What We Learned Week 2 in the NFL Season

Week 2 of the NFL season is in the books, and it’s still too early to read any serious trends for the season, but like any good student, we are learning. Let’s take a look at a few of the lessons learned from Week 2 of the NFL season.

10) Passing records will fall. Thanks to the new NFL rules that give receivers all day to run around the field and get open, we are seeing some impressive passing stats pile up. Tom Brady racked up 423 yards on Sunday, giving him over 900 yards on the season. Impressive.

9) Don’t count the Pittsburgh Steelers out just yet. After being punched in the mouth last week, by the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers bounced back and used the Seattle Seahawks as a whipping boy to prove their defense is still something to be feared.

8) The Detroit Lions are legit. It’s one thing to pick up a few scrappy wins. It’s another thing to dominate a team, even it if is the Kansas City Chiefs. Sunday the Lions defense forced 6 TO’s and dominated the Chiefs in every aspect of the game.

7) Cam Newton is the real deal, and the Panthers are suffering because of it. In week 2, Cam Newton threw for over 400 yards again, and the Carolina Panthers loss again. Yes Cam is lighting it up, but the Panthers paid a lot of money for two running backs during the offseason and they are not giving them the ball. Cam’s stats are impressive, but the Panthers need to establish their running game if they want to win games this season.

6) You can’t crown the Baltimore Ravens yet. A week ago the Ravens were the toast of the NFL after spanking the Pittsburgh Steelers. This week, they are back in the doghouse. It’s hard to believe a team whose emotional leaders include Ed Reed and Ray Lewis would have a letdown factor after a bit game. But that’s exactly what the Ravens suffered from on Sunday.

5) Raheem Morris is going to be a good NFL coach for a long time. In the first half of Sunday’s game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were struggling and trailed the Minnesota Vikings by 17 points at the half. Second year coach Raheem Morris made some great halftime adjustments that saw LeGarrette Blount rush for 67 yards in the second half after only compiling 4 in the first half.

4) The Buffalo Bills are the best team that no one cares about. The Bills found themselves in a classic AFC shootout with the Oakland Raiders. The Bills have a good quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick and they are a pretty good team, but in the AFC East they will be lost in the shuffle.

3) The Cincinnati Bengals don’t need Carson Palmer. Sunday evening rookie quarterback Andy Dalton proved he has what it takes to lead an NFL team. The Bengals may have loss 24-22 to the Denver Broncos but Andy Dalton delievered a near perfect performance going for two scores and 332 yards.

2) Tony Romo got the critics off his back, for now. The Dallas Cowboys looked horrible against the San Francisco 49’ers on Sunday. Tony Romo went down with a punctured lung in the first half, and then made his great return leading to Cowboys to victory. The gutsy performance helped to quiet some of the critics.

1) The Philadelphia Eagles did not make enough moves to make the Super Bowl. Michael Vick went down with a concussion on Sunday night. Mainly because the Eagles failed to upgrade a shaky offensive line, and provide Vick with adequate protection. I guess, linemen got lost in all the of the Dream Team shuffle.