Cover 7 | Sunday A daily NFL destination that provides in-depth analysis of football’s biggest stories. Each Sunday, three of The Athletic’s NFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day’s games.
Week 2 is extremely important in the NFL, as teams can quickly begin to hinder their playoff chances by starting out 0-2. A few teams that entered this season as Super Bowl contenders are facing that reality, while some others — like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons — that began the year as underdogs are surprisingly undefeated after two weeks. Will Baker Mayfield and the Bucs build off their early momentum? And how concerned should we be about Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals?
The Athletic NFL writers Dan Pompei, Mike Jones and Ted Nguyen share their takeaways on the day’s top storylines.
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Many wrote the Bucs off after Tom Brady retired following the 2022 season. But they’re off to a surprising 2-0 start, and Mayfield and Mike Evans appear to have formed a connection. Could they wind up winning the NFC South for the third straight year?
Pompei: Yes, but that may be more of a statement about the NFC South than the Bucs. The division is up for grabs and there does not appear to be an elite team. The Bucs showed they can play defense (even though the opponent Sunday complied), and Mayfield may be reviving his career. It’s too early to draw too many conclusions about this team, but there’s no question it’s better than almost everybody thought it was. Much credit to head coach Todd Bowles. We will find out a lot more about the Bucs a week from Monday when they host the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jones: I’m predicting a neck-and-neck race with the New Orleans Saints, but the Bucs definitely have a chance to win their division. I spent some time down there during training camp and they firmly believe they still have a roster that is built to contend. They cycled out some older players but still held onto difference-makers on both sides of the ball. They saw Mayfield as the perfect fit for their new offense, and here they are with back-to-back wins. The tests will intensify from here. But the Bucs are much better than many people expected.
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Nguyen: I think Mayfield is better than most give him credit for. That doesn’t mean he’s good, but he has stretches where he makes some big-time throws. The problem is he also sprinkles in mind-numbing negative plays, but we won’t talk about that today. In two games, Mayfield hasn’t thrown a pick and has only been sacked once. People also seemed to have forgotten that the Bucs have a legitimately good defense with an aggressive blitzing mindset — something offenses don’t see often in today’s NFL. The NFC South is wide open, and it won’t take an 11-win season to win it, so the Bucs certainly have a chance.
Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers drop another close one, this time to the Tennessee Titans in OT. With high expectations again entering this season, why does this team seem to struggle to get over the hump? What’s holding it back from being a serious contender?
Pompei: Through two games, the Chargers are probably the most puzzling team in the league. They have everything it takes to win — although they were missing one of their best players Sunday with Austin Ekeler out. Offensively, they played a pretty clean game against the Titans but just didn’t make enough plays, especially in critical situations (third downs, overtime). Giving up 27 points to the Titans is a poor reflection of the defense. The Chargers are the type of team that can turn things around quickly — but that can’t happen without some defensive improvement.
Jones: The Chargers will endure some growing pains as they gain comfort in Kellen Moore’s offense, and they also missed Ekeler on Sunday. But this game was decided on third downs. The Chargers were 2-for-14 on those money downs, while the Titans were 6-for-13. Herbert missed three crucial overtime passes. A late roughing the passer penalty by the Chargers also hurt. This team needs to improve on the little things. Details and discipline matter. The great teams understand this and thrive in those areas.
Nguyen: Right now, they can’t stop giving up explosive plays (runs of 10-plus yards and passes of 20-plus yards). Herbert and the offense have looked pretty good. They scored 34 points last week and 24 against a very good Titans defense. Up 11-0, they gave up a 70-yard pass to Tennessee receiver Treylon Burks. They bottled up Derrick Henry for most of the game but gave up several gashes to his backups, including a 14-yarder on the Titans’ first offensive snap of overtime. It’s puzzling considering Brandon Staley’s defensive philosophy is built on stopping explosive plays. They are very thin in the middle of their defense (D-line and inside linebacker) — it’s going to be an issue all season.
FOLK HERO!
📺: Watch #LACvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/CGwtDshJ24
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) September 17, 2023
The Bengals start the season 0-2 for the second consecutive year. Burrow and the offense just don’t appear to be clicking thus far. Should we be concerned about Cincinnati? Or will it bounce back like in 2022 and make a playoff push?
Pompei: The Bengals are one of the best teams in the league, no matter what their record says. But they need to start playing like it. Their performance so far is a statement about the importance of training camp and preseason. A quarterback — even one as gifted as Burrow — can’t just show up and start playing at the start of the regular season. He needs practice time not only for his own sharpness but also to get in sync with his teammates. The expectation is Burrow is going to get right soon, and he’ll be playing much better in October and beyond than he has in September.
Jones: Burrow said he tweaked his calf again, so that’s concerning. But he also said he’s not sure how serious it is, so we’ll have to wait and see. If he can bounce back relatively quickly, the Bengals should still be OK. They’ve been here before. Last season. So, there will be no panic within the Bengals’ locker room. As noted, Burrow still didn’t look great. But this is still essentially the preseason for him because he missed all of it with that calf injury and couldn’t practice or play. Losing two divisional games to open the season hurts, but the Bengals still have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and can’t be counted out this early.
A slow start to the season for the Chargers and Bengals 😳 pic.twitter.com/jVNsDVrIlm
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) September 17, 2023
Nguyen: The Bengals played two really rough defenses in the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens to start the season, and considering Burrow has missed a lot of practice time with the calf injury, which still looks to be bothering him, it’s understandable why the Bengals have started off slow. I think they found a spark on Sunday and will continue to get better in the following weeks. Last season after starting 0-2, Burrow said, “We’re gonna be fine. We’re not worried about it.” Same vibes apply to this season.
Bijan Robinson is off to a stellar start to his rookie season. He finished Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers with 172 total yards (124 rushing, 48 receiving) as the Falcons improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2017. What do you make of this Atlanta team after two weeks?
Pompei: So far, they are kind of a junior version of the San Francisco 49ers. They aren’t counting on their quarterback outplaying their opponents’ quarterbacks. It’s about the run game, offensive skill players with big-play possibilities, and a defense that plays hard and hits hard. You have to like the resiliency the Falcons played with against the Packers. Arthur Smith had a clear vision for this team, and so far the Falcons are playing the way he thought they could. They are impressive. It will be interesting to see how they deal with more significant adversities as the season goes on.
Jones: Any time you asked rival talent evaluators about the Falcons last season, they noted that they were well-coached and played hard. The same applies this season. They fell behind against Green Bay but didn’t fold. The Falcons are balanced (235 passing yards, 211 rushing yards and converted 6 of 15 third downs.) They trailed for much of the game, but they won the time of possession 36:15 to 23:45. They have the ingredients necessary to compete in this league, even if they don’t have a high-profile quarterback.
Nguyen: The defense is much, much improved. New defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen has this unit flying around and playing hard. They don’t have a ton of talent, but if they can finish 20 or better in defense-adjusted value over average, the Falcons will be competitive in the NFC South. The offense has too many playmakers and runs the ball with efficiency and physicality. Robinson has looked like everything he was hyped to be, and he looks like he’s going to lead the league in forced missed tackle rate. He’s been ridiculously hard to bring down. They have to avoid third-and-long and passing situations, but it was encouraging to see Desmond Ridder hit a few passes on their game-winning drive.
The New York Giants and Washington Commanders came back from double-digit deficits to win on the road, while the Dallas Cowboys took care of business against the Aaron Rodgers-less Jets. With the Eagles also winning Thursday night, the NFC East has three teams sitting at 2-0. Has this really become one of the best divisions in football?
Pompei: The NFC East definitely is one of the best divisions in football. It’s also probably the most underrated. Divisions tend to be respected or disrespected based on the star power of their quarterbacks. That’s why the AFC West is the darling of the pundits. Jalen Hurts is the only quarterback in the NFC East who is universally respected. But the teams in this division have some balance beyond quarterbacks — running games, lines that win, secondaries and pass rushes. It would not be a shock to see three playoff teams from the East. But it’s early.
Jones: It’s definitely one of the most intriguing. I still need to see more before I declare it one of the best. The shaky quarterback situations of the Giants and Commanders cause me to hold my breath — even if Daniel Jones and Sam Howell each delivered impressive comebacks on Sunday. I feel like the Eagles remain one of the best teams in the NFC, and the Cowboys have now delivered back-to-back dominant victories. Can the Commanders and Giants continue to improve and play with greater consistency? If the answer winds up being yes, and if each NFC East showdown is a slugfest as we saw in the 1980s and 1990s, then yes, I’ll give it to the NFC East as being one of the league’s best divisions.
The Giants were down 20-0 to the Cardinals.
They won 31-28.
The 20-point comeback ties a franchise record for the largest comeback in New York's history. pic.twitter.com/CNILpGeTmB
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 17, 2023
Nguyen: The Giants have some major offensive line issues and Darren Waller, who was supposed to be their No. 1 target, is currently dealing with a hamstring issue. Jones was supposed to be a steadying force, but he’s not a quarterback who can greatly elevate his team, though he was very good in the second half. Saquon Barkley was magnificent breaking tackles on runs and getting open in the passing game. The Giants’ ceiling depends on how much their offensive line can improve and if Waller can remain healthy. They can be a playoff team, but the margin for error is razor-thin.
The Commanders have a talented defense but have to stop with the communication errors that leave receivers open. The Denver Broncos scored too easy touchdowns due to receivers getting wide open. This seems to happen often with Jack Del Rio defenses. Last year, the Commanders cleaned up their eye violations as the season progressed. The defense has to be stout to handle some of the natural ups and downs that come with starting a young quarterback. Howell is able to make some rare plays with his arm and legs but has to cut down on plays in which he holds the ball too long.
The Broncos, who were on the opposite end of that come-from-behind victory by Washington, fall to 0-2. Does this Sean Payton-Russell Wilson experiment have potential? Or are we witnessing the beginning of the end of Wilson’s time as a starting quarterback?
Pompei: I think the pairing absolutely has potential. It needs time to determine whether or not the potential can be realized. Payton and Wilson are getting to know one another. That’s a process that will take longer than two games. It’s difficult to believe that a coach who has had as much success as Payton with offenses and a quarterback who has played as efficiently and won as many games as Wilson can’t find a way to bring out the best in one another. Payton’s tough-love approach may be exactly what Wilson needs at this point in his career. Then again, Wilson may believe he is beyond this kind of coaching. If the results continue to trend in the direction they have in the first two games, however, this will be the beginning of the end for Wilson in Denver. It’s just too soon to say where it’s going.
Jones: There’s still time for them to improve, but I’m not sure by how much. We’re only two weeks in, but after back-to-back second-half collapses and significant struggles on third downs, you can feel the frustration building. Payton called out Wilson for not getting in and out of the huddle quicker and said he’d slap a wristband on his veteran quarterback if he had to. Wilson, who was sacked seven times against Washington, also has to get rid of the ball quicker, because he no longer has the escapability that was once such a big part of his game. Wilson’s days as a difference-maker may indeed be numbered. But, the Broncos still can play better. Having said that, even if they do make some strides, they’re not going to overtake the Kansas City Chiefs. They’re not better than the Chargers. And as we saw last week, even beating the Las Vegas Raiders is a challenge. So, there’s potential there, but it’s limited.
Nguyen: This is the second week in a row that Wilson turned back into a pumpkin after halftime. His numbers will be plumped up from the Hail Mary, but he threw a bad interception and the offense was mostly ineffective in the second half. It seems when Payton’s script runs out, Wilson really struggles. Wilson seems to be playing a little better than last season, but he’s extremely limited at this point in his career. I don’t see the situation getting much better.
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What stood out on the second Sunday of the NFL season
(Top photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
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NFL Week 2 takeaways: Baker Mayfield is cooking, Bijan Robinson off to strong start - The Athletic
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