The score was 35-35 in the fourth quarter when Tua Tagovailoa made a dime. There is a time and a place. We had an epic fourth-quarter comeback in the second week of the NFL season. Tua Tagovailoa had six passing touchdown and led the Miami Dolphins back from three scores down against the Baltimore Ravens. The rivalry between the two teams got physical. Both Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore were thrown out of the game after a fight broke out. In the fourth quarter, Tom Brady and the defense came to the rescue. After Week 1 losses, the New York Jets and New EnglandPatriots won on the road. The New York Giants are 2-0. Our reporters look ahead to what's next after this week's game, as they react to the biggest revelations. It's time to get to it. Jump to a matchup:
LAC-KC | NYJ-CLE | WSH-DET | TB-NO
CAR-NYG | NE-PIT | IND-JAX | MIA-BAL
The quarterback played well. Misdirection and creative playcalling confuse the defenses. The receiver is trying to get the ball in position to make a play. The offense was on point against the Colts. It didn't show up in Week 1 when the Jags spent a lot of money on Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. TheJaguars have the potential to be a tough team to defend if they can consistently execute.
Is Sacksonville still going strong? Slow down a little. It was the best defense of the year. The pressure on quarterback Matt Ryan resulted in five sacks for the Jags against the Colts. The Jags had a big lead in the second half, but the pressure has been consistent through the first two weeks, and the defense has created six turnovers. Last season, it had nine.
The next game is at San Diego on Sunday. The time has not yet been determined.
It is one thing for the Colts to open the season with a tie in Houston. It's one thing for Indianapolis to fall on its face against the team that denied it a spot in the playoffs. The Colts' 0-1-1 record isn't the most alarming because they are notoriously slow to start. The team seems to be in disarray with even itsvaunted offensive line performing at an abysmal level and veteran quarterback Matt Ryan seemingly powerless to stem the tide of sloppiness and listlessness. The rest of the season is likely to be a referendum on Jim Irsay's demands for improvement.
The Colts have a slow start. The lack of intensity from the Colts in their first two games has caused some questions about coaching. The under performance of players who have done well in the past does not reflect well on Frank Reich and his staff. The lack of execution is offensive. The defense has not been up to par. The Colts allowed easy completions all day.
The next game is against the Kansas City Chiefs. The time has not yet been determined.
It wasn't pretty, but the Pats needed a victory. They will get more time to figure it out. The difference in the game was a 44-yard touchdown bomb to Nelson Agholor at the end of the second quarter, as well as a punt return for a score by Gunner Olsewski. Mac Jones was living dangerously at times, as he hasn't gained the same level of comfort that he had for stretches of his career.
How realistic is it for the offense to become a unit that can keep up with the best? The way the Pats are playing offense makes it difficult to imagine them being a contender. It's a struggle. The players know they need to be better in the weeks to come, and they've preached patience from the start. Those big- picture thoughts can be put on hold. After Week 2, no team is done. The way the Pats finished the game was a potential identity-building drive. It was jammed down the throats of the players.
The next game is against the Ravens. The time has not yet been determined.
For the second week in a row, the PittsburghSteelers' conservative offensive plan held them back, and this time, a short-handed defense couldn't save them in a 17-14 loss to the New EnglandPatriots. The crowd at Acrisure Stadium grew restless with the checkdown and short passes of Trubisky, who completed 21 of 33 attempts for 168 yards. The crowd chanted "KEN-NY," calling for the first-round draft pick to take over at quarterback. Trubisky averaged 5.1 yards per attempt. The run game got going behind a better day from Najee Harris, but the team still gained only 91 yards on the ground. When the offense went no-huddle in the third quarter, it scored on the first play of the fourth. The PittsburghSteelers said they needed to play with a "killer instinct" in Week 2 and for most of the day they played with nothing but that.
Can T.J. Watt be replaced by someone else? There is not much to say about this question. TheSteelers did everything they could to bring pressure on Jones, but they didn't record a single sack while Watt was watching from the sideline. The Reed-Highsmith tandem just didn't generate the same pressure as the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year brought in their Week 1 overtime win. Jones, who completed 21 of 35 attempts, averaged 7.2 yards per attempt and rarely had to rush his throws. TheSteelers had zero sacks in both of their losses. Watt didn't play in the 14th week. Watt will be out of action for at least three more games and will be out at the end of October.
The next game is at the Cleveland Indians. The time has not yet been determined.
The Giants' defense played well in the first two games of the season. In this case, the person is the coordinating person. Without his top two edge rushers, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, and with Leonard Williams leaving the game in the third quarter, he was able to do it. With his relentless and aggressive approach, Martindale has been the Giants' best acquisition of the year so far. With enough pressure and three-safety looks most of Sunday, Martindale made Carolina quarterback Baker Mayfield look like Ryan Tannehill. The Giants have allowed less than 20 points in each of the last two weeks. The sacks in the second half came from two unknowns. In his first year with the Giants, Martindale is doing a great job.
Is it necessary to change expectations? The Giants are 2-0 for the first time in two years. They got their second win in the 10th week of last season. There is reason to be happy. The Giants are the only team in the division that has yet to lose a game. Next up is a home game against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, followed by a road game against the Bears the following week. It's possible that a winning season or the playoffs isn't out of the question under new coach Brian Daboll.
The next game is against the Cowboys. The time has not yet been determined.
Baker Mayfield was traded for the purpose of bringing more explosion to the offense. The panthers have had a few big plays but not much else. Against the Giants, the defense played well. The offense has been average and has kept the games close. A lot of that has to do with mediocre performances by the quarterback. He didn't make him look like a long-term solution by cutting down on the batting passes.
The kitchen of coach Matt Rhule is hot. It's heating up quickly. The roster is deeper and better than a year ago, but the team has lost nine in a row, the most in the league. David Tepper won't make any rash decisions this early in the season, but the fan base that already was restless could get brutal. The team isn't good enough to win consistently and that's down to the head coach.
The next game is against the Saints. The time has not yet been determined.
The Jets pulled off a miracle comeback, only days after their coach was roasted for an ill-advised remark. When the Jets flip the season, he promised toshove it down their throat. The Jets came back from a 13 point deficit in the last two minutes. The Jets were out of it by the time they scored two touchdown passes. This was a huge victory for the man who made the comments. The players said they were behind him.
Is the backup quarterback controversy over after Joe Flacco's performance? I agree. Flacco won his first start of the year after throwing four touchdown passes in the final minutes. With fans yelling for Mike White, Saleh stuck with Flacco and it paid off. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback quieted the chatter by turning to the clock. It's only a one-game assignment, though, as Wilson is close to a return.
The next game is against theBengals on Sunday. The time has not yet been determined.
The game was out of reach for the Browns when they suffered a collapse. Cleveland was doomed by turnovers all game and special teams mistakes in the fourth quarter as they lost the game.
Can the defensive errors be cleaned up by the team? The Jets were able to hang around all game and then gave up two late touchdown to lose the game. Too many times, Flacco threw to wide-open pass-catchings. The team has the ability to make a great defense. Mistakes and miscommunications are keeping them from showing their full potential.
The next game is against theSteelers. The time has not yet been determined.
The Jets scored a 15-yard touchdown on the last play of the game to beat the Cleveland Indians.
Tua Tagovailoa can carry the offense with some fine tuning. Trailing by three scores at halftime, Miami put the ball in his hands and he delivered to the tune of 469 passing yards and six touchdown, eventually completing the comeback with a game winning touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins appear to be able to compete in a shootout under first-year coach Mike McDaniel. Tagovailoa's two picks hurt, but he made good decisions with the ball and his pocket. This was the biggest statement game of his career and there are many who may need to change their assessments.
Can the Dolphins beat the Bills? That was enjoyable to watch, but now the bully is back. The Dolphins have lost seven of their past eight games to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, and they play host to the two-time reigningAFC East champion in Week 3. The Super Bowl favorites could be put on notice with a victory by Miami.
The next game is against the Bills. The time has not yet been determined.
Big plays are back for the Ravens. In the same game, Lamar Jackson produced a touchdown pass and run of at least 75 yards. Two plays of at least 70 yards have been done by the Baltimore offense in the last two years. In training camp, the Ravens made downfield passing a point of emphasis. Jackson has connected with a wide receiver on two occasions this season.
The defense of the Ravens disappeared. The Ravens blew a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter because of a banged-up defense. The Ravens gave up four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter with a secondary missing its top player for the last two series. Jaylen Waddle caught the winning pass over Jalyn Armour-Davis, who was pressed into action because of the injuries.
The next game is at New England on Sunday. The time has not yet been determined.
Tom Brady and the Bucs once again struggled to put points on the board without their top two wide receivers and their starting left tackle. There were no rushing lanes for Leonard Fournette to use last week. Brady threw a tablet in the third quarter for the second time this season against the Saints. Both Mike Evans and Marshon Lattimore were thrown out of the game in the fourth quarter. The defense forced a total of five turnovers, three of which were turnovers. The return for a touchdown was made by MikeEdwards.
How long can the team keep getting injured? It's difficult to say, with the injuries being so unpredictable. It's not clear how effective Smith can be with his elbow injury. He went to New Orleans and it was encouraging. Losing Wells and entering a Week 3 home opener against the Green Bay Packers with a third-string left tackle hurts as well as the possibility of a suspension for Evans. Through the first two weeks of the season, the defense has given up 13 points. Todd Bowles was elevated into a head coaching role due to his defense.
The next game is against the Packers. The time has not yet been determined.
It's not necessary to worry about the Saints' defense after they stifled Tom Brady for three and a half quarters. The defense only got worse after Marshon Lattimore was ejected for fighting with Mike Evans. After a very concerning performance, the offense is a different story. After a slow start against the Falcons, the offense was expected to take a step forward, but quarterback JameisWinston's back injury complicates things.
Should the Saints be worried about Jameis? It's not a big deal for the starting quarterback if he's dealing with a lot of back problems. The Saints' offense was disappointing for most of the game, and it's fair to be concerned about Jameis, who looked hesitant at times when trying to run the ball, overthrew several deep passes and fell apart in the fourth quarter. The Saints will have to make a decision about whether or not to play him while he heals or sit him.
The next game is at the Carolinas. The time has not yet been determined.
It was Hutchinson's second career game and he recorded three sacks. In 2002, Julius Peppers, Carlos Hall and Ben Leber all had 3.0 sacks in their first two games as rookies.
Does the Lions' offense really work? I agree. Major contributions from Detroit's top skill players were made by Amon-Ra St. Brown, T.J. If their production is healthy, there's no reason to think it isn't sustainable. Since 1970, the Lions have scored 35 or more points in each of their first two games.
The next game is at the Vikings. The time has not yet been determined.
The Commanders managed just two first downs in the first half, but the offense will still be dangerous. The Commanders are going to have a lot of issues on defense this season. Every time the offense needed help, the defense failed to provide it. The Commanders missed an extra point because of their coverage.
The run game is where it is located. Washington wanted to be a more physical team this season, but AntonioGibson only managed 28 yards on 14 carries as Detroit gave him no room. When Brian Robinson comes back, it will be helpful. The Commanders need to be better up front than he is. The run game provided nothing when the Lions attacked in the first half.
The next game is against the Eagles. The time has not yet been determined.
The stars don't make the Chiefs win. Their touchdown was scored by three backups, including a seventh-round draft pick and a fourth-round wide receiver. If they can keep winning games without getting huge contributions from their players, it will serve them well.
Chris Jones wants to rush the quarterback. Jones had two sacks in the game. Jones is their leader in sacks, but he isn't getting a lot of support Carlos Dunlap and L'Jarius Sneed both had sacks against the Cards last week. Frank Clark and George Karlaftis are the most logical people to help Jones. Neither of them has put a quarterback on the ground this year.
The next game is at the Colts. The time has not yet been determined.
It doesn't matter if it's close or not. Two plays away from opening the season with a 2-0 victory. They went 1-2 in a five day span after Samuel's pick up was overturned. Samuel thought it was a pick. A quarterback threw a pass intended for a tight end that was picked off and returned for a touchdown.
Is Herbert still alive? The quarterback sustained a rib injury in the fourth quarter and had to leave the game, but he continued to play. Herbert walked into the X-ray room after the loss. He had a rib injury on Friday. Herbert is a day-to-day person.
The next game is against the Jags. The time has not yet been determined.
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