NFL

The Mondays: NFL storylines from Week 2

Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
By Posted

NFL Week 2 was all about the quarterbacks. Another week to evaluate the Dak Prescott experiment, this time on the road in the hostile environment of division rival Washington. A big step for Marcus Mariota. Sam Bradford made his debut pulling the trigger for the Vikings. And, Phillip Rivers shows he can still get it done with spare parts at 57.

Week 2 was also about the suffocating Broncos D, which continues to intimidate. They’ll steal your lunch money and then wait for you after school to get your bike.

It’s time for The Mondays, and some of the biggest story lines from NFL Week 2.

1. Denver is a swarming buzzsaw – Denver’s defense is filled with hate. Andrew Luck was the latest victim of a constantly collapsing pocket, courtesy of Von Miller and the Broncos pass rush. To say the Denver D is opportunistic is like saying a Grizzly bear doesn’t make a great house pet. Miller’s mauling of Andrew Luck forced a fumble that was scooped and scored by Shane Ray to clinch the W. A Blazin’ 5 cover. Denver covers the 6 in a 34 -20 rout.

 

2. Sam Bradford, MVP – That’s tongue in cheek before you get all worked up and have a hot flash. But, the Vikings look like they’re gonna be a problem. Bradford just flat outplayed Aaron Rodgers in Minnesota’s 17 -14 Sunday night stadium opening win over the Packers. The quarterback match up wasn’t even close. Add what looks like a serious knee injury to Adrian Peterson, and the Vikings have instantly transformed into a big play, pass first, offense featuring heavy doses of Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph. Bradford is capable of making  plays Teddy Bridgewater just can’t make down the field. The Vikings looked like a different team. They should continue to get better.

 

3. Dak Prescott looked impressive – To say that Colin hasn’t been a passenger on the Dak Precott train is an understatement. But yesterday, in his first road game, in a hostile environment, against division rival Washington, Prescott played mistake free and established chemistry with Dez in the Cowboys 27 -24 win. Tony Romo is fading from the Cowboys’ picture faster than Marty McFly before the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. Attention Herd Headquarters, prepare the hate mail defense shields.

 

4. Marcus Mariota 4th quarter magic – Titans on the road as a dog. Mariota continues to develop relatively of the radar. He found Andre Johnson for a last minute, game winning, 9-yard, 4th down touchdown pass to steal one from the Lions, 16 – 15. There’s no substitute for confidence in a young quarterback. Also, a big, fat, Blazin’ 5 hit with the Titans at +5.5.

 

5. Phillip Rivers goes bolo – Rivers ability to move everywhere in the pocket without actually going anywhere is still as good as ever. Danny Woodhead went down for the Chargers, but Rivers had it covered today. An efficient 4 TD day and a 38 – 14 lesson taught to the Jaguars and Gus Bradley. How long does the “lesson learning phase” of this rebuild last for Jacksonville?

 

6. Matt Ryan loves the Oakland infield dirt – There’s nothing like the smell of fresh infield dirt in Oakland to open the season. A multi-billion dollar enterprise with a JV high school field is a nice touch. Matty Ice threw for a shade under four hundy for the road-dog Falcons to get out of The Black Hole with the W, 35 – 28. Did somebody say Blazin’ 5 hit? Colin liked the Falcons getting 4.5, and for the outright upset. Where Colin was right.