NFL Week 2 observations


The NFL season is back and in full swing – thank god – and with it it’s time to get cracking with more content. As always there is plenty to talk about each week, or even each day – I’m looking at you, AB – so I’m going to be breaking down my main observations from each week of NFL action.

1. Lamar Jackson may just be it:


Of course, there is no shortage of people who are willing to accept this, as they’ll be claiming they said this from the moment he was drafted, or even earlier. I have to admit I was skeptical right up to the start of this season. Though it’s important to consider the level of competition he has faced so far this season, the tape doesn’t lie. Jackson is thriving right now and clearly made huge strides this offseason.

Against the Dolphins he did exactly what he had to almost every time of asking, and this weekend against the Cardinals he, by and large, did the same, especially when the Ravens needed it most. He seems to have great chemistry with Marquise Brown, which figures to only grow, and he clearly has a great connection with Mark Andrews. In his elevated play, he is bringing two of the Ravens’ most recent and important draft picks up to a high NFL level, everything Flacco couldn’t do since his playoff run in 2012.

He is showing he is capable of being the ‘traditional QB’ in making the necessary reads, making accurate – and clutch – throws, and protecting the ball. I mean, just look at this throw on 3rd and 11 to basically seal the win:
What’s more, this week, not that anyone needed reminding, he showed the totality of his threat to a defense with 120 rushing yards.

Next week against the Chiefs will be a huge indication to how real his start has been, and I’m confident it’ll confirm what seems evident.

While I’m talking about the Ravens, these first two games have gotten me excited for the rest of the Ravens’ season unlike I’ve ever been before. The defense is, if anything, better than last year, the offense is humming and the Ravens are a legitimately exciting football team.

And on a bragging note, I’d like to point out that I called Mark Ingram being a good addition to the Ravens back in 2015.

2. Kirk Cousins ain’t it:

Having just spoken glowingly about one QB wearing purple, I’m going to bash another.

Last year was poor for Cousins and the Vikings. Though he could’ve used better offensive line play, Cousins wasted a talented offense, and this year he has to show that last year was a blip, not the standard. Well, through two games he hasn’t and if I were a Vikings fan I would be concerned.

He wasn’t awful, but he didn’t exactly lift the Vikings to the level they need to be at to win their division, let alone a Super Bowl. The Vikings had more than enough opportunities to get past the Packers, but poor decisions and costly turnovers continue to crop up in Cousins' game. Both of his interceptions were poor, trying to force a pass to Stefon Diggs when he had other, safer options – both of which should have been in his view.


In the first he had Kyle Rudolph (green circle) open, sat in space but forced the throw between four defenders to Diggs, see above.



In the second, he could have hit Adam Thielen short (first picture) and lived to fight another down, he even could have thrown the ball away, but he forced the ball to Diggs (second picture) and it cost him, again. See above.

3. The AFC South is going to be really competitive:

Many people may look at the AFC South and be disappointed. The Colts don’t have Andrew Luck and are therefore less exciting to watch, perhaps. The Texans after a strong Week 1 loss struggled to beat the Gardner Minshew II led Jags at home, and the Titans followed up a huge Week 1 win with a fairly disappointing home loss. However, I think it is more a sign of how competitive these teams will be, rather than they’re not as good as we’d have hoped. 

All four of them have very tough defenses that are good on the front seven as well as in the backfield, and offensively they all have reasons to be varying levels of excited or optimistic. The Texans showed against the Saints they can match the best offenses; the Colts' ground game is dangerous and Brissett can make any throw they need; the Titans are getting more from their playmakers and Mariota seems a little more urgent; and the Jags may have a solution to their QB problem in Minshew II.

With the exception of the Jaguars, who aren't too far off, anyone could win this division and it'll go down to the final weeks of the season. The only downside for these teams is if it is as competitive as I think it will be, the winner of this division could very well end up 10-6 or 11-5. Which leaves a Wild Card spot or first round bye harder to come by.

4. The San Francisco 49ers are dangerous:


Admittedly, the 49ers haven’t played the toughest competition so far in the Bucs and Bengals, but the way they have handled the two victories has been, on the whole, rather impressive.

This week against the Bengals they just completely stifled virtually everything the Bengals wanted to do against them. Sure, the Bengals shot themselves in the foot plenty of times with penalties, but the 49ers defense were physical up front and prevented any run game, and they were strong in coverage too.

Offensively it looks like Kyle Shanahan is finally in full swing. Raheem Mostert and Matt Breida looked excellent. They’re quick, decisive with good vision, and elusive. They ran all over the Bengals and it opened the passing game up. Jimmy Garoppolo looked comfortable and confident in the pocket and in the system and Deebo Samuel looked very good.

Shanahan is utilizing his pieces very well, much like he did in Atlanta. If the defense can keep this up I think the offense will only grow as the season progresses, so we could be getting back to seeing the 49ers playing relevant December football.

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