NFL Week 2: Winners and losers
Outside of the Monday night game, Week 2 is now in the books. While it is still too early to take definitive statements on most teams, there are certainly some takeaways from the week that was. Let’s get right into it…
WINNER: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay came out in its season opener against the Chicago Bears and took care of business. The Buccaneers didn’t get a particularly great game from Jameis Wintson, but didn’t need it in a 29-7 rout. The defense caused three turnovers in the first half including a pick-six, putting Chicago in a hole from which it could never recover. In a season with such high expectations, the Buccaneers came out swinging and got off to a nice 1-0 start.
LOSER: Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals may have beaten the Indianapolis Colts, but that team is dead on arrival. Arizona won 16-13 in overtime against Jacoby Brissett and Co., but looked absolutely awful in the process. The Cardinals only racked up 83 rushing yards on 3.3 yards per attempt. Carson Palmer also completed just 19-of-36 passes with a pick, albeit for 332 yards. Without David Johnson, it appears the Cardinals are in for a very long season.
WINNER: Tennessee Titans
After losing 26-16 in Week 1 at home to the Oakland Raiders, the Titans needed to come out and make a statement. They did just that against the Jacksonville Jaguars, scoring 37 points in a 37-16 rout. Jacksonville could have gone up two games in the division but instead, the Titans pulled even in the AFC South race. Marcus Mariota can still be better, but that should serve as encouragement for what is clearly the division’s best roster.
LOSER: Los Angeles Chargers
No team loses more games in ridiculous ways. Last week, the Chargers lost on Monday night against the Denver Broncos after storming back from a 24-7 fourth-quarter deficit, only to have the potential game-tying field goal be blocked. On Sunday, trailing 19-17 in the final seconds, Los Angeles lined up for a 43-yard field goal, only to see rookie kicker Younghoe Koo push the kick right. At 0-2 and in the brutally tough AFC West, the Chargers already feel all but sunk.
WINNER: Kansas City Chiefs
No team has been more impressive throughout the first two weeks of the season. Kansas City trounced the New England Patriots 42-27 in the season opener, and then followed that up with a 27-20 victory on Sunday over the Philadelphia Eagles. Alex Smith has completed 78 percent of his passes through two games, averaging better than 300 yards per game with five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Considering how well rookie running back Kareem Hunt has played (five touchdowns), the Chiefs are serving notice about their considerable talents early on.
