Storylines from NFL Week 2
NOTE: Originally published elsewhere on 20/09/24
I have been doing a lot of cooking lately, and one thing that all the recipes seem to have in common is a two thousand word preamble about some vaguely related anecdote. None of that nonsense here. Let's get into the biggest storylines.
Bills @ Dolphins: Tua concussed again
The Bills had a lot to prove going into their Thursday night game against Miami. Some Josh Allen heroics had helped them overcome the Cardinals a week earlier after going behind but Miami had their own lucky escape and were looking to assert their dominance in the AFC.
Unfortunately for all the hype this game had going in, it ultimately ended on a sour note as Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa left the game in the third quarter with a suspected concussion.
Confirmed after the game, this marks the fourth concussion Tua has suffered since 2019 and led to numerous talking heads pleading with him consider his long term health and retire. Ian Rappaport reported that Tua "has no plans to retire and is seeking a specialist" to consult on his options moving forward but the situation doesn't look promising for the 2020 No. 5 pick.
Could it be that we see another promising young QB retire before reaching his prime due to injury just like we saw in Indianpolis five years ago?
Raiders @ Ravens: Are the Ravens cooked?
Looking to bounce back after a hard fought loss against reigning Superbowl champion Chiefs, the Ravens must have thought they had the ideal matchup as the Raiders rolled into town. The bookies certainly did with Baltimore favoured by 9 points.
In the end though, it was the Gardner Minshew led Raiders who left with the spoils. Davante Adams led all receivers in both targets and yards and it was his fourth quarter touchdown that drew them level with the Ravens late. A quick three and out by Baltimore and Minshew was able to march the Raiders down the field again for what would be a game-winning field goal by Daniel Carlson.
Baltimore now go to Dallas to take on a Cowboys team who just had a nightmare matchup of their own.
Saints @ Cowboys: Carr & Kamara - a dynamic duo
Said nightmare came in the form of Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints who had easily handled business against the lowly Panthers in Week 1 but few figured would trouble the Cowboys.
How wrong we all were.
Alvin Kamara led the way for the Saints with four total touchdowns and 180 total yards but it has been his quarterback who has raised the most eyebrows early in this new season.
Through two games, Derek Carr has a passer rating of 142.4 and a completion percentage of 76.9, both career bests. He has led the team on 15 consecutive scoring drives - the longest since 1978 - and has the team averaging 4.33 points per drive. By comparison, the 2007 Patriots finished their season at 3.19 in the same metric. Whether Carr and the Saints can maintain this level of offensive production remains to be seen but a key win like this and a favourable strength of schedule means it isn't beyond the realm of possibility.
Both Ravens and Cowboys sit at 0-2 - an unfavourable position for two "Superbowl contenders". Since 1990, only 32 teams who started 0-2 made the playoffs and in that same span, only 3 teams won the Superbowl from an 0-2 start. Not great odds.
Chargers @ Panthers: Bryce benched
Things couldn't have started much worse for Bryce Young and the Panthers. Their two losses, in which they allowed 73 points and scored only 1 touchdown, have forced the hand of GM Dan Morgan and resulted in the premature benching of last year's No 1 overall pick.
Young has had a tumultuous start to his NFL career after a very successful one at college. The entire draft process was fraught with speculation on whether his size would be an issue at the pro level, the Panthers traded away their best offensive weapon before he arrived to secure the No 1 pick, his head coach was fired after only 11 games in charge, and to make it all worse, the man picked immediately after him had one of the most historically great seasons as a rookie QB last year.
Young's rookie campaign was, in a word, forgettable. Starting 16 games, Young finished the season with 2,877 yards passing, 11-10 TDs/INTs and 59.8 completion percentage. Not the kind of stats that jump off the page, especially when you consider that the Panthers only ended up winning 2 games last year.
Entering a new season with another draft class filling out the squad, I'm sure there was some optimism that things would look brighter in Charlotte but that hasn't proved to be the case. Although based on a much smaller sample size, Young's completion percentage has actually gotten worse and through 2 games, he has yet to throw a single touchdown.
The decision to bench him after only two games feels to many like an overreaction from the Panthers front office, much like the decision to fire Frank Reich last year before he could even complete a single season. But overreactions aren't something new to Panthers owner David Tepper who between his NFL and MLS franchises has fired 5 head coaches in the past 6 years.
Young said his benching was "not something [he] necessarily expected" and while something definitely does have to change in Carolina if they are going to find success, is Andy Dalton really the answer?
49ers @ Vikings: Darnold's resurgence
The memes surrounding Sam Darnold's mono or his "seeing ghosts" quote were arguably the most memorable aspects of his tenure as a New York Jet. But like so many things in the first two weeks of the 2024 season, his new start in Minnesota has proven to be a pleasant surprise.
While his opening performance against the Giants was a great start, it's the Week 2 matchup that has people excited. Taking on San Francisco is hard enough for any team with the number of weapons they have and the tactical genius of Kyle Shanahan, but Darnold had a particularly difficult hill to climb this week. Without Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Justin Jefferson (for much of the second half), Sam Darnold still managed to march down the field late in the fourth quarter to set up a Will Reichard game winner.
His numbers don't jump off the page the way Mahomes' or Allen's stats do but this is a guy most thought would likely never have a starting job again - likely himself included. Because for all the great things he has already done in two games, we mustn't forget that he was never meant to be the Vikings starter this season. Being thrust into the starting role in a new city and scheme when no one believes in you is bound to be a challenge but at this early point, he's proving he can hang with the best of them. And getting paid pennies to do it.
C.J. Stroud and the Texans are next which will undoubtedly be another stiff challenge but he's shown he can handle those already.
Bengals @ Chiefs: Controversial ending
Refs just handing the Chiefs wins now eh?
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