APY NFL FOOTBALL POOL – WEEK 2 STATUSES

This got too big for an email, but here is an update on the status of each team after two weeks of football.

Eagles 34, Vikings 28
Vikings status: Tense. The Vikings drop to 0-2 with this loss and face a pivotal (for September) matchup with the also 0-2 Chargers (more on them later). The Vikings fell behind 27-7 before making a late-game push to respectability, though there are some concerning trends from Minnesota, especially with the run game on both sides of the ball. They have rushed for a total of 69 yards in two games, with Alexander Mattison really struggling to get his season started now that he is in the starting position at RB. Kirk Cousins has thrown for 708 yards already, but his 4 turnovers (three lost fumbles!) have also hurt the team. The run defense showed its fragility against the Eagles, as they got steamrolled for 259 yards, including 175 by D’Andre Swift. Yes, the Eagles will run against nearly every defense, but the Vikings defense looks outmatched and going into a matchup with the defending NFC champs with an undersized defensive line is generally a recipe for disaster. On the plus side, TE TJ Hockenson and rookie WR Jordan Addison are off to great starts so far – and are showing to be great complements to Justin Jefferson.

Eagles status: NFC favourite again. The Eagles went to 2-0 and don’t look any different from the team that went to the Super Bowl last season with running and defense being their calling cards. Swift’s great day was chronicled above and the defense was able to gain possession of all four Vikings fumbles. Justin Jefferson had a big day (as usual), and since he was effectively locked up by the Eagles in their game last year, he may take a measure of satisfaction for going 11/159 against them. However, his fumble into the end zone helped cost the Vikings the game. That said, the pass defense of the Eagles wasn’t quite as strong as expected in this game and is something to potentially watch as the season progresses.

Ravens 27, Bengals 24
Ravens status: Good start. The Ravens’ offense looked really good in this game, rushing for 178 yards in a balanced attack – Gus Edwards 10/62/TD, Lamar Jackson 12/54, Justise Hill 11/41 – and a workmanlike 237 passing yards. After looking somewhat disjointed in their win over the Texans last week, this win over their division rivals was much more like how they want to play. The defense also slowed down the Bengals, including holding Ja’Marr Chase to 5/31.
Bengals status: Praying to the sacred calf. For the Bengals, it might be time to start handing out the riot helmets. The loss takes the Bengals to 0-2, which is not great for their postseason chances, and their secondary looks less than stellar, but the biggest worry following two weeks is that Joe Burrow aggravated the calf injury he suffered early in camp. As anyone who’s had calf issues can attest, they tend to linger… and sometimes lead to bigger injury worries. It appears that he intends to play through the injury for now, but a long-term injury to Burrow effectively ends the Bengals season, if it does happen.

Seahawks 37, Lions 31 (OT)

Seahawks status: Uncertain. As bad as the Seahawks looked in their Week 1 capitulation at home against the Rams, they looked much better against the Lions and especially their passing offense. The Seahawks put up 328 passing yards, with 6 receivers tallying 35 yards or more. Their pass defense looks to be what can be charitably referred to as a work in progress – they’ve allowed more than 300 yards in both their games. There is a good chance they’ll get back on track at home against the moribund Panthers offense but they’ll need to improve on this if they wish to compete for a playoff spot.

Lions status: Back to Earth. The Lions go into Arrowhead on Banner Night to beat the defending champs, then come back home and lose in OT to the Seahawks. The Lions passing game is good, with three receivers (including rookie TE Sam LaPorta) topping 100 total yards in two games. The thigh bruise suffered by David Montgomery may sideline him for a week or two, so Jahmyr Gibbs may see more work in the run game.

Colts 31, Texans 20

Colts status: Buying Bubble Wrap. Through two games, some things are evident about the Colts new franchise QB Anthony Richardson:
1. He has all the physical tools and a limitless ceiling

2. He has shown better than expected touch and accuracy, and has built a solid rapport with his best receiver, Michael Pittman Jr.

3. He has no fear, but is also reckless
The big challenge for HC Shane Steichen and OC Jim Bob Cooter (yes, that’s his real name) may not necessarily be building up Richardson’s in-game acumen, it may be to teach him the art of the slide. Richardson is utterly fearless, but he has exited both games due to injury, leaving the Week 2 game with a concussion. He has not learned the skill of protecting himself from injury and those hits he either avoided or absorbed at Florida hit different at this level.

Texans status: A journey of a thousand miles, taking first steps. This Texans team is very young and still in need of a talent infusion to become competitive in the league. The injury bug has not helped at all, either – Houston was without 4 of their 5 starting offensive linemen for the Colts game, and rookie QB CJ Stroud has been fed to the lions, suffering 11 sacks in two games so far (and apparently nursing a shoulder injury). They’ve only allowed 396 yards passing, but that was to two teams with run-first offenses who had the game settled early enough to avoid passing as the game went on. Nico Collins looks like he’s enjoying the Third Year Leap for wide receivers, having emerged as a home run threat for Stroud, with 13/226/1 in two games.

Buccaneers 27, Bears 17

Bears status: Get ready for another long season. To find the positives in this 0-2 Bears team, you have to look very deep under the surface. They are 27th in net offense and 29th in net defense. The Bears have turned the ball over four times but don’t yet have a takeaway. They have sacked an opposing QB just once, but Justin Fields has been sacked TEN times already. This is a pivotal year for Fields, who actually finished 9th in MVP voting a year ago, largely powered by his 1143 rushing yards. This year, he’s rushed for 62 yards as teams are looking to take away his mobility and force him to beat them in the air. He’s now 5-22 as a starter and while you can’t only blame (or credit) a QB for a team’s record, you can certainly point to a 60% completion percentage and 26/24 TD/INT splits. Numbers like those might’ve sent you to Canton in an earlier age, but in this pass-happy, QB protective version of the NFL, those numbers will get you replaced.

Buccaneers status: A Pirate’s Life For Me. Things did not look good for Tampa leading up to the season: Tom Brady retired, the team is committing over a third of its cap space to players that are no longer there, two of their best players (Mike Evans and Devin White) were embroiled in contract squabbles in the preseason, and the QB battle was down to Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask (with Baker winning out). Two games in, and they’re 2-0 in a weak division with a significant road win over the Vikings already under their belt. The Bucs have won their games by protecting the ball and getting takeaways – 5 turnovers on defense, none on offense – getting to the opposing QBs and protecting Mayfield – Baker has been sacked just once while the Bucs have sacked their opponents eight times. While the schedule has its challenges (Eagles on Monday night!), it largely goes their way, so there is a chance we could see them win the division.

Chiefs 17, Jaguars 9
Chiefs status: A little off. In previous years, it was seemingly more common for the Chiefs to put up 37 points in a half than it was for them to have 37 points in two games, yet this is where we find the Chiefs right now. They sorely missed Travis Kelce in the opener against the Lions, and he’s still hobbled by the bad knee, but this offense doesn’t look like the explosive unit we’ve seen in the past. Is it on-field personnel? Is it off-field personnel? Is it just a matter of learning the offense again (which, frankly, is going to have Andy Reid’s fingerprints all over anyways)? Time will tell – and a matchup with the Bears this weekend may be exactly what the doctor ordered.

Jaguars status: Mixed bag. The Jaguars looked in control of their game against the Colts in Week 1 but were outclassed by the Chiefs in Week 2 – even if the scoreline didn’t reflect that reality. The defense looks strong, having secured 6 takeaways, and the other Josh Allen and Travon Walker have become a strong pass rushing duo. The offense has been hit or miss, with the struggles being very evident against the Chiefs. If there is a positive on that end, it’s that the offense has enough weapons to not need to rely on one player any given week. In Week 1, Calvin Ridley and Travis Etienne had big days, in Week 2, it was Christian Kirk – however, Kirk was a non-factor in Week 1 and Etienne and Ridley struggled in Week 2. They’ll need to fire on all cylinders more often as the season progresses. Interesting note: The Jags play back-to-back games in London, starting with a game against the Falcons in Week 4 and wrapping with a match against the Bills in Week 5.

Falcons 25, Packers 24
Packers status: Moving on. The transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love has gone reasonably well. Love has 6 TDs with zero turnovers – can’t ask for much more than that. The run game needs work on both sides of the ball – the offense would be improved just by having Aaron Jones return to health, but the Packers run defense looked terrible (note: Bijan Robinson is going to do that a lot this year), a worrying trend for a team that couldn’t stop the run last year either. 

Falcons status: Flying high. The Falcons have leveraged a strong run game with stout pass defense to elevate them to a 2-0 start. Perhaps the Panthers and Packers aren’t the best barometers for determining success of your secondary (the Lions will surely be a test this week), but allowing just 267 yards passing in two games (on 4.0 yards per attempt) is no small feat. On the other side of the ball, Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier have formed a solid duo, rushing for a total of 301 yards in two games. In fact, the Falcons have called the greatest percentage of run plays vs pass plays (56.3%) and are one of only five teams with a 50-50 split or greater (others: Baltimore, Philadelphia, Dallas, and San Francisco).

Bills 38, Raiders 10
Raiders status: Sputtering. The Raiders were able to come away with the victory over the Broncos in Week 1 and got annihilated here by the Bills in Week 2. The offense is struggling significantly, with just 500 yards in two games (the Bills torched then for 450 in Week 2 alone), and a paltry 116 yards rushing – including an anemic 46 yards on 28 carries by Josh Jacobs.Meanwhile James Cook gashed them for 123 yards last week. The turnover battle is being lost as well, with the Raiders turning the ball over 4 times but not having any takeaways so far. The struggles on offense look like they’ll linger, so the defense needs to play like they did in Week 1 if the Raiders are going to have success.

Bills status: Desperately avoiding shooting themselves in the foot. The Bills look like a team whose biggest enemy is themselves. Josh Allen turned the ball over four times (3 picks, 1 fumble) in their opening week loss to the Jets. Aside from the turnovers, the Bills had no business losing that game. They gave up an 83 yard run to Breece Hall in Week 1 which impacts their averages but only 302 passing yards allowed in two weeks. The Allen gaffes appeared to be a big factor in the very public frustrations vented by Stefon Diggs at the end of last season and that is what is going to be a big key to their season. Can Josh Allen tamp down the gunslinger part of his DNA when necessary?

Titans 27, Chargers 24 (OT)
Chargers status: panic? When you lose two games by a total of 5 points, you can write some of it off to just bad luck. The offense has looked solid as usual, even with Austin Ekeler missing Week 2 with an ankle injury. The defense has looked wretched, allowing a staggering 877 yards in two games (and 63 points). They’ve allowed 6.9 yards per play (league average is 5.5), a third down conversion rate of 45.5% (10 of 22, average is around 34%), and 9.0 yards per pass play (over 2 yards more than league average). Numbers will be skewed by Tua and Tyreek’s monster day in Week 1 but it did happen on the Chargers’ watch. The run defense was the Chargers’ Achilles heel last season and it remains to be seen whether the troubles have shifted to the secondary.

Titans status: Meh. The Titans are an unremarkable team. They are good against the run, not great against the pass. They are very run heavy  with not much in the passing game (even with DeAndre Hopkins). 1-1 seems like a fitting record for an average team. 

49ers 30, Rams 23

49ers status: Complete team. No surprises here, the Niners have a powerful defense and a strong run game, just like every other season. Their passing game is not spectacular, but efficient (they rank 5th in average yards per pass play), and they don’t turn the ball over (only once so far) and get takeaways (4 INTs in two weeks). They always beat the Rams, with their ninth straight victory against their division rivals (of course they didn’t win when it really counted two seasons ago, but that’s another story). The Niners will be a factor in the postseason and will be fighting the Eagles for home field advantage all season.

Rams status: Optimistic. With the recent departures and injuries, the Rams had lower expectations going into the season. With Cooper Kupp out, they were relying on a bunch of players with limited experience and/or low ceilings in the skill positions and the defense seemed to consist of Aaron Donald and not much else. Surely, sacrificing the future for a SB window was going to start biting them now, right? Well, maybe still but not yet. The Rams have unearthed a few gems late in the draft and we have two new players fitting that mould: Puka Nacua, a 2023 5th round pick out of BYU and Kyren Williams, last year’s fifth rounder from Notre Dame have surprised many by flying out of the gates to start this season. Nacua is among the league leaders in receiving yards with 266, while Williams has 104 rushing yards and has found the end zone four times already (3 rushing, 1 receiving). Tutu Atwell, a second round pick from 2021 has also seemingly found his place, with 196 receiving yards. Some might’ve predicted Williams’ strong start but Nacua and Atwell have seemingly come from nowhere. One of the big factors in the Rams’ start has been their play on 3rd down on both sides of the ball: they rank 2nd on offense with a 58% success rate, while they hold opponents to a 22% rate (also ranked second). Keeping the chains moving is a key path to success – this usually isn’t sustainable to this extent, but it bears watching this season.

Giants 31, Cardinals 28

Giants status: Fortunate to be 1-1. As the game between the Giants and Cardinals reached halftime, the Giants had surrendered 60 points and scored ZERO. Fortunately, they exploded for 31 points in the second half to beat the Cardinals and potentially saved their season (since all the other NFC East teams are 2-0, going 0-2 was not going to help their playoff hopes). The offense seemed to wake up (hopefully Saquon Barkley’s injury isn’t too severe), but the defense still needs a lot of work. They don’t get pressure on the QB (no sacks at all in two games), don’t get turnovers (zero), and don’t get the opposition off the field on third down (43% opponent success rate). They’ll need to find answers to those issues and ASAP since they travel to San Francisco for a Thursday night game.

Cardinals: Scrappy (but not very good). Arizona made a lot of tongues wag in the offseason by cutting or trading any and all saleable assets to accelerate the rebuild process. Kyler Murray is still recovering from his torn ACL and likely won’t be back until mid-season (if at all), they also acquire the Texans first rounder in 2024, ostensibly to double their odds of landing the top pick in the draft (Caleb Williams alert!). They have a bunch of hungry, if outclassed players who are looking at their own futures and have played two tight, yet mistake ridden games. Against the Commanders, they allowed only 248 yards and got 3 turnovers… but the offense got only 210 yards and turned the ball over twice. On Sunday, they flipped the script – the offense had a good game but the defense fell apart in the second half as they blew a 21 point lead to the Giants. This team gets the Cowboys and Niners over the next two weeks, and victories will be few and far between in the rest of the schedule, but at least they’re making this difficult (mostly) on their opponents.

Cowboys 30, Jets 10
Jets status: Despair. After all the talk and drama and heightened expectations, losing Aaron Rodgers on the third play of the season was a gut punch in a series of gut punches for Jets fans. Finally a QB that could take them back to the promised land (just, uh, don’t look at his recent playoff track record)! Now they have a soon-to-be 40 year old with a ruptured (now repaired) Achilles. The Jets still won their opener against the Bills due to an epic meltdown by Josh Allen, but they received no quarter from the Cowboys, with the Jets getting just 215 yards total offense and committing 4 turnovers. This team was built to compete for the playoffs but without a capable QB, this team will be lucky to sniff .500.

Cowboys status: Dominant. The Cowboys offense has been decent, but with the performance of their defense, they haven’t really needed to strain themselves yet. The defense has allowed just 10 points in two games and, looking at the numbers, it’s a surprise that they’ve allowed so many. First, the Giants and Jets both look lost right now and that likely plays a big role… but the defense is also very scary. The Cowboys have already sacked opposing QBs 10 times and taken the ball away seven times. Scheduling fortune will continue to smile upon them with the Cardinals and Patriots next on their list before an actual challenge meets them in Week 5 (Niners). 

Commanders 35, Broncos 33

Commanders status: Survivors. Week 1 the Commanders came back from a 6 point fourth quarter deficit to win, in Week 2, they came back from a 21-3 deficit to beat the Broncos. It didn’t come without drama though, as the Broncos hit an improbable Hail Mary on the last play of the game, only to get thwarted on the two-point conversion. The Commanders get two big chances to prove their quick start isn’t a fluke: this week at home to Buffalo and next week at Philadelphia.

Broncos status: Yikes. Sean Payton was hired away from his cushy studio job at Fox with two goals in mind, bring the Broncos back to respectability, and fix Russell Wilson. The jury is still very much out, with two losses by a combined three points, it’s not completely fair to judge too early in the process. Russell Wilson looks a little better under the new regime, though, at 35, he is starting to show his age a little. He can still scramble, but avoiding pass rushers and taking off for big gains does not come as easily for him anymore. He has been sacked nine times in two games and while the offensive line has underperformed, his style of play will always invite more contact. 

Dolphins 24, Patriots 17

Dolphins status: Electric. The Dolphins lead the league in total offense and passing yards, and this year with Raheem Mostert healthy (for now), they have a competent run game. They’ve put up 925 total yards, and 710 passing yards, both easily leading the league – their only issue is that their defense is nearly as permissive, allowing 721 total yards and 321 rushing yards. That said, the Dolphins have won their first two games on the road and go into a favourable home game against the Broncos in Week 3. If they can stop the bleeding on defense, it’ll help their chances later in the season. For the time being, they’ll enjoy the hot start and hope they can keep Tua Tagovailoa healthy. 

Patriots status: Danger Zone. The Patriots are 0-2 in a division with the Bills and Dolphins, and a conference with 10-12 playoff contenders. This is a team that needs to rely on defense and protecting the football – they got defense in Week 1 against the Eagles, holding them to just 251 total yards – but they got neither in Week 2 against the Dolphins. The Dolphins will likely be a problem for nearly every team this season if Tua is healthy. However, the Pats in general and Mac Jones in particular, needs to do a better job of protecting the football. They don’t have the type of quick-strike offense that can cover up mistakes, they need to grind out possessions and keep teams like the Dolphins off the field as much as possible. The Pats have 506 yards of passing in two weeks, which seems like a good indicator, but that is on 96 pass attempts, around 5.0 yards per pass – 25th in the league. The run game also needs to get going somewhat if they are to challenge for a playoff spot. Otherwise, it might be a long season in New England.

Saints 20, Panthers 17
Saints status: Stout defense, sad offense. The Saints have scored 36 total points and go into Week 3 with a 2-0 record with a trip to Lambeau on the way. Will the Saints keep this up? Their defense, especially their pass rush (7 sacks) and secondary (4 takeaways) seems to be up to the challenge. The offense is still very much a work in progress. They are missing Alvin Kamara, who will rejoin the team in Week 4 after serving his suspension, but Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Rashid Shaheed have picked up the slack from a skill position standpoint. 

Panthers status; A Long Way To Go. Bryce Young has struggled significantly so far in his rookie campaign. The first overall pick has racked up 299 yards on 59% completion rate. The initial opinion on Young is that the game looks a little fast for him right now, and a player who was so reliant on timing and tempo at Alabama is not getting much of that with Carolina at the moment. The offense is very thin at the skill positions – though Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard have formed a competent RB room, the receivers room is lacking. This is going to be a long season for him, but he really needs the reps to get accustomed to life in the NFL.

Steelers 26, Browns 22

Browns status: Waiting on Watson. Deshaun Watson’s play in the first two games has been poor, to put it succinctly. He has turned the ball over four times, including a fumble returned for a touchdown by TJ Watt. While he did spend almost two years away from football (by his own doing), he has now played eight games for the Browns and has not nearly approached what he did in Houston. He was a 67.8% passer as a Texan, his completion percentage is a full 10 points under that as a Brown. He threw for 4823 yards in his final season in Houston with a 33/7 TD/INT ratio. As a Brown, he’s thrown for 1491 yards in 8 games with a 9/7 ratio. With his $230M guaranteed contract, expectations will start mounting and he’ll need to prove his contract. With the gruesome injury suffered by Nick Chubb last night, he’ll have less of a safety net to work with as well, increasing the pressure.
Steelers status: Will only go as far as their defense takes them. And the jury is still out on that. The Steelers have allowed a league-worst 5.6 yards per carry and while this unit can win games on its own (and needed to be opportunistic to do so in Week 2), it still does need some cleanup. When it comes to the Steelers offense, the less said the better. They’ve averaged 4.3 yards per play, a frighteningly low number. The lone bright spot is George Pickens, who torched the Cleveland secondary for a 4/127/1 line. They have two winnable games on the road (at LV, at HOU), then a matchup with their hated rivals from Baltimore before the bye. If they can be 3-2 or by then, they’ll be able to entertain thoughts of playoff contention. Anything worse, and it’s an uphill battle they don’t have the facilities to overcome.