A whopping 20 teams are 1-1 through the first two weeks of the season, an NFL record. The Arizona Cardinals are of the few 2-0 teams. The New Orleans Saints are one of the few 0-2 teams. The end of the world is nigh.
WINNERS
The NFC West: Once the worst division in football, the NFC West has vastly improved and went undefeated on Sunday. The 49ers look like the best team in football after dismantling two high-powered offenses, the Packers and the Lions, in two weeks. The Cardinals are also 2-0 (and 9-2 in their last 11 games dating back to 2011) thanks to a shocking road upset of the Patriots. The Seahawks absolutely demolished the Dallas Cowboys 27-7. And the Rams, after almost beating the Lions last week, topped RGIII's Redskins thanks to 310 yards and 3 touchdowns from Sam Bradford.
Rookie Quarterbacks: Robert Griffin III was the only rookie QB to impress last week. He was good again on Sunday, but he had company. Andrew Luck threw two touchdowns and won his first NFL game in the final minute against the Vikings. Ryan Tannehill beat the Raiders (thanks to a ton of help from Mr. Reggie Bush). Russell Wilson was good enough to move the ball for the Seahawks and upset the Cowboys. And after looking disastrous last week, Brandon Weeden tore apart the Bengals secondary (322 yards, 2 touchdowns) in a closer-than-expected loss.
C.J. Spiller: When the season began, he wasn't the starting running back on his own team. Through two games, after Fred Jackson went down with an injury, C.J. Spiller has been the best offensive player in football. He's totaled 29 rushes for 292 yards so far--yeah, that's 10 yards per carry--and scored three touchdowns. He has instantly established himself as a prototypical, elite running back.
Eli Manning: More than any other quarterback in Week 2, Manning willed his team to victory. He overcame three first-half interceptions and a 27-13 deficit to throw for 510 yards and storm back for the 41-34 victory. It helps that he's got three premier targets to throw to: Hakeem Nicks (199 yards, TD), Victor Cruz (179 yards, TD), and mercurial tight end Martellus Bennett (72 yards, TD).
Houston Texans: Two games, two dominating performances by the Texans. Their defense only allowed 117 total yards to the Jaguars for the entire game, which is ludicrous if you think about it. And when Houston's running game can have games like this (216 yards on 48 carries, 3 TDs), they're tough to beat. A stiffer challenge awaits next week in the Denver Broncos.
LOSERS
New Orleans Saints: Two games, two miserable showings by the defense, two losses. The Saints will be playing catch-up all year. They might be the worst team in the NFC South, a stunning turnaround from last year's great season.
Baltimore Ravens: They handed the Eagles a game they should have won. The Ravens forced four turnovers and held a lead in the second half, but kept throwing the ball to no result rather than put the game in Ray Rice's hands. The "Joe Flacco is becoming elite" narrative needs to die down for a while.
The 0-2 Chiefs, Raiders, and Titans: Two other teams are also 0-2, but at least the Jaguars and Browns didn't have any expectations heading into the year. These teams did. The Chiefs look like they've already quit on their season and heads will roll soon. The Raiders just let a team quarterbacked by Ryan Tannehill score 35 points in a blowout loss. The Titans' offensive line might be the worst in football, barely keeping Chris Johnson's yards-per-carry average above one.
Jay Cutler: An unspeakably poor performance from the Bears quarterback on Thursday Night Football against the Packers. He was sacked seven times, threw four picks and only managed 126 passing yards. All the momentum from his preseason hype is gone.
Mark Sanchez: There was so much goodwill for Sanchez after he eviscerated the Bills in his first game. Now, like Cutler, Sanchez has lost all momentum. He couldn't move the Jets offense against a depleted Steelers defense, only completing 10 passes for 138 yards. Now that's the Mark Sanchez we all know and love.
Dallas Cowboys: This time week, they had beaten the defending champions are were going to the Super Bowl. A sobering road trip to Seattle has drastically readjusted expectations for the Cowboys. The tougher Seahawks bullied Dallas all game long, with Marshawn Lynch breaking tackles at will and Tony Romo struggling to move the chains. That being said, winning games in Seattle is notoriously difficult. The Cowboys get a chance to right the ship against the Buccaneers next week.
The replacement officials: It's not their fault; the NFL is to blame for letting the situation get out of hand. But regardless, everyone hates these officials. Calls were blatantly missed, clocks were mismanaged, brawls were allowed to escalate, and the pace of the Monday Night Football game was impossibly slow. It's an embarrassing situation for the league and for the sport.
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