Week 2 of the NFL season featured rookie quarterback Dak Prescott coming up big on a game-winning drive in his first career win, and two-time MVP Aaron Rodgers failing multiple times to manufacture a game-winner of his own.
Speaking of valuable players, reigning MVP Cam Newton made plays over and over when called upon, and rising star Jameis Winston ran into a buzz saw (Cardinals’ defense) and turned the football over five times in a blowout loss.
Here are the best and worst moments from Week 2.
Best
QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott was unable to rally the Cowboys in his NFL debut last week, but the rookie quarterback delivered on the road in Week 2. Down by three late in the fourth quarter, Prescott calmly led Dallas on an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive—completing 5-of-6 passes for 56 yards and hitting Dez Bryant (21 yards) and Cole Beasley (12 yards) for huge first-down connections.
His first NFL win looked good in the box score as well, as Prescott completed 22-of-30 attempts for 292 yards, while also rushing for a 6-yard touchdown in the second half. Relaxed in the pocket and unshakable against pressure, Prescott set a new NFL record for the most pass attempts (75) without an interception during a player’s first two games. He certainly didn’t look like a rookie making his second career start on Sunday.
OLB Von Miller, Denver Broncos
Sunday afternoon against Indianapolis was a showcase for why Von Miller is the NFL’s highest paid defensive player and one of the top two or three pass-rushers in the game. He abused the Colts offensive line for three sacks, including a strip-sack of Andrew Luck (recovered by Shane Ray for a touchdown) and a final sack of Luck to finish off the final drive of the contest.
Miller even delivered a key block on Aqib Talib’s interception return for a touchdown in the second half. Poor Colts right tackle Joe Reitz was no match for reigning Super Bowl MVP. On his first sack, Miller bull-rushed Reitz into Luck’s lap before taking down the athletic quarterback to halt a Colts drive. The Super Bowl MVP is an elite game-wrecker against quarterbacks.
Rookie wide receivers
It was a good week to be a first-year receiver. Sterling Shepard caught eight passes for 117 yards during the Giants’ win over the Saints, Will Fuller hauled in four catches for 103 yards to help the Texans take down the Chiefs, and Corey Coleman made five receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns as the Browns fell to the Ravens.
While he didn’t break 100 yards, Cincinnati’s Tyler Boyd had six catches for 78 yards. Meanwhile, Josh Doctson hauled in a 57-yard bomb from Kirk Cousins, and Michael Thomas gained 56 yards on four catches from Drew Brees. This rookie receiver class wasn’t as hyped as some in the past, but it’s producing just fine to start the 2016 season.
QB Sam Bradford and WR Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings
Sam Bradford did the impossible: He played exceedingly well at quarterback, exactly 15 days after changing teams, and did so going up against a rival defense in the opening game at a brand new stadium. But the Vikings new quarterback had plenty of help, mostly in the form of Stefon Diggs—who caught nine passes and gained 182 of Bradford’s 286 passing yards. The second-year receiver had a catch-and-run of 46 yards, and he completed an insane touchdown catch on a great throw from Bradford to provide the Vikings their winning points in the second half.
It wasn’t always pretty for the Minnesota offense, but Bradford played about as well any one would have expected, given the extreme conditions. Meanwhile, Diggs looks like he could develop into an Antonio Brown-type player.
Worst
QB Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jameis Winston came back down to earth in a big way in Week 2. After throwing for four scores and prompting many to wonder if he was getting ready to join the quarterbacking elite last week, Winston tossed four interceptions and lost a fumble during Sunday’s 40-7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Cornerback Marcus Cooper picked him off twice, returning the second interception 60 yards for a game-sealing touchdown.
Turnovers were a huge issue for Winston last year, and his six giveaways through two games show he’s still working through his problems protecting the football. Now that we’ve seen the best and worst from Winston, maybe we can settle down and let the second-year quarterback grow into the position.
Seattle Seahawks offense
The Seahawks have exactly one touchdown through two games, and that score came late in Seattle’s Week 1 win over Miami. The pesky Los Angeles Rams shut them down in Week 2, holding the Seahawks to just a single field goal in an ugly 9-3 win.
Keep in mind, the Blaine Gabbert-led 49ers scored 28 on the Rams in Week 1, and the quarterback combination of Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett put up 31 on the Dolphins this week. The Seahawks clearly have major issues up front on offense, and not having a healthy Russell Wilson only compounds the offensive line problems. Seattle is currently on pace to score 120 points in 2016.
Oakland Raiders defense
It’s officially time to worry about the Raiders’ style of “defense.” We’re just two weeks into the season, and Oakland has allowed 1,035 yards—including over 800 passing yards—and 69 points.
The Falcons had their way with the Raiders defense on Sunday, with Matt Ryan throwing for 396 yards and three touchdowns and the Atlanta running game producing 139 yards on 29 attempts. There will be weeks when Derek Carr and the Raiders offense is able to bail out a bad defensive effort, but Week 2 wasn’t one of them. There’s too much talent on Oakland’s defense—Khalil Mack, Bruce Irvin, Reggie Nelson, to name a few—for the unit to be this bad.
QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
The two-time MVP was once the best in the league, but he was beaten up badly again on Sunday Night Football. Aaron Rodgers had three fumbles—losing one in the fourth quarter with the Packers driving—and threw a back-breaking interception on Green Bay’s final possession of the game.
Rodgers took five sacks and averaged only 5.9 yards per attempt, often looking confused in the pocket, as well as being indecisive with the football. The Packers offensive struggles date back to October of 2015, but Rodgers isn’t going to be immune from criticism for long. He was as bad on Sunday night as he’s been in a long time.
