Around The NFL breaks down what you need to know from all of Sunday's action in Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season. Catch up on each game's biggest takeaways using the links below:
2022 · 1-1-0
Eric Edholm's takeaways:
- Bucs get fired up after skirmish. It's only fitting that a rock fight of a football game devolved into actual fisticuffs, especially when these two teams — and two very specific players — are involved. Early in the fourth quarter, in a 3-3 game, Marshon Lattimore and Tom Brady started jawing. Leonard Fournette pushed Lattimore away, and Mike Evans slammed into Lattimore. Eventually, Lattimore and Evans were ejected. They have a history, folks. But it was how the teams reacted after the fight that determined the outcome of this game. After a Bucs punt, Tampa's defense came up with a huge interception of Jameis Winston by Jamel Dean in the end zone. Brady, who had struggled to dial up big plays earlier in the game, hit Breshad Perriman for a pretty deep ball and a 10-3 lead, with help from two Saints defensive penalties. One play after a sack, Winston again was picked by Dean on a failed long ball. Brady and the Bucs turned that into a field goal and a 13-3 edge. Then Winston completed the hat trick in style, with a pick-six by Mike Edwards and a 17-point lead. Everything fell apart for the Saints in a three-minute, 30-second span in what was a tight game for the first 50-plus minutes.
- The Saints are out of whack offensively. In Week 1, they struggled for three quarters before ringing up 17 fourth-quarter points against what might be a bad Falcons defense to eke out a one-point win. But the issues came to roost in this game against a better opponent. The Buccaneers' defense clearly is a top-tier unit, having allowed three points in Week 1 and 10 more in this one. But the Saints easily can point to their own inefficiencies in this game and realize they have a lot to clean up. It starts with Winston, of course. He's been susceptible to pressure, taking seven sacks in eight quarters of football. But Winston also has been guilty of hanging onto the ball too long and not taking what's there when plays break down. In addition to his three picks, the Saints were lucky when a too-patient Winston was sacked by Shaquil Barrett and fumbled; Devin White had a great shot at landing on it but could not. Michael Thomas has shown he's back — he had two TDs in Week 1 and a toe-tapping sideline catch and another score this game. Chris Olave looks dangerous, even with his fumble. Not having Alvin Kamara surely hurt in this game, and Mark Ingram lost a fumble in his place. The loss of Sean Payton was always going to be tough to overcome, but the Saints need to find ways to cut down on the major errors if they're going to bounce back next week against the Carolina Panthers.
- Unhappy Brady. There's nothing quite as eye-roll-inducing in sports as a protracted discussion of a player's "body language." That said, it didn't take a Ph.D. to see that Brady was not happy in the first half on Sunday, expressing his disgust on the field and then launching a Microsoft Surface Pro on the sideline. Let's put all the off-field gossip talk to the side for now. We've seen "Salty Brady" before, and it typically comes out when his offense is shooting itself in the feet. That happened time and time again in the first half. At halftime, the Buccaneers ran their streak of not scoring a point against the Saints' defense to six quarters and went 23 straight drives verus New Orleans' defense without a touchdown. It was still a 3-0 deficit at the break, just as it was in the Saints' 9-0 victory in Tampa last December. But Brady and the Bucs found a way, breaking out offensively with three major inactives (Julio Jones, Donovan Smith and Chris Godwin), Evans in the locker room and little run-game production to speak of. Brady also was wearing an oversized wrap on his hand, which seemed to bother him early in the game. He might not be quite as dangerous as he was at his peak, but Brady is one of the better win-without-your-best-stuff passers of all time. We saw it on display in Week 2.
Next Gen stat of the game: When Lattimore was lined up against Evans on Sunday, Evans was held to one reception for 7 yards on 14 routes run.
NFL Research: Since 2019, the Buccaneers are 9-0 when they have three-plus takeaways in a game.
2022 · 1-1-0
Kevin Patra's takeaways:
- Patriots get back to power running game. On a day when Mac Jones was up and down, missing a host of passes, the Patriots' run game grinded out the road win in the second half. Damien Harris (15 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown) and Rhamondre Stevenson (9/47) ran over the Steelers' front to secure the win as the Pats returned to the power rushing scheme. The highlight of the Pats' passing offense came late in the first half, with Nelson Agholor posturizing Ahkello Witherspoon for a 44-yard TD. It was the prettiest play of an ugly affair for the traditional AFC powers.
- Could the Kenny Pickett era be coming soon?Mitchell Trubisky was a check-down king Sunday, throwing short time and time and time again. Watching the starting QB throw 1-yard passes on third-and-longs as the Steelers tried to come back was particularly frustrating. Trubisky threw for just 168 yards on 33 attempts with one TD and one interception while taking three sacks. It's clear the Steelers don't trust their offensive line to let deep routes develop. But 21 of 33 attempts behind the line of scrimmage or inside nine yards isn't winning offense, particularly with defenses keying on the run game. Trubisky went just 5-of-12 passing for 74 yards and an INT on passes of 10-plus air yards. Annoyed Steelers fans brought out the Kenny Pickett chants Sunday. They'll only get louder if Trubisky keeps throwing two-yard passes.
- Steelers D missed T.J. Watt. It's stating the obvious, but the Steelers' defense isn't nearly as dangerous without the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Pittsburgh's defense didn't record a sack and earned just three QB hits. Jones had all day to survey the defense at times, sitting in the pocket and allowing routes to develop. Jones was pressured on just two of 35 snaps, per Next Gen Stats. No matter how good the secondary is, a QB can't have all day to throw. The Steelers will have to manufacture a rush until Watt returns.
Next Gen stat of the game: Nelson Agholor had 0.6 yards of target separation on his 44-yard TD, the second fewest for a Mac Jones TD in his career.
NFL Research: The Steelers had zero sacks in a game -- after seven in Week 1 -- for just the third time since 2017. T.J. Watt did not play in two of those games.
2022 · 0-1-1
Michael Baca's takeaways:
- Trevor Lawrence has a day to remember. They weren't numbers that jump off the stat sheet, but the Jaguars' quarterback turned in his most complete performance in what was his 19th career start. Lawrence completed 25 of 30 pass attempts for 235 yards and two touchdowns in the win, and his composure was a glaring improvement compared to last week's outing in Washington. Aiding that effort were the designed quick throws for Lawrence, who executed the plays decisively and accurately. Lawrence spread the ball out to seven receivers and found Christian Kirk (six receptions, 78 yards) on both of his TD throws. The former No. 1 overall pick's day wasn't perfect -- with an errant throw getting dropped by a Colts defender in the first half and the Jags offense having three three-and-outs in the fourth quarter -- but it was a reassuring display you want to see from the face of the franchise.
- Colts offense lays an egg. It was an ugly one for the Colts, whose 10 offensive possessions on the day ended with five turnovers and five punts. The constant duress Matt Ryan experienced throughout the game was the crux of an offense that gained just 71 yards in the first half. Jonathan Taylor, the league's reigning rushing champion, had more rushing attempts (five) than yards (four) through those first two quarters, but things didn't get better once the Colts finally had chances, as they turned the ball over on downs in both of their red-zone possessions in the second half. The Colts held the ball for just 21 minutes 45 seconds and gained 218 total yards in the shutout loss, which of course extended the team's losing streak in Jacksonville to eight.
- Jaguars pass rushers flourish. Defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell should be proud of a unit that outright dominated at the point of attack. Jaguars pass rushers collected five sacks, 11 QB hits and forced Ryan to throw three interceptions on the day. Josh Allen led the way with two sacks, one of which he forced a fumble on. Arden Key, Adam Gotsis and Roy Robertson-Harris found the other sacks while No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker continued to wreak havoc in the backfield. The constant pressure had Jags defensive backs licking their chops, and Ryan was forced to sit out the final 22 seconds of a final fruitless possession because of all the hits he took.
Next Gen stat of the day: Matt Ryan was 5 of 13 for 101 yards and three interceptions on passes of 10-plus air yards.
NFL Research: The Jaguars held a league-worst 33-81 record since 2015 heading into Week 2, but have won their eighth straight game versus the Colts in Jacksonville. The Colts are 10-4 against other AFC South opponents on the road over that span, and the last time Indianapolis sustained a road shutout was in Jacksonville in 2018.
2022 · 1-1-0
Kevin Patra's takeaways:
- Tua Tagovailoa silences haters as Dolphins storm back. Tagovailoa overcame two first-half interceptions -- one in scoring range and the other that led to a Ravens touchdown drive -- to spearhead a furious Miami comeback after entering the fourth quarter down three scores. Tua dropped a bevy of beautiful throws, from an only-my-guy-can-get-it TD to Mike Gesicki to deep shots to Tyreek Hill in stride. The QB went 36-of-50 passing for 469 yards and a whopping six TDs with two INTs for a 124.1 rating. Four of Tua's six TDs came in the fourth quarter. He might not own the most powerful arm, but Tua used precision to make plays all game and took advantage of busted coverages in the Ravens' secondary. Sunday proved that no lead is safe with Mike McDaniel's offense able to score in waves. When Miami needed Tua to make big plays, the QB shined in crunch time.
- Dolphins' dynamite receiver tandem of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill unstoppable. The Miami offense deserves two nuggets after that comeback. The duo dominated. First, Waddle ripped off yards after the catch and got open on underneath routes. He finished with 11 catches of 19 targets for 171 yards, with a long of 59 yards, and two TDs, including the game-winner. Then, Hill exploded late, blazing past the Ravens' secondary for 11 catches on 13 targets for 190 yards, with a long of 60, and two TDs (both in the fourth quarter). With the combination of speed and route precision, Waddle and Hill make life exceedingly difficult on defenses. Both can turn a short pass into a long gain at any moment. The Dolphins ate up yards after the catch Sunday. Waddle netted 82 YAC and Hill had 72 YAC.
- Lamar Jackson puts up an MVP-type performance but comes up shy in short yardage. Jackson had a perfect passer rating as the Ravens built a big first-half lead. The QB dropped dimes and darts from the pocket, completing 72.4% of his passes for 318 yards and three first-half TDs. Jackson also paced the ground game with 119 yards on nine attempts, including a career-high 79-yard TD run. But the Ravens running backs -- sans J.K. Dobbins -- again struggled to gain traction, earning just 28 yards on 14 carries. Baltimore was particularly bad in short-yardage situations. The Ravens couldn't punch it in from the 1-yard-line early, with Jackson fumbling the fourth-down snap. Then, early in the fourth quarter, Jackson was again stuffed on fourth-and-1. The inability to churn the clock on the ground and convert in short yardage helped allow the Dolphins to charge back for the W.
Next Gen stat of the game: Lamar Jackson generated his first career game with 150-plus pass yards and three TDs vs. blitz in a full game (did so in first half alone).
NFL Research: The Dolphins became the first team in NFL history with a player recording 400-plus pass yards and five-plus pass TDs (Tua Tagovailoa) and two others recording 170-plus receiving yards and two-plus receiving TDs (Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle) in the same game.
2022 · 1-1-0
Eric Edholm's takeaways:
- Lions, offensive juggernaut? The Lions did not score 35-plus points in a game between Week 1 of 2018 and Week 17 of last season. But they're now two for two in that category in 2022, making it three straight games they've hit that threshold counting the Week 18 outing against the Packers last season. The last time the Lions accomplished that? In the 1952 and 1953 seasons, back when they won the NFL Championship both seasons. This Detroit team isn't quite at that level of proficiency. But it's hard not to see the progress for a franchise that, let's face it, was heaped with some pretty strong preseason expectations considering it had 11 wins and two ties combined over the previous three seasons. Hats off to new offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for his role in calling a more wide-open scheme and getting the ball into the Lions' playmakers' hands time and time again. It's easy to see how fun this thing can be once first-rounder Jameson Williams is healthy.
- A star in the making in Detroit. The last two top-10 picks to register a three-sack game in either Week 1 or 2 of their rookie seasons were Chip Banks (1982) and Julius Peppers (2002). Both of those players won AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. The third man on that list is now Aidan Hutchinson, with all three sacks coming in a dominant first half. He also was close to taking down Washington's Carson Wentz for a safety, but Lions teammate Charles Harris got there a moment earlier. Either way, Hutchinson looks like the real deal. Sure, it's only two games. But as it stands now, the Hutchinson pick looks like a home run. He's now a huge part of this Lions culture change and rebuild, and the results are coming to fruition early. Hutchinson was seen limping into the locker room in the second half, but he returned to the sideline shortly thereafter. It's perhaps no coincidence that the Commanders started heating up offensively after Hutchinson started limping.
- Split-personality offense. The Commanders were two different teams offensively in this game. There was the first-half version that gained 20 yards in its first 11 plays and finished the first 30 minutes with two first downs. Then there was the second-half version that caught fire and made a game of it after falling behind 22-zip. Wentz looked twitchy and inaccurate early, taking a safety (one of four first-half sacks) and throwing eight incomplete passes in 17 tries, but was dangerous late in throwing for 197 yards and four TDs after halftime. That's the Wentz experience in a nutshell. The Commanders must find a way to work around that, difficult a chore as that is. Their defense has now allowed the Jaguars and Lions to move the ball at will against it, upping the degree of difficulty a notch or two. But this club has no shot if it doesn't harness its passing-game firepower more consistently. A lot of that falls on Wentz and his notoriously inconsistent performances. Can the Commanders find a way to harness Week 2 second-half Wentz for a whole game? That needs to happen soon. Up next: the Eagles.
Next Gen stat of the game: Lions rookie Aidan Hutchinson had four QB pressures and three sacks on 42 pass rushers (9.5 pressure percentage).
NFL Research: Amon-Ra St. Brown now has 50-plus receiving yards and one or more touchdowns in six straight games, dating back to last season. It's the longest such streak by a Lions player in the Super Bowl era. He also tied the all-time mark with eight straight games with eight or more catches.
2022 · 1-1-0
Nick Shook's takeaways:
- Joe Flacco can still sling it on occasion. Flacco has a long history of winning in Cleveland, but at 37-years-old, those days appeared to be well behind him. He apparently didn't get the memo Sunday, completing 26 of 44 passes for 307 yards, four touchdowns and a 110.7 passer rating in a truly vintage performance. Flacco saved his best for last, hitting Corey Davis on a 66-yard touchdown pass that was essentially uncontested, then driving the Jets 53 yards in nine plays and one minute of game clock to lift the Jets to the miraculous win. The Browns absolutely collapsed, but Flacco certainly earned this win with his arm -- and deserves the praise that will follow, even if only for a week. Robert Saleh also gets a much-needed shot of confidence as he attempts to navigate a season viewed by a frustrated Jets fanbase that is running short on patience.
- The Browns' defense is a mess. Through two weeks, Cleveland's secondary looks completely lost. It's given up long touchdown passes late in games thanks to blown coverages, and defensive backs can often be seen raising their arms in exasperation after giving up big gains, as if they're still confused by their individual responsibilities. At one point, New York converted 7 of 10 third-down attempts and finished over 50 percent in such scenarios. The Jets -- a team that put up just nine points in Week 1 -- gained 402 yards of offense and scored 14 points in the game's final minute and 22 seconds. Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney each recorded a sack, but in the many instances in which they weren't able to get home, the Browns had no answer in coverage. Cleveland has talent, but the defensive disorganization is discouraging at the least and could prove to be damning to the fate of defensive coordinator Joe Woods, who drew praise for his unit's play late last season but does not have a handle on the group through two games.
- Dwayne Rudd now has company. For two decades, the linebacker owned the majority of an imaginary, desolate island where Browns fans emotionally banished those who cost the team wins in unfathomable fashion. Rudd better make room for a whole new cast after this one. Cleveland held a two-touchdown lead with 1:55 remaining in the game, then melted down, blowing coverage to allow a long touchdown pass to Davis, failing to recover New York's onside kick, and allowing Flacco to lead the Jets to a go-ahead touchdown. Last week's hero, rookie kicker Cade York, missed an extra point that shouldn't have mattered, but ended up being the difference because the Browns collapsed in epic fashion. All of the good momentum the Browns appeared to build through the first 118 minutes of regular-season action evaporated in 115 seconds Sunday. That could be devastating if they fail to recover in the short week ahead.
Next Gen stat of the game: The Jets had a 0.3% win probability following Nick Chubb's 12-yard touchdown run with 1:55 remaining in regulation.
NFL Research: Sunday was Joe Flacco's first win as a starter in his last nine outings, snapping a streak that dated back to Week 6 of the 2019 season. The victory over Cleveland improved his all-time record to 18-3 versus the Browns.
2022 · 0-2-0
Nick Shook's takeaways:
- If you like field goals, this was your game. Graham Gano received an opportunity to earn some revenge versus his former team, and his right leg certainly rose to the occasion. Gano finished a perfect 4 for 4 on field goal attempts and 1 for 1 on extra points, scoring 13 of New York's 19 points and putting the Giants ahead for good with a 56-yard bomb with 3:34 left in the game. Carolina followed suit, as Eddy Pineiro made all three of his field goals and his lone extra point, perhaps uncovering a permanent option at the position for the Panthers. Field goals aren't all that thrilling, of course, and didn't produce satisfying outcomes during the game -- New York settled for three after recovering a game-opening fumble, and Carolina took the points after stalling deep in New York's red zone -- but one more boot was enough to get the Giants a win and some redemption for Gano.
- Carolina's offense remains stuck in the mud. Baker Mayfield's second outing with the Panthers looked a lot like his first: passes batted down at the line of scrimmage, risky throws into coverage, a frantic presence in the pocket and missed connections all afternoon. Not all was Mayfield's fault, of course (Shi Smith and Ian Thomas each dropped passes), but one play -- a third-and-1 pass Mayfield fired to the ceiling of his intended target's catch radius, producing an incompletion -- effectively explained the entire afternoon for Mayfield and the Panthers. Carolina has struggled in the first halves of each of its two games, then discovers a temporary rhythm in the second half before ultimately allowing the moment to overwhelm it. Christian McCaffrey was more involved this time around, but it still wasn't enough to secure a win, and the Panthers lost the time-of-possession battle by a significant margin for a second straight week. The kinks remain in this group.
- The Brian Daboll-led Giants are...fun? New York's new regime has breathed new life into the organization, and even if the team's talent level isn't yet where the club would like it to be, the Giants certainly play with passion. New York forced two turnovers, including a fumble on the opening kickoff, and caused plenty of problems for Mayfield and the Panthers with a combination of creative blitzes and timely plays on the ball all afternoon. Carolina was clearly frustrated by the Giants by the end of the game, and Matt Rhule's decision to punt just outside the two-minute warning ended up standing as a small sign of surrender, even if the logic made sense in the moment. The reason, of course: The Giants refused to give the ball back, punctuating a hard-fought win by finishing the game on a strong note. These Giants might look different a year from now, but they're already playing like they believe -- and New York seems ready to embrace them.
Next Gen stat of the game: New York's defense improved dramatically in the second half Sunday, going from an 18.5 pressure percentage in the first two quarters to 49.2% in the final two periods.
NFL Research: The Giants have started 2-0 for the first time since 2016. In that season, New York finished with an 11-5 record. It was also the last time the Giants reached the playoffs.
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2022-09-18 21:05:00Z
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