From heart-breaking losses for Baltimore and Kansas City to collarbone-breaking victories for Dallas, it was a chaotic Week 2 of the NFL that is set to have Texas-sized repercussions on the rest of the season.
Here are five of the key takeaways from the week’s action.
1. The NFC East is a shambles
At what stage do we have to start wondering if God just dislikes men named Romo? Between the injuries (the latest set to rule him out for two months) and the comical recurring heartbreak in the playoffs, the Cowboys’ quarterback can’t ever seem to catch a break (unless of course it’s in his collarbone).
Through two weeks Dallas has clearly been the best team in the NFC East, but without their star signal caller, superstar wide-out Dez Bryant and the already departed DeMarco Murray, the ‘Boys are missing their three best players from last season. With games to come over the next five weeks against a resurgent Atlanta, New England and Seattle (plus away fixtures against New Orleans and the Giants), they’re in serious trouble.
Which leaves the division wide open for… who, exactly? The Eagles are a train-wreck. Chip Kelly’s bold off-season moves looked terrible at the time and are looking even worse through two weeks. The Giants are becoming artists of unnecessary misery.
Perhaps the… No. I can’t buy into Kirk Cousins and Washington. You can, I won’t. I’d rather take my chances with Brandon Weeden, and that says it all about the state of the NFC East.
2. The Patriots’ title defence starts strong, but the Jets have a pretty good defence too
As a society we need to make a pact never to buy into the Bills, Dolphins or Rams until they actually take the field in a playoff game. Every year those three teams are the trendy picks to make the playoffs and every time something good happens to them (all winning in Week 1), they crash down to Earth straight away like a blazing meteor of mediocrity.
Two of those teams play in the AFC East, which is still clearly the Patriots’ division (as it effectively has been for the past 15 years).
Spare a thought for the Jets though. As Jon Gruden boldly asserted yesterday, the Jets could finish the year with the best defence in football. With a star-studded defensive line and secondary, they may well do that, but they’ll still be left staring up at New England regardless.
Unfortunately Darrelle Revis can’t play quarterback. Tom Brady can, and he and the Patriots have been masterful in the league’s opening fortnight, serving up two vintage ‘who’s your Daddy?’ performances to rivals Pittsburgh and Buffalo. After two weeks, the Pats are the class of the NFL, and given the nonsense that transpired over the off-season, it’s hard not to feel good for them. And the Patriots being a feel-good story is a bigger upset than Oakland beating Baltimore.
3. Peyton Manning lives… Just
During the third quarter of Thursday night’s Denver vs Kansas City clash, Peyton Manning’s obituary wasn’t just written – it was signed, posted and printed to his forehead. Then, with a little help from the eternally clueless Andy Reid (he’s a good coach in a vacuum but his catastrophes of game management could fill volumes), Manning returned to life.
Aided by a brilliant Demaryius Thomas, the final game-tying drive was vintage #18 – an old-school melange of perfect reads and impeccably weighted passes.
There’s still cause for real concern though, because for most of the night Manning’s accuracy was abysmal (he had just one interception but really could have had four) and his deep balls sailed dispassionately.
But his final quarter was significant and with this lights-out Denver defence, the Broncos are still a contender.
4. Karma Police, arrest these Colts
After Week 2 there is no bigger disappointment than Indianapolis. Perhaps it’s karma for their role in ‘Deflategate’, but more likely it’s because they’re just not as good as we thought they were.
Whatever the reasons, the trendy pre-season Super Bowl pick has been deplorable through two weeks. ‘Star’ recruits Frank Gore and Andre Johnson, 32 and 34, are looking their ages. The defence has been unimpressive and Andrew Luck has five interceptions through two weeks, which was the one part of his game he was supposed to fix.
It’s hard to shake the feeling that the Colts might be the Saints of last year. Of course, given their putrid division, they could still probably make the playoffs at 6-10. At the same time, you never should have shaved your neck beard, Andrew.
5. There are a lot of talented teams still winless
In addition to the woeful Colts, Seattle, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit, New Orleans, Houston, Chicago and the Giants all would have had genuine designs on making the playoffs before the season started. Through two weeks, those nine teams combined have one fewer win than the Oakland Raiders. Most of these teams won’t bounce back.
The Bears, Texans and Giants have deep-seeded flaws that likely aren’t going to get better. The Lions haven’t been able to compensate for the personnel they lost in the offseason and the Eagles haven’t been able to incorporate the personnel they gained. The Saints might be the worst team in football.
Baltimore and Seattle are probably the two teams in this group to be most optimistic about – both are yet to lose at home and their schedules lighten significantly over the next two months. One, two or even three of the winless teams will rise from the ashes of 0-2 to make the playoffs.
The Seahawks, Colts and Ravens are probably the best bets, but after two weeks you can’t rule anyone out. Well, anyone who isn’t starting Jimmy Clausen at quarterback.
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