NFL Week 2 breakdown: Cowboys own New York; Patriots fall to 0-2
Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season is (almost) in the books, and who's ready for two games Monday night?
Here are some of the most important developments from Sunday:
- New York's NFL teams have made the Dallas Cowboys look like Super Bowl favorites. The Cowboys steam rolled the Giants and Jets by a combined scored of 70-10 en route to a 2-0 start. That plus-60 scoring margin through two games is the Cowboys' best since 1968 (plus-67).
- Brandon Aubrey, the Cowboys' 28-year-old rookie kicker whose professional sports life began as a first-round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, had five field goals in Dallas' win on Sunday.
- It's been 22 years since the last time that the New England Patriots opened a season 0-2. Of course, the Patriots managed to rebound from the slow start behind a plucky underdog quarterback named Tom Brady to finish 11-5 and win the Super Bowl.
- The Kansas City Chiefs rebounded from a stunning loss in the NFL Kickoff Game, but the victory was less than inspiring. Patrick Mahomes, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Sunday, did wind up with 305 yards passing and two touchdowns (one to Travis Kelce, who returned from injury).
- The New York Giants rebounded nicely after being outscored 60-0 through the season's first six quarters to pull off their biggest comeback win since 1949.
- All six teams that started the 2022 season with 2-0 records went on to make the playoffs. That bodes well for the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders. The Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints aim to start 2-0 with wins Monday night.
- Play of the day? The Denver Broncos' desperation last-second Hail Mary pass from Russell Wilson was tipped twice before Brandon Johnson snagged it out of the air for an unlikely score. Unfortunately for Denver, the two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete and the Washington Commanders escaped with a wild 35-33 win.
NFL Week 2 key storylines
- Winners and losers: While the Chiefs rebounded from a Week 1 loss, the offense seems to lost its punch. The Bears, meanwhile, look lifeless and lost and potentially bound for big changes.
- 32 things we learned: There were four double-digit comebacks on Sunday, but there was one that stood above the rest.
- Who is the NFL's most underrated player? It might be Seattle Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett, Paste BN Sports' Mike Freeman writes.
- With playmakers on both sides of ball, 49ers primed for another playoff run: The 49ers have the look of a team that will be playing football well into January — and possibly into February — Paste BN Sports' Tyler Dragon writes.
- Cowboys look dominant, but one glaring shortcoming seems ominous: Dallas steamrolled the Giants and Jets to open 2-0, but there's been one significant hiccup that could be a major issue later on, Paste BN Sports' Jarrett Bell writes.
➤ PHOTOS: Fans, mascots, cheerleaders and celebrities at NFL games
NFL Week 2 results
- Miami Dolphins 24, New England Patriots 17: While Miami looks like a contender, it seems it could be a long football season in New England.
- Washington Commanders 35, Denver Broncos 33: The Commanders held on after the Broncos' amazing last-second Hail Mary for their first 2-0 start since 2011.
- Dallas Cowboys 30, New York Jets 10: Through the first two weeks of the season, the Cowboys have outscored New York's two NFL teams, 70-10.
- New York Giants 31, Arizona Cardinals 28: The 21-point rally represents the Giants' biggest comeback win since 1949 and the Cardinals' largest blown lead since 2011.
- San Francisco 49ers 30, Los Angeles Rams 23: The 49ers have won nine consecutive regular-season games against the rival Rams.
- Tennessee Titans 27, Los Angeles Chargers 24 (OT): In a matchup of teams desperate to avoid 0-2 starts, Ryan Tannehill delivered for the Titans.
- Buffalo Bills 38, Las Vegas Raiders 10: This lopsided win was exactly what Josh Allen, the Bills and Bills Mafia needed after last Monday night's debacle.
- Atlanta Falcons 25, Green Bay Packers 24: The Falcons rallied for victory behind burgeoning star running back Bijan Robinson.
- Kansas City Chiefs 17, Jacksonville Jaguars 9: The Chiefs didn't earn any style points for this win, but did avoid the dreaded 0-2 start.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Chicago Bears 17: Justin Fields continues to be a prime target for defensive players looking to pad sack stats … the Bears QB was sacked six times Sunday.
- Indianapolis Colts 31, Houston Texans 20: The Colts rolled to victory in Houston, but might be without promising rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson for some time.
- Seattle Seahawks 37, Detroit Lions 31 (OT): After an inspiring season-opening win against the defending Super Bowl champions, the hyped-up Lions came crashing back down to earth.
- Baltimore Ravens 27, Cincinnati Bengals 24: The Bengals fell to 0-2 (both losses in the division, too) and Joe Burrow tweaked his calf muscle during this defeat.
- Philadelphia Eagles 34, Minnesota Vikings 28 (Thursday): This was a typically sloppy "Thursday Night Football" encounter, and the local fans made the defending NFC champions know it, but the Eagles managed to hold off the Vikings and improve to 2-0.
Coming this week
Monday: Week 2 wraps up with a two-pack of "Monday Night Football" games. This is the first of four side-by-side ABC-ESPN Monday night doubleheaders this season. The first game – New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers – kicks off at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN in what will be No. 1 overall draft choice Bryce Young's prime time debut. At 8:15 p.m. ET, the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers renew their long-standing rivalry on ABC.
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 2.
Thursday: Week 3 kicks off with the San Francisco 49ers hosting the New York Giants (8:20 p.m. ET, Prime Video). Before the game, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 3 game.
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