Two weeks into the NFL season and as expected, we don’t know much yet. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams look good in the NFC. The AFC has two undefeated teams remaining. Both are from the AFC West and are not the Kansas City Chiefs. This week mostly brought some eye catching individual performances, many of which were from the quarterback position.
Taylor Heinicke, NFL Starting Quarterback
Ryan Fitzpatrick getting injured in the opening weekend was one of the most upsetting storylines from Week One. The opportunity to see The Beard sling it for a team that went to the playoffs last year and looked to be a favorite for the NFC East crown is something that I think most NFL fans were going to enjoy.
Now fans get to pull for another underdog in Heinicke. Heinicke has bounced around between Minnesota, New England, Houston, Carolina, and probably would’ve been in the XFL if not for the COVID-19 pandemic. Last season, he finally received a big opportunity to play in Washington’s Wild Card game against eventual champion Tampa Bay. After a gutsy performance and losing by only eight points, Heinicke saw Washington sign Fitzpatrick as a free agent which returned him to the back up role.
After Fitzpatrick’s hip injury in Week One, Heinicke played great in his first game since the playoff game last season. Throwing for 336 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while beating the division rival Giants in a fun Thursday Night Football game, Heinicke now finds himself in a position to truly lead a team with a promising young roster. If Heinicke can play well enough, he may not relinquish the starting job back to Fitzpatrick so easily.
Wilson’s Woes
And there’s your first rookie quarterback disaster game of the season. Of course it would happen to be played by Zach Wilson, quarterback of the New York Jets. Let’s be clear, this doesn’t mean Wilson will be a terrible quarterback. All it shows is that Bill Belichick got the best of him for one week, something that many quarterbacks can say that are not playing their second career game. That being said, many poor Jets fans will now have the seed of doubt planted as to whether Wilson is going to be the franchise guy far earlier than they would’ve expected.
Here’s a little therapy session: Don’t worry, Jets Fans. One Week Two game does not make an awful career. Rest assured, with several rookie quarterbacks in the league this year there will certainly be more awful games to go around, probably even for your young quarterback. It’s been a rough several years. You have a young guy with plenty of talent who just got his mind fucked with by the greatest coach of all time, someone who has been kicking your team’s ass for years. Don’t let this one game cause you to go full “Michael Douglas Falling Down”. Enjoy the ride.
Sam Darnold Resurgence
I hate to now throw gasoline on a fire I just attempted to simmer down so stop reading Jets fans…Sam Darnold looks good in Carolina. Usually the change of scenery thing is a little overvalued, but it is interesting to see Darnold play with any form of talent. To go from playing with Jamison Crowder, Breshad Perriman, and an 83 year old Frank Gore to now having weapons of Robby Anderson, DJ Moore, and Swiss army knife Christian McCaffrey is an obvious increase in riches.
After a Week One decimation of Green Bay, I think many, including myself, expected New Orleans to be able to handle Carolina just fine. Darnold came out and nipped that in the butt by leading Carolina on a three minute opening drive that ended with a nice 20 yard touchdown pass to Brandon Zylstra on a second read. Darnold finished the day with 305 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 1 interception on the way to a 26-7 victory. I’m not buying Sam Darnold stock yet, but that ticket is getting more expensive after two weeks.
Raiders Rollin’
Does Jon Gruden finally have a playoff team in his return to the Raiders franchise? In his defense, his team’s record has improved each year and jumped one place in the AFC West standings since his return in 2018. I wouldn’t count on Vegas taking the crown from Kansas City, but they look like a legitimate football team right now.
The Raiders followed up last Monday’s thrilling overtime win against the Ravens with a bullying 26-17 win over Pittsburgh, another AFC North team. Derek Carr is absolutely slinging it, leading the league in passing yards with 817 yards. It’s especially impressive considering he did it again two teams who most believe are some of the best defensive groups in the NFL. With a game at home against a potentially Tua-less Miami team next week, Chucky and the Raiders could find themselves still undefeated after Week Three.
Vikings Torture Chamber
The Minnesota Vikings continue to rip their fans out in the most grueling ways. A missed 37 yard field goal to lose the game is not the most original, but it’s still classic Vikings. The Vikings have had plenty of bad to start their season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, but this game was especially painful as it wasted an outstanding offensive performance from Kirk Cousins, something that isn’t always a guarantee. They put themselves in a position to defeat a good Arizona team, but now find themselves in a 0-2 hole.
Mike Zimmer is going to have to figure out how to improve a defense that has given up an average of 420 yards and 30 points after the first two games soon or he may soon be at risk to lose his job. Getting Bashaud Breeland off the field may be a good place to start.
A TITAN-ic Day
Being down by 15 to Seattle at halftime on the road may seem like climbing Mt. Olympus to most teams, but most teams don’t have Derrick Henry. Henry continues to dominate the NFL as one of the most physical runners in the league. He finished with 182 yards rushing and three touchdowns, all of which came in the second half. Henry’s second touchdown, which was a 60 yard burst down the left sideline, was especially important as it came less than a minute after what appeared to be a backbreaking 68 yard Seattle touchdown by Fred Swain. Henry would score once more with 29 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime. Randy Bullock won the game for Tennessee on a 36 yard field goal.
With the Julio Jones addition to the Titans offense, Derrick Henry should continue to see holes for what could be a dynamic offense. This also quickly puts the immediate concern from their Week One smoking by Arizona to bed. The Titans should feel good heading home to play division rival Indianapolis in Week Three.
Lamar, Take the Wheel
Lamar Jackson finally gets his first win over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Following a disappointing loss to Las Vegas, this win seems to hold even more weight as it prevented an 0-2 start to the season. He earned every inch of the victory, including gaining a first down on 4th and 1 with one minute left in the game from Baltimore’s own 43 yard line, which clinched the win.
Lamar finished with 239 passing yards, 107 rushing yards, three touchdowns (one passing/two rushing), and two interceptions. Jackson continues to fill the stat line like Jason Kidd for the New Jersey Nets. Jackson is not an elite passer, but good enough to combo with his elite speed and elusiveness that it allows him adjust to just about any defense like he’s Mystique in an X-Men comic.
With Baltimore’s running back room taking an injury hit before the start of the season, Lamar will likely be called on to carry the offense even more than in the past. If Baltimore is a contender this year, it likely means Lamar is once again playing at his 2019 MVP level.
Week Three in the NFL will bring some interesting matchups. Washington at Buffalo could be sneaky good.Tennessee has a chance to put Indy to 0-3. The Bucs and Rams may show us who the top of NFC is right now. Green Bay at San Francisco could also make for a great Sunday Night matchup. I’m one more Vikings collapse from the grave, but if I survive I’ll see you next week.