Not only have four teams overcome 10-point deficits to win Week 2, but 12 games have been decided by three points or less this season — the most through the first two weeks of a season in NFL history. While Sunday’s slate was unpredictable and full of incredible comebacks, there was plenty of overreaction to deal with across the league after this wild batch of games. Here are the best reactions from every Week 2 game and whether these stories are overreactions or reality.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is a top receiver in the NFL right now
Reality Overreaction: Reality St. Brown just set an NFL record with his eighth straight game with eight-plus receptions, tying Antonio Brown and Michael Thomas for the all-time mark. He is the only player in NFL history to have six consecutive games with eight-plus receptions and a game-tying touchdown. All over the field in Sunday’s win over Washington, St. Brown finished with nine catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns — while also rushing twice for 68 yards (leading the Lions in rushing). Through Week 12 of the 2021 season, St. Brown has 72 catches for 766 yards and eight game-tying touchdowns (eight games) — all in the top five in the league. St. Brown is the league’s top-10 receiver and the Lions have three straight games of 30-plus points for the first time since 1997 as a result.
The Cowboys can make a run for the NFC East title with Cooper Rush holding down the fort
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction Dallas showed how good its defense is, giving the Cowboys a chance to be in every play because of a unit that gets behind the quarterback and forces turnovers. Can this formula lead the Rush to two wins? Rush played well in Sunday’s upset of the Bengals, going 19 of 31 for 235 yards and a touchdown (95.5 rating). He was able to find CeeDee Lamb seven times and connected with Noah Brown for 91 yards and a touchdown. However, the Cowboys offense was anemic in the second half, going 24 plays for 110 yards (4.58 yards per play on five possessions). Rush led the Cowboys to the game-winning field goal and completed the upset, but the inconsistent offense is a concern. Maybe the Bengals made the adjustments that other teams will copy in the coming weeks.
The Giants are NFC East contenders
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction Give New York plenty of credit for their first 2-0 start since 2016, but they need a win over a good team to make it happen. Whether or not the Titans are good is to be decided (although the Giants deserve a lot of credit for the impressive road win), and the Panthers are shaping up to be one of the worst teams in the league — again. The Giants struggled offensively for three quarters and there didn’t seem to be much faith in Daniel Jones on the coaching staff. That changed in the fourth quarter when the Giants called his number to run for a first down and seal the win against Carolina. New York’s defense was impressive in both games — without Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojuulari. The first test for the Giants will be next week against Dallas, so it might be time to revisit it. Right now, the Giants lead the NFC East.
Frank Reich is in the hot seat
Overreaction or Reality: Reality The Colts looked pathetic in Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars, going just 2 of 10 on third down and gaining 218 yards of offense. Matt Ryan threw three interceptions and looked over the hill against a Jaguars offensive front that handled the Colts’ offensive line and finished with five sacks. Indianapolis was 0-for-2 in the red zone and finished with three turnovers, not quite the offense the Colts thought they would be when they cut Carson Wentz for Ryan. The Colts, who were expected to rule the AFC South this season, now have a loss against Jacksonville and a tie against Houston. This is unforgivable.
Garrett Wilson is the best wide receiver in the draft class
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction Wilson had his NFL performance on Sunday, finishing with eight catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets’ wild comeback win over the Browns. He is the first rookie in Jets history with 100 receiving yards and two carries in a game — accomplishing the feat in just his second career game. Wilson also caught the game-winning touchdown pass that capped the Jets’ comeback with 22 seconds left. He’s been a key target for Joe Flacco early on, playing a huge role in how the Jets offense plays the first two games. It’s too early to crown Wilson with what Jahan Dotson is doing in Washington and Drake London is doing in Atlanta. Wilson is a very good football player, however, a potential game changer at his position. Overreaction or Reality: Reality Winston is reportedly playing with four fractures in his back and is playing through a lot of pain. The back injury is clearly hampering his performance, as Winston threw three interceptions in Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers — including a pick six that put the Saints in an insurmountable 17-point hole. Getting fired six times didn’t help either. New Orleans has a quality backup quarterback in Andy Dalton who can relieve Winston for a few weeks while his back heals. This is an injury not worth aggravating early in a 17-game season. The Saints can survive a few weeks without Winston as he heals — especially with this defense.
The Patriots can’t make the playoffs with their offensive approach
Overreaction or Reality: Reality Credit to the Patriots for using their four-minute offense to count the clock, pounding the football through the heart of a stubborn Steelers defense. Is this sustainable? New England got the big play it needed from Nelson Agholor to take the halftime lead and a third-quarter touchdown from Damien Harris to preserve it, but something was missing from a Patriots offense that put up 376 yards and 9 touchdowns. 17 in the third. below. Against the NFL’s most explosive offense, the Patriots will have to put up more than 17 points. New England is averaging just 12 points per game through two weeks, far from good enough to compete with the mighty AFC. The Patriots bought some time with the win, but this offense just isn’t good enough.
The Rams are experiencing a Super Bowl hangover
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction After two games, it’s still too early to tell. Los Angeles built a 28-3 lead over Atlanta, but needed a late defensive stop to end the Falcons’ wild comeback. Atlanta scored the game’s final 17 points, trailed by just four, and had a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter. This is very unlike Sean McVay, who usually cruises when he has a big halftime lead. Los Angeles faces a resilient Arizona team next Sunday, a good test after a “right” game with the Falcons. Overreaction or Reality: Reality That’s easy given the success Garoppolo had with the 49ers — despite being the quarterback nobody wanted when San Francisco drafted Trey Lance as their starting quarterback. With Lance out for the season, this team belongs to Garoppolo in what is expected to be his final season in San Francisco. Garoppolo didn’t miss a beat filling in for Lance, running the game and opening up the passing game (especially with Brandon Aiyuk). The 49ers have been to the NFC Championship Game twice in the last three years under Garoppolo, so there’s plenty of sample size that will be in the mix come January. Lance’s injury is unfortunate, but the 49ers are lucky no one wanted Garoppolo. They will fight for the division title with him leading the way again.
Nathaniel Hackett is out of his league as a coach
Overreaction or Reality: Reality Denver fans already had Hackett in their heads after his blunder that led to a Week 1 loss. Things didn’t improve in a lackluster win over the Texans. The Broncos had four plays inside the Texans’ 2-yard line in Sunday’s win, throwing the ball all four times and failing to complete a pass. Javonte Williams or Melvin Gordon got the ball once in those situations. Hackett’s game management is abysmal as he is slow to make decisions that have led to delay of game penalties. At one point, his fans were counting down the game clock — while Denver had the ball! Denver also used all three of its timeouts with 7:38 left in the game, another example of poor management as a coach. Hackett should improve as the season goes on, but this is such a questionable coach leading a team that is better than it plays.
Kyler Murray deserves the contract he is getting
Overreaction or Reality: Reality There’s no reason to doubt Murray after Sunday’s incredible comeback against the Raiders, which was the Cardinals’ biggest win since 1999. It all came from the play of Murray, who had 252 yards in the second half and the overtime to bring back the Cardinals , totaling two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) and running and throwing for two-point conversions (both came in the fourth quarter). Murray became a video game character in the second half, willing a dormant Cardinals offense into overtime — setting the stage for the defense to steal the win. If it weren’t for Murray, the Cardinals would be 0-2 and have more questions about an offseason that was an abject disaster. THE…
