With the first two weeks of the NFL in the books, it might now be time for the league to submit to a random drug test screening. The ultimate reality show, made for TV-drama, whatever you want to call it, the teams delivered once again.
In a slate that lacked excitement at times, the weekly witching hour quickly turned to hours. As the ever-popular Scott Hanson would say on NFL RedZone, “This is where wins become losses, and losses become wins.”
Let’s dive into all the action from the AFC.
**Use the links below to jump to each division**
AFC West
AFC North
AFC East
AFC South
Week 2’s Big Winner
The AFC West was overhyped
Chiefs vs Chargers
Since Week 2 kicked off in Kansas City, it only makes sense to start there, while everyone collectively scratches their heads over this game.
The biggest takeaway might just be that someone has stolen Chargers head coach Brandon Staley’s identity. In the most Scooby-Doo-like thing the NFL has seen this year, Staley is coaching like someone who is being blackmailed. Last season, he coached as if he was playing Madden. No punts or field goals. Touchdowns only. While that aggressiveness derailed their chances at a playoff spot, the overall consensus was that the style was refreshing. Fans love aggressiveness in coaching. After all, they play to win the game, most of the time anyway.
However, on Thursday night, Staley proved to be a shell of his 2021 self, opting for a more conservative approach, while also getting aggressive at the wrong times. Tight end Gerald Everett was begging to come off the field prior to a costly Justin Herbert interception, but their decision to go up-tempo directly caused it, the play that decided the game.
All of this happened while Staley let Herbert remain in the game even when the outcome was no longer in doubt, except for those that bet the Chargers +4.5, so congratulations to those of you out there.
Los Angeles proved they were the better team, but until Staley finds his identity again, or some balance between being either too aggressive or conservative, the Chargers have work to do.
On the Chiefs side of things, it’s hard to not come away concerned. Sure, they won the game, which is really all that matters, but Patrick Mahomes and the offense didn’t really do a lot of damage. They beat up on a Cardinals team that was primed to be blown out yesterday until the Raiders stopped playing, and barely got by the Chargers. Rumor has it that Mahomes almost threw another interception, but that too, was dropped. They are 2-0 anyway, but there might be some issues under the hood for Kansas CIty. They’ll be fine for now, but the main takeaway is the Chargers lost that game, which really should’ve been a blowout for Staley’s troops.
Raiders
The Raiders played a classic, “what just happened?” game on Sunday. Leading up to kickoff, the question was whether the Cardinals were truly as bad as they showed last week. For one half, the Raiders seemed to make that stick, jumping out a 20-0 lead at the half. Now if football games were only 30 minutes, this would be an impressive win. However, they are not and just like Elvis, the Raiders left the building.
Already off to an 0-2 record, the odds are certainly not with Vegas at this time. Coach Josh McDaniels needs to find a way to get his team to play a full 60 minutes, otherwise it could get dark fast in a division that, although underwhelming through two weeks, is still competitive.
Someone might also want to let McDaniels know his team has Davante Adams too. After a 10 catch, 17 target performance last week, it appears Adams took a vacation day which resulted in two catches on seven targets. While you’re there, remind Hunter Renfrow to buy some new gloves.
Broncos
You almost have to feel bad for the Broncos. In a span of just two weeks, it went from, “Let Russ Cook,” to “Russ is cooked.”
The team cannot get the hang of snapping the ball before the play clock expires, and to make matters even worse, coach Nathaniel Hackett seems to be way in over his head. Considering Week 2 is not officially over yet, fans have soured on both guys in probably record time. Maybe by November the team can figure out how to score in the red zone. Not ideal for a supposed contender. What a disaster.
The AFC North needs to do some soul searching
Ravens
Speaking of disasters, welcome to the AFC North where “disaster” is just a synonym for each of its four teams. Kicking things off with the Ravens, the injuries once again continue to mount as the team added insult to that with quite the collapse against the Dolphins. Lamar Jackson was great, but wasn’t great enough to overcome the terrifying duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. It’s slightly concerning that a Ravens offense, which is built to hold leads like they had Sunday, couldn’t finish the job. However, the division is so bad that it is far from panic time in Baltimore.
Bengals
If any team should be panicking, it’s the Bengals. Super Bowl hangover or not, the team should be ashamed of their offensive line play. The team came into 2022 with four new starters in an effort to keep Joe Burrow on his feet. After being sacked 13 times, let’s just say the plan isn’t working. If this keeps up, Burrow will be finding himself on the sideline wearing street clothes or in the hospital fairly soon. Zac Taylor needs to figure it out fast because the task doesn’t get any easier this week. After dealing with T.J. Watt in Week 1, Micah Parsons in Week 2, Taylor’s offense now gets to see a Jets defense that’s strength is its defensive line with Quinnen Williams and Carl Lawson in Week 3.
Browns
Lol Browns.
The Brownie the Elf gimmick was hilarious and in reality, this was the only way that could end. Blowing a 13 point lead with less than two minutes to a timeout-less Joe Flacco-led team in 2022 should probably be grounds for franchise disbandment, which could be an interesting vote if the team let fans decide that too. An underrated part of that game was the $20 million a year man Amari Cooper being unable to recover an onside kick. Of course that was after Nick Chubb inexplicably scored earlier too. The Browns defense might want to take a look in the mirror after nearly collapsing in Week 1 and then actually doing so in Week 2. At least they get to play Mitch Trubisky on Thursday night.
Steelers
Fans really should’ve paid for expedited shipping on Kenny Pickett’s path to the starting job in Pittsburgh. In case it wasn’t clear already, Trubisky is the NFL’s version of asking the same question over and over again, but phrasing it in different ways, expecting a new answer. The team clearly missed Watt’s intensity on defense, but losing to the Patriots despite a poor performance is less than ideal. Those chants for Pickett will only grow louder by the day and it’s hard to blame Steelers fans. Throwing for 168 yards on 33 passing attempts is quite impressive and not in a good way either. And everyone thought that Big Ben’s last year was a brutal offense to watch? Pittsburgh’s defense is very good and one must wonder how long it’ll take to call Pickett’s number, considering that elite defense will go to waste otherwise.
Multiple miracles in the AFC East
Dolphins
It’s really, really tough to not sit here and say Tua Tagovailoa is for real. It is. However, that conclusion might need another week before everyone gets carried away. Of course last week, this same column said there is no winning that debate and it’ll stand by just that. The best non-Tua take here is that covering Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle for 60 minutes must be an exhausting job on a good day, impossible otherwise. Erasing a 21 point deficit isn’t possible without those two, who will continue to wreak havoc on opponents all season long. That matchup against the Bills secondary will be must-see TV next week.
Jets
The Same Old Jets, sorry what? Not only did they get a September win for the first time in four years, but they got one in improbable fashion. The receipts are here to stay and suddenly Robert Saleh’s team looks, dare we say, competent? In what could be a signature win for the Saleh/Douglas administration, the team for the first time in a long time, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Mike LaFleur’s offense stole the show in what amounted to be a breakout game from rookie Garrett Wilson, who is probably still open somewhere at this moment. Joe Flacco appears set to get another crack starting at home against Cincinnati on Sunday, but for now Jets fans will dream about what a Zach Wilson-led offense could accomplish when he returns.
Patriots
Are you a believer yet? It took everything for Bill Belichick’s crew to outlast Trubisky and the Steelers, without Watt coming off the edge too. Things are ugly in New England with the Patriots and we’ll keep saying it until everyone else starts to take notice. Mac Jones looks to have lost some of the magic he had last year. Based on tiebreakers, the team is last in the AFC East due to a loss in the division. Get comfortable Patriots fans, you’ll be spending a lot of time there as the season rolls along.
Seriously, does anyone want to win the AFC South?
Colts vs Jaguars
Somehow, someway, the Colts continue to struggle in Jacksonville. Remember Matt Ryan and Frank Reich’s partnership? Well that was fun while it lasted, because Reich is making a strong case for being the first coach fired. He’s had countless quarterbacks, but hardly any success. It might be time for an apology to Carson Wentz for the way last season ended, however we’ll hold off for now. Regardless, Ryan looks terrible and despite playing in a terrible division, Indy struggled against what projected to be their weakest competition. This one will be fascinating to watch over the next few weeks. Going from sneaky Super Bowl contender to potential basement dweller in about a week takes some hard work.
The Jaguars, on the other hand, might have something here. They have a solid case to make for being 2-0, despite the 1-1 record, but suddenly they could have a shot in an AFC South that apparently nobody wants to win. For all the mockery they got about the Christian Kirk contract, that appears to be working out nicely, despite paying the Jaguars tax. Credit goes to the organization for adding some necessary talent to help Trevor Lawrence, but he’s shown clear strides in year two that can help fans sleep easy at night. Keep an eye on how they perform in a big test on the road against the Chargers, potentially making a statement and a claim to the AFC South division crown.
Texans
If you look closely, you’ll see the foundation being laid down in Houston. An impressive performance all the way around from Lovie Smith’s team, but they just lacked the necessary talent to close out the game. The Texans defense has some serious young talent and made life difficult for Russell Wilson’s offense all afternoon. They are a few playmakers away from becoming a decent team, instead of a fiery group that just lacks the quality to win NFL games. Regardless, that was an impressive 45 minute effort, which is all that matters for this team in a rebuilding year.
Week 2’s Biggest Winner: The Eternal Optimist
As Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
Being a pessimist is such an easy task, but the optimist truly has a hard job. Imagine trying to convince people that your team can erase a 21 point fourth quarter deficit, 20 point halftime deficit, or a 13 point deficit with less than two minutes and no timeouts left. Well, as you know, all three happened. A win for the optimist. It could just be the ultimate feel good story in a world plagued by negativity.
So to all those people that refuse to leave their seat until the clock hits double zeros, we here at BetBasics salute you.