2022 NFL: Week 2 Preview

Maybe this is Sean McVay’s fault?

When the Rams head coach took the job in 2017, he started sitting his star players during preseason games. Not just for the first game, but for the entire slate. Nobody took a snap. People raised their eyebrows, but they couldn’t argue with the results. Los Angeles won the division the first year, reached the Super Bowl the next, and a few years later, won a championship.

Other teams quickly followed suit to the point where preseason games are a completely worthless watch, unless you’re a nerd who can’t wait to see which players make the back end of the 53-man roster.

Which brings us to Week 1.

Man, that was a tough look for the league. It’s hard to remember the last time NFL offenses looked so inept, except for maybe in the early days of the forward pass. Everywhere you turned, you saw a mishmash of false starts, illegal formations, dropped passes, miscommunications, fumbles, interceptions, clock management errors (more on that later) and other feats of buffoonery.

Look at how last season’s Super Bowl participants fared: The Rams looked like they were fighting off a six-month hangover in their blowout loss to the Bills, while Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow saw his first pass of 2022 intercepted (the first of four on the day) and returned for a touchdown in Cincinnati’s eventual overtime defeat.

So, is it panic time yet? Should head coaches go back to the old school and start practicing in full pads every day and playing every starter during preseason games? No, come on. Everyone just calm down. Like Aaron Rodgers (who also looked bad last Sunday) likes to remind us, just relax.

ESPN analyst Damien Woody said this week that with starting players no longer taking the field for preseason games, the first month of the regular season is now a de facto preseason. So, you’re going to see receivers and quarterbacks not being on the same page and other such mental mistakes. No matter how much you practice during training camp, nothing can replicate the pace and intensity of a game.

But rest assured, things will get better. The mistakes of Week 1 will not be repeated by Week 5. In the meantime, try not to pull your hair out, which is easier said than done.

As we look forward, let’s take a look at some irresponsible overreactions that can be dispelled with a solid performance in Week 2.

OVERREACTION: Russell Wilson stinks

The Broncos made a big splash during the offseason when they pulled off a major trade to bring in Wilson, who had grown dissatisfied with the Seahawks. And the NFL schedule makers being who they are, Wilson’s first regular season game with the Broncos was back in Seattle against a Seahawks team who was universally picked to finish last in the NFC West.

And we saw what happened. Denver’s offense was able to move the ball, but mistakes like fumbles in the red zone and delay of game penalties led to a 17-16 loss. Man, the Broncos front office has egg on their faces, right? Just 16 points against the decidedly below-average Seahawks? No.

Wilson threw for 340 yards on Monday night, while completing 69 percent of his throws with a 101.3 rating. And the turnovers in the red zone weren’t his fault. What’s more, his new head coach Nathaniel Hackett let precious seconds tick off the clock without calling timeout late in the fourth quarter, didn’t go for it on fourth-and-5 (which is kinda why you got Wilson, no?) and instead tried for a 64-yard field goal that missed.

Wilson more or less did his job. The people around him didn’t show up. But the good news is, the Broncos have the Texans at home on Sunday. Look for them to get healthy.

OVERREACTION: The 49ers stink

I have a rule: If you have to play football in a monsoon, it doesn’t count. And that’s what the Niners had to deal with in Chicago. You can’t get your footing, the football slips out of hands and the game quickly turns into a clown show. It also doesn’t help when you have a young quarterback trying to learn the ropes in Trey Lance.

So, San Francisco limped home with a 19-10 loss. But they get the aforementioned Seahawks at home on Sunday, who will probably have a letdown on a short week after an emotional victory. And while there is rain in the forecast for Santa Clara, it’s that soft Northern California rain. Not that tough Illinois rain. Kyle Shanahan’s crew will bounce back.

OVERREACTION: Tua has arrived

I don’t want to be a jerk, because the Dolphins did beat the Patriots in their season opener for the second year in a row. And Tua was solid, throwing for 270 yards, completing passes to nine different receivers and even pulling off a big play with a 42-yard scoring strike to Jaylen Waddle. And it was good that he targeted new acquisition Tyreek Hill 12 times, connecting on nine of them.

BUT …

The Dolphins have had a lot of success against the Patriots at home over the years. And it’s not like Tom Brady was coming out of the tunnel for New England. Let’s put away the anointing oil for now.

A bigger test will come on Sunday when the Dolphins travel to Baltimore to face a Ravens team that just took apart the Jets. Can’t wait to see what happens.

OVERREACTION: Bills are a lock for the Super Bowl

Full disclosure: I picked Buffalo to reach the Super Bowl this season and it would be easy for me to take an early victory lap, especially after the Bills put the wood to my Rams on opening night. Josh Allen had no trouble carving up the L.A. defense and new arrival Von Miller was a terror off the edge. Not only did he sack Matthew Stafford, but his presence freed up the rest of the Buffalo’s front seven to get exploitable 1-on-1 matchups. It’s going to be a lot of fun to see how this defense comes together as the season progresses.

That being said, there are some points of concern. Mainly injuries. Allen has to learn how to slide or get out of bounds when he takes off running. The curse of being such a big man is that you feel that you can take on defenders, which can work for now, but that won’t last. Eventually, Allen will take a hit that will put him down. And the Bills can’t afford that.

Miller has had injury issues of his own over the past few years. Will his body be able to hold up for 17 regular season games and the playoffs? We’ll have to wait and see.

And check out their upcoming schedule: At home against the Titans, on the road against Dolphins and Ravens, home against the Steelers and then on the road against the Chiefs in a possible AFC championship game preview.

That’s quite a stretch. If they can go 4-1 over that span, Bills Mafia might want to start looking into Super Bowl travel plans.

OVERREACTION: The Jets stink

Just kidding. That’s not an overreaction. They are a bad football team.

WHAT’S THE CHATTER?

Opening game jitters: Anyone can tell you that the first few weeks at a new job are always a minefield. You’re getting used to your new co-workers, adjusting to the culture, figuring out where the bathroom is and mainly, just trying to not make any mistakes. The good news for Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett, he got a big mistake out of the way. His decision to try for a 64-yard field goal on Monday night with the game on the line confused me, confused the fans, confused Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in the booth, confused Peyton and Eli Manning on ESPN2 and probably even threw his kicker for a loop. But to Hackett’s credit, he owned up to his error (a day later) and I can guarantee that will never happen again. Or at least I hope so, for his sake.

They wanted that one: The Germans have a word called “schadenfreude.” It translates to “pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune.” That perfectly describes what former Seahawks players felt on Monday night when they watched Russell Wilson, who wasn’t exactly popular in their eyes, get a comeuppance of sorts after forcing his way out of Seattle this past offseason.

Richard Sherman, Marshawn Lynch, Doug Baldwin, Cliff Avril and K.J. Wright were all in attendance at Lumen Field and helped raise the famed 12 flag before the game. And you just know they felt a righteous glee when that fateful kick sailed wide. The fans even got into the act, chanting “Geno! Geno!” every time their new quarterback made a big play. Sorry, Russ.

I never knew: There are people who are casual football fans who feel that the concept of a long snapper is ridiculous. The idea that a person can make a really good living by only throwing a ball between his own legs is beyond their comprehension. And I would kind of agree with them, until I saw the job done poorly. Like in Cincinnati last week. When the Bengals regular long snapper Clark Harris went down with a biceps injury, backup tight end Mitchell Wilcox was forced to take the spot and … hooo doctor. Yikes. His floating snaps threw off the timing of what was a perfectly oiled machine with holder Kevin Huber and kicker Evan McPherson and the result was a blocked extra point that would have won the game in regulation and a missed field goal that could have won it in overtime. Yuck. Long snappers are definitely worth the money. Clark Harris might even deserve a raise.

Sorry, Dak: The Cowboys offense couldn’t get much of anything going against the Buccaneers and things got worse in the second half when quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a broken thumb and had to have surgery. He could return in as soon as four weeks (doubtful), which means Cooper Rush will be under center for the time being. Eeek. Expect Big D to heavily rely on their running game and their defense if they want to tread water until Dak gets back.

APPOINTMENT VIEWING FOR WEEK 2

Chargers at Chiefs: There are times that the NFL makes me blush. How did the league know that I would love to see these two teams clash in an early season Thursday night game? Roger Goodell must really love me!

Commanders at Lions: Game featuring two quarterbacks I love to root for. I’m still convinced of Carson Wentz’s potential greatness and I’ll never be able to quit Jared Goff. Plus, I’m still waiting to see Dan Campbell’s celebratory up-downs.

Buccaneers at Saints: New Orleans has given Tom Brady fits since he arrived in Tampa. Let’s see if the defense can get after the 45-year-old man on Sunday.

Patriots at Steelers: Two teams who used to have franchise quarterbacks. No longer. Call me crazy, but I think Mike Tomlin’s squad is going to send Bill Belichick to an 0-2 record.

Colts at Jaguars: Indy needs to get right against the team that kept them from making the playoffs last season. Especially since the Colts started the season with a tie. Gross.

Dolphins at Ravens: We’ll find out a lot about both of these teams in this one.

Falcons at Rams: This is mainly for me, as there is admittedly not much national appeal in this game. I just hope L.A. can wash the bad taste from last week out of their mouths.

Cardinals at Raiders: They both suffered bad losses last week and will be desperate to avoid a second one. This should be intense. And it’s the home opener for Vegas, so expect there to be even more people passed out drunk on The Strip.

Titans at Bills: How Tennessee lost to the Giants last week is anyone’s guess. I picked them to make the playoffs, but an 0-2 start is staring them in the face.

Vikings at Eagles: It’s Monday night, what else are you going to watch? Plus it’s two teams with 1-0 records!

Enjoy the games!