1) Lions a legitimate threat in NFC - Another week, another impressive performance by Matthew Stafford and the Detrioit Lions. Off the heels of their comeback win against the Tampa Bay Bucs, I was somewhat concerned about a letdown against the Chiefs. So much for that. 48-3 is a whipping, no matter how bad a team like the Chiefs may be playing right now. While I'm not sure they'll unseat the Packers, they are definitely looking like a playoff team.
2) Haley on the Hot Seat - Speaking of the Chiefs, one has to wonder about the job security of head coach Todd Haley. They have been outscored in their first two games by a combined 89-10. A playoff appearance last year MIGHT make Haley's job safe until years end, the abrasiveness of working under Haley forced former O.C. Charlie Weis to leave and take the same position at the University of Florida. For all the superlatives about Haley being a brilliant offensive coach, his team has appeared to lack any sense of identity this year, as their 240 yards/game is good for 30th in the league. This figures to be a long season for the defending AFC West champs, who are now without arguably their two best players in S Eric Berry and RB Jamaal Charles.
3) Rookie Quarterbacks - It now appears that there will be a third rookie quarterback starting this week when Blaine Gabbert takes over the reigns from Luke McCown (who had a quarterback rating of 1.8 against the Jets). While Cam Newton has been getting all the headlines (and rightfully so with his back-to-back 400 yard performances through the air), Andy Dalton has led his Bengals to a win and has been a much more efficient passer, as evident by his 105.7 QB rating.
4) Hasselbeck's career revival - Perhaps no QB has seen a resurgence in their career as much as Matt Hasselbeck has with the Tennessee Titans. In the Titans 26-13 win over Baltimore this past week, Hasselbeck threw for 358 yards and a touchdown, and for the year has a QB rating of 94.2. If Chris Johnson ever starts performing up to his new contract, this could be a sleeper team for a playoff spot, or at worst, a good team that can play spoiler come December.
5) Shoot-Out In Orchard Park - As most of you that read this know, I'm a huge Bills fan. Watching the shoot-out that took place at Ralph Wilson Stadium this past Sunday, I couldn't help but think back to the days when the Bills offense was actually able to score like this. Trailing 21-3 at half, the Bills scored touchdowns on all five seconds, including the game winning TD pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to WR David Nelson with 14 seconds left. My heart did drop on the final play though, when it appeared that Oakland WR Denarius Moore tied up rookie Bills S Da'Norris Searcy for a TD. It was called an INT, and officials later confirmed that. Big litmus test this weekend against New England, as it will pit the #1 scoring offense in Buffalo against the #1 yardage offense in New England.
6) Romo returns, leads comeback - In what can only be described as courageous, Tony Romo played the 4th quarter and overtime with a cracked rib and punctured lung to lead the Cowboys to an overtime, comeback win in San Francisco. This just re-enforces the fact that fans shouldn't take too much from one game. While Romo may not be on the level of the top quarterbacks in the league (Brady, Peyton Manning, Brees, Rodgers), he's solidly in the second tier.
7) NFC West still wide open - More than any other division, there appears to be no clear-cut favorite. The 49ers and Cardinals are both 1-1, but it appears only the Seahawks are really the worst team. St. Louis has the misfortune of playing a harder schedule than last year, but if they get healthy, could still take the division.
8) Giants take a dive - I can't recall a worse flop than what Deon Grant did against the Rams on Monday Night Football. For those that haven't seen the video, its a pretty horrendous acting job. Grant claimed today that he really was injured, but you can judge for yourselves. I'm glad the NFL has started talking about disciplining teams for flopping to slow down no-huddle offenses, which can reportedly include fines and draft picks.
9) Vick injured, Eagles lose in ATL - Perhaps the biggest storyline in the NFL this past weekend, Vick started for the first time in Atlanta since being sentenced for his role in a dog-fighting ring. Vick had some positive moments in the game, but his three turnovers (1 interception, 2 fumbles lost) really helped the Falcons win a game they otherwise probably wouldn't have. Vick left the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter, and is questionable for this week's game against the Giants.
10) Chargers can't stop turnovers, Pats - Perhaps no team can beat the Chargers, other than the Chargers. Despite racking up 470 yards, four turnovers cost the Bolts, as New England capitalized on those mistakes and walked away with a 35-21 win against San Diego. The AFC West is theirs for the taking, but if the Chargers can't limit their mistakes, then San Diego could again see a premature end to their year, as well as Norv Turner hitting the unemployment line.
Tomorrow I will have my picks for week three.
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