NFL Week 2 Winners and Losers: 49ers Struggling Without CMC originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The cobwebs have been dusted off and NFL teams are now getting into the swing of things.
Week 2 saw some teams get their season off to a perfect start, others have had mixed results and a few are still struggling to get going. With 10 games on Sunday, the league has seen plenty of highlights and lesser highlights.
Here are some winners and losers from Sunday’s action:
Winner: Big Games
The offense had a moment of glory in the first games of Week 2.
In the 1 p.m. ET window, there were seven touchdowns of at least 40 yards. Justin Jefferson led the way with a 97-yard score in the Minnesota Vikings” win. The New Orleans Saints against. Dallas Cowboys the game had three deep scores — Rachid Shaheed for 70 meters, CeeDee Lamb for 65 meters and Alvin Kamara for 57 yards.
Elsewhere, Los Angeles Chargers back JK Dobbins (44) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin (41) had touchdowns of 40+ yards.
Everything seemed to be going well for the San Francisco 49ers in week 1 without their star. This was not the case in week 2.
The defending NFC champions fell to the Vikings 23-17 in what turned out to be a game of revenge for Sam Darnold. Brock Purdy had an interception and was sacked six times in the loss as the 49ers offense failed to get going.
The team rushed for 102 yards, including 100 from McCaffrey’s replacement. Jordan Mason. He obviously wasn’t the problem, but his lack of ability to make a big play was evident. The 49ers (1-1) will be without McCaffrey for at least the next three weeks after placing him on IR, so they’ll need to find a solution quickly to stay afloat in the NFC.
Winner: Klint Kubiak leads the Saints forward
The Saints have entered the 2024 season without much fanfare. That should officially change after Week 2.
New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak made his debut with a 47-10 win over the Carolina Panthers In Week 1, the Saints beat a team that won two games last season. The Saints continued their winning ways, however, with a 44-19 victory over the Cowboys in Dallas.
Alvin Kamara was the star of Kubiak’s team, throwing for four touchdowns in the blowout victory. It was the seventh time in his eight-year career that he had scored at least three touchdowns in a game. Derek Carr He was also stellar in the game – 11 of 16 for 243 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Losing: Aidan HutchinsonPerformance is wasted
THE Detroit Lions spoiled an outstanding performance by Aidan Hutchinson.
The pass-rusher was one sack away from setting a franchise record Sunday, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their playoff revenge with a 20-16 victory. Hutchinson was unstoppable in the game, making sacks Baker Mayfield 4.5 times in defeat.
Aaron Rodgers is in the win column for the New York Jets.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Jets pulled out a 24-17 victory in Nashville against the Tennessee TitansRodgers had a consistent game, completing 18 of 30 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Braelon Allen He was the star for New York with two touchdowns – one rushing and one receiving.
For the Titans, second-year QB Will Levis once again put on a breathtaking performance. He had an interception and a disastrous fumble in the red zone as the Titans fell to 0-2.
Another week, another lifeless offensive performance for the Carolina Panthers.
The NFL’s worst team last year fell to 0-2 after a 26-3 loss to the Chargers, and former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young still isn’t productive. The Panthers QB completed 18 of 26 passes for 84 yards and an interception. Benching Young so early in his second season might be counterproductive, but the veteran Andy Dalton This might be the best option right now for first-year head coach Dave Canales.
Jim Harbaugh’s team, which had improved to 2-0, took a 20-0 lead into halftime and never looked back. They earned an easy away win with another away game against the Pittsburgh Steelers scheduled for week 3.
Winner: Matt LaFleur and Malik Willis
With Love Jordan injured, the Green Bay Packers had no difficulty in dismantling the Indianapolis Colts in their home opener.
Led by backup quarterback Malik Willis, Matt LaFleur’s offense rushed for 261 yards in the 16-10 victory. The Packers averaged 4.9 yards per carry (53 attempts) after averaging 7.8 in their Week 1 loss. Clearly, the running game is something the unit is emphasizing.
Winning a game without Love is no easy feat, especially considering Willis was just acquired in a preseason trade. He completed 12 of 14 attempts for 122 passing yards, 41 rushing yards and a touchdown, which was more than enough to secure the win against a quiet Colts offense.
Losing: Rams‘ injuries
After losing to the Lions in overtime in Week 1, the Rams have suffered numerous setbacks as key members on both sides of the ball have suffered injuries, such as star wide receiver Puka Nacua. Again on the road against a division rival, the Rams’ woes were evident, but also compounded when Cooper Kupp also out with an ankle injury.
Los Angeles lost in a resounding 41-10 defeat as Arizona The Rams dominated the game in the air and on the ground. With the 49ers coming next to SoFi Stadium, a stadium that is regularly packed with red fans in that game, the Rams are hoping to have at least a few players back to avoid falling to 0-3.
Never judge a rookie based on one game. Harrison Jr. exploded onto the scene Sunday after a disappointing Week 1, in which the quarterback Kyler Murray He later said it was not his job to force targets to the wideout.
But Week 2 was a different story, with Harrison Jr. getting off to a hot start, catching four passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns before cooling off for the second half. Murray himself threw for 266 yards on an efficient 17-of-21, with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Loser: QB play in Steelers vs. Broncos
Pittsburgh went on the road and earned a narrow victory against Denver. How far? Well, only 13-6. Justin Fields helped the Steelers improve to 2-0 with Russell Wilson Still on the sidelines, but it was far from pretty. Fields threw for 117 yards on 13-of-20 completions, one touchdown and no interceptions while rushing for 27 yards on eight attempts.
Bo Nix He threw for more yards than he did in Week 1, but he’s still looking for his first major league touchdown. He completed 20 of 35 passes for 246 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 25 yards on four attempts. One of the interceptions came on the very last play of the game, which Nix appeared to go deep but wouldn’t have been close enough to score even if it had been caught.
It will be interesting to see if Mike Tomlin keeps Fields as the starter given their results, even if Wilson is healthy.
Winner: Chiefs and strokes of luck
It takes a little luck every now and then to make sure the results go your way. There’s a reason for that. Kansas City I got so used to winning in the Patrick Mahomes era. The Chiefs were about to fall to the Cincinnati Bengalsbut caused a controversial pass interference on a 4th-and-16 that essentially brought them within field goal range. Harrison Butker made a 51-yard attempt as time expired.
Joe Burrow completed 23 of 36 passes for 258 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while Ja’Marr Chase was quiet again with just four receptions for 35 yards. Cincinnati is now 0-2 with the Washington Commanders to be continued.
Mahomes had one of his worst games of the season, but that won’t matter this time around. He completed 18 of 25 passes for just 151 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Chiefs will face the Falcons in Atlanta next week.
