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Around the NFL: Week 2 best and worst

Roar Rookie
20th September, 2017
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(Jeffrey Beall / CC BY-SA 3.0)
Roar Rookie
20th September, 2017
7

With the second week of the NFL now complete, so let’s go through who continued their winning ways and who didn’t.

Best performance of the week
There were a number of great performances from week 2. Tom Brady bouncing back from the opening day loss to the Chiefs, throwing 30/39 for 447 yards and three touchdowns against Drew Brees and the Saints was great.

Denver’s 42-17 demolition of my Cowboys behind what is in my mind one of the best defences if not the best in the league, Trevor Siemian threw for 231 yards and four TD’s and one INT to complete the rout over Dallas.

Then there was the rematch of the NFC Championship last season with the Falcons playing their first game in their new stadium against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Matty Ice threw for 252 yards and a touchdown while Julio Jones had over 100 receiving yards in the 34-23 win. Derek Carr had a day out against the Jets going 23/28 for 230 yards and three TD’s in a 45-20 win.

(Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

For me the performance of the week goes to the Denver Broncos. In what some pundits called a potential Super Bowl preview, it was anything but.

Denver dominated from the opening play, stopping the run game and forcing Dak Prescott to beat them through the air which is not how they win games.

The Broncos defence was immense, completely shutting out the best back in the league, Zeke on just nine carries only managed a paltry eight yards for the entire game. As Ben McAdoo said, “all backs run the same when there’s no where to run”.

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With Denver stopping the Cowboys’ offense in its tracks with multiple three and outs, this forced the vulnerable defence out of the field and Trevor Siemian and Co took full advantage as they shredded Dallas on numerous occasions.

Emmanuel Sanders had 62 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while Demaryius Thomas had six catches also, for 71 yards as they toyed with the Cowboys. Running back C.J Anderson also had a day on the ground rushing for 118 yards on 25 attempts and a touchdown to go with it.

The Cowboys offense ceased to function as it normally does, with no running game from Zeke, that forced Dak Prescott to make throws that he simply didn’t make. For the first time in his NFL career he had 50 pass attempts for 238 yards with two TD’s but two INT’s, one of which was a 103 yard pick six from Aqib Talib.

In a match many thought would be close Denver outplayed Dallas in an outstanding performance at Mile High to signal their Super Bowl intentions to the rest of the league.

An honourable mention goes to Tom Brady who bounced back superbly from his opening day disaster to throw for over 400 yards and three TDs in a win over the Saints.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady

(Jeffrey Beall / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Worst performance of the week
It has to be the Dallas Cowboys. Putting it simply, the Cowboys were taught a lesson on Sunday at Mile High. On both sides of the ball Dallas were horrible, I have heard some pundits say that emotionally and physically the Cowboys weren’t up for this game because of how much playing the Giants meant to them, to finally get the monkey off the back from last year. To go from such a high from winning that game, many were worried about a big low that can sometimes follow.

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For me that is just making excuses for what Dallas put out on the field at Denver. As a massive Dallas fan, you simply can’t be making these excuses as for why they played the way they did. Zeke only rushed for eight yards for the game(yes you read that right) with Denver putting eight in the box to clog up running lanes for the star back.

This in turn forced Dak to beat the Broncos with his arm and he didn’t make the plays he needed to. Prescott threw for 238 yards from a huge 50 attempts which shows how much Dallas rely on the run game.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) and Tony Romo (9) warm up

Dak Prescott (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)

Denver dominated time in possession 33 minutes to 26 and with the kind of defence the Cowboys have with a lot of rookies and new faces they simply cannot be on the field for that long.

Third down efficiency was a big problem for Dallas. Only getting three of 14 at 21 per cent success rate, compare that to Denver who went 9/15 at 60 per cent.

The Broncos kept the chains moving and the Dallas defence couldn’t stop them, Sean Lee tried his best to stem the tide with eight tackles and one assisted tackle but it was all for naught.

The Broncos deserved their big win, now they move to 2-0 while Dallas headed home with their tails between their legs and go to 1-1 on the season.

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Bring on week 3 of the NFL season and many more highlights to come, oh and a Cowboys win too.

Week 2 results
Texans def Bengals 13-9
Ravens def Browns 24-10
Buccs def Bears 29-7
Steelers def Vikings 26-9
Patriots def Saints 36-20
Chiefs def Eagles 27-20
Titans def Jaguars 37-16
Cardinals def Colts 16-13 OT
Panthers def Bills 9-3
Raiders def Jets 45-20
Dolphins def Chargers 19-17
Seahawks def 49er’s 12-9
Redskins def Rams 27-20
Broncos def Cowboys 42-17
Falcons def Packers 34-23
Lions def Giants 24-10

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