WFT 30, NYG 29
Admittedly, I was of those that were rolling their eyes at another NFC East snoozefest between two teams with strong defenses and subpar offenses, however this game offered some fireworks, as the Giants and WFT offenses were able to get what they wanted for much of this game.
Giants QB Daniel Jones went 22-32 for 249 yards, ran nine times for 95 yards, and scored once in the air and once with his legs. His 46 yard scramble did not result in a touchdown, but at least it ended more smoothly than his previous Thursday night scramble.
Saquon Barkley is not back to 100% yet. He had 13 carries for 57 yards, but 41 of those yards came on one run in the first quarter. Barkley was on a pitch count and the expectation is that he’ll do more as the season wears on.
Taylor Heinicke played really well in place of Ryan Fitzpatrick, putting up a 34-46, 336, 2 TD/1 INT line and especially showed a strong rapport with WR Terry McLaurin, who had 11 (!) catches for 107 yards and a TD. McLaurin was matched up with the Giants best corner James Bradberry for most of the night and continued his success against the otherwise strong CB.
RB JD McKissic had 5 catches for 83 yards and rushed for a TD, and this may be an example of a different QB meaning opportunities for certain players, as McKissic appeared in 36% of the snaps in week 1 but was not targeted.
The game was decided on a 43 yard FG by Dustin Hopkins, who was granted a reprieve on a missed FG from 48 yards when Dexter Lawrence went offside
BRONCOS 23, JAGUARS 13
The Broncos continued their strong start by dominating the Jaguars in a game that wasn’t remotely as close as the score would have you believe. The Jaguars drove for a touchdown on their first drive, but the offense did not score again as Vic Fangio’s defense completely befuddled Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars. Fangio has been tough on rookie QBs in the past, as his defenses are known for either changing post-snap or showing false formations, which is something that doesn’t happen often in college.
WR Courtland Sutton had a monster game, with 9 catches for 159 yards, accounting for nearly half of Teddy Bridgewater’s passing yards. Sutton was feasting in the soft underbelly of the Jaguars zone defense for much of this game.
Trevor Lawrence was only sacked once, but it is evident that the NFL game is a little too fast right now for the acclaimed college QB from Clemson. On the first drive, Lawrence started strong, going 5 for 7 for 73 yards and the TD pass to Marvin Jones. After that, the first overall pick went a putrid 9/26 for 45 yards and 2 INTs. The Broncos coverages and pass rushing schemes were confusing to the rookie and he had no answer as the game progressed. The offensive line did him no favours but this may be a sign of things to come for the early part of the season as Lawrence learns on the job
RAMS 27, COLTS 24
This game was a playoff level matchup between one of the favourites in the NFC against a team with the potential to cause trouble in the AFC. The back and forth game was decided with 2:23 left in the fourth when Matt Gay gave the Rams a lead they would not relinquish. Late in the fourth, Carson Wentz went down with an injury and was not able to return
With all due respect to Jared Goff, the Rams offense is a different animal with Matthew Stafford at the controls, as he has the ability to stretch defenses in a way that Goff was unable to in years previous. Stafford’s line was decent if not spectacular in Week 2 but he has full command of the offense and Cooper Kupp has quickly become his favourite receiver. Kupp went 9-163-2TDs this week and is now 11 yards off the lead for receiving yards in the league after two weeks.
Carson Wentz spent much of this game running for his life, until he suffered ankle sprains to each leg on a rough, but perfectly legal, rollover tackle by Aaron Donald late in the fourth quarter. While the focus has been on the offensive line, life made more difficult by the opposing pass rushes of Seattle and the Rams in the first two weeks, Wentz holds onto the ball as much as almost anyone, with an average time to throw of 2.91 seconds (6th longest of the starting QBs, per nextgenstats. Holding onto the football to make plays is commendable but significantly increases the risk as it puts more pressure on the line, and you don’t want to give Aaron Donald another half-second to get to you.
Michael Pittman had a big day of his own, going 8 for 123. Pittman is a tough physical receiver who matched up well with the Rams secondary and appeared to thrive in this matchup. Wentz’s status is up in the air, though if Wentz is not able to go for the next number of games, or is hobbled by his ankle injuries, we may see some impact to Pittman’s stats.
RAVENS 36, CHIEFS 35
In what had the look and feel of an AFC Championship Game preview, the Chiefs offense looked nearly unstoppable for the first three quarters. After the Chiefs scored to push their lead to 35-24 with 6:50 to go in the third quarter, the Ravens looked to be outmatched by the Chiefs once again. However, the Ravens stuck to what brought them – rushing and a stout defense – to rally back and, with two fourth quarter rushing TDs by Lamar Jackson, a fortunate fumble by Clyde Edwards-Helaire inside 2 minutes left, and an extremely gutsy call to go for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 43, the Ravens were able to exorcize this demon, at least for one night.
Tyreek Hill was held under wraps by the Ravens for most of the game – he caught only 3 passes for 14 yards – as the Ravens defense was designed not to allow him to beat them on deep passes. The problem is that if you focus on Hill, you can’t focus your attention on Travis Kelce. Kelce had a huge game, 7 catches for 109 yards and a winding and powerful 46 yard pass and run (mostly run) TD that looked more like 100 yards as he went sideline to sideline after catching the ball near the 45 yard line.
The first Ravens drive was one to forget, as Lamar Jackson threw a pick-six to Tyrann Mathieu on the third play of the game. Mathieu appeared to have a bead on Jackson all night, as he picked off another pass and nearly came away with another before the first half was over. Jackson was able to build on his success passing to Hollywood Brown, with the two linking up for 6 catches and 113 yards, and a TD. Brown has been great to start the season, already hauling in 12 catches in two games and perhaps is developing into the top receiver the Ravens had hoped for when taking him in the first round out of Oklahoma in 2019. The third year breakout for WR is a well-studied phenomenon and appears to be the case here (also see Deebo Samuel, who leads the league in receiving yards after two weeks).
RB Ty’Son Williams appears to be separating himself from the pack of Ravens running backs – Lamar Jackson had 16 carries for 107 yards, but Williams had a decent game running the football in his own right, with 13 carries for 77 yards. His first quarter fumble in the first half was almost calamitous for Williams, though fortunately for him and the Ravens, the ball landed in the waiting hands of Devin Duvernay, who caught the ball and crashed into the end zone to give the Ravens their first points of the night.