Takeaways From Week 2 in the NFL

Week 2 was about as crazy in the NFL as last week was. We still don’t know much about some of these teams and we won’t for another couple of games. However, some teams had some big wins and showed a lot of character. Let’s go through the divisions.

NFC LEAST: Combined Record 3-5

STOCK UP: Dallas The Cowboys won in Los Angeles against the Chargers and any win is good no matter where you get it or how you get it. Still, there are concerns that need to be addressed in the upcoming weeks but they are 1-1 and that’s where they figured they would be. The next three games are all very winnable and we will see what Dallas is.

STUCK IN NEUTRAL: Washington and Philadelphia The used to be Redskins defeated New York on Thursday night to join Dallas and Philadelphia at 1-1. They can use that win as a first step. Meanwhile, Philly lost at home to the 49ers, but they were competitive and had a chance to win.

STOCK DOWN: The Giants are 0-2 and lost to Philadelphia in a game they could have very well won. They are lucky they are in this division where a losing record doesn’t mean much.

NFC NORTH: Combined Record 2-6

STOCK UP: Green Bay bounced back from the abysmal opening week loss against New Orleans defeating Detroit on Monday night. The offense played much better but there are still issues on defense and keep in mind, they were playing the Lions. The Chicago Bears returned home and got a win over the Bengals to go to 1-1 and join the Packers in first place.

STUCK IN NEUTRAL: Minnesota has lost two very tough games on the road to start the season. They really needed the game at Cincinnati but went down to the Bengals in overtime. Last week, they missed a chip shot field game that could have won the game against the Cardinals. There is a thin line between winning and losing in the NFL and the Vikings are in trouble with Seattle and Cleveland up next.

STOCK DOWN: Everyone loves having Detroit on their schedule. That’s a guaranteed win.

NFC SOUTH: Combined Record 5-3

STOCK UP: The Carolina Panthers have taken advantage of two home games to start the season and are off to a 2-0 start. The Dudes thought this could be a surprise team in 2021 and they have a chance to be just that. They go to Houston this week and they need to beat a Texans’ team that is better than most people thought. Tampa Bay took care of business with Atlanta. They travel to Los Angeles to play the Rams in what should be the NFL game of the week.

STOCK DOWN: New Orleans crash-landed against Carolina after drilling Green Bay the week before. However, they had 8 coaches out with COVID and that is a legitimate excuse. Meanwhile, the Falcons played much better against Tampa before Brady and the boys said that’s enough.

NFC WEST: Combined Record 7-1

STOCK UP: Arizona won at home against the Vikings, but it very easily could have been a loss. However, the bottom line is they are 2-0 and that is all that matters. The Rams stumbled their way to a road win at Indianapolis, but a win on the road is always good. The same can be said about the 49ers who went into Philadelphia and left with a 17-11 win and a 2-0 record with both wins coming on the road.

STOCK DOWN: It wasn’t a total shock that the Seahawks lost to Tennessee, but, more, the way they lost. They blew a big lead at home and that usually doesn’t happen. Is this a cause for alarm in Seattle? Probably not, but that was a bad loss in a division that is as difficult as this one is.

AFC EAST: Combined Record 3-5

STOCK UP: Buffalo stepped up their game (with some help of an injury to Tua Tagovailoa) and defeated Miami 35-0. That was a big win for the Bills and evened their record at 1-1 with two very winnable home games in the next two weeks. The Patriots went to New York and did what they are supposed to do and defeated the Jets convincingly.

STUCK IN NEUTRAL: Miami lost their starting quarterback Sunday so we can’t completely downgrade them until we see how bad the injury is. As of this writing, Tua is listed as questionable for this week.

STOCK DOWN: The New York Jets are continuing to struggle with a rookie quarterback and have to remain patient.

AFC NORTH: Combined Record 4-4

STOCK UP: Baltimore showed what they are made of by coming back from a tough loss on Monday Night, with a short week of preparation, and beat Super Bowl contender Kansas City 36-35. It was a huge win for the Ravens as they didn’t want to start out 0-2 in this division. Cleveland bounced back from a hard-fought loss to the Chiefs and took care of business against Houston.

STOCK DOWN: Cincinnati had a legitimate chance to go to 2-0 but Joe Burrow threw three interceptions and showed everyone that he is still a young quarterback learning on-the-job. That would have been a big win against the Bears but it slipped away. Meanwhile, the Steelers offense looks inept at this point, and the loss to Las Vegas dropped them to 1-1.

AFC SOUTH: Combined Record 2-6

STOCK UP: Arguably, Tennessee had the biggest win of the week in the NFL. Coming off of a humiliating defeat at home against Arizona, they went to Seattle and rallied to beat the Seahawks in overtime. Seattle is one of the toughest places to play in the league and the Titans showed a lot of moxie in that one.

STUCK IN NEUTRAL: Houston won their opener and played well in a 31-21 defeat at Cleveland. However, the worst news is the injury to starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor. As of now, it looks like he will definitely be out this week.

STOCK DOWN: Indianapolis played well for the second week in a row but lost again. The Colts have a brutal early schedule and needed to split the first two games. Next up is another toughie at Tennessee. And then there is Jacksonville, who is challenging for the worst team in the league.

AFC WEST: Combined Record 6-2

STOCK UP: The Raiders have gotten off to a very impressive start winning on Monday Night last week and coming back to beat Pittsburgh on the road Sunday. They have Miami at home, the Chargers on the road, and the Bears at home in their next 3 games. Could they start off 5-0? Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos have won their first two games on the road and while the competition hasn’t been good, they are still 2-0. And this week, they get the Jets in their home opener.

STUCK IN NEUTRAL: The Chargers did what they always do. They lost a game at home that they could have and should have won. This comes after they traveled to Washington and won on the road. They take a step forward and a step backward. That’s staying in neutral.

STOCK DOWN: I hesitate to put the Chiefs in this category because we all know they will bounce back. But they haven’t been sharp the first two weeks and there are huge concerns about their defense against the run. It will be interesting to watch them in the next few weeks