Week 2 of the 2021 NFL Season Recap | Overtime Thriller, Back and Forth Classics, Couple of Stinkers
Don Khan Swaylo | Sep 21, 2021 |
Here’s a quick rundown of all the highlights, scores, and matchups from Week 2 in the NFL – one that had a ton of unexpected thrillers, overtime stunners, and back and forth classics! Oh, and the Jets are still terrible.
Thursday: New York Giants @ Washington Football Team (30-29 WFT)
Dustin Hopkins made a 43-yard field goal following a penalty on the previous attempt while on an untimed down. This victory by the former Redskins is the first win over the G-Men in 6 attempts.
First-year quarterback for the Giants Daniel Jones was efficient on 22/23 passing for 249 yards with 1 touchdown. His Washington counterpart, Taylor Heinicke, was 34/46 through the air, good for 336 yards, 2 TDs, and a pick. Thanks to Ryan Fitzpatrick’s injury in Week 1, Heinicke had the opportunity (and seized it) to start and lead the Football Team-ers (?) to a dramatic victory.
Sunday: Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins (35-0 BUF)
Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa was knocked out of the game on Miami’s second offensive series on a failed fourth-down play near midfield when Buffalo’s A.J. Epenesa beat the breaks off his assignment and ruined “Tua Time” for the Miami faithful. His replacement, Jacoby Brissett, stunk up the joint, pitching 24/40 for 169 yards with an interception. Day-to-day with a rib injury, Tagovailoa could play in Week 3 against the undefeated Raiders (spoilers).
MVP-hopeful Josh Allen didn’t play much better for the Bills (17/33, 179 yards, 2 TD’s/ 1 INT), instead letting the boys on the ground take over. Devin Singletary picked up a score and 82 yards on the ground alongside Zack Moss’ two scores.
Sunday: Cincinnati Bengals @ Chicago Bears (20-17 CHI)
Andy Dalton was knocked out with a knee injury in the second half to allow Justin Fields to take over as the pivot for the Bears. Looking a little shaky at Soldier Field, Fields threw up 60 yards on 6 completions. Thanks to the sure foot of Cairo Santos and an interception return by Roquan Smith, that was more than enough for Fields to collect his first victory in the NFL.
Joe Burrows and one of the least talented rosters in the NFL couldn’t get out of their own way. Giving up the ball 4 times (3 picks and a fumble), there are a ton of holes in Cincinnati and a long way back to relevance in an incredibly tough AFC North.
Sunday: Denver Broncos @ Jacksonville Jaguars (23-13 DEN)
Wide receiver Devin Sutton took advantage of a lackluster Jags defense and burnt them for 159 yards through the air to hand the team with a very bright future – but dismal present – their 17th consecutive loss. Teddy Bridgewater, starting for a third squad in as many years, threw up 328 in the air with a couple of scores. Trevor Lawrence, the 2021 first overall draft pick, struggled against the good Denver D, posting a paltry 14/33, 118 yards, 1 TD, and 2 picks. Brighter days are ahead, but it’s tough going so far, and next week it stays hard against the thriving Cardinals.
Sunday: Houston Texans @ Cleveland Browns (31-21 CLE)
A game of injuries. Houston starter Tyrod Taylor got lost coming out of the dressing room for the second half (hamstring injury that might shelve him for a month is what’s reported), leaving the duties under center to Davis Mills to play as well as the third-stringer in Houston could be expected to play. Thanks to the major pile-on/legal troubles of DeShaun Watson, the man who looks like (and plays like) he’s here to fix the copier could be Houston’s go-to or the landing spot for Cam Newton?
Baker Mayfield hurt his non-throwing shoulder after throwing his pick of the day and making the tackle. He went on to throw 10 straight completions to close out the game for the Browns, winning one in front of a home crowd since 2019.
Sunday: Los Angeles Rams @ Indianapolis Colts (27-24 LAR)
Is this the year Matt Stafford finally gets to play meaningful football in the spring, leading the Rams to two late scoring drives and letting Matt Gay drill a 38-yard kick to seal the victory? Copper Kupp caught 9 Stafford passes for 163 yards and 2 scores as the offensive player of the game.
Frank Reich’s Colts, meanwhile, put up a decent comeback attempt, something Frank knows a thing or two about, once down 17-6 to take a 21-17 lead. Unfortunately, Carson Wentz is made of glass and unrealized potential, so he hurt his right ankle late in the 4th quarter, leaving Jacob Eason as Indy’s last hope. It didn’t pan out.
Sunday: Las Vegas Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers (26-17 LVR)
Not quite a patch on the old Raiders/Steelers games of the 1970s, but a suitable effort from the Boys in Black Sunday. Derek Carr, harkening back to his 2016 campaign, went 28 for 37, collecting 382 with a couple TD’s on the Steelers’ vaunted 11. Alabama product Henry Ruggs was the beneficiary of Carr’s aerial assault, grabbing 5 for 113 yards.
Pittsburgh was missing all-pro T.J. Watt, and Tyson Alualu was injured in the 1st quarter and did it without cornerback Joe Haden and linebacker Devin Bush, who were both out pulling their groin… had groin INJURIES. Father time is still eluding Big Ben, as Roethlisberger put up 295 in the air on 27 attempts.
Sunday: New England Patriots @ New York Jets (25-6 NE)
Mac Jones showed fellow rookie Zack Wilson how to play the marquee position in the sport in the Patriot’s drubbing of the 2nd team in the Big Apple. Jones threw 22/30 for 186 yards while letting the ground game collect the scores. Bill Belichick is at home with a pocket passer in Jones, and his system is once again going to work: short, smart passes and a suffocating defense.
Zack Wilson’s struggles continued as the new, new, new face of the Jets, tossing up 4 picks on the day with a receiving corp that wouldn’t look out of place in Division II. The Jets are going to be bad for a minute.
Sunday: New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers (26-7 CAR)
Jameis Winston is back to his old ways, making dumb decisions and causing turnovers. Completing half of his 22 attempts and 2 more picks, the Carolina defense was too much for the man trying to take over for the New Orleans legend Drew Brees. Performances like this will make people long for the Aaron Brooks days.
Sam Darnold was very good under center, and Christian McCaffrey reminded everyone of his greatness by combining for 137 combined yards (72 rushing, 65 receiving).
Sunday: San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles (17-11 SF)
Jimmy Garoppolo is playing well enough to stave off the calls for Trey Lance… for now. As long as he keeps making the high percentage plays, that defense will be able to prop up his average abilities. Jimmy threw for a score and ran one in himself to account for nearly all of the Niners offense.
The Jalen Hurts show was impressive, but it takes more than one man to make a team. Something about “I”… He threw for 190 yards and got 82 on the ground with a TD as well. Wideout Quez Watkins had a big day with 118 yards on 2 catches, one of those catches going 91 yards.
Sunday: Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (48-25 TB)
Grass is green, the sky is blue, and Tom Brady beats the Falcons. TB threw 5 TDs because age is just a number. Mike Edwards grabbed two interceptions and one of those was a 4th quarter pick six that went 31 yards the other way.
Matt Ryan, the man authorities will be looking for if anything ever happens to the Brady family, put up a nice round 300 through the air. It was especially impressive, considering the talent he has around him at this point in his career. He’s hoping to get the Matthew Stafford treatment in the offseason, one would suspect.
Sunday: Minnesota Vikings @ Arizona Cardinals (34-33 ARI)
Kyler Murray’s huge day was almost for naught (400 yards and 3 TD’s) as Greg Joseph missed a 37-yard gimme in the dying seconds of the game.
Kirk Cousins went 22/32 with 244 yards, 3 TDs, not to be overshadowed by Murray’s Madden-esque performance. Dalvin Cook rushed for 131 on the ground in the game that had everyone captivated for this back and forth instant classic.
Sunday: Dallas Cowboys @ Los Angeles Chargers (20-17 DAL)
If you are a big fan of 1960s smashmouth football where keeping it on the ground is the name of the game, then this was the game for you. 198 rushing yards for the Cowboys and a last-second 56-yard bomb by Greg Zuerlein proved to be too much for Justin Herbert’s impressive aerial display.
Sunday: Tennessee Titans @ Seattle Seahawks (33-30 (OT) TEN)
This is Derrick Henry’s world, and we are all just allowed to live in it. Henry ran for 182 yards and had 3 scores, 2 of them in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime for Randy Bullock to hit a 36-yard field goal to stun the Seahawks at home. All the scoring happened care of Henry, but Ryan Tannehill was impressive, throwing an efficient 347 yards.
Tyler Lockett’s 178 receiving yards and 1 TD catch from Russell Wilson would have been enough any other day, but Henry was feasting.
Sunday: Kansas City Chiefs @ Baltimore Ravens (36-35 BAL)
For the first time in his career, Lamar Jackson can claim victory over Patrick Mahomes. On the fourth attempt to topple the Chiefs, Jackson rushed for 107 on the ground and scored 2 TDs, including one flipping into the end zone for the winning score. The 2019 MVP added 239 yards in the air, combining for 346 of 418 total yards from the Ravens.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce’s big days were not enough, as everything was going right for Baltimore on this day. Tyson Williams’ fumble in the 1st quarter even resulted in Devin Duvernay making the recovery and turning it into a score.
Monday: Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers (35-17 GB)
Part-time game show host Aaron Rodgers finally got his priorities in order and led the Packers to a win over the Detroit junior varsity team that doubles as an NFL squad.
Somehow, the Packers were trailing heading into the second half, but Rodgers remembers that the Jeopardy! gig will most likely be taken by season’s end, so he will have to play well enough to earn another contract somewhere. Ellen DeGeneres in shoulder pads and a helmet threw 4 scores on 22/27 passing and racking up 255 yards, 121 of those coming from Devante Adams’s 8 catches.
Big matchups like Tampa Bay @ LA Rams and deeper cuts like Indianapolis @ Tennessee could prove interesting matchups, but will anything compare to the excitement of the sophomore week in the 2021 season?
