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The NFL got off to a great start to the 2024 season, offering an action-packed series of contests that included everything from renewed rivalries, new faces and comebacks to ten games decided by one touchdown or less.
Can Week 2 provide a worthy encore? Action began Thursday night between division rivals Buffalo and Miami, with the Bills winning 31-10 — and the Dolphins wondering what’s next after Tua Tagovailoa suffered another concussion. It continues with 14 more games on Sunday before the Falcons-Eagles finale Monday night in Philadelphia.
Here are six exciting NFL storylines to watch in Week 2. (Check out the schedule here.)
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NFL table talks of week two: Jordan Love’s status, Cowboys hype and Bears-Texans
1. Which 0-1 teams will recover?
The 16 teams that lost last week will want to bounce back with performances that reflect improvement and hope. A 2-0 deficit is undesirable, as the chances of making the playoffs after such a start are slim. (Since 2002, about 90 percent of 2-0 teams have missed the playoffs.)
Sunday probably can’t come soon enough for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets. They started the season with Super Bowl expectations, but seemed completely outmatched against a real competitor in San Francisco. Rodgers recovered from a torn Achilles tendon and came out of Sunday night’s game unscathed. But New York’s offense sputtered. Rodgers completed 13 of 21 passes for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and the Jets managed just 68 rushing yards. The defense also left a lot to be desired.
Next up is a road game against the Tennessee Titans, who also lost in Week 1. We’ll see if this season opener was enough to shake off the rust from Rodgers and his relatively new offensive linemates, or if it will take longer to get everything settled in. In the meantime, the Titans are hoping young Will Levis can fix the ball security issues that brought Tennessee down against the Chicago Bears.
The Ravens, Packers, Bengals, Jaguars, Browns and Rams, who many predict will make the playoffs, are also trying to recover from their first week defeats. (Jets at Titans, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET.)
2. Can Malik Willis keep the Packers afloat?
Quarterback Jordan Love led the Packers to an impressive playoff run last season, beating the Cowboys and nearly beating the 49ers, and then parlayed that into a massive contract extension. However, the sprained medial ligament he suffered in the final seconds of the Packers’ loss to the Eagles in Brazil could hurt Green Bay’s chances of overtaking the Detroit Lions in the NFC North.
Love’s participation on Sunday is questionable, but he is likely to return in Week 4 at the earliest. Coach Matt LaFleur will have to rely on Willis, the former Liberty University star and third-round pick of the Titans in 2022.
Green Bay acquired Willis via trade on Aug. 27, so he’s still working on properly understanding the playbook. And Willis is inexperienced as a prospect, having only appeared in 11 games prior to this season. As a starter, he went 1-2 in 2022, threw three interceptions and no touchdowns, and attempted just five passes in three games last season. LaFleur is an excellent quarterback coach, offensive architect and playmaker. But can he really set Willis up for success this early in the quarterback’s tenure with Green Bay? LaFleur believes the answer is yes.
The Packers need Willis to manage the game and take care of the football to keep them afloat while Love recovers. His first test is against a combative Indianapolis Colts team at Lambeau Field. (Colts at Packers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET.)
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs face the Bengals on Sunday. (Denny Medley / USA Today)
3. Bengals-Chiefs: AFC title preview?
The NFL schedule has not allowed the Chiefs to ease into defending their title. After a heavyweight battle with the Ravens in Week 1, the Chiefs host the Bengals – another team that will challenge them for supremacy in the AFC.
Patrick Mahomes is the gold standard for this generation of quarterbacks, but Joe Burrow has a 3-1 record against his Chiefs counterpart. He beat Mahomes in both of their regular season games (a 34-31 shootout in Week 17 in 2021 and a 27-24 duel in Week 13 in 2022). They are 1-1 in the postseason. Burrow beat Mahomes 27-24 in the AFC Championship Game in January 2022, and Mahomes avenged that loss with a 23-20 triumph in the next conference title game. How will this meeting turn out?
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Joe Burrow’s slow starts and questions about his wrist are at the forefront of the Bengals’ showdown with the Chiefs
Based on last week’s performance against Baltimore, it looks like Mahomes and the Chiefs could be even more dangerous in 2024 than they were during last season’s title defense. Burrow, meanwhile, is waiting for his arsenal to return to full strength. Contract disputes between the Bengals and his two best receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, have prevented him from laying a proper foundation for the season. With a rusty Chase (who also said he was recovering from food poisoning) and Higgins out with a hamstring strain, Burrow managed just 164 passing yards in a 16-10 loss to New England last week. Can the Bengals bounce back this week and give the Chiefs another tough challenge? (Bengals at Chiefs, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET.)
4. Chess game between Mayo and Macdonald as rookie coach
Two of the most fascinating figures of the season: New England coach Jerod Mayo, the former Patriots linebacker and current assistant to Bill Belichick, and Seattle coach Mike Macdonald, the former Baltimore defensive coordinator.
Macdonald, 37, was one of the most sought-after coaches in the last hiring cycle, while Patriots leadership has long considered Mayo, 38, as their head coach-designate. Sunday’s meeting of these young coaches in Foxboro will mark just the sixth time in NFL history that two coaches under the age of 40 have faced off.
Both led their teams to victories in Week 1. Mayo’s Patriots beat an undermanned Bengals team despite being in the midst of a rebuild. Macdonald’s Seahawks recovered from a slow start to beat the Broncos at home. The Patriots and Seahawks are still developing their identities, but both coaches want to play a physical brand of football, relying heavily on their defenses to set the tone. It’s a contradiction to the trend toward high-scoring, offense-focused operations, so Sunday’s game might feel a bit like a throwback.
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How the Seahawks and Patriots are preparing for Sunday’s clash of similar playing styles
An interesting side aspect of this meeting: the quarterback position, which also has similarities. The Seahawks’ offense is led by Geno Smith, who revived his career after six years as a backup and is entering his third season as Seattle’s starter. New England’s starter, meanwhile, is Jacoby Brissett, who spent most of his nine-year career as a backup. He is looking to prove that, like Smith, he can provide the stabilizing force and playmaking skills necessary to lead a winning team. (Seahawks at Patriots, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET.)
Baker Mayfield and the Bucs are on the right track after beating the Commanders in Week 1. (Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA Today)
5. NFC playoff rematch between the Bucs and the Lions
The last time these teams met in the divisional round of the playoffs, the host Lions beat the Buccaneers 31-23. Now, eight months later, these 1-0 teams are looking to lay the groundwork for a repeat playoff run.
Both teams got off to strong starts in Week 1. Baker Mayfield led the Bucs to a blowout victory over Washington after throwing four touchdown passes, 289 yards, no interceptions and a 146.4 passer rating. Mayfield’s effectiveness reflected his continued comfort in Tampa. In his last eight starts, he’s averaged 278.6 yards per game while recording 20 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. He’ll lead the Buccaneers against a Detroit defense anchored by Aidan Hutchinson, who has 15 sacks in 20 home games (including playoffs), and a Lions offense led by Jared Goff. Goff directed a game-winning eight-play, 70-yard drive in overtime against the Rams last week.
We can expect an exciting duel between these two gunslingers and their teams. In the playoff duel in January, Goff threw passes for 287 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Mayfield, on the other hand, went down shooting. He collected 349 passing yards and three touchdowns and brought his team to within 8 points with a touchdown pass to Mike Evans with 4:37 minutes left. But then Detroit linebacker Derrick Barnes ended Tampa Bay’s comeback attempt with an interception with 1:35 minutes left. (Bucs at Lions, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET.)
6. Stroud vs. Williams: The Next Generation
Sunday night’s games feature a highlight: a showdown between Houston’s CJ Stroud, the best quarterback in last year’s draft, and Chicago’s Caleb Williams, the first pick in this year’s draft. If predictions are correct, these two will eventually become the faces of the league.
Stroud definitely seems to be on his way there after a record-breaking rookie season. Now he and the Texans host the Bears and look to build on last year’s surprising success, followed by last week’s win over AFC South rival Indianapolis. Stroud continued to impress in Week 1, throwing for 234 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
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Everything is different for the Texans because of CJ Stroud: “He has a fair amount of fighting spirit”
Williams started his career with a win over the Titans – but delivered a forgettable performance (14 of 29 passes for 93 yards and no touchdowns). Chicago’s victory was largely the result of strong special teams and defense. In the second half, Chicago scored on a blocked punt that safety Jonathan Owens returned 21 yards for a touchdown and a 43-yard pick six by cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. On the plus side, Williams didn’t cause a turnover. But the Bears expect more from him, and he does. After the game, Williams vowed, “I’m going to get better.” But shining against a talented Texans defense could prove difficult. (Bears at Texans, Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET.)
(Top photo of Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
