Things That Made Me Giddy
Derek Carr Is Changing: At times he seemed to have been walking a tightrope during the second Jon Gruden era (would they go get Brady? Rodgers? Watson?), but there’s no doubt that Gruden has gotten the best out of Carr. And over the past two seasons Carr has delivered some gutsy performances in response. Going into Pittsburgh on a short week, racking up 382 yards and throwing this knockout punch while playing on a bad wheel (great design, by the way, similar to a long Henry Ruggs TD in the upset over Kansas City last year) is the sign of something special brewing:
Raiders Beat Pittsburgh and the NFL Schedule: Making a team come cross-country on a short week for an 11 a.m. body clock kickoff is just stupid. Vegas came east after a physical overtime game on Monday night, and now go back home sitting at 2–0.
Derrick Henry Saves Appalachia: There are few—well, one—running backs who could carry and offense back from a 15-point second half deficit. That’s what Henry did in Seattle, and he did it with 40% of his offensive line missing. He scored three times in the second half, and the 60-yard run down the left sideline early in the fourth quarter was vintage Henry. His presence continues to get the Titans’ play-action passing attack working at peak efficiency, and on the final drive of overtime he carried four times for 21 yards to set up Randy Bullock’s game-winning 36-yard kick.
Rams' Goal Line Stands: An impressive four-stops-at-the-1 stand in the first quarter against that Indy offensive line, and an interception on a blown up shovel pass in the second quarter on third-and-goal from the 3, factored big against the Colts.
Hey, This Dan Quinn Cowboys Defense Is Alright: They had to move some pieces around on Sunday—most notably Micah Parsons playing defensive end—and while they got a little help from a mistake-prone Chargers team and a recharged running game, they very much held up their end of the bargain in L.A. Week 1 was encouraging, and Week 2 kept things on track with what was a major reclamation project after last year's meltdown.
Bears Defense Doing What It Has to Do: For this team to get to the playoffs, they have to do what they did in 2018 but haven’t done since: Take the ball away in bunches. On Sunday, they took it away from the Bengals four times, including a fourth-quarter pick-six to pull away.
Generally, Sam Darnold Looks Sharp: His turnover was atrocious—he tried to drop the ball off to a protector in heavy traffic, turning it into D-lineman interception. But other than that, he’s operating within structure and looks… comfortable. His ball placement was excellent on Sunday, and on a few occasions he threw receivers open in a way we just haven’t seen from him.
Tom Brady Might Win MVP and Coach of the Year: The difference in the Bucs offense since the coaching staff “compromised” with Brady (i.e. handed him control over the offense) is quite noticeable.
Greg Zuerlein’s Redemption Tour Continues: After almost kicking himself out of a job in the first half on opening night, Zuerlein has caught fire. Since missing a 60-yarder right before halftime two Thursdays ago, he’s 4-for-4 on field goals and 4-for-4 on PATs, including a 48-yard go-ahead kick late in the opener, and now a game-winning 56-yard connection as time expired against the Chargers in Week 2.
Russ and Lockett Toy With the Titans Secondary: A 51-yard moon ball to set up a first-quarter field goal, and a 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
DeMeco Ryans Has Answers: Jalen Hurts will not be fun to game plan for, especially in the early days of the Nick Sirianni era (just ask Dean Pees). Ryans, who has big shoes to fill in San Francisco as Robert Saleh’s replacement, was up to the task on Sunday. Ryans peppered Hurts with blitzes and it worked—they gave up one long pass where they got beat, and a Fred Warner missed tackle in the backfield allowed another play to get loose. But the defense gave up little else, the Eagles never got in any kind of rhythm, Ryans' group was prepared for a fourth-and-goal Philly Special, and the Niners moved to 2–0 in a defensive battle.
Broncos Come East and Get Two: Neither the Giants nor Jaguars are world-beaters, but the Broncos are 2–0, both on the road, and that’s a good place to be.
See, the Dallas Run Game Is Fine: They chose not to try the Bucs in the opener because… well, why slam yourself into a brick wall? But Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard and this offensive line controlled the action against the Chargers, a reminder that this Cowboys offense can beat you in a variety of ways.
Alright, Alright, the Falcons Were Game: They were down three with 10 minutes left before a Tom Brady touchdown drive was followed by two deflected Mike Edwards pick-sixes. It was a better week for Arthur Smith's group, even if they currently look a little delusional for thinking they could "win-now."
Matt Prater Is a Gift: The kickers were the difference in the Cardinals’ win over Minnesota, and it wasn’t just a matter of Greg Joseph pushing a 37-yarder wide as time expired. With 21 seconds left in the first half, the Cardinals took a short kickoff back to the 34 and moved the ball 22 yards in two plays. That was enough to set up Prater with a 62-yarder that he nailed in his first home game as the Cardinals' kicker.
Matt Rhule, Joe Brady and Phil Snow: Right now, the Panthers’ brain trust looks like the best power trio since Rush released “Moving Pictures.”
