USA TODAY International Edition
Starting in D. C., time for 0- 2 panic to kick in
The 40 things we learned from Week 2 of the NFL season:
1. It seems we are at the point of the season when fan bases melt down when quarterbacks such as Jimmy Garoppolo and Josh McCown get injured. 2. And it’s only Week 2. Yikes.
3. We’re guessing LeBron James didn’t realize the Browns were playing in Cleveland. He was in L. A. for the Rams game. Huh?
4. The Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants won without scoring offensive touchdowns. The league really needs to loosen up the rules for the offense in this league. # kidding.
5. Bengals vs. Steelers was more civil than any of us thought it would be — some would even say it was a yawner — but leave it to Adam “Pacman” Jones to provide some postgame emotion: “We’ll see them ( expletive) again. Can’t wait until we see them again. I take my hat off to Pittsburgh today.”
6. Panthers QB Cam Newton, as is his admirable habit, gave a ball to a kid in the stands after what he thought was a TD pass. But the score was overruled. So does the young fan get to brag he has the ball from a Cam incompletion? #justwondering
7. Cowboys WR Cole Beasley: The more we see him, the more we like him.
8. The Browns put up a Jim Brown statue outside the stadium. We’re shocked — that it took so long.
9. To say Giants WR Victor Cruz stole a victory for the Giants is not an understatement.
10. Ryan Tannehill had trouble with his helmet communication Sunday. In New England. Who would have guessed that?
11. Marcus Mariota > James Winston.
12. For the record, the Patriots were the first team to score in Sunday’s early games, a Jimmy Garoppolo- to- Danny Amendola touchdown pass.
13. Just when we thought the Lions were headed in the right direction, they lose a game they should have won. Maybe it was the 17 penalties. Maybe it was Jim Caldwell’s decision to punt on a fourth- and- 2 from the Titans’ 39. Add it all up and it says: Same old Lions.
14. Drew Brees passed Dan Marino for third on the all- time passing yardage list.
15. But his next pass went to WR Tommylee Lewis for - 1 yard, dropping him back into a tie with Marino.
16. He eventually passed Marino, of course, but it sums up Brees’ day perfectly.
17. The Giants and Saints scored more than 100 points when they played last season and combined for more than 1,000 yards of offense. And then there was that offensive — and, yes, we mean offensive — show they put on Sunday. Go figure.
18. QB Kirk Cousins and Jay Gruden reportedly had a closeddoor meeting after the Redskins’ loss Sunday. Exchanging numbers so they can keep in touch next year?
19. Think Gruden wishes Washington had kept Alfred Morris, who scored the game- winning TD ( for the Cowboys) at FedExField on Sunday?
20. Rex Ryan’s seat is hotter than atomic buffalo wings.
21. But perhaps not as hot as the seat Gus Bradley is occupying in Jacksonville.
22. And the Colts are 0- 2 for the third consecutive season, so if we were Chuck Pagano, we wouldn’t exactly be making any long- term real estate investments in the Indy area.
23. The Vikings found a new QB in Sam Bradford, but unfortunately lost RB Adrian Peterson for what could be a long time. That’s the true definition of bittersweet win.
24. Is your favorite team 0- 2? Historically, only 12% of teams that start with two losses make the playoffs.
25. And, yes, the odds get worse when your team loses again in Week 3.
26. Dak Prescott’s rushing TD was the first by a Cowboys QB since Tony Romo in 2012. Tony who? Yes, we realize some of the younger fans might not remember Romo since he is never on the field.
27. Wes Welker showed up in New England with a Tom Brady mask. We were hoping someone would show up in a Gisele mask and yell at him for dropping that pass against the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.
28. If you think D. C. is concerned about the next president — no matter who wins — that angst is nothing compared to the Redskins being 0- 2.
29. We see there was another packed house in San Diego. It was just that a lot of them were dressed as empty seats. 30. Hey, Jared Goff got to wear a uniform. 31. Um, that Seahawks offense the first two weeks. ( Holds nose.) 32. David Amerson’s interception of Matt Ryan in the end zone with the Raiders up 14- 13 in the third quarter was sweet. 33. Aqib Talib can drive the Broncos crazy with some of this antics, but that fourth- quarter pick- six of Andrew Luck was the reason they remain crazy about him.
34. This is interesting. Ben Roethlisberger’s passer rating by target. Week 1: Antonio Brown 150.0, all others 87.7. Week 2: Antonio Brown 9.3, all others 107.9.
35. Thanks to ESPN for this nugget: The Cardinals have five pick- sixes over the last two seasons, the most in the NFL over that span.
36. Good to see football back in L. A. Unless you are in St. Louis.
37. If you saw Frank Gore tiptoe the last 5 yards down the sideline in Denver for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, you would have thought he was auditioning for Dancing with the Stars. Even Von Miller, the opponent Sunday, had to appreciate those steps.
38. Rams wins this season: 1. Rams touchdowns this season: 0.
39. Oh, Raiders, you continue to tease. And then when we open our hearts, you lose games to the Falcons? At home? If you keep this up, we’re going to pack our bags and move to Vegas. You wouldn’t dare follow us there. Wait, what?
40. Roger Goodell, who has been known to say just the wrong thing at just the wrong time, had some smart things to say about the players’ national anthem protest Sunday. So there’s that.