Week two in the NFL season has come and gone, and aside from the Patriots there just doesn’t seem to be a team that jumps off of the paper as a contender. Despite adding pro-bowl tight end Jimmy Graham this offseason, the two time defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks still look like they’re lacking something on offense.
Speaking of offseason additions, the Philadelphia Eagles, lead by Chip Kelley, have struggled on offense. Well, struggling may be an understatement. At one point in the second half of their game against their division rival, the Dallas Cowboys, premier free agent acquisition Demarco Murray had negative 15 yards rushing. It wasn’t entirely his fault; it’s hard to run behind offensive guards that are missing blocks or simply not getting any push to open running lanes.
Staying on the Dallas/Philadelphia game, it’s shaping up to be a long season for the Cowboys. Losing a top five receiver last week in Dez Bryant and then losing franchise quarterback Tony Romo this week is a huge blow. Bryant has the same foot injury that Kevin Durant had so a six week recovery seems generous, but Romo’s broken clavicle will have him out for 6-8 weeks. The Cowboys essentially went from Demarco Murray, Tony Romo, and Dez Bryant, which is a formidable trio, to Brandon Weeden, Terrance Williams, and Joseph Randle. That hyped up offensive line means nothing if there is a lack of talent around it.
Each year, there are teams that seem to improve, but never actually do. They are the teams that we expect to build off of previous years, and that we expect to take that next step. This year those teams are the Detroit Lions and the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins added Ndamukong Suh and wide receivers Kenny Stills and Davante Parker, but have struggled with the Jaguars and Redskins, two teams that don’t have nearly the talent Miami does. I realize that Nick Fairley and Suh are huge losses along your line, but with dynamic talents like Calvin Johnson and the arm and contract of Matthew Stafford you have to be able to manufacture more offense then what they did this past weekend against the Vikings. Every year it’s the same story with the Lions, “this is their year, Matt Stafford will take that next step.” Well, it’s four years later and Matt Stafford hasn’t shown the improvement to be a QB that can lead a team deep into the playoffs.
This weekend was also notable for Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston, as both won their first career games as the starting QBs for their respective teams. Winston turned in a solid performance against the Saints while Manziel lead his Browns to a win against rookie Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans.
Touching on the Saints for a moment, is this the end of the Drew Brees era? He is getting a little older and I don’t see this team getting any better. I don’t want to overreact to an 0-2 start, but it’s really discouraging to see the steady decrease in the team’s performance.
The 0-2 team I’m most worried about is the Baltimore Ravens. Sure, both of their losses have been on the road, but it has been bad. The offensive line could not protect Joe Flacco from Von Miller and Demarcus Ware in Week 1 against Denver, but a Week 2 loss in Oakland raises questions about a secondary that suffered a lot of injuries last year. Rookie Amari Cooper and veteran wideout Michael Crabtree both posted 100 yard receiving days and second year QB Derek Carr threw for 351 yards and three touchdowns as the Raiders won the high scoring affair 37-33. Baltimore coach John Harbaugh had better figure out a way to get his team back on track, the AFC looks to be competitive once again and the Bengals and Steelers already have an early headstart in the AFC North race.
On a final note the 2-0 teams I expect to falter are the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys. I’ve already explained my reasoning behind Dallas, but Denver is a team that has to rely on its defense more than it has since Tim Tebow was taking snaps in the Mile High City. Peyton still has something left in the tank, but it’s below and eighth of a tank right now. My preseason prediction for Super Bowl 50 was Green Bay/Indianapolis and right now it looks like Green Bay may be holding up their end of that deal.
Feel free to contact me at jacksont30@mycu.concord.edu or follow me o Twitter @tjack94.