When Fox analyst Greg Olsen noted that this week’s version of Russell Wilson was “unrecognizable from Week 1,” he could have referred to the entire New York Giants team.
Limping into Dallas after their dismal opening loss to the Commanders, the Giants picked up where they left off – with a lot of stupid mistakes. Offensive tackle James Hudson III stole the limelight as he somehow amassed four consecutive penalties on New York’s first possession. Hudson was duly benched but the Giants’ penalties kept coming – they gave away 160 yards’ worth on Sunday.
And yet … despite the penalties, the Giants we saw on Sunday in Dallas were nothing like the hapless team we saw last week – and for large parts of the last decade. This squad showed fight, moxie, and an offense at its best. Wilson was sensational, proving his critics wrong by, simply put, producing one of the best games of his career. His 450 passing yards and three touchdowns were the result of his command of the offense, smart decision making, improved offensive line play, and a special connection with Malik Nabers.
Video of the week
Here’s Puka Nacua’s 45-yard rushing touchdown. What can’t the wide receiver do? The Rams dialled up a sneaky call on fourth and one in the first quarter, shifting Nacua in front of rusher Kyren Williams. Nacua took a clean handoff from Matthew Stafford to the house, forcing multiple missed tackles on the way, looking like a natural running back. Nacua’s score set the tone for Los Angeles’s 33-19 win over Tennessee, which takes them to 2-0 on the season. Add in new toy Davante Adams, who was good for 106 receiving yards, and OC Mike LaFleur, and Rams head coach Sean McVay should have plenty of fun with the offensive playbook. Nacua was also productive Sunday as a receiver, finishing with eight receptions and 91 yards.
The extent of Burrow’s injury isn’t official, but as he sat on the ground pointing to his foot, a collective “not again” rippled through Cincinnati. Lacking even a gator cart, the Bengals had him hobble away on a foot scooter. Have the team’s decision-makers learned nothing from their offensive line’s toll on him, most notably the knee injury that ended his rookie year? Since their 2022 Super Bowl appearance, this franchise has drifted back into mediocrity. Despite boasting a franchise quarterback in Burrow and elite receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, they’ve repeatedly dropped close games and failed to retain key defensive talent.
So, yes, the Bengals are in an odd position with this 2-0 thing, not to mention the fact that enjoy sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Browning is a solid backup but is, of course, no Burrow. The schedule gets nasty in Weeks 5 and 6 with the Lions and Packers on the schedule. If Burrow is indeed out, prospects for the Bengals as a season-long powerhouse don’t look good. But the Bengals should still savor being 2-0 – it’s been a while.
Elsewhere around the league
The Super Bowl rematch arrived on Sunday, and it won’t be much comfort to the Chiefs that their 20-17 defeat to the Eagles was less one-sided than February’s game. As was the case last time, the Eagles defense was at its formidable best and, aside from a beauty of a touchdown pass from Mahomes, the Eagles stifled the Chiefs. Kansas City are 0-2 for the first time since 2014, which is also the last time they failed to make the postseason. They should still make it this season, and the Giants should provide relief next week, but next after that is a tricky meeting with the Ravens.
There are regular rookie mistakes, then there is the catastrophic kickoff return by the Steelers’ Kaleb Johnson. Early in the fourth quarter, after Seattle took a three-point lead, Johnson let the ensuing kickoff bounce through his hands and settle in the end zone. It appeared Johnson did not understand the kickoff rules which state that the ball is live if the returning team does not possess it. Seattle recovered the ball for a touchdown, putting them up 24-14. The Seahawks would eventually win 31-17. “If I wasn’t sure [of the rule], if I was sure, it doesn’t matter,” said Johnson after the game. “I still got to do what I got to do, and I still got to go in there and execute the way it needs to be executed.” Welcome to the NFL, poor rookie.
Ben Johnson’s return to Detroit did not quite go as he planned. An extra motivated Lions squad took it to Johnson’s Bears, winning 52-21. Jared Goff tore up Chicago’s defense with a whopping 82% completion rate, five touchdowns, and 334 yards. The Lions came in motivated – eager to knock off their former offensive coordinator and desperate for a rebound after their Week 1 loss to Green Bay. They did both. For Johnson, though, two weeks in Chicago have underscored the vast gulf between being a successful coordinator and a being a head coach, even for the so-called wunderkinds.
An ESPN report surfaced over the weekend claiming that the Baltimore Ravens had intended to pick Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of this year’s draft. But Sanders let it be known that he did not want to be stuck behind a superstar like Lamar Jackson. Well, looks like Cleveland are the perfect situation for Sanders. The 40-year-old Joe Flacco continued to look his age in Cleveland’s 41-17 loss to the Ravens. Not only did Flacco throw an interception and had a fumble returned 60 yards that led to a touchdown, his throws lacked zip and his mobility was nonexistent. Second-stringer Dillon Gabriel made his NFL debut late in the game; Sanders saw no action. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Flacco will remain the starter as the Browns prepare to play Green Bay next week. But the leash has to be getting shorter.
