NFL Week 2 Recap

The Good
Cincinnati Bengals- So just how good are these guys anyway?  It’s too early to tell if they’re playoff contenders but they look mighty good, especially Carson Palmer.  He had 337 yards and 3 touchdowns against Minnesota last week and has a passer rating of 107.8 (4th in the league) for the year.  The only problem is that they’ve played a weak Browns and a not-so-good-so-far Vikings team.  Even so, hanging a 38 on any team isn’t so easy to do.  

McNabb, T.O., and Co.- Speaking of hanging 38 on a scoreboard, how about Philly’s 42 against San Fran?  McNabb threw for 342 yards and 5 TDs in the contest while Terrell Owens had 143 yards and 2 TDs in the first 19 minutes!  The Eagles’ offense was not just good, it was superb.  They racked up 583 yards of total offense, had 30 first downs, and controlled the ball for almost 38 minutes of the game.  That’s domination.

Santana Moss- Here is your clutch player of the week.  After watching the Redskin offense stagnate for the whole game Moss and QB Mark Brunell finally started to get things going in the fourth quarter against Dallas.  Two huge touchdown catches my Moss late in the game proved to be the difference in the Washington 14-13 win.  Moss ended up with 5 catches for 159 yards and is tied for second in the league with TO for total receiving yards this season.

Carnell Williams- It’s one rookie running back after another this season.  Last week it was Pittsburgh’s Willie Parker (who was darn good this week as well) and this week it turns out to be Williams.  “Cadillac” shredded Buffalo for 128 yards and a touchdown all the while averaging 5.3 yards per carry in Tampa’s 19-3 win.  He now leads the NFL in rushing with 276 yards.

Indy’s Defense- Can someone tell me where the real Indianapolis Colts went?  This defense is dominating and the offense is stagnant.  That’s a complete 180 from last year’s team.  The latest Colt accomplishment was holding the Jaguars to 3 points while having 3 forced fumbles and 6 sacks.

The Bad
New England Patriots- What happened?  Tom Brady lost his cool, the Pats couldn’t execute, the running game didn’t exist, and the defense was fair at best.  For the first time in a couple of years the two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots looked extremely vulnerable.  The rushing game was hardly existent and the field position they allowed Carolina to have was completely unacceptable.  Twice Carolina started their “drive” inside the Patriot 15.  I don’t care how good your defense is supposed to be.  You will lose if you give your opponent field position like that.

NFC West- It’s possible that the winner of this division could have 7 wins at the end of the regular season.  Seattle is the only team that is somewhat salvaging this pitiful division.  They beat a good Falcons team on Sunday.  But the rest of the division has been horrible.  St. Louis lost to a bad 49ers team the first week, and then barely beat a Cardinals team that was pummeled by the mediocre Giants in the first week.  And let’s not forget the 42-3 clock-cleaning that the Niners got against Philly this week.  It looks like the division will beat itself up for wins and then struggle against everyone else.

JP Losman & Willis McGahee- The Bills offense isn’t supposed to be this bad.  Granted, they’re not supposed to be stellar either but they have tons of potential.  On Sunday, though, they sure didn’t show it.  Losman was 12 for 28 for 113 yards and McGahee had a measly 34 yards on 13 carries.  Yes I realize that the Bills’ offensive line plays a factor in this but McGahee’s raw talent alone should be able to rush for more than 34 yards.  If he can’t establish himself then Losman is going to have a hard time throwing the ball all year.

Peyton Manning- The Patriots and Peyton Manning bad at the same time?  The NFL world is starting to turn upside-down.  Manning was 13 for 28 for 122 yards and one interception.  Hardly the all-pro numbers he put up in his record-setting year last season.  He guided the Colts to only 10 points and didn’t tap the resources that wide receivers Marvin Harrison, Brandon Stokley, and Reggie Wayne have.  I know the Colts defense is vastly improved but sooner or later Manning is going to have to become the QB he was last year if the Colts have any chance at a Super Bowl.

The Ugly
Daunte Culpepper- One of the biggest surprises thus far has been the performance of the exceptionally talented Vikings quarterback.  Only you couldn’t tell he was talented by the numbers he has put up.  Against the Bengals this week Culpepper was 21 for 37 for 236 yards (which isn’t horrible) with 0 TDs (which could be improved upon) and 5 INTs (which is absolutely astonishingly horrid).  Deltha O’Neal picked him off three times alone.  Overall Culpepper has thrown for 0 TDs and 8 INTs this season.  I think the loss of Randy Moss hurt.  

Raven Rushing Game- I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the first Raven win will come when Jamal Lewis finally rushes for 100 yards.  Lewis, and the rest of the running game, was atrocious this week against a weak Titans team.  On 10 carries Lewis gained 9 yards and overall the Ravens rushed 13 times for 14 yards.  Baltimore doesn’t have the passing attack to compete with a lot of football teams right now.  QB Kyle Boller is hurt and QB Anthony Wright is average on his best days.  If the Ravens are going to get back on track this year it has to start with Jamal Lewis.  

Power Rankings
1. (2) Indianapolis Colts 2-0
2. (3) Pittsburgh Steelers 2-0
3. (6) Kansas City Chiefs 2-0
4. (7) Philadelphia Eagles 1-1
5. (12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-0
6. (16) Carolina Panthers 1-1
7. (1) New England Patriots 1-1
8. (5) Atlanta Falcons 1-1
9. (19) Cincinnati Bengals 2-0
10. (4) Jacksonville Jaguars 1-1
11. (13) New York Giants 2-0
12. (8) Buffalo Bills 1-1
13. (25) Washington Redskins 2-0
14. (9) New Orleans Saints 1-1
15. (21) Seattle Seahawks 1-1
16. (10) Dallas Cowboys 1-1
17. (22) New York Jets 1-1
18. (30) Chicago Bears 1-1
19. (27) St. Louis Rams 1-1
20. (18) Miami Dolphins 1-1
21. (20) Detroit Lions 1-1
22. (23) Denver Broncos 1-1
23. (14) San Diego Chargers 0-2
24. (17) Minnesota Vikings 0-2
25. (15) Oakland Raiders 0-2
26. (29) Tennessee Titans 1-1
27. (11) Baltimore Ravens 0-2
28. (32) Cleveland Browns 1-1
29. (24) San Francisco 49ers 1-1
30. (26) Arizona Cardinals 0-2
31. (28) Green Bay Packers 0-2
32. (31) Houston Texans 0-2