Tuesday 19 September 2017 14:57, UK
Week Two of the 2017 NFL season is all done and dusted, but who were the top-performing teams and who must do better?
The Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos get the highest grades for their dominant Sunday night wins, while the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals failed.
Here's a look at our weekly team grades...
Washington Redskins (W 27-20 @ Los Angeles Rams)
Washington's run game looked potent in this victory. Starter Rob Kelley rushed 12 times for 78 yards, but his carries could be under threat to Chris Thompson, who carried just three times, yet had two touchdown runs and registered 77 yards. Grade A-
Philadelphia Eagles (L 20-27 @ Kansas City)
The Eagles' underrated defence could only handle the brilliant offensive design of Kansas City for so long. A promising aspect of the defeat was Alshon Jeffrey's emergence. Following his disappointing three-catch Week One, he put up 92 yards and a touchdown from seven receptions here. Grade C+
New York Giants (L 10-24 v Detroit)
It was yet another flat and uninspiring day for the Giants, as they failed to create anything on offence and couldn't prevent Matthew Stafford from tossing two touchdowns through the air. Eli Manning looks to be struggling majorly, and Odell Beckham Jr. didn't play a large role on his return from injury - just four catches for 36 yards. New York must find a way to move the ball or they will quickly lose ground in the NFC East title race. Grade D
Dallas Cowboys (L 17-42 @ Denver)
Dallas' vaunted offensive line was pushed around by Denver's defensive front. This resulted in the Cowboys' offensive heartbeat - the running game - not functioning. Ezekiel Elliott carried nine times for a paltry eight yards. Through the air, Dak Prescott struggled as his receivers, most notably Dez Bryant, lost out in one-on-one opportunities versus Denver's elite corners.
Trevor Siemian, hardly a premier quarterback, dissected the defence to the tune of 231 passing yards and four touchdowns, while C.J. Anderson's 118 rushing yards wore them down. Grade E
Detroit Lions (W 24-10 @ New York Giants)
On the road and in prime time, Stafford completed 15 of his 21 pass attempts and lobbed two scores. Running back Ameer Abdullah had a career-high 86 yards rushing against a stingy Giants' defence, and Detroit's own defensive group racked up five sacks, a pick, and forced a fumble. With a special teams touchdown as well, it was a complete performance. Grade A
Minnesota Vikings (L 9-26 @ Pittsburgh)
With the pre-game news that another Minnesota quarterback had suffered a knee injury, the Vikings' chances of winning this match-up severely decreased. Even accounting for Case Keenum's lethargic processing speed under centre instead of Sam Bradford, they will be disappointed with just 167 passing yards. Rookie running back Dalvin Cook was effective again, yet only carried the ball 12 times. Grade C-
Green Bay Packers (L 23-34 @ Atlanta)
The majority of Green Bay's points come in garbage time. The defence looked terrible too and was carved open with ease by Atlanta through the air or on the ground. A lesson for those who were sucked into the hype after the Packers limited a feeble Seahawks offence last week. Grade D
Chicago Bears (L 7-29 @ Tampa Bay)
A crash back to reality for Chicago, after their hope-inducing narrow loss to Atlanta last week. The defence struggled to contain Mike Evans, who picked up 93 yards and a TD off seven receptions.
The offensive line created nothing on the ground, with the Bears averaging 0.8 yards per carry on 20 attempts. Their decimated receiving corps was terrible: they struggled to create separation and bobbled lots of passes, with one tipped ball leading to an interception as the Bears turned the ball over four times. Grade D-
Atlanta Falcons (W 34-23 v Green Bay)
What a fantastic performance! What a way to play your first regular season game in your new stadium. Atlanta were aggressive and high-tempo, tearing the Green Bay defence apart.
Also, this young defence has emerged as one of the league's best and it will continue to improve. They played with a swagger and attitude, forcing two turnovers. Crucially, the defensive line managed to get pressure on Aaron Rodgers when required. Grade A+
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (W 29-7 v Chicago)
The Buccaneers' first game of the season featured an excellent defensive and special teams performances. The defence picked off Mike Glennon twice and strip sacked him once, while the special teams unit recovered a bizarre Tarik Cohen fumble on a punt return. Grade A
Carolina Panthers (W 9-3 v Buffalo)
Missing most of the offseason appears to have dramatically affected Cam Newton and this attack. His chemistry with the receiving weapons has suffered, as witnessed when he overthrew a wide open Christian McCaffrey in the endzone.
Thankfully for coach Ron Rivera, their defence was better than the Bills'. Luke Kuechly and company restricted Buffalo to a measly 194 offensive yards and just three points. Grade B-
New Orleans Saints (L 20-36 v New England)
It is familiar to write that the New Orleans defence proved too detrimental for the offence. The Saints' man coverage got torn apart by Tom Brady, who passed for 447 yards and three touchdowns. Worries too exist over the offensive approach, as Sean Payton's attack continues to look disjointed without the traded Brandin Cooks or the suspended Willie Snead. Grade D
Seattle Seahawks (W 12-9 v San Francisco)
Seattle's offence struggled to get anything going again, with the offensive line, of course, being part of the problem. Yet, quarterback Russell Wilson also deserves significant blame. He looked skittish when he had time. Perhaps it was due to the pouring rain? Wilson has struggled in the past with poor weather. His frequent overthrows of open receivers and general poor decision making were deeply concerning.
Asides from the positive of a win, there were other things for Seattle fans to feel optimism over. Running back Chris Carson continued to impress. He has the burst, vision and patience for the one-cut zone blocking system and he rushed 20 times for 93 yards. Asides from a few big runs, the defence was superb-as is typical. Grade C
Los Angeles Rams (L 20-27 v Washington)
A loss, but Jared Goff seemed like an NFL quarterback in this game. He appears far more comfortable in coach Sean McVay's scheme. The second-year passer frequently looked off safeties and extended plays well, while he was aided by his receivers willingly blocking after the catch.
Todd Gurley continued to perform more like his rookie-year self and, aside from his fumble, mightily impressed. He ran slippery and athletically for 88 yards and a touchdown. McVay has also successfully incorporated the back into the passing game, to the extent that Gurley also hauled in a receiving touchdown. Grade C-
San Francisco 49ers (L 9-12 @ Seattle)
This was also a good performance, despite the loss. San Francisco, a re-building team, managed to stay in the game at Seattle right until the final whistle. A big positive was their outside-zone running game, with Carlos Hyde carrying 15 times for 124 yards. It is therefore fair to question why they passed 57 per cent of the time in a close game…
Although they never truly felt like having a real chance of winning, the forecast for future years appears to be promising. Their main aim is to find a quarterback, with Brian Hoyer stifled to 99 passing yards and an interception. Grade C-
Arizona Cardinals (W 16-13 v Indianapolis) (OT)
Sure, Arizona managed to eventually win this game, but their performance was worthy of a low grade. They were facing the worst team in the NFL, versus a quarterback - Jacoby Brissett - making just his second career start.
Unsurprisingly, the offence without David Johnson looked even more putrid. Carson Palmer appears to be declining rapidly; his misdiagnosis of the coverage on a lofted interception to Malik Hooker particularly stood out. Grade D+
New England Patriots (W 36-20 @ New Orleans)
After an inexcusable loss in Week One in which they gave up 42 points, the Patriots had to bounce back on the road with a win. We knew they would be able to score against the Saints defence, and they completely dominated for a large part of this contest. New England are rolling again. Grade A
Miami Dolphins (W 19-17 @ Los Angeles Chargers)
In their first game as the Jay Cutler-led Dolphins, Miami came out very flat on the road and couldn't put together any measure of offence in the first half. However, they bounced back and scored 16 points in the second while limiting Philip Rivers and the Chargers' offence. A heavy dose of Jay Ajayi and Jarvis Landry looks like a great recipe for Miami success. Grade B
Buffalo Bills (L 3-9 @ Carolina)
If receiver Zay Jones had managed to come down with the ball at the goal line on Buffalo's final offensive play on Sunday, this one might have been a different story. But the rookie wasn't able to secure a catch that would have saved the game, and the Bills slip to 1-1. Buffalo has a lot of work to do on offence to make a run this season. Grade C
New York Jets (L 20-45 @ Oakland)
Realistically, the Jets are doing the best with what they have - it's just that they don't enough talent to compete each and every week. They struggled all game outside of Jermaine Kearse (four catches, 64 yards and two TDs) providing some bright sparks, and they are in for a long season. Grade D
Pittsburgh Steelers (W 26-9 v Minnesota)
Two weeks, and two comfortable wins for Pittsburgh - but how good have their opponents been? Without Sam Bradford at the helm (a last-minute inactive), the Vikings started Keenum and couldn't get anything going on offence. Pittsburgh easily thwarted the Minnesota attack, and were able to create their usual splash plays on offence. They'll want to get Le'Veon Bell rolling though. Grade B+
Baltimore Ravens (W 24-10 v Cleveland)
Baltimore continued with their dominant defensive efforts, only allowing 10 points to Cleveland on Sunday. The offence is neither inspiring nor very productive, but they are built on strong defence and an attack that can simply 'get the job done'. It's working so far, and this was another comfortable win. Grade B
Cleveland Browns (L 10-24 @ Baltimore)
While the Browns appear to be showing signs of improvement with their play, the results remain the same. DeShone Kizer makes both outstanding, exciting plays and silly, rookie mistakes. Kevin Hogan, standing in for Kizer (migraine), led the team to its only score. Cleveland are still a large step behind the teams at the top of the AFC North. Grade C-
Cincinnati Bengals (L 9-13 v Houston)
The Bengals have been a total failure so far this season, especially on offence. Through two games, they haven't managed a single touchdown and look completely lost. Although they held rookie Deshaun Watson in check most of the game, the young QB won it with a 49-yard TD scamper and made the defence look foolish. New offensive coordinator Bill Lazor has a lot of work to do. Grade F
Tennessee Titans (W 37-16 @ Jacksonville)
We needed to see an improvement from the Titans' offence after a slow start in Week One and a shaky preseason. They delivered, to the tune of 37 points, 390 yards and a statement win over division rivals Jacksonville. Marcus Mariota wasn't perfect, but he was able to spread the ball around and Derrick Henry (92 yards, one TD) emerged with great game on the ground. Grade A
Houston Texans (W 13-9 @ Cincinnati)
The Texans won their Thursday night match-up with the Bengals, but it was not pretty. The defence bounced back from a Week One blowout against the Jaguars, and Deshaun Watson provided the spark Tom Savage wasn't able to at quarterback. Grade B-
Indianapolis Colts (L 13-16 v Arizona) (OT)
It was a brave and valiant effort by new QB Brissett and the Colts on Sunday, but ultimately they fell short to Palmer and the Cardinals. Without Andrew Luck, there seems to be no hope in Indianapolis and it could still be some time yet before he's back. Grade C
Jacksonville Jaguars (L 16-37 v Tennessee)
After showing so much promise as a team (and particularly as a defence) in Week One, the Jags were stomped on Sunday in a huge defeat. WIthout establishing a lead and being able to pound the ball with RB Leonard Fournette, QB Blake Bortles returned to his old ways with two interceptions and a lost fumble. He'll have a tough task against the Ravens 'D' in London this week. Grade D
Denver Broncos (W 42-17 v Dallas)
Denver had the finest day in the AFC this week, blowing out last year's 13-3 Cowboys in a huge win. Siemian threw four touchdown passes, C.J. Anderson had a 100-yard game on the ground, both Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas had six catches - essentially, everything came together. The Broncos looked outstanding. Grade A+
Oakland Raiders (W 45-20 v New York Jets)
The Raiders were expected to beat the Jets, but they truly dominated in this contest. The offence was on fire - they scored touchdowns on four straight possessions at one point - and the defence racked up four sacks, two forced fumbles and didn't look in any danger. Oakland has picked up right where they left off before Derek Carr's injury last season. Grade A
Kansas City Chiefs (W 27-20 v Philadelphia)
Philadelphia came into town with a formidable front seven on defence but, after a slow first half in this game, the Chiefs took over. QB Alex Smith was outstanding when it mattered most, while rookie running back Kareem Hunt came through with another long score, and tight end Travis Kelce stepped up with eight catches, 103 yards and a leaping touchdown to wrap up the game. Grade A-
Los Angeles Chargers (L 17-19 v Miami)
For the second straight week, the Chargers had an opportunity to win the game right at the death, and they squandered it. Younghoe Koo's kick sailed wide right, and another attempted comeback was thwarted. They played well enough to win this game, but it was the same old story. It's going to be tough to compete after a 0-2 start. Grade C-
