Week 2 Recap!

Each week we give you the highlights and some commentary on each game. Let’s get started!

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
The biggest offseason trade is proving to be Tony Gonzalez to the Dirty Birds. Gonzalez simply catches everything that Matt Ryan throws his way. The big TE finished the game with 7 catches for 71 yards and a TD. Matt Ryan hooked up with Roddy White 6 times for 53 yards and a score as Ryan finished the game with an impressive 21 for 29 for 221 yards and 3 touchdowns. Add in Michael Turner’s 105 yards and a TD and you have a formula for success. The Panthers meanwhile got a better performance from Jake Delhomme as he threw for 301 yards on 43 attempts. He did have 1 interception but nothing like his dreadful Week 1 performance. The two-headed monster of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart had an OK performance combining for 144 yards on the ground. Steve Smith had a big game catching the ball 8 times for 131 yards but it wasn’t enough to stop the Falcons, who win at home, 28-20!

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
The Lions actually flirted with an upset as they were leading the ballgame 10-7 at halftime. After a Ryan Longwell field goal and an Adrian Peterson 27 yard TD run, that lead was gone and so too hopes of ending the leagues longest losing streak, now at 18 games. Brett Favre had a game managing day, throwing 21 completions on 28 attempts and 2 TD’s. Favre didn’t turn the ball over and the running back tandem of AP and Chester Taylor ran for a combined 106 yards and a TD as they wore down the defense in the second half. Rookie Matthew Stafford had an decent day but the Lions continue to kill themselves with turnovers. Stafford threw 2 costly picks and Kevin Smith had a fumble. We’ve said it before but will say it again, in this league if you lose the turnover battle you will probably not win – regardless of your opponent! The Lions drop one at home, 27-13.

Cleveland Browns vs Denver Broncos
Talk about a 180 on defense. This Denver Broncos squad has been very impressive on that side of the ball so far this year. They have allowed only 13 points in two games. They consistantly harrassed Brady Quinn and Elvis Dumervil had 4 sacks. The Broncos offense finally got going as Kyle Orton managed the game well, he had some bad passes at times that appeared as if they were miscommunications. Knowshon Moreno showed a nice burst finishing the game with 76 yards and Correll Buckhalter added 75 including a nifty 48 yard TD run that sealed the win. Orton finished the game 19 for 37 and 263 yards including a TD as the Broncos racked up 449 yards of total offense. The Browns meanwhile need some work. Brady Quinn was 18 for 31 but only threw for 161 yards. Jamal Lewis was a non factor getting 14 carries for 38 yards. The biggest coaching acquisition that hasn’t really been talked about just may new Broncos D’ Coordinator Mike Nolan. The Broncos role 27-6!

Cincinnati Bengals at Green Bay Packers
The Packers came into this game as 8 point favorites and were up 14-7 after the 1st Quarter. Then the Bengals offense took over as Cedric Benson ran for 141 yards on 28 carries against the Green Bay defense that played so well against the Bears in Week 1. Carson Palmer connected with Esteban Ochocinco 4 times for 91 yards and a TD as Chad was able to fulfill his promise and performed a Lambeau Leap! Aaron Rogers had a nice day as he tried to rally the Pack throwing for 261 yards and a TD. The Packers almost came back for the win as they kicked a late field goal to cut the lead to 7, then recovered an onside kick and Bengals fans had to be thinking – here we go again. A late penalty by the Pack negated any comeback as the Bengals held on for the win. We have to give credit to the Bengals defense who played physical all day, hit Aaron Rogers often and held Ryan Grant to 46 yards on 14 carries. The Bengals win in Lambeau 31-24!

Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers
This was an AFC showdown that didn’t disappoint. The Ravens offense has been clicking so far in 2009 with Joe Flacco, Ray Rice and resurgent Willis McGahee. The story of this ballgame though had to be the Ravens defense. They held in there as Phillip Rivers had the best passing day of his career. Rivers went 25 for 45 for 436 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 2 interceptions which will happen when you try and throw the ball that much against Ed Reed & Co’. The Ravens stifled the Chargers rushing attack who had to go without LaDainian Tomlinson who was shelved with an ankle injury. Darren Sproles, while deadly and shifty with the ball, just didn’t have enough bite rushing into the tough front seven of the Ravens. Sproles did show how valuable he is receiving the ball as he caught 7 passes for 124 yards. The game came down to the wire like we thought it might but in the end, Ray Lewis’ big stop on 4th down sealed the deal as the Ravens win on the road 31-26!

Pittsburgh Steelers at Chicago Bears
The weight of Chicago was on the shoulders of Jay Cutler after his woeful start in Green Bay in Week 1. Cutler started the season with 4 picks but played much, much better against the Super Bowl Champs. Cutler finished the game 27 for 38 throwing for 236 yards and 2 TD’s. The Bears needed all of it as Matt Forte was held in check rushing for only 29 yards on 13 carries. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 221 yards, 1 TD with a pick in this defensive struggle. The key to this game though was Special Teams, as the Steeler’s missed 2 late field goals that probably cost them the win. Robbie Gould knocked in the game winner with 15 seconds left as the Bears win at home 17-14!

Houston Texan at Tennessee Titans
In a battle to see who had the bigger Johnson, both of them balled out! Chris Johnson is simply a beast. His skills almost single-handedly won this game for Tennessee. CJ rushed for 197 yards on only 16 carries with a breakaway jaunt of 91 yards. Andre Johnson had a monster game too as Matt Shaub and the Texans weren’t ready to surrender. Shaub went 25 for 39, 357 yards and 4 TD’s hooking up with Andre 10 times for 149 yards. Steve Slaton was held in check rushing for only 34 yards on 17 carries but it didn’t matter as Shaub and the passing attack was dynamic. The Titans led by 14 at one point in the first half as it appeared the Chris Johnson was just too much for them but that wasn’t case. Perhaps losing to the Jets in Week 1 didn’t settle too well with Houston as they pick up a big win on the road, 34-31!

New England Patriots at New York Jets
The trash talking finally met the field as these two heated rivals did battle in the Meadowlands. The Patriots were without Wes Welker who didn’t suit up, whether it effected Tom Brady and the Pats offense we can only speculate. The Jets dominated this game physically. Darrell Revis played a great game, coming away with an interception and really limiting Randy Moss who finished with only 4 catches for 24 yards. Limiting Moss with Welker on the sidelines means Brady had to look elsewhere, which he isn’t used to doing. Rookie Mark Sanchez has played very well in his first two starts. In the first “big game” of his NFL career, Sanchez performed admirably. He went 14/22 and a TD throwing for 163 yards. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington combined for 112 yards on the ground giving the Jets offense balance. Tom Brady meanwhile threw the ball 47 times, that makes 100 pass attempts in 2 games! As we have mentioned before – that is not a formula for success. The Pats have virtually no rushing attack and today it cost them as the Jets win a big one, 16-9!

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
If there ever was a “win ugly” game, this was it. JaMarcus Russell has a lot of work to do at the QB position. His throws were all over the place as he displayed horrible accuracy. Russell finished the game completing only 7 passes on 24 attempts for a measly 109 yards. The good news? They were playing the Chiefs who are an enigma. Look at this and tell me how it makes sense. The Chiefs had 409 yards of offense and Raiders had 166. The Chiefs had 25 1st Downs, the Raider only 11. The Chiefs held the ball for 39 minutes and the Raiders only 21 but the Raiders win? How does that happen? Penalties and Turnovers! Matt Cassel, in his first game as a Chief, threw 2 picks that killed drives and the Chiefs committed 9 penalties. The Raiders go into Arrowhead and pick up the win, 13-10!

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills
Fred Jackson had a monster day for Buffalo as the Buccaneers years of defensive dominance is over. Jackson ran for 163 yards as Tampa missed tackles and blew assignments. Trent Edwards had a nice day, going 21 for 31 for 230 yards and 2 TD’s. Terrell Owens found the endzone for the first time this year as his 43 yard TD catch put the game away for Buffalo. Byron Leftwich had an up and down day throwing the ball 50 times for 296 yards and 3 TD’s but also had 2 interceptions. The Bucs need to do something on defense or this could be long year for Bucs fans. The Bills win, 33-20!

New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles
This game would have been much better had Donovan McNabb started instead of back up Kevin Kolb. The Eagles put up a ton of yards and Kolb passed the ball a suprising 51 times and racked up 391 yards. His 3 interceptions doomed the Birds and anytime Drew Brees and the Saints passing attack comes to town you better be prepared to be sharp on offense. Brees threw for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Eagles defense didn’t have an answer for the NFC player of week 1. Turnovers doomed the Eagles as the Saints win on the road 48-22!

St. Louis Rams at Washington Redskins
This wasn’t exactly an offensive show as the Redskins didn’t find the endzone all day. They had 3 field goals but it was enough against a struggling Rams team. Steven Jackson had a nice day gaining 104 yards on 21 carries but it wasn’t enough to carry the Rams. Marc Bulger threw for only 125 yards and 1 TD, which was their only score of the game. The Redskins dominated the time of possession and moved the ball well but continually stalled in the Red Zone. Jason Campbell threw for 242 yards on 35 attempts and he didn’t turn the ball over but Santana Moss did, losing one fumble. In the end it was W and that’s all that matters as the Skins win ugly, 9-7!

Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars
Kurt Warner set an NFL record in this game completing 92% of his passes. Warner went 24 for 26 for 243 yards and 2 TD’s but had to leave the game in the second half with a sore throwing shoulder. The Cardinals went up 24-3 at halftime then scored first in the 3rd Quarter to go up 31-3 and the game was essentially over. The Jags committed 3 turnovers and when your facing a red hot Warner you can’t do that. Jacksonville didn’t play well in front of the home crowd as they lose at home, 31-17!

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers
The key to this game? Two words, FRANK GORE! The former Miami Hurricane had a monster day with TD runs of 79 and 80 yards as he finished the day with 207 yards on 16 carries. The 49ers Defense led by Patrick Willis kept the Seattle offense in check limiting them to only 10 points. Matt Hasselbeck left the game before halftime with a rib injury and Seneca Wallace wasn’t able to get anything going. The Niners are a suprising 2-0 and they’ll take it as they have had big wins against division teams. If Gore keeps churing and burning like he did today, they could win this division and make a playoff appearance. The Niners win in Candlestick, 23-10!

New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys
In an NFC East battle that came down to the last play this game was good to the end. Tony Romo threw 3 interceptions which is tough to overcome. The Cowboys, behind the three headed attack, rushed 251 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tony Romo threw 29 attempts competing 13 of them for 127 yards…not gaudy but was enough. The Giants played tough on the road and a missed a FG hurt almost proved costly. Eli Manning was 25 for 38 and 330 yards with 2 TD’s and finished with a rating 110.6. The Giants rushed for 97 yards as the Cowboys limited Jacobs to 58 yards on 16 carries and Ahmad Bradshaw added 9 carries for 37 yards. The Giants stepped up big on Defense with Kenny Phillips 2 picks and Bruce Johnson picking off a pass and returning it to the house. The Cowboys did well to stay in the game but in the end were doomed by turnovers as the Giants win, 33-31 in a thriller!

Check in after Week 3 as we’ll give you the Skinny on every NFL game!