The 32 issues we realized from Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season:
1. Do not assume Tua Tagovailoa desires to strike deep down the sector? All he did was throw 4 fourth-quarter landing passes – together with a 48- and 60-yarder to WR Tyreek Hill – Sunday afternoon in Baltimore, main the Miami Dolphins again from a 35-14 deficit to an unbelievable 42-38 triumph.
2. Tagovailoa (469 yards) joined Corridor of Famers Bob Griese and Dan Marino as the one Dolphins to throw six TDs in a recreation.
3. Extra importantly, Tua and his crew are off to a 2-0 begin, one thing his extra celebrated 2020 first-round draftmates, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, cannot declare.
4. It is normally not a good suggestion to attempt “taking receipts” from the New York media, however that is the route Jets coach Robert Saleh took final week within the wake of his crew’s uninspired Week 1 loss to Baltimore. Appears just like the NYJ coach will gather his share of rebates this week after his crew shocked the Browns 31-30 in Cleveland, scoring a pair of TDs within the last 82 seconds to finish the comeback.
5. Saleh additionally began seeing the returns from his vaunted rookie class, first-round WR Garrett Wilson (8 catches, 102 yards, 2 TDs) and second-round RB Breece Corridor (60 whole yards, TD) each with large afternoons.
6. Interim Jets QB1 Joe Flacco (307 yards passing, 4 TDs) improved to 18-3 all-time in opposition to the Browns.
7. The Browns fell to 0-1 with that ridiculous new Keebler-looking elf emblem at midfield … however hopefully “Brownie” handed out some scrumptious postgame Fudge Stripes.
8. Additionally, no likelihood QB Jimmy Garoppolo is coming to that Cleveland locker room in 2022 now that San Francisco 49ers starter Trey Lance is misplaced for the season.
9. Lance will formally be credited with the win from Sunday’s 27-7 thrashing of the Seattle Seahawks. However what a private disaster for the No. 3 choose of the 2021 draft, who was carted off the sector within the first quarter with an air forged on his fractured proper ankle – one that can require season-ending surgical procedure.
10. As for the “Trustworthy,” at the least it is no small comfort realizing Jimmy G has gotten this crew at the least so far as the NFC title recreation in two of the previous three seasons. And given how comparatively skinny this yr’s NFC subject seems, no purpose to imagine the 49ers aren’t nonetheless Tremendous Bowl-caliber.
11. Nevertheless, it is now the Niners who will instantly enter the quarterback market. Going into Sunday, Garoppolo gave them the greatest backup state of affairs within the league. Now that is been turned on its head, the one different passer on the roster being rookie Brock Purdy, the “Mr. Irrelevant” because the 262nd and last choose of the 2022 NFL draft.
12. Aaron Rodgers’ possession of the Chicago Bears continues, the Packers star enhancing to 24-5 all time in opposition to Inexperienced Bay’s archrival with Sunday night time’s 27-10 win. Rodgers additionally threw his 450th profession TD go, the fifth participant in NFL annals to succeed in the benchmark.
12a. Pack coach Matt LaFleur ought to get co-ownership standing. He is now 7-0 in opposition to the Bears.
12b. The Packers are 104-95-6 general in opposition to Chicago, gaining additional respiration room within the league’s longest-running rivalry.
13. Persevering with with the comeback theme, Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals could not hit sand from a dune buggy in Las Vegas, trailing the Raiders 20-0 deep into the third quarter. However the Playing cards got here all the way in which again for a 29-23 triumph due to Murray’s improvisational heroics and CB Byron Murphy Jr.’s 59-yard TD off a Hunter Renfrow fumble in additional time.
13a. However the play of the sport was Murray’s profitable scramble on a two-point conversion to chop the result in 23-15. Murray truly ran practically 85 circuitous yards over practically 21 seconds … on an untimed down.
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14. The wins by Arizona and Miami marked the primary time in NFL historical past that two groups overcame halftime deficits of at the least 20 factors on the identical day.
14a. There have already been 12 video games determined by three factors or fewer this season, essentially the most after two weeks of play in league historical past.
15. Within the first recreation following the Russell Wilson period, the Seattle offense mustered two TDs. Sunday, it posted none (and all of 216 yards).
15a. In the meantime, Wilson was booed lustily for the second straight recreation – although Sunday’s serenade was far more surprising from a Broncos fan base that had been excited by his arrival this offseason. Wilson was 14-of-31 for 219 yards with one TD and one INT whereas throwing to a receiving corps depleted of most of its notable gamers apart from WR Courtland Sutton. However Denver pulled out a 16-9 win over the Houston Texans regardless of Wilson’s struggles, 13 extra Broncos penalties, hapless red-zone play … and the group counting down the play clock as a result of that was apparently an excessive amount of for rookie coach Nathaniel Hackett’s offense to maintain observe of.
16. Was there ever any doubt Dallas Cowboys QB2 Cooper Rush would up his profession file to 2-0 by beating the Cincinnati Bengals in his first begin instead of quickly injured starter Dak Prescott? Was there? Paging my good good friend, pessimist Jarrett Bell 😉
16a. The Cowboys have been the one crew within the league that did not rating a TD in Week 1, however they hit pay filth twice in opposition to Cincinnati.
17. Nevertheless, the story of this Dallas crew Sunday – as could be the case all season – was a protection that restricted the defending AFC champs to 17 factors (one TD) and 254 yards whereas sacking QB Joe Burrow six instances.
18. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers broke their seven-game regular-season shedding streak to the New Orleans Saints, not that QB Tom Brady will take a lot solace. Although the Bucs are 2-0, the Brady-led offense has solely managed two whole TDs this season, and the GOAT spent practically as a lot time yelling at his teammates as he did on the Saints.
19. Talking of which – although chatty former Saints DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson is now in Philadelphia – TB12 and Co. nonetheless received an earful from the Saints, the groups even exchanging blows as Professional Bowlers Mike Evans (Tampa Bay) and Marshon Lattimore (New Orleans) have been ejected and probably dealing with further self-discipline.
20. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson was in the end outdueled by Tagovailoa – he can largely thank his protection for that – however did make extra historical past Sunday. Jackson grew to become the primary participant in league historical past to run and go for TDs of at the least 75 yards in the identical recreation. His 119 yards speeding additionally marked the eleventh time in his profession he reached the century mark, a file amongst quarterbacks.
21. Jared Goff and Carson Wentz have been the highest two picks, respectively, of the 2016 NFL draft, although neither stays along with his unique crew. Goff (256 yards passing, 4 TDs) received the perfect of Wentz and the Commanders, enhancing to 2-1 in opposition to the person he additionally bested within the draft six years in the past.
22. Goff had loads of assist from a younger man who’s rising as one of many league’s high receivers. Amon-Ra St. Brown led Detroit with 68 yards speeding, which was the cherry on high of a nine-catch, 116-yard, two-TD day. It was St. Brown’s sixth consecutive recreation with at the least eight grabs and a TD, a feat by no means earlier than completed throughout the Tremendous Bowl period (since 1966).
23. Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson made early hay within the defensive rookie of the yr race, dumping Wentz for 3 first-half sacks.
24. Did you actually assume the Patriots have been going to lose to the Steelers? Since Invoice Belichick got here to New England, the Pats are 13-4 in opposition to Pittsburgh.
24a. Did you actually assume the Patriots have been going to lose to the Steelers? Since Invoice Belichick got here to New England, the Pats have not began 0-2 since 2001 … which was earlier than Brady grew to become their beginning QB.
25. Onerous to clarify the Jacksonville Jaguars’ latest dominance of the AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts … and but Sunday marked the third time the Jags have shut out the Colts previously six seasons.
26. Indy has misplaced its final eight journeys to Jacksonville.
27. When you have been beginning Rams WR Brandon Powell in your fantasy crew, you have been already in hassle. However for those who did, you ate minus-26 speeding yards after he deliberately took a security as Los Angeles desperately outlasted the Falcons, 31-27, a recreation the champs led 28-3 (yep) within the second half.
28. When you have been beginning extremely touted Atlanta TE Kyle Pitts in your fantasy crew … welp, he had two catches for 19 yards – precisely replicating his Week 1 manufacturing.
29. A physique slam (Chargers S Derwin James on Chiefs TE Travis Kelce), gutty efficiency (Herbert), script-flipping 99-yard pick-six (Chiefs CB Jaylen Watson) and Patrick Mahomes’ basic brilliance? If Thursday night time’s Chiefs-Chargers throwdown was indicative of how this yr’s AFC West brawls will play out … as Bart Scott would say, “Cannot wait.”
30. That mentioned, as a lot a devotee to analytics that Bolts coach Brandon Staley is, very restricted upside to exposing Herbert (fractured rib cartilage) to additional damage – even when the second-year star’s toughness made the ultimate rating nearer after he threaded two excellent throws, together with a 7-yard TD go, on LA’s last drive.
31.Embattled Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule is off to an 0-2 begin for the second time in three seasons. On the brilliant facet, the Nebraska and Arizona State jobs are already open.
32. Ever the first-class group, the Ravens did an exquisite job honoring the reminiscences of former gamers Tony Siragusa and Jaylon Ferguson. Each males died in June. A helmet decal was worn to commemorate them, and several other of Siragusa’s teammates from Baltimore’s first championship membership (2000) emerged from the crew’s tunnel in his No. 98 jersey.
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Comply with USA TODAY Sports activities’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.
