Is the future looking bright in Cincinnati? Will Seattle lose a home game this season? Should RG3 be benched after just two weeks?
1. Fast, pretty, ineffective
We have seen a good dose of Chip Kelly’s offence in Philadelphia over the last two weeks.
They blew the barn doors off their hinges in Week 1 with a smoking start against Washington and had another strong outing in week two against San Diego. But they currently sit 1-1 and were well handled by Phillip Rivers.
While this is not a reason to sound alarms for the Eagles, it shows that even though this new offence will be fun to watch and wear down defences around the league, it is ultimately not as unstoppable as many predicted.
Keep in mind that if Washington recovered an onside kick in the dying seconds of Week 1, the Eagles could possibly be 0-2.
The problem lies with the defence. So far they have been like Swiss cheese, with quarterbacks able to look for the holes. The fast-paced offence will create many shootouts over the season, but eventually opposing defences will adjust and the Eagles defence will need to pick up the slack.
That will take some work.
2. Beware of Bengals
Cincinnati dominated Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football.
The difference wasn’t in the scoreline, which showed a mere 10-point advantage to the Bengals. The difference was in the hard-hitting defensive effort that smothered the Steelers for most of the night.
Make no mistake – this defence is not afraid of anyone. Led by Geno Atkins, their nasty front seven will make opposing quarterbacks jumpy in the pocket all season.
And now we have the beginnings of a new element to the Cincinnati offence thanks to Giovani Bernard. The diminutive running back showed his receiving skills with a 27-yard catch and run for a touchdown on Monday night.
Coach Lewis also showed he is not afraid of using Bernard near the goal-line after he punched through a seven-yard touchdown. While BenJarvus Green-Ellis still has the lead back role, Bernard is surely on a path to take that role from him.
The future looks bright in Cincinnati.
3. Patriots of old
Are we are seeing the Patriots of old?
No, not the record-breaking offence starring Randy Moss, Wes Welker and the long locks of Tom Brady. Go back a few more years.
The Patriots of the early 2000s were a defensive team, built to grind out wins with a supporting cast of home-brand wide receivers and a strong running game along for the ride.
This season, thanks to injuries and unprecedented turnaround in the receiving corps, we are seeing a poor imitation of the high scoring offence that we saw last year. So far it’s been atrocious, but all is not lost thanks to two strong performances from a young and improving defence.
On Thursday night, the Pats defence didn’t take victory – Geno Smith self-destructing in the fourth quarter gave it to them. But when the big plays were there to be made, the Patriot defence made them.
With a whole year to get the rookie receivers and tight ends up to speed, surely we will eventually see a happy medium in offensive output.
Until then, though, the tables have certainly turned in Foxborough.
4. 12th Man will not be beaten
Seattle has long boasted the most intimidating crowd in football. The 12th Man has certainly been able to influence games in recent years.
This year they will not witness a loss. The remaining home games will be played against the Jaguars, Titans, Buccaneers, Vikings, Saints, Cardinals and the Rams. Mark each of those games into the win column now.
The Seahawks boast the youngest, most-talented roster in the NFL. They didn’t just beat the 49ers on Sunday night; they beat them with swagger.
When your top cornerback is dancing with the cheerleaders during a football game then you know you’re having a good night.
They can run it, they can pass it, and they can certainly stop it. The defensive line is currently without it’s two top pass-rushing options from last year in Chris Clemons (11.5 sacks) and Bruce Irvin (8 sacks).
Did it seem like they were missing anything on Sunday night?
Oh, and wide receiver Percy Harvin will be ready by the time playoffs arrive. The bar has been set.
5. Washington state of mind
The fickle cries have begun for RG3 to be benched. After two weeks.
While two weeks is a long time in football, patience is still needed.
When you watch RG3 in the pocket, he looks nervous, rushed, and uncomfortable at the thought of running. This is completely understandable when you consider it’s only an eight-month recovery after serious knee surgery.
The Redskins are in a fortunate position with a promising back-up in Kirk Cousins. But RG3 needs game time, not practice time.
His knee is repaired, his ability is still there, but he needs to overcome the mental hurdles that he sees when he is in the pocket.
The only place he can do that is on the field.
Statistic of note
Eddie Royal currently has the most touchdowns in the league with five after Week 2. He scored a total of five touchdowns in the four previous seasons.
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