NFL Week 2: Winners and Losers.

The NFL’s 2nd week has come and gone, with it’s own ups and downs. In an effort to get into Super Bowl contention and compete with the rest of the AFC’s elite quarterbacks, the Browns dumped Baker Mayfield in order to acquire Deshaun Watson and give him the contract with the most guarantees in NFL history, at the time. Mayfield is now at the helm of a 2-0 Tampa Bay team that, and is looking pretty dang good at it. Watson? Well. Cover your eyes kids because this might get ugly.

Losers

Brandon Staley

When Brandon Staley took over 2021, the Chargers thought they were getting a defensive-minded head coach who would put the right coaching pieces are Justin Herbert and the offense to succeed. So far, entering his 3rd year as the Chargers’ head coach, Staley’s defensive unit has never been better than 20th in yards allowed or 21st in points allowed. This is bad. Very bad. If this doesn’t turn around soon, Staley will not be walking up and down that sideline for much longer.

Deshaun Watson

Surprise? Not really. Simply put, Deshaun Watson is one of the worst quarterbacks in the National Football League. He is not a bad quarterback, he is one of the most awful players what is currently in the league He may be worse than a handful of college quarterbacks. He is turnover prone. He has NOTHING left of the magic the old Deshaun Watson. He’s got no playmaking skills, no accuracy, and cannot run a viable offense. Is he simply washed up or did the mental effects of his high-profile sexual abuse case get to him? Either way, he’s done. The Browns are better off starting rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson because that kid is lightning in a bottle.

Justin Fields

Look. I hate to include a player on this list twice in a row. But things just seem to be getting worse for Justin Fields. Through the first 2 weeks of the season, Fields looks like a shell of his former self from his rookie and sophomore campaigns. He’s hesitant to throw the all, which is somewhat problematic for a quarterback, who’s job is to throw the ball. He’s paranoid in the pocket and his footwork is all over the place.

Fields implied his early season struggles were due to coaching in a recent presser, but it really just looks like a combination of the offensive staff trying to turn Fields into a pocket quarterback and Fields just being in his own head. I really hope he turns it around, but if this continues and the Bears end up with a top 5 pick, they have to be thinking about ending the Fields era in Chicago and going with Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Shedeur Sanders.

Detriot Lions Defense

Aiden Hutchinson is a star and will be one for years to come. There is no doubt about the that. The problem with this defense is the rest of it. They invested a lot in their secondary in free agency but so far through 2 games, it hasn’t looked great. Sure, they held Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to just 20 points in route to a win but they left multiple receivers open throughout that game, and if Kadarius Toney or Skyy Moore didn’t have bricks for hands, there is a good chance the Chiefs score more than 20 points. They need to get better and fast if they want compete with the 49ers, Eagles, or Cowboys in the NFC.

Winners

Bijan Robinson

Bijan Robinson is proving himself to be one of the NFL’s best young players. He was well worth a top 10 pick for the Falcons and is proving the value of an elite running back on a young quarterback. If Robinson keeps this up, he may just drag the Atlanta Falcons to a playoff berth, and in turn will cause many teams with young quarterbacks to make big investments in running backs, whether it is by the draft or via trade or free agency.

Sam Howell

Sam Howell is one heck of a quarterback. Simply put. He’s a dynamic playmaker who can also let the offense work for him take a back seat when need be. It helps to have a set of playmakers such as Brian Robinson, Terry McLaurin, and Jahan Dotson, but Howell is using his weapons to the best of his ability. The Commanders may have just lucked into a franchise quarterback in Howell, and he has his team 2-0 after a huge comeback victory against the Broncos in Week 2.

Kansas City Chiefs Defense

The Chiefs are usually headed by their offense. Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, Travis Kelce, and the offense are almost always the catalysts for a Chiefs win, however in Week 2 it was the defense that won them the game. They suffocated Trevor Lawrence and the dynamic Jaguars offense all day and carried an anemic offense to a victory in Jacksonville. Chris Jones was dominant in his return, winning in over 40% of his pass rushes. If the defense can keep this up and Mahomes and company return to form, there is no team in the NFL that can beat the Chiefs.

New York Giants Offense.

It was 20-0 in the 2nd quarter and it looked like the Giants were a bad football team that was headed straight for the gutter. Then, things started to change. Daniel Jones and the Giants offense started to look unstoppable. Jones threw for 321 yards in the comeback victory and led the offense to 31 second half points. For the first time this season, the Giants showed signs of life and Jones proved that he is a quarterback who can put the team on his back and take them over the finish line, even though he had help from Saquon Barkley. Jones and the Giants face a tough test against a tenacious 49ers defense without Barkley and starting left tackle Andrew Thomas on Thursday night.