Week 2 in the NFL has come and gone. As with many teams, I feel like I didn’t give it my best effort in the first week. But I’m getting back in the swing of things and I know it’s more important to finish strong. So hopefully this week’s breakdown will be better than the last one, but not as good as the next one.

No team can win it all in the first few weeks, but the wheels can come off at anytime. The early part of the season is all about staying relevant and putting yourself in a position where a late run can get you to the Super Bowl. While no team is more than a few games away from being in the hunt, even this early in the season, it’s hard to like your chances if you are a fan of the Bears, the Browns or the Bills. The Browns are down to their third string quarterback, the Bears are still stuck with Jay Cutler, and then there are the Bills.

Family First

Week 2 started with Buffalo falling to the Jets, 37-31. The Bills offense gained 395 yards, scored 3 touchdowns and kicked one field goal while turning the ball over once. But the Bills defense allowed Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw for 374 yards with a TD and Matt Forte to rush the ball for 100 yards and 3 touchdowns. The defense did score a touchdown on a fumble recovery, but that only counts for so much when you allow 37 points at home.

The lion’s share of the blame for that loss would seemingly fall on the defense. So obviously, the next day head coach Rex Ryan fired his offensive coordinator. Wait, what? I guess when you hire your brother to run your defense and he doesn’t do a good job, it’s easier to blame the offense.

In a highly competitive league, I guess someone must be blamed for an 0-2 start. And Rex isn’t going to take the blame himself, nor will he place it on his brother. So off goes OC Greg Romans, who led the offense to the 8th highest yards per play going back to last season, while brother Rob and his defense that ranked 25th in yards per play over the same timeframe gets to stay on the payroll.

It must not be a fun time to be a Bills fan. They have a coach in Rex that has more of an affinity for family, f-bombs and feet, than winning football games. I know it gets cold in Buffalo over the winter, so maybe they won’t mind that their team is a dumpster fire, because at least dumpster fires are warm.

Do the Patriots Even Need to Cheat?

In 2008, a season after New England suffered their only loss in the Super Bowl; Tom Brady went down for the year in the first regular season game. Backup Matt Cassel stepped in and led the team to an 11-5 record. The next year, with Brady back, the team went 10-6.

In 2010, the Colts went 10-6 with Peyton Manning as their quarterback. The next year, with manning sitting out, they went 2-14 and lost their first 13 games of the season.

The Manning/Brady rivalry was always a big deal, but in light of those teams’ records in the season when they were without their stud QB’s, I have to give Peyton most of the credit for the Colts’ success, and Belichick more of the credit for the Patriots’ success. I’m not saying Brady isn’t a top quarterback, but he is aided more by his coaches and team environment than probably any other quarterback in the league.

This season, with Brady forced to sit for the first four games, the mad genius is at it again. Belichick has the Patriots at 2-0 with backup with Jimmy Garoppolo starting and putting up good numbers. But he went down last game. Now we may see how they do for a few games with their third stringer, rookie Jacoby Brissett as their starter. Stepping in for the injured Garoppolo last week, he went 6 of 9 for 92 yards. Now he’s got to face Houston on a short week in the Thursday night game. It won’t be easy, but if anyone can win with a rookie QB on a short week, it’s Belichick.

What a Difference a Week Makes

After week 1, I gushed about Jameis Winston when the sophomore quarterback threw for 4 touchdowns in a season opening win. In week 2, he tossed four picks in a blowout 40-7 loss at Arizona. In that game, the Cardinals looked like the dominant team that people expected to see this season. Unlike in week 1, where they lost at home as 6 point favorites to a Patriots team that was missing its 2 best players.

The Rams had one of the worst week 1 performances when they got shut out at San Francisco. While they didn’t manage to score a touchdown in week 2, they still got the win against a tough divisional opponent in the Seahawks. Seattle had injury issues, including Russell Wilson being a bit hobbled, but they are still a top 10 team by most odds and power rankings, so Rams’ fans will have no problem celebrating their first home win as an LA team in decades.

Consistent Performances

In week 2, The Denver Broncos’ defense scored more touchdowns than their offense and led them to another home win. The defending champs are now 2-0 after beating the colts 34-20. They will be underdogs on the road against Cincinnati in week 3. But they are in a good spot regardless. A win would have them off to a big start, but a loss would not be seen as much of a setback.

The Patriots again won without Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in week 2. They had a setback when Jimmy Garoppolo left the game early with an injury, but they hung on for the win. Going into the season, most fans would have been happy with a 2-2 start while Brady was suspended. Now that’s the worst they will be when Tom returns, so the Pats are in good shape. I’m sure people will freak out if they drop their next two games, but they may have to roll with a third stringer behind center. Being .500 when Brady takes over will not be an impediment.

Other Undefeated Teams

Strength of schedule plays a big role how teams start the season. One team’s 1-1 start may wind up looking a lot stronger than another team’s 2-0. It’s likely some 2-0 teams will fade away and miss the playoffs, but right now, they are undefeated and feeling good.

The Ravens are 2-0 after Cleveland found a way to lose last week after going up 3 scores. Their divisional rival Pittsburgh is 2-0 as well and is highly regarded by bettors and bookies. Houston is 2-0 and catches a break by facing the Patriots with no Gronkowski and a third string QB in week 3. Minnesota is 2-0 despite losing Teddy Bridgewater before the season and getting very little production from Adrian Peterson through the first two weeks. The Giants and Eagles are tied atop their division at 2-0. The Eagles actually have the highest point differential in the league so far. But their first two opponents were the Bears and the Browns. Things will get real this week when they take on the Steelers.

Notable Injuries

Adrian Peterson tore the meniscus in his right knee. The impression is that he won’t have to miss too much time because of it. And maybe a few weeks off will do him good. He has started the season carrying the ball 31 times for a total of 50 yards. It would be hard for him to do much worse upon returning.

Danny Woodhead tore his right ACL and will be out for the season. The Chargers are now out two players that were expected to make big contributions this year. Fortunately for them, Melvin Gordon seems much improved. After a disappointing rookie season where he didn’t score a single touchdown, he opened this season with three scores in the first two games and is averaging 4.2 yards per carry. San Diego will need him to continue to play a bigger role in their offense if they want to stay relevant in their division.

Jimmy Garoppolo left Sunday’s game with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. The recovery period was initially reported to be about 3-4 weeks, but he has not yet been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Texans. He is expected to be a game time decision, and the Patriots are pretty tight-lipped when it comes to sharing injury information, so who knows?

DeMarcus Ware fractured his right forearm. He had surgery on it Tuesday and is expected to miss 4-5 weeks. We will see if the Broncos can keep winning games with their defense while Ware is out.

Arian Foster’s groin does not want him to play football. He left last week’s game with a groin injury and will likely miss the Dolphins next game. This is the third season in a row that he has missed time due to a groin injury.

Well, I’m about out of words for this week. There are still plenty of stories I didn’t get to. And I feel like I’ve spent too much time writing about the Patriots. I don’t even like or root for them. But they are good and I respect them. I promise to write about some different teams next time. Until then, it’s on to week 3.