Ty's NFL Quick Hits: Week 2
Week 2 of the NFL is just about in the books, the Bears and Seahawks play tonight, and I'm here with my quick hits from all the games yesterday. Lets get into it.
We had 8 games that kicked off art noon. There were some solid matchups there, and not so solid matchups. The Bills are clearly the worst team in the NFL. I mean, Vontae Davis, a corner on the team, retired at halftime, with the Bills down 22 points. Josh Allen had a big throw, and scrambled a bit, but other than that, he was pretty dreadful. He also didn't get much help from his line or run game. The Chargers were in complete control of that game from the get go. Melvin Gordon looked otherworldly, but so did Joe Flacco a week ago against the Bills. The Chargers dominated them, but so did the Ravens, so I do not know what to think about the Chargers.
Speaking of the Ravens, they got beat pretty easily when they played the Bengals on Thursday night. Joe Flacco was thrust back to Earth, and the Ravens run game was blah. The Bengals actually look a lot better than I thought they'd be. Andy Dalton is hitting AJ Green, the run game is working and the defense, while still incredibly dirty, is playing at a very high level. I do not know is Bengals fans like this, but enjoy it while you can. I feel like they will be crashing back down to Earth pretty soon.
The Chiefs have seemed to have found their QB of the future. Patrick Mahomes is on fire. He looks like the real deal. He has a laser arm and hits the open receiver every single time. They can also run the ball with Kareem Hunt. They do not play defense, which may come back to bite them, but for right now, their offense looks legit. Their opponent, the Steelers, look like they may be in trouble. They are horrible on defense. They were down 21 in the first quarter. They made a comeback in the second quarter, but they clearly miss LeVeon Bell. James Connor has done okay in his stead, but they need Bell. Also, Antonio Brown has not been the threat that I thought he was going to be so far. The Steelers need to sign Bell and fix their defense, or this could be a very, very long season.
Now lets get to the team that the Steelers tied in week one, the Browns. They had every single chance to beat the Saints in New Orleans. They had a 10 point lead late in the third, they were keeping Drew Brees in check, they slowed the game down to a snails pace, it was all there for them. Then their kicker happened. This poor dude missed 2 extra points and three field goals. I mean, the Browns offense could have done more, but still, if this kid made one of those extra points and one of those field goals, they would have had a legit win. But, they are the Browns, and they blew it.
The Dolphins might have us all wrong. Every writer, myself included, thought they might be the worst team in the NFL. Well, they are now 2-0 with a legit defense and an offense that looks like they can sustain drives. Maybe the Dolphins aren't so bad, and maybe the Jets are not the team we saw in week one.
Also, the Buccaneers, and mainly Ryan Fitzpatrick, are proving us all wrong too. This dude is playing on a whole other level. Next to Mahomes, he is the hottest QB in football right now. He is going to get paid. He shredded the Eagles stout defense. Also, what in the hell is wrong with the Eagles? Nick Foles looks to be a clear flash in the pan, and the defense looks like they did in the Super Bowl. Luckily for them, Carson Wentz is set to return next week. But damn, the Buccaneers might be legit.
The Falcons and Panthers played one of the most boring one score games I saw yesterday. Yes it was close and yes Matt Ryan and Cam Newton had their moments, but it just looked and felt like ugly football to me. The Falcons won, and it's clear that Newton needs help, but this game was not nearly as fun as I thought it would be.
The Texans are in trouble. Deshaun Watson doesn't look the same. Deandre Hopkins cannot get a call. Their run game is rough. The coaching is horrendous. I mean, how do you let a Titans team being QB'ed by Blaine Gabbart win a game? That was insane and wild to me. Watson did look better than in week one, but man oh man do the Texans look like they are in trouble. And good for the Titans. They won with a horrible QB, took a big risk on a punt fake and won the game on a field goal. Good for them.
The marquee matchup was the Packers-Vikings. This game was good. The Packers looked in control, but the Vikings kept fighting back. Aaron Rodgers looked okay on one leg. Kirk Cousins had an incredible second half. Both defenses played fairly well. Then the refs and the kickers got in the way. First off, that roughing the passer call on Clay Matthews was a joke. Even lifelong Vikings fans that I know said as much. I mean, what else is Matthews supposed to do? That was, in no possible way, roughing. It turned the game around. And then, Mason Crosby, who kicked pretty well, missed a 50 yarder in regulation to win. Then the Vikings kicker one upped him three times. Daniel Carlson may need to find a new team. He shanked a 35 yarded that would have won the game. He also missed two 45 plus yard field goals in regulation. It was a tough, tough game. And, of course, because the NFL's overtime rules are so lame, the game ended in a tie. That is so ridiculous. Football games should never, ever end in ties. Both teams looked dumbfounded. It was such a hollow ending to a pretty solid game. The NFL needs to change some things up.
As far as the late afternoon and night games, the best one was the Jags and Patriots. The Lions got beat by the 49ers. And while that game was close, the Lions look really bad once again. I think Matt Patricia is a terrible head coach. And the 49ers took control of all of that. The Rams throttled the Cardinals. The Rams look like legit Super Bowl contenders, and the Cardinals have a ton of problems. First and foremost, Sam Bradford. I think yesterday was a loud call to let Josh Rosen take over. And the Raiders-Broncos game was a test of futility. Both those teams stink.
Now for my predicted Super Bowl Champs. The Jags look like they may be taking over for the Patriots as the best team in the AFC. They looked faster, they are younger, they won with a backup running back, Blake Bortles looked like a top 5 QB, the defense thwarted anything the Patriots tried. The Jags are good, and I hope this game makes people take notice. Yes, it was in Jacksonville, but they dominated that game from start to finish. They look like the real deal. Blake Bortles may never play that well again, but that defense will play like that all year. They are great.
As far as the night game, the Cowboys and Giants, I did not watch a second of it. Both of those teams are meaningless to me, and the NFL I'm pretty sure. Sure the Cowboys won, and the Giants looked pretty bad, but wasn't that expected? I mean, the Cowboys have 6 or 7 wins written all over them, and the Giants look like one of the worst teams in the NFL. Everything I read about that game last night did not change my mind.
There you have it, my week 2 takes. The biggest takeaways I have, the Packers got screwed, the Rams are as potent an offense as there is in the NFL and the Jags are the real deal.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Another damn tie has Ty tied up in emotional knots. Even the head editor (a Vikings fan) knows that Green Bay got screwed. Maybe with the refs on their side, this is Minnesota’s year.
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