No panic: Rebounds reveal reseliency
Handful of ’20 playoff teams earn victories, avoid 0-2 starts
Judging NFL teams after one game has always been foolish. It’s even more absurd in a 17-game season.
The Bills, Titans, Ravens, Browns, Bears and Washington lost their season openers after making the playoffs last season. No panic. Each team rebounded with a victory in Week 2. The Packers looked to join the group Monday night.
The Cowboys, a favorite to contend in the weak NFC East, also lost their opener to the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers on a late field goal. They bounced back with a last-second win of their own on the road against the Chargers on Sunday.
“This is how the NFL works, right? We understand that,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said following a 35-0 road win against the Dolphins. “That’s why we have to stay humble. I saw a hunger in our football team this week. We’ve got plenty to work on though. That’s what we’ve got to get back to. We’ll start on the plane as coaches, start watching the film, and try to improve every week. That’s the goal.”
The Bills, who lost the AFC title game to the Chiefs in January, showed why they’re the class of the division after stumbling at home against the Steelers. Josh Allen was efficient while earning his first win since signing a big contract. Beating the Dolphinis is nothing new to the Bills, who have won six in a row in the series by an average of 20 points.
The Titans avoided a 0-2 start with an impressive comeback against the Seahawks in Seattle, rallying from a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit. Derrick Henry ran for two TDs in the final 12 ½ minutes, Ryan Tannehill threw for 347 yards and the Titans racked up 532 yards in the OT win.
The reigning AFC South champs responded well after a blowout loss at home to the Cardinals in their opener.
“I think that (performance) was certainly who we are,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of the win.
The Ravens overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Chiefs 36-35 on Sunday night, just six days after blowing a 14-0 lead in an overtime loss to the Raiders in Las Vegas. Lamar Jackson ran for 109 yards and two TDs, including 2 yards on a fourth-and-1 from the Ravens 43 with 1:05 remaining to seal it.
It was a gutsy call from coach John Harbaugh, whose team has persevered despite a rash of season-ending injuries to key players.
The Browns, who blew a double-digit lead in a playoff rematch against the Chiefs in the opener, fell behind the Texans early, tied it up at halftime and pulled away after Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor was injured.
It was a costly win, however, as wide receiver Jarvis Landry suffered a medial collateral ligament injury on the second play. Baker Mayfield still had plenty of options, relying on tight ends and running backs.
The Bears lost Andy Dalton to a knee injury in a 20-17 victory over the Bengals, giving rookie Justin Fields an opportunity to play the second half and possibly longer. Fields didn’t do much, but the Bears defense held Joe Burrow and the Bengals to 248 yards after Matthew Stafford and the Rams torched the Bears in Week 1.
Fields will have to do more than 6 of 13 for 60 yards for the Bears to have any shot at going back to the playoffs.
“I’m just anxious to see what I messed up on and what I have to do better,” Fields said. “I didn’t play well.
“In my eyes, I played well enough to get the win, of course, but there’s a lot of room for me to improve.”
Ten days after he nearly led the Cowboys to an upset over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in a thrilling season opener, Dak Prescott made sure the defense couldn’t give one away. He was terrific in Los Angeles, leading the Cowboys on a winning drive completed when Greg Zuerlein hit a 56-yard field goal as time expired.
The Cowboys allowed Justin Herbert to throw for 338 yards but held the Chargers to 17 points. Not bad for a defense missing key starters.
It’s a long season. Fifteen games to go.