Takeaways from NFL Week 2

Week 2 of the NFL season provided an unusually high number of upsets as the Lions, Cowboys, 49ers, and Ravens all lost. Caleb Williams had another poor performance on Sunday night, and the rookie quarterbacks struggled again. Here are the main takeaways from the second week of action.

Passing is down across the board

Only three quarterbacks surpassed 300 yards passing this week, and 14 of the 30 who have played so far failed to reach the 200-yard mark. In Week 1, more than half of the league’s starting quarterbacks threw for less than 200 yards, and only two went over 300.

A lack of playing time for starters during the preseason has likely contributed to this. It is early in the season, and offenses have not yet warmed up to going against live defenses.

Putting a lack of game reps aside, the primary reason passing is down is the emergence of two high-safety defensive schemes. Coordinators across the league have adopted this method of slowing down passing attacks, and quarterbacks are struggling to adjust.

With a two-high look, defenses are taking away passes downfield, forcing the offense to focus on intermediate routes, check downs to the running back, or simply taking what the defense is giving them and running the football.

The teams that have been the most successful through two weeks of play have won with their ground attack. Six teams have gained at least 350 yards rushing so far, and they have a combined record of 7-4.

Of these teams, the Packers were the only one viewed as a Super Bowl contender entering the season, with the other five being the Chargers, Saints, Patriots, Cardinals, and Commanders.

Matt LaFleur and Jim Harbaugh are early frontrunners for Coach of the Year

LeFleur has built a reputation as a winner in the National Football League with a career record of 57-28 as a head coach. Despite having the second-highest winning percentage amongst active coaches, he is regularly overlooked for Coach of the Year honors.

When he first took over in Green Bay, his success was chalked up to taking over a team led by Aaron Rodgers, but now, without the four-time MVP, LaFleur continues to win. He did not have his starting quarterback in Week 2, and LaFleur picked up another win with Malik Willis under center.

Willis had never thrown a touchdown pass in the NFL or topped 100 yards passing. He had thrown three interceptions and had a 48.7 career quarterback rating coming into the game. On Sunday, Willis was 12-14 passing with a touchdown pass and a 126.8 quarterback rating.

Harbaugh has led a team full of question marks coming into the season to a 2-0 start. The Chargers have allowed the least amount of points to opposing teams (13) and are second in the NFL in rushing. Los Angeles ranked in the bottom fourth of the league in both categories last season.

Harbaugh is fresh off winning a national championship with a Michigan team that prided itself on those two aspects of the game. People did not take the Chargers seriously heading into 2024 and thought it would be a rebuilding year with the new head coach. The organization has done a complete 180 in year one under Harbaugh’s leadership, and they look like a playoff team. 

The Ravens, Rams, and Bengals are in trouble 

Since expanding to a 17-game schedule three years ago, only two teams have made the playoffs after starting the season 0-2. All three of these teams had high hopes entering the year, but the odds are now stacked against them.

The Ravens nearly beat the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Week 1 but followed it up with a brutal loss to the Raiders. Their next three games are against Dallas, Buffalo, and Cincinnati.

CHAMARRI MAKES A HUGE STOP ? pic.twitter.com/tAa4V2J3e7

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 15, 2024

The Rams lost to a good Lions team in overtime to start the season and then proceeded to lose to the Cardinals 41-10. Next up is the 49ers, and their two-star receivers, Puka Nacua and Copper Kupp, have both gone down with injuries.

The Bengals looked awful in their season opener against the Patriots when they only scored ten points. They followed it up by taking the Chiefs down to the wire on Sunday but lost on a last-second field goal. Cincinnati is desperately missing the presence of Tee Higgins, which has allowed their opponents to focus on shutting down Ja’Marr Chase.

Any three teams could turn things around and make the postseason, but if history has something to say about it, only one will do so.

It could finally be Josh Allen’s year

Led by Allen, the Buffalo Bills have made the playoffs for five consecutive seasons. His rookie year was the only time he won less than ten games. Playing in the shadow of Patrick Mahomes, Allen has never made it to the Super Bowl and never won a league MVP despite being one of the best players in the NFL for most of his career.

With Stefon Diggs no longer part of the equation, the Bills’ quarterback looks like a new man. Diggs is a fantastic wide receiver, but he could also be a headache at times. Allen has been spreading the football around to all of his different playmakers. Ten players have caught a pass for Buffalo through two games this season, and Allen has yet to throw an interception (he was second in the league last year with 18).

James Cook is getting it done on the ground, averaging five yards a carry, and the running back just scored three-touchdown against Miami. If Cook continues to take on an expanded role, it will take a lot of pressure off Allen having to run the ball.

It is still so early in the season, and Allen and the Bills will have to deal with Kansas City at some point, but it could finally be their time to shine.

Top Image Caption:

ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 15: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) fumbles the football after being tackled by New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (90) and defensive end Carl Granderson (96) during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints on September 15, 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire)