Winner: Arizona Cardinals
It’s always satisfying to see shaky NFL stories proven false shortly after they surface, especially when it involves a first-round draft pick. The knives were drawn on Arizona rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. after his one-catch debut against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. Some of the reviews were unkind, to say the least: “shockingly slow and uncertain” was one of the milder assessments on social media. But some grace was needed for a rocky debut, given how a fierce Bills defense limited his impact. On Sunday, he repeated for the record books when he torched the LA Rams for two touchdowns and 130 yards in the first quarter, more than his father had managed in any quarter of his Hall of Fame career. The highlight was a score of 60 yards in which Harrison’s sheer speed turned tight coverage into a gaping runway. Rams safety Kamren Curl is still asking for directions to the nearest end zone.
Loser: Baltimore Ravens
Isaiah Likely can’t be lucky. A week after a toenail out of bounds deprived him of a touchdown and a chance to surprise the Kansas City Chiefs, Jack Jones’ shoulder came to disrupt Likely’s stunning catch on the sideline. The Las Vegas cornerback’s rude arrival derailed a play that would have set up Justin Tucker for a makeable field goal to tie the game with one second left. After losing two winnable games, the Ravens now scratch their heads at 0-2. There’s no shame in losing to Patrick Mahomes, and on paper, there’s no shame in losing to the Raiders. The added context of John Harbaugh’s team blowing a 10-point lead in the final quarter in a 26-23 defeatA familiar trend for a team that often struggles to put opponents away is where things have gone wrong for the Ravens. Since the start of the 2022 season, Baltimore has blown a double-digit lead seven times. Sure, Maxx Crosby helped the Raiders back into contention, but deadly mistakes like Brandon Stephens’ pass interference that gave Vegas a gimme touchdown mean a tough trip to Dallas now looks like a must-win with the Bills and Bengals waiting in the wings.
Winner: kickers
Am I the only one or do kickers enjoy a hot streak, wrapped in a golden era, inside an apex? Everywhere you look, 50-yard bombs are thundering through the uprights. The numbers are staggering: On Sunday, 136 field goals were made on 146 attempts, with a 93% success rate. Last season, the success rate was 89% through the first two weeks and 86% for the season – the second-highest success rate behind 2013’s 86.5% (the average season success rate since 2013 is 84%).
The numbers don’t get you very far, though. The Commanders brought in Austin Siebert after Cade York missed two games in Week 1. First-day nerves? Nope. The new kid scored every point of Washington wins 21-18 over the New York Giants, with seven field goals. Veteran Chris Boswell did something similar for Pittsburgh, making six of six in Week 1. The NFL’s elite feet have gone from making 80 percent of total field goals in just one season in the last century to forming an army of Justin Tucker clones (though Baltimore’s historically accurate boot is one of just three kickers to have missed twice this season). Harrison Butker’s game-winning 51-yarder for the Chiefs against the Bengals neatly tied a double arc on things. His kick hit the safety net so high that it looked like it might challenge Tucker’s NFL record for 66 yards. How much better can these kickers get?
Loser: Anthony Richardson
Would the Colts have been better off keeping Gardner Minshew? It feels wrong to suggest that, given the upside of Anthony Richardson’s ridiculous arm — the overhead view of his 60-yard score Last week, you have to see it to believe it. But his former backup did have some success last season, as the Colts narrowly missed the playoffs, a scenario that seems unlikely under the prevailing winds in 2024, with the Colts at 0-2. On Sunday, Richardson’s high-stakes style yielded all risk and none of the reward, throwing three interceptions in an embarrassing loss to the Packers, led by backup Malik Willis. While the QB’s fitness will always be in question after a loss like that, the bigger issue for the Colts is how much pressure their shaky defense puts on Richardson. Behind Willis’ limited ability, Green Bay’s plan has always been to run the ball. A lot. Yet Indy resigned itself to allowing 164 rushing yards in a single quarter and 261 total while missing 16 tackles. This after giving up 213 rushing yards to the Texans in the first week of the season. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s defense regressed despite knowing what Green Bay would do. The Packers simply held on to the ball, eating up an immense 40 minutes of possession versus Indy’s 20, exactly the energy-sapping split against Houston. Richardson or any other quarterback will fail if the defense continues to hold games so horribly out of the Colts’ grasp.
Winner: Defending Disciples
New Orleans and Minnesota faced daunting defensive assignments on Sunday. The Saints had to stop a Cowboys team that was riding a 16-game regular-season home win streak, while the Vikings were visited by Kyle Shanahan’s mighty 49ers. Both teams were huge underdogs. Both were propelled to stunning victories by defensive prowess. While Derek Carr was pitching an MVP innings on one side of the ball, his defensive counterparts were pulling their weight with three sacks and two interceptions. Dak Prescott looked to be blown to bits as he returned with nothing from three trips to the red zone. The Saints’ most impressive performance came from cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, who held CeeDee Lamb to 90 yards on four catches. The rookie proved to be a more than capable understudy to Marshon Lattimore.
The Vikings have their own star in defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who wrote the perfect script to disrupt Brock Purdy and the 49ers. Flores’ creative blitz schemes generated seven QB pressures and six sacks. Credit also goes to GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, whose acquisitions of free-agent linebackers Blake Cashman, Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel have added spice this season. They each had one sack, while Cashman also deflected three passes. Purdy’s honest tribute to Flores after the game says it all: “Your scheme is crazy.”