nfl week 2: four things to keep an eye on

By Tayyib Abu

Week 2 of the NFL season kicked off Thursday night with Buffalo’s dominant win over the Miami Dolphins. Those two teams now enjoy a weekend off and can watch the other 30 teams fight for precious wins. It is early in the season, and some teams may view September as an extended pre-season. Nonetheless, the games count, and an NFL win is always a big deal. Here are four things to watch as Week 2 kicks off in bulk.

Can The New Orleans Saints Make A Statement?

Mired in mediocrity for several seasons, the New Orleans Saints started their season with a bang. A 47-10 demolition job of the beleaguered Carolina Panthers was the perfect start for New Orleans. 

Saints fans were apathetic going into the season, but such a convincing win may have started to change some minds. Today, the Saints can back up that big win with an even bigger victory against the Dallas Cowboys. 

But it will not be easy. Notwithstanding an officiating blunder against the Detroit Lions, the Cowboys have not lost a regular season home game since September 2022. Of the nine games played at Dallas last season, the Cowboys were 8-1. Mike McCarthy’s team loves playing in front of their fans. 

Like the Saints, Dallas kicked off its campaign with a comfortable win over the Cleveland Browns. Dallas’ defense led the way. Micah Parsons stole the show, but Mike Zimmer’s unit was excellent at every level. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown displayed his game speed, awareness and physicality with 11 tackles and one sack. And former Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs returned by allowing just 23 yards, notching one interception and an incompletion. 

Dallas’ defense has played at a top-ten level for several seasons, and last week was another indicator of their multi-level ability. Against the Browns’ passing game, Dallas ranked first in defensive success rate. 

And that is what the New Orleans offense is going into battle against. The Saints’ offence played brilliantly in Week 1. New offensive coordinator Clint Kubiak found early success with this unit. A disciple of the Kyle Shanahan tree and son of former Super Bowl champion head coach Gary, Kubiak has emphasised running the ball efficiently and brutally. 

With Alvin Kamara and bruising Swiss Army knife Taysom Hill in the backfield, the Saints have options. Quarterback Derek Carr could also use both as pass-catchers. New Orleans’ run game must keep them on schedule and out of 3rd-and-long situations. Dallas’ ferocious pass-rush and sticky man coverage defensive backs made it impossible for the Browns to win on 3rd downs in Week 1. 

Mike Zimmer wants his defense to get offenses off schedule. He wants to cause havoc on third down with possible blitzes from the linebacker and slot positions while using his pass-rush attack to beat the protection. 

If Derek Carr is forced into a pass-predictable dropback game, it could be a long afternoon. 

On the defensive side, the Saints boast a ton of experience. Cam Jordan, DeMario Davis and Tyrann Mathieu are still going strong in the late stages of their careers. But there is an injury concern over cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The Saints have tagged Lattimore as questionable. That could force rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry into the starting lineup. New Orleans’ man-coverage heavy defense may have an inexperienced point of attack. 

Going to Dallas and winning is tough. Per Sumer Sports, New Orleans has a 30.5% chance of winning. They are firm underdogs. But if the Saints can snatch a win, maybe the recent years of mediocrity will be over.

Quarterback Play

Chaotic quarterback play was a significant feature of Week 1. With so many young quarterbacks in the league, plus quarterbacks struggling after not playing in the pre-season, it combined for a bizarre week for the quarterback position. 

This week, some of the significant culprits will face more stern examinations. Bo Nix has the unenviable job of standing opposite T.J. Watt. Caleb Williams goes on the road to Houston, where DeMeco Ryans’ defense lies in wait. In Green Bay, either Jordan Love, with an MCL injury, or Malik Willis will start. 

At the same time, Kirk Cousins travels to Philadelphia on a Monday night with Jason Kelce back in the building. Cousins looked like a Greek statue without the six-pack in Week 1, and an away game at the Linc is the last thing he needs if he is still not 100% following the Achilles injury. 

Add uncertainty regarding Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback, another rookie at Washington, and whatever is next from Will Levis and DeShaun Watson, and it may be another strange week for the quarterback position—speaking of which…

Is It Already Over For The Giants & Panthers?

In Week 1, the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers looked like the worst teams in the NFL. Both suffered heavy defeats, and their respective quarterbacks looked broken. 

Sophomore starter Bryce Young threw two ugly interceptions against the Saints. Young looked inaccurate and panicky and had no feel for his throws. Some throws were overthrown, others underthrown. He played with no rhythm or consistency. Young finished 28th in EPA-per-play and 28th in success rate. Despite their more-than-adequate pass protection, Young looked terrible. ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky questioned Young’s footwork last week, which the former Alabama star must fix soon. 

The Panthers have other problems. The special teams and defensive units looked overwhelmed, and rookie head coach Dave Canales is already fighting an uphill battle. A familiar feeling of ‘here we go again’ has wrapped the Panthers all week. And now Carolina must welcome a Chargers side with a step in their Khaki-clad pants. 

And that feeling is indeed swirling around Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, Poughkeepsie, Hoboken, and Newark. The Giants started their 100th-anniversary season with a disastrous defeat to the Minnesota Vikings. Quarterback Daniel Jones threw two awful interceptions and showcased his lack of pocket ability by taking five sacks. Jones ranked 32nd in total EPA for Week 1. It was a miserable performance from the experienced quarterback. And sadly for Giants fans, it was nothing new. Since entering the league, Jones has not looked after the ball and has taken many sacks. 

New York’s defense looked anaemic, with Kayvon Thibodeaux failing to register a tackle and notching one quarterback hit. Thibodeaux’s week worsened as he got into a spat with a local reporter after practice. And all of that has already raised the ire of the Giants fanbase. Pair that with hyperbolic and bombastic media, and this season could get out of control for New York. Losing to the Commanders would be unthinkable.

You Either Adapt Or Perish

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Joe Burrow is an excellent quarterback. That is an indisputable fact. But has Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals offense become predictable? Everyone knows that Burrow wants to play in the shotgun formation, play in 11 personnel, and have them spread. That worked with Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, and Joe Mixon in full flow. Last Sunday, the Bengals did not have Mixon, Boyd and Higgins, while Chase did not look match-fit. 

Burrow did not have favourable matchups, and the Patriots’ two-high structure put a roof on the Bengals’ offense. All Burrow could do was take what the New England defense gave him. That left Cincinnati off schedule. It played right into the Patriots’ hands. And now, the Bengals have to visit the Chiefs. Kansas City’s defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, is a modern-day legend. He is one of the greatest defensive coordinators of the 21st century. 

And make no mistake, his disguised coverages, rotating safeties, and blitz packages will force Cincinnati to find different answers. But can the Bengals do that? Or have they become too stale on offense? Do they miss the explosive bursts Joe Mixon used to provide or the versatility of Samajae Perine? People are asking big questions about their megastar quarterback for the first time in the Burrow era. And if the Bengals are to keep their positive record over the Chiefs, they will have to throw something different at Kansas City. The worry is, after four years of playing the same way, can they?

TAYYIB ABU

CFB/NFL ANALYST

Tayyib is an avid NFL fan and, as a follower of the detroit lions, is a permanent resident in the honolulu blue heartbreak hotel. writing football articles since 2019, tayyib loves everything about the sport except that wins are not a qb stat. follow him on twitter @TayyibABU1

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