just aren’t there, but when you’re risking the future of the team to select a quarterback with the first pick in a draft obtained via a trade… let’s just say the plan isn’t to nail him to the bench after less than twenty games. Ouch! There’s already talk of trades to save the day among the (few) Panthers fans still vocal on social media.
For the Rams, we’re already looking ahead to next year. Two or three injuries to key players can be managed, but the infirmary is already overflowing in Los Angeles after only two games.
The Steelers aren’t scoring points with their two new quarterbacks, but the team is winning. So everything is… for now.
The Bengals deserved better than this and the 0-2 record doesn’t indicate the talent on the roster. Don’t sleep on the Tigers.
Sam Darnold, now with the Vikings, must be laughing to himself thinking about the teams that have discarded him like an old handkerchief since the beginning of his career.
On that note, we prepare for the third week which begins this Thursday. Good football to all.
