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Week 2 What Are We Learning
- Thread starter VirginiaCavs
- Start date
I was really disappointed by the Vikings this week. I wonder if that says anything about the Bears, whom they had edged past in Week 1.
Big statements from Baltimore and Detroit.
2-0 frauds... is Indy one? after trouncing the Dolphins and eking past Denver
Are the Cardinals just addicted to close games? 2-0, both vs weak teams who nearly came from behind by scoring in the waning seconds.
Bears now 0-2 after "winning the offseason"
Jags still look a lot like the second-half-of-2023 team that could dismantle Carolina but got gashed by backup quarterbacks.
Big statements from Baltimore and Detroit.
2-0 frauds... is Indy one? after trouncing the Dolphins and eking past Denver
Are the Cardinals just addicted to close games? 2-0, both vs weak teams who nearly came from behind by scoring in the waning seconds.
Bears now 0-2 after "winning the offseason"
Jags still look a lot like the second-half-of-2023 team that could dismantle Carolina but got gashed by backup quarterbacks.
Frank Costanza
2024 and 2025 CTG Supporting Donation Member
Brandon Aubrey story continues to be amazing. Kicking 60+ yard FGs without (seemingly) any effort including that 64 yarder yesterday with the game on the line. Never played a down of high school or college football. Soccer guy, Wife is sitting on the couch one Sunday afternoon and sees an NFL kicker blow a FG. "Honey, you could do that better." And he has, and is the the most lethal (kicking) weapon in NFL history. Basically, you get just past the 50 and you're within his range.
Female Jerry Jones in training. Guessing the Colts staff is loving it.
Female Jerry Jones in training. Guessing the Colts staff is loving it.
Gandolf
Leader of the Van Buren Boys
Worried/Not Worried
Buffalo - Not worried. Allen had his nose broken but they hardly needed to use him. Hammerlock on the East and in the driver's seat for #1 seed.
Patriots - Not worried. Great answers when Miami first took the lead 20-15 and also after their punt return for a TD gave them the lead again. Haven't even unlocked Henderson yet. Should be in the playoff hunt most of the year.
Jets - Worried. Manhandled by the Bills and the loss to Pittsburgh looks a little worse now. Tyrod is a capable backup if Fields misses time. Where is the D?
Dolphins - Worried. Bad pick late by Tua ended their chances. Offense in general looked better but defense is still a shitshow. Schedule does lighten up after the Bills hammer them next week, but these first two games were not exactly against contenders.
Bengals - Worried. 2-0 but now Joe Sheisty will be out three months? Browning will sling it but to both teams. Next four games @Min, @Den, Det, @GB. Yikes.
Ravens - Not Worried. Back to back 40 burgers and they barely used Henry in this one.
Steelers - Worried. Team is allowing 28 a game in their last 9 games. Their problem in a nutshell. They weren't good late last season. They've made a ton of splashy moves that in every case has made them older. They also have the earliest possible bye in Week 5. So, they need some time for all these new pieces to mesh, and then they have to play 13 consecutive games with the 2nd oldest team in the league just to get to wildcard weekend. This is not a recipe for success.
Browns - Not Worried. What is there to worry about? Nobody expected them to win. This is a building year. The rookie QBs will start getting reps. The rookie RBs are already getting reps. The rookie TE is getting reps. The defense was actually pretty good yardage wise against the Ravens.
Colts - Not Worried. You have to be excited about the Colts start. Putting up 473 yards against what is supposed to be a top 3 defense is impressive. Warren is already involved. I did probably 20 mock drafts and seemed to get Taylor about 75% of the time. Didn't get him a single time in any real drafts, dammit.
Jags - Worried. Cupcake opener followed 3 quarters against the backup for the Bengals had all the makings of a 2-0 start. Not sure why Lawrence doesn't seem to be on the same page with BTJ and Hunter yet. Texans, Niners, Chiefs, Seahawks and Rams heading into the week 8 bye, oh my.
Texans - Not Worried. Knew Rams would be a tough opponent. Let's see how they do against Tampa.
Titans - Not Worried. Another team building this year. Cam is showing flashes but is still a rookie. Ayomanor is stepping into the #2 WR role nicely. They had the lead in the third quarter vs Rams.
Chargers - Not Worried. Looked great in Brazil. Let's see how they do in the US tonight.
Raiders - Not Worried. Big week 1 win on the east coast. Stiffer test tonight vs Herbert and Co.
Broncos - Worried. Not a lot worried, but Nix is making mistakes, they didn't get much out of Harvey yet, and the defense got lit up in Indy. Some cracks to repair.
Chiefs - Not Worried. 0-2 and not worried? Well...they looked better against the Eagles despite have limited options on offense. Worthy is probably back next week and Rice in a few more weeks. Kelce has been their biggest problem, knocking out his teammate week 1 and letting a ball clank off his arms for a key pick this week. BUT....the Eagles barely got 200 yards, a big improvement from Week 1. They should handle the Giants and with the exception of Buffalo their toughest games the rest of the year are at home. Mahomes is healthy and running and reinforcements are on their way.
Eagles - Not Worried. Well, maybe a little worried. They're not killing teams but they do enough to win. AJ Brown isn't too involved, have to wonder if he's physically OK. Their schedule...wow. Except for two Giants games it's tough for the team everyone wants a shot at: Rams, Bucs, Broncos, Vikings, Packers, Lions, Chargers, Raiders Commanders and Bills will all get a swing. The have EIGHT more national games coming up.
Commanders - Worried. This is the oldest team in the league. RB is all of the sudden very thin with Robinson and Ekeler gone. Deebo and McLaurin combined are under 10 yards per catch. Daniels can still make magic but the Pack showed a blueprint to contain him. A step backwards this year was not unexpected.
Cowboys - Worried. Not a lot, just a little worried. I expected to see shootouts with Parsons gone but the way it unfolded against the Giants with multiple deep ball plays was troubling. Ironically, they are playing the run just fine. Javonte has been shockingly good. No surprise that Dak is putting up numbers and using CD, Pickens and Ferguson. Suddenly four of the next five (Bears, Jets, Panthers, Commanders) look winnable.
Giants - Not Worried. Bigtime effort from Russ this week. He still can throw the deep ball as well as anyone. Schedule is just too tough to win many. No surprise. Skattebo already getting a good chuck of work, saw him dropped in a bunch of leagues.
Packers - Not Worried. They've looked as good as anyone so far, dammit.
Lions - Not Worried. Got their swagger back taking it out on the Bears. The home/road splits for Goff may still be a thing. TeSlaa is a wizard so far.
Vikings - Worried. McCarthy just doesn't look ready. His throwing motion takes forever and I imagine his ability to read the play is still at a rookie level. Now Jones is dinged along with much of the defense. They do get Addison back soon, but McCarthy is not keeping drives alive. They only ran 46 plays yesterday!
Bears - Worried. 10 TDs, 73 points allowed in 5 quarters. Rome Odunze is taking over the WR room.
Bucs - Not Worried. Egbuka filled Godwins shoes like Cinderella. They got a little lucky in beating ATL. Let's see how week two goes.
Falcons - Not Worried. I like the way Penix has looked, he's avoiding mistakes. With Arthur Smith gone Bijan and even Pitts are getting a proper amount of usage. The loss to Tampa hurts their division chances but the look like a fringe playoff team. Getting four games against the next two teams helps.
Saints - Not Worried. Kellen Moore is in year 1 so there are no expectations. They gave the Niners a decent game. Juwan Johnson has been unlocked. Kamara still has that great balance.
Panthers - Worried. They rallied late against Arizona so maybe Young has found something but for 7 quarters he was awful. Tet looks like the real deal. Xavier Legette has sickening 4 catches in 15 targets for 8 yards. The defense has not been good. Changes are in the offing.
Rams - Not Worried. Defense is looking solid, Stafford is spreading it around, and McVay is even giving Kyren a blow once in awhile. As long as Stafford can stay upright these guys are contenders.
Niners - Worried. But not really. Mac Jones is one of the better backups around, Jauan Jennings returned and looked good, and CMAC got a normal amount of usage instead of the obscene week 1 number. Purdy will be back, Kittle wil be back, and Aiyuk may also show up in the 2nd half. In the meantime they have a nice soft last place schedule that should yield plenty of wins.
Cards - Not Worried. This division was always going to look good this year with both the AFC and NFC south on the schedule. So far so good for the Cards. Benson is keeping Conner fresh. If they can ever get Harrison more involved they could have a chance to leap the Rams and Niners. For now they're just a half step behind.
Seahawks - Not Worried. Statement win bullying the Steelers in the early time slot. The defense looks solid and they have a top receiver and running back duo. Darnold made a couple of bad plays but also hung in there and made a few great throws. They have a higher ceiling than people might think.
Buffalo - Not worried. Allen had his nose broken but they hardly needed to use him. Hammerlock on the East and in the driver's seat for #1 seed.
Patriots - Not worried. Great answers when Miami first took the lead 20-15 and also after their punt return for a TD gave them the lead again. Haven't even unlocked Henderson yet. Should be in the playoff hunt most of the year.
Jets - Worried. Manhandled by the Bills and the loss to Pittsburgh looks a little worse now. Tyrod is a capable backup if Fields misses time. Where is the D?
Dolphins - Worried. Bad pick late by Tua ended their chances. Offense in general looked better but defense is still a shitshow. Schedule does lighten up after the Bills hammer them next week, but these first two games were not exactly against contenders.
Bengals - Worried. 2-0 but now Joe Sheisty will be out three months? Browning will sling it but to both teams. Next four games @Min, @Den, Det, @GB. Yikes.
Ravens - Not Worried. Back to back 40 burgers and they barely used Henry in this one.
Steelers - Worried. Team is allowing 28 a game in their last 9 games. Their problem in a nutshell. They weren't good late last season. They've made a ton of splashy moves that in every case has made them older. They also have the earliest possible bye in Week 5. So, they need some time for all these new pieces to mesh, and then they have to play 13 consecutive games with the 2nd oldest team in the league just to get to wildcard weekend. This is not a recipe for success.
Browns - Not Worried. What is there to worry about? Nobody expected them to win. This is a building year. The rookie QBs will start getting reps. The rookie RBs are already getting reps. The rookie TE is getting reps. The defense was actually pretty good yardage wise against the Ravens.
Colts - Not Worried. You have to be excited about the Colts start. Putting up 473 yards against what is supposed to be a top 3 defense is impressive. Warren is already involved. I did probably 20 mock drafts and seemed to get Taylor about 75% of the time. Didn't get him a single time in any real drafts, dammit.
Jags - Worried. Cupcake opener followed 3 quarters against the backup for the Bengals had all the makings of a 2-0 start. Not sure why Lawrence doesn't seem to be on the same page with BTJ and Hunter yet. Texans, Niners, Chiefs, Seahawks and Rams heading into the week 8 bye, oh my.
Texans - Not Worried. Knew Rams would be a tough opponent. Let's see how they do against Tampa.
Titans - Not Worried. Another team building this year. Cam is showing flashes but is still a rookie. Ayomanor is stepping into the #2 WR role nicely. They had the lead in the third quarter vs Rams.
Chargers - Not Worried. Looked great in Brazil. Let's see how they do in the US tonight.
Raiders - Not Worried. Big week 1 win on the east coast. Stiffer test tonight vs Herbert and Co.
Broncos - Worried. Not a lot worried, but Nix is making mistakes, they didn't get much out of Harvey yet, and the defense got lit up in Indy. Some cracks to repair.
Chiefs - Not Worried. 0-2 and not worried? Well...they looked better against the Eagles despite have limited options on offense. Worthy is probably back next week and Rice in a few more weeks. Kelce has been their biggest problem, knocking out his teammate week 1 and letting a ball clank off his arms for a key pick this week. BUT....the Eagles barely got 200 yards, a big improvement from Week 1. They should handle the Giants and with the exception of Buffalo their toughest games the rest of the year are at home. Mahomes is healthy and running and reinforcements are on their way.
Eagles - Not Worried. Well, maybe a little worried. They're not killing teams but they do enough to win. AJ Brown isn't too involved, have to wonder if he's physically OK. Their schedule...wow. Except for two Giants games it's tough for the team everyone wants a shot at: Rams, Bucs, Broncos, Vikings, Packers, Lions, Chargers, Raiders Commanders and Bills will all get a swing. The have EIGHT more national games coming up.
Commanders - Worried. This is the oldest team in the league. RB is all of the sudden very thin with Robinson and Ekeler gone. Deebo and McLaurin combined are under 10 yards per catch. Daniels can still make magic but the Pack showed a blueprint to contain him. A step backwards this year was not unexpected.
Cowboys - Worried. Not a lot, just a little worried. I expected to see shootouts with Parsons gone but the way it unfolded against the Giants with multiple deep ball plays was troubling. Ironically, they are playing the run just fine. Javonte has been shockingly good. No surprise that Dak is putting up numbers and using CD, Pickens and Ferguson. Suddenly four of the next five (Bears, Jets, Panthers, Commanders) look winnable.
Giants - Not Worried. Bigtime effort from Russ this week. He still can throw the deep ball as well as anyone. Schedule is just too tough to win many. No surprise. Skattebo already getting a good chuck of work, saw him dropped in a bunch of leagues.
Packers - Not Worried. They've looked as good as anyone so far, dammit.
Lions - Not Worried. Got their swagger back taking it out on the Bears. The home/road splits for Goff may still be a thing. TeSlaa is a wizard so far.
Vikings - Worried. McCarthy just doesn't look ready. His throwing motion takes forever and I imagine his ability to read the play is still at a rookie level. Now Jones is dinged along with much of the defense. They do get Addison back soon, but McCarthy is not keeping drives alive. They only ran 46 plays yesterday!
Bears - Worried. 10 TDs, 73 points allowed in 5 quarters. Rome Odunze is taking over the WR room.
Bucs - Not Worried. Egbuka filled Godwins shoes like Cinderella. They got a little lucky in beating ATL. Let's see how week two goes.
Falcons - Not Worried. I like the way Penix has looked, he's avoiding mistakes. With Arthur Smith gone Bijan and even Pitts are getting a proper amount of usage. The loss to Tampa hurts their division chances but the look like a fringe playoff team. Getting four games against the next two teams helps.
Saints - Not Worried. Kellen Moore is in year 1 so there are no expectations. They gave the Niners a decent game. Juwan Johnson has been unlocked. Kamara still has that great balance.
Panthers - Worried. They rallied late against Arizona so maybe Young has found something but for 7 quarters he was awful. Tet looks like the real deal. Xavier Legette has sickening 4 catches in 15 targets for 8 yards. The defense has not been good. Changes are in the offing.
Rams - Not Worried. Defense is looking solid, Stafford is spreading it around, and McVay is even giving Kyren a blow once in awhile. As long as Stafford can stay upright these guys are contenders.
Niners - Worried. But not really. Mac Jones is one of the better backups around, Jauan Jennings returned and looked good, and CMAC got a normal amount of usage instead of the obscene week 1 number. Purdy will be back, Kittle wil be back, and Aiyuk may also show up in the 2nd half. In the meantime they have a nice soft last place schedule that should yield plenty of wins.
Cards - Not Worried. This division was always going to look good this year with both the AFC and NFC south on the schedule. So far so good for the Cards. Benson is keeping Conner fresh. If they can ever get Harrison more involved they could have a chance to leap the Rams and Niners. For now they're just a half step behind.
Seahawks - Not Worried. Statement win bullying the Steelers in the early time slot. The defense looks solid and they have a top receiver and running back duo. Darnold made a couple of bad plays but also hung in there and made a few great throws. They have a higher ceiling than people might think.
Loves2kickass
Here to cap the games
KC isn't a 0-2 team. 1 turnover cost them a win against Philly.
-5.5 @ NY Giants almost seems like a gift?
-5.5 @ NY Giants almost seems like a gift?
Loves2kickass
Here to cap the games
I think is a great idea. The owner has every right to be involved.
Aubrey will break the bank for a kicker when his contract is up. Though sure Jones will fuck it up somehow. What a weapon. Get to 50 and u have 3. He will get a 70 yard soon. With new kick off rules u usually get ball around 35. Only need 15 yards. Saw that yesterday with 25 seconds left vs nyg. Easily should be first $10m kicker maybe more. Not only distance but he doesn't miss.
On side note. Only have bm and Circa this year as betting lite. Circa changed their Teaser from 2 teams 6 points to 5 points. Still -120. Great book but awful for Live and now teasers.
KJ
Minister of Communication
Still think a kicker's union would be incredible. They win and lose more games than any other player in the uniform.
TreyDawg
Pretty much a regular
Skins thoughts after 2 weeks (from a lifer).....
Worried is right @Gandolf. I was skeptical coming into the season and don't see any reason to change my stance at all. Injuries or not I'd feel the same way but now their depth is being tested in ways it wasn't last year. There will be a lot of things tested this season in ways it wasn't last year. The 4th down conversion % will drop off, sharply. The close games will have to swing back in the other direction some too. You can't continue to win in some of the ways they won last year especially when their season was called "magical" or "team of destiny" or things like that. Those things were a given before the year started.
Reality is the roster is at least a couple of years away. They've tried plugging some holes with vets and it's been hit or miss. I've been cringing all summer and every time I hear a media "expert" have the Skins in their top 10 or picking them to make the playoffs as if it's a foregone conclusion. Even heard some picking them to challenge Philly for the division. It's been weird and from my eyes also wrong. Skins won't challenge for the division and will be a stretch to even challenge for a WC spot. I think they miss the playoffs. Schedule is tough and just too many variables to overcome and not enough roster talent.
Offense: McLaurin hold in hurt, will take time to gel again. Connerly looked very much like a rookie against GB and JD had happy feet in the pocket all night. Daniels is running too much and now his health is a little in question. Listed as questionable this weekend already and pissed I didn't grab LV +5.5. He took a hit that didn't look good and one you definitely don't want your QB taking. That has to stop, they need to protect him and run him less. RB room is now real thin and Bill gonna be the bell cow. K, we'll see how that works out. Injuries starting to stack up, Ekeler and Wise absence will be felt. Like what they're doin with Deebo though. They need Terry back with a quickness and need to catch lightning in a bottle with Bill or else it's gonna turn into a long season and feel like years past.
Defense: Can we just get rid of Lattimore please? I hated they didn't move on from this summer and it's killing the secondary because everyone in the building still things he's a shutdown corner. Dude straight sucks, he's washed. I never liked that trade and hate it more now. Not a fan. Like Mikey S & Amos but hate we lost Chinn. This defense can't generate pressure with a pass rush or create turnovers and it's old. Luckily they haven't turned it over on offense yet but that won't last.
I'm struggling to find 8 wins on their schedule. Yikes
Worried is right @Gandolf. I was skeptical coming into the season and don't see any reason to change my stance at all. Injuries or not I'd feel the same way but now their depth is being tested in ways it wasn't last year. There will be a lot of things tested this season in ways it wasn't last year. The 4th down conversion % will drop off, sharply. The close games will have to swing back in the other direction some too. You can't continue to win in some of the ways they won last year especially when their season was called "magical" or "team of destiny" or things like that. Those things were a given before the year started.
Reality is the roster is at least a couple of years away. They've tried plugging some holes with vets and it's been hit or miss. I've been cringing all summer and every time I hear a media "expert" have the Skins in their top 10 or picking them to make the playoffs as if it's a foregone conclusion. Even heard some picking them to challenge Philly for the division. It's been weird and from my eyes also wrong. Skins won't challenge for the division and will be a stretch to even challenge for a WC spot. I think they miss the playoffs. Schedule is tough and just too many variables to overcome and not enough roster talent.
Offense: McLaurin hold in hurt, will take time to gel again. Connerly looked very much like a rookie against GB and JD had happy feet in the pocket all night. Daniels is running too much and now his health is a little in question. Listed as questionable this weekend already and pissed I didn't grab LV +5.5. He took a hit that didn't look good and one you definitely don't want your QB taking. That has to stop, they need to protect him and run him less. RB room is now real thin and Bill gonna be the bell cow. K, we'll see how that works out. Injuries starting to stack up, Ekeler and Wise absence will be felt. Like what they're doin with Deebo though. They need Terry back with a quickness and need to catch lightning in a bottle with Bill or else it's gonna turn into a long season and feel like years past.
Defense: Can we just get rid of Lattimore please? I hated they didn't move on from this summer and it's killing the secondary because everyone in the building still things he's a shutdown corner. Dude straight sucks, he's washed. I never liked that trade and hate it more now. Not a fan. Like Mikey S & Amos but hate we lost Chinn. This defense can't generate pressure with a pass rush or create turnovers and it's old. Luckily they haven't turned it over on offense yet but that won't last.
I'm struggling to find 8 wins on their schedule. Yikes
Frank Costanza
2024 and 2025 CTG Supporting Donation Member
No doubt.
Hopefully the Colts have better results than the Cowboys. We've seen what three decades of direct owner involvement has done for that organization.
austinhous
Delicately Satirical
yeah, what is the highest paid? About $5m I think. I understand it's because they are in so few plays - but those plays are so critical. I have no idea his contract situation. But I'd love see him as a Unrestricted FA just to see what offers he'd get. I watched the KC game and the philly kicker hit a 58 yarder that would have been good from 70. I think we see a 70 yarder this season.
pressitup
2024 and 2025 CTG Supporting Donation Member
I'm sttill pissed oveer the penalty at the end of th Broncos game.
To be up 2 w/-1 ticket and they call a leverage penalty on a 60yd fg. give me a break.
ETA: that loss put me ovr the mendoza line with the book and I had to pay this morning.
To be up 2 w/-1 ticket and they call a leverage penalty on a 60yd fg. give me a break.
ETA: that loss put me ovr the mendoza line with the book and I had to pay this morning.
DeadEyeDuckie
Pretty much a regular
Denver's "elite" defense is in fact not elite
Dallas's defense is bad.
KC's offense right now needs some new life.
Detroit can still score
The "Magic Mike" days are coming to an end in Miami
Steelers look old and they ARE old.
Dallas's defense is bad.
KC's offense right now needs some new life.
Detroit can still score
The "Magic Mike" days are coming to an end in Miami
Steelers look old and they ARE old.
skanless13
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
I know the stat is something like 70-75% of teams to start 2-0 make the playoffs, but isn’t Arizona to NOT make the playoffs at even odds pretty good value? They’ve barely beaten 2 of the worst teams in the NFL. Might jump on this one
twinkie13
In transit, arriving late.
Most owners have a board of some sort. It’s just good practice for larger run businesses in my humble opinion