Tuesday, September 17, 2013

NFL Week 2 Tuesday Whip-around: Key Takeaways from Every Game

Patriots 13, Jets 10
11.      Tom Brady needs some of his targets to heal fast, like Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola, because without them his receivers gave him no help
22.      Geno Smith has time to grow since Mark Sanchez is out for at least half the season, but throwing three interceptions in the 4th quarter of a close game does not show he’s NFL-ready
33.   While both offenses were hopelessly  inept most of the day, both of these defenses looked very solid (surprising coming from teams coached by Rex Ryan and Bill Bilichick)

Falcons 31, Rams 24
11.       The Matt Ryan-Julio Jones combination was absolutely unstoppable, completely making up for the Falcon’s lack of a running game (36 yards rushing total)
22.       A week after having a monster game, tight end Jared Cook disappeared from the Rams’ offense, catching one pass on ten targets for ten yards.
33.       Rookie first round pick Tavon Austin made his mark on Sunday, catching two touchdown passes and helping lead an almost Rams comeback

Ravens 14, Browns 6
11.       The Ravens defense looked much improved after getting crushed by Peyton Manning week one, sacking Brandon Weeden five times
22.       On that note, both offensive lines need work, as while Weeden was hit frequently, the Ravens failed to get their ground game going for the second week in a row despite having two very talented running backs
33.       Big injury questions emerged from this game, as quarterback Brandon Weeden was taken to the locker room and could not complete the game, and Ravens running back Ray Rice left as well with a hip injury

Bills 24, Panthers 23
11.       EJ Manuel led an excellent comeback drive at the end of the game, finding Stevie Johnson in the end zone to secure his first win in the NFL. Watching Manuel hug his dad in the stands after the game was powerful stuff.
22.       After his team has blown two 4th quarter leads in two games, Ron Rivera has already put himself on the hot seat after week two. Rivera might not last long at this rate.
33.       Mario Williams finally started living up to the monster contract the Bills signed him to, recording four and a half sacks on Cam Newton on the day

Packers 38, Redskins 20
11.       To say that quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a great day would be an extreme understatement, he showed once again why he has to be considered the best quarterback in the league right now
22.       Packers’ running back James Stark rushing for over 100 yards on the day, becoming the first Packer to accomplish that feat in 45 games
33.       For the second straight week, RGIII just did not look like himself, and Washington did not score in the first half again. RGIII still has work to do to get his confidence back in the pocket and as a runner, so Redskins fans may have to endure another few tough weeks while he gets back up to speed
4.       This Redskin defense looks a lot worse than previously thought, as they have absolutely been torched by high octane offenses through the first two games

Texans 30, Titans 24
11.       Deandre Hopkins has officially arrived folks, totaling over 100 yards receiving on the day and catching the game winning touchdown.
22.       Texans’ kicker Randy Bullock is 1-5 on field goal attempts this year, including missing what could have been a game winner Sunday. The Texans are probably giving him one more week to shape up before bringing in some competition
33.       The Titans, a team that received little attention during the offseason, played tough for the second game in a row, and almost secured an upset Sunday. This defense has been absolutely nasty, which is a real encouraging sign

Dolphins 24, Colts 20
11.       After a very quiet Miami debut, Mike Wallace was able to come alive to the tune of nine catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, showing he does indeed have chemistry with his new quarterback
22.       This was a big statement by Ryan Tannehill, outdueling the man drafted in front of him while throwing for over 300 yards. Tannehill was mostly the forgotten man in his draft class last year, but his play, despite a leaky offensive line, has been outstanding
33.       The Colts uncharacteristically failed to lead a comeback drive at the end of the game, as the Dolphin defense buckled down and prevented Luck from scoring on his last possessions by intercepting a questionable pass and sacking him on fourth down

Chiefs 17, Cowboys 16
11.       Alex Smith showed off his athleticism on the way to his second straight victory, leading his team in rushing with 57 yards
22.       Dez Bryant made his presence known in the first quarter after largely being a non-factor opening night against the Giatns. Bryant had good stats on the day, nine catches for 141 yards, but he made a crucial fourth quarter drop that robbed the Cowboys of a comeback opportunity
33.       Tony Romo still has plenty to prove when in the clutch, as does this entire Cowboy team as they were very ineffective when it mattered most, failing to score and then allowing Kansas City to run the clock down

Chargers 33, Eagles 30
11.       Is the old Philip Rivers back? Through two games Rivers has thrown for seven touchdowns and only one interception, despite an extremely thin group of wide receivers (Malcolm Floyd left this contest early)
22.       Michael Vick showed he was in pain for the second game in a row, even having to leave the field for a few plays. That’s not a good sign for the viability of Chip Kelly’s up-tempo offense
33.       The Chargers had a running game, mainly from Ryan Matthews, that was mostly absent last season. By being effective running the ball the Chargers were able to play ball control and keep the ball out of the hands of the Eagles’ offense, which was key to their success

Cardinals 25, Lions 21
11.       Bruce Arians was serious about using cornerback Patrick Peterson on offense, as Peterson both threw and caught a pass against Detroit
22.       Reggie Bush suffered a knee injury and the Lions’ offense was not the same after he left, scoring 0 points in the final 30 minutes
33.       The Honey Badger made a play for the second game in a row, this time making a game sealing tackle on fourth down at the end of the fourth quarter

Saints 16, Buccaneers 14
11.       The Buccaneers lose their second straight game due to mistakes, this time a missed field goal that allowed the Saints to mount a comeback, and a penalty that wiped out a 73 yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson
22.       Drew Brees took on the moniker of his division rival as “Breezy Ice” when he easily took the Saints down the field in minimal time to set up the game winning field goal
33.       The dysfunction is starting to ramp up in Tampa Bay, the team has been penalized for over 100 yards twice now and rifts are being reported between head coach Greg Schiano and quarterback Josh Freeman and star cornerback Darrelle Revis

Broncos 41, Giants 23
11.       Peyton’s offense looks like it needs time to warm up, but it explodes in the second halves of games, as the Broncos have scored 66 points in the third and fourth quarters through two games
22.       The Giants’ running game is absolutely a mess, as they gained merely 23 yards on a grand total of 19 rushing attempts
33.       Eli Manning is now leading the league in interceptions with seven already on the season, which is mainly due to Eli forcing some throws that he wouldn’t normally make because he knows the offense is completely dependent on him right now

Raiders 19, Jaguars 9
11.       The Jaguars scored their first touchdown of the season late in the 4th quarter of their second game…yikes
22.       Chad Henne performed much better statistically than last week’s starter Blaine Gabbert, but he still failed to move this offense most of the game against a not exactly stellar defense
33.       Darren McFadden looked great in this game with 129 rushing yards, enjoying the holes created  by playing with running quarterback Terrelle Pryor

Seahawks 29, 49ers 3
11.       The Seattle defense was completely suffocating in this game. Blame Colin Kaepernick all you want folks, there was simply nowhere for him to go with the football at any point during this game, that’s how good the defense was
22.       The 12th man was in full effect Sunday, with Seattle’s home crowd setting a new noise record for an NFL stadium, and possibly causing a blocked punt on their own team
33.       The 49ers’ run game has been ineffective at best, even though they would prefer to have it be the highlight of their offense. Frank Gore has 30 attempts for only 60 yards on the year, and the 49ers’ vaunted offensive line has not been giving him room to run so far

Bengals 20, Steelers 10
11.       The Bengals’ new offensive weapons played great in this game, with rookie running back Giovanni Bernard scoring both a rushing and receiving touchdown, and rookie tight end Tyler Eifert catching a 61 yard deep ball from Andy Dalton
22.       Dalton needs to perform better to take advantage of all the talent around him, as he was off target on several throws and still hasn’t brought out this offense’s full potential
33.       Todd Haley was questionable at best calling offensive plays for the Steelers Monday night, he never got Ben Roesthlisberger comfortable and made weird calls in crucial situations (like running up the middle on 3rd and nine)


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