Manit’s Blitz: NFL Week 2

Manits+Blitz%3A+NFL+Week+2

Manit Patel, General Assignment Reporter

Let’s take a look around the league from Week 2 of the NFL season!

Giants 29 Football Team 30

The Giants looked… good? While they did lose the game, and an important one to a division rival, New York’s offense was firing without Saquon Barkley being fully healthy. Should he come back to full form  as he was his first two seasons in the league, this offense could  be dangerous. Washington looked good without Ryan Fitzpatrick; Taylor Heinicke continues to prove why he deserves to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Saints 7 Panthers 26

After looking like a force to be reckoned with in week one, the Saints came out in week two and fell  flat on their faces. Carolina looked good, controlling the Saints via their defense, while Sam Darnold has been sneaky good for the Panthers so far this season. Carolina could be a playoff  contender if it continues playing like this.

Bengals 17 Bears 20

This game was all about the quarterbacks. From Andy Dalton’s injury to Joe Burrow’s three interceptions on three consecutive passes to  Justin Fields  making his debut, quarterbacks told the story of this contest. If Burrow can correct on his mistakes, which include waiting too long in the pocket and relying on the first read, the Bengals can win games consistently. Meanwhile, Chicago fans are finally going to get another taste of  Fields as head coach Matt Nagy announced on Wednesday that Fields would start Sunday’s game against the Browns.

Texans 21 Browns 31 

Dislocated shoulder? No big deal for Baker Mayfield as he led the Browns to a win over the Texans. Cleveland looks good and content with not rushing Odell Beckham Jr. back from injury. Houston is a better team than most think and will give some  teams good fights throughout the season.

Rams 27 Colts 24

One of the best games of the day featured two sleeper contenders with brand new quarterbacks. Matthew Stafford and Carson Wentz did not disappoint as the Rams were able to sneak a win on the road over a quality Indianapolis team.

Bills 35 Dolphins 0

Based on the score it could be misleading to thinkBuffalo played a near perfect game. A closer look shows that Josh Allen played mediocre and still the Bills won by 35. Imagine what they can do with him at full force. Miami’s season is at a turning point with Tua Tagavailoa’s fractured ribs throwing a  wrench in their plans for the season.

Patriots 25 Jets 6

Again Mac Jones did his job. He wasn’t spectacular but New England didn’t need him to be and he got the job done. The Patriots  look like a playoff contender but they also have one of the toughest schedules in the league. Zach Wilson’s four interceptions were not impressive whatsoever and ultimately showed a lack of maturity. While I do think his struggles will settle, the Jets may regret not benching Wilson for a few weeks to let him get adjusted to the daunting task of becoming an NFL starting quarterback.

49ers 17 Eagles 11

A gutsy win for the 49ers. Pulling out the win over the Eagles will build the 49ers up, especially because they won the trench war with one of the best pair of offensive and defensive lines in the NFL. Philadelphia played good and Jalen Hurts was serviceable, it just wasn’t the Eagles’ day.

Raiders 26 Steelers 17

The Las Vegas Raiders are a legitimate playoff team. They shut down a talented Pittsburgh offense and were able to score against an also talented defense. Pittsburgh fans shouldn’t  overreact to this loss, nothing wrong about losing to a good team.

Broncos 23 Jaguars 13

While they’ve beat up on two bad teams, the Broncos look good. They have a  good game-managing quarterback, and a talented defense, with  weapons to keep the offense afloat. Meanwhile, Urban Meyer looks very out of his depth in the NFL.

Cardinals 34 Vikings 33

Even though the Cardinals were a matter of feet from losing they looked good and have racked up  two quality wins. Minnesota needs a win this week in order to prevent a 0-3 start and a spot on the back burner in a highly competitive NFC playoff race.

Falcons 25 Buccaneers 48

The Buccaneers offense was firing on all cylinders with all its weapons receiving attention as it dropped a whopping 48 points on the Falcons. Meanwhile, Atlanta has struggled to put any kind of offensive game together and is struggling to justify picking tight end Kyle Pitts in the draft over a quarterback. 

Cowboys 20 Chargers 17

One of the more surprising results of the weekend was not because of the winner but because of the score. Both offenses were expected to put up loads of points but instead ended up with a combined measly 37. Dallas continues to look legit, while the Chargers should be satisfied with the result, but hungry for wins. They can compete with the best and keep proving it.

Titans 33 Seahawks 30

All hail King Henry. Amassing 182 yards and three touchdowns Derrick Henry lit up a poor Seahawks defense and dragged the Titans back from a 15-point deficit. While the Seahawks should be extremely frustrated with blowing the lead, they have to be able to move on as they have a big game against a hungry Vikings next week.

Chiefs 35 Ravens 36

The Ravens have played two games this season and both have been the best of the year. This coming week won’t be the same when they take a trip to Detroit but Baltimore can hang its hat on a big win over Kansas City. The Chiefs lost this one in heartbreaking fashion but should rebound well against the Chargers this week. 

Lions 17 Packers 35

The Aaron Rodgers we all know showed up in style at Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football as he lit up a very bad Lions defense and looked to be in his MVP form of last year. He should continue the trend against the 49ers coming up on Sunday night. Detroit, meanwhile, looks like a team that could soon be looking forward to the No. 1 pick in the draft next spring.