2025 NFL: Previewing Week 2

Initial impressions from the first week of action, and then a preview of Week 2.

Week 1 Quick Hits:

Eagles 24 Cowboys 20 – Dallas got 107 combined yards rushing out of Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. (49 coming on one run from Sanders.) If the Cowboys can get consistent production from them, the Dallas offense can be good. Felt like the Philadelphia Offensive Line may have taken a step back. Saquon Barkley was limited to 60 yards on 18 attempts. Despite capable weapons, the Eagles passing attack is never going to be elite; and that’s okay. Jalen Hurts was 19 of 23 on his passing attempts, and also rushed for 62 yards. He makes enough plays to win. Still, I imagine the Eagles don’t want many games where AJ Brown and Devonta Smith combine for 4 receptions and 24 yards. Zero sacks for the Eagles defense. Dallas showed they could be competitive on the road against a quality team, but they missed an opportunity to steal a win.

Chargers 27 Chiefs 21 – Kansas City has won the AFC West 9 consecutive years. If that streak is going to end, LA and Denver to show they can hold up against KC head-to-head.  I think more people had Denver finishing 2nd in the West than LA; so this was an interesting statement for the Chargers in Coach Jim Harbaugh’s second season at the helm.  QB Justin Herbert showed out with 318 yards, and 3 TD’s. Three different Chargers (Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey, and Keenan Allen) each had at-least 5 catches and 68 yards. Johnston had 2 TD’s. KC had 17 rushing attempts, with Patrick Mahomes leading the Chiefs with 6. Not a lot of balance to their attack in Week 1 at-least.  Hollywood Brown had 10 catches, but Xavier Worthy didn’t get on the board. Travis Kelce did have 2 catches, including a score.

Buccaneers 23 Falcons 20 – Seems like a game which will have season long implications. Tampa Bay entered the year as a favorite over Atlanta in the NFC South. The Bucs came into Week 1 a little gimpy. If the Falcons are going to push the Bucs in the division, having this head-to-head home win would have been helpful. Baker Mayfield was just 17 of 32, but he did have 3 TD’s. The Flacons defense was able to stuff Bucky Irvin pretty well, holding the 2nd year RB to just 37 yards on 14 attempts. Atlanta has struggled with pass rush for several years, and was only able to get Mayfield to the ground once. Mayfield was able to connect with 2025 1st rounder (19th overall), WR Emeka Egbuka for 4 catches, 67 yards, and 2 TD’s. Atlanta RB Bijan Robinson had 7 catches for 100 yards, and a TD.  On the ground though, Robinson was held to 24 yards over 12 carries. Michael Pennix had 42 attempts, and just under 300 yards passing (298). He had 1 TD, no picks, and was sacked once. He also fumbled once.

Bengals 17 Browns 16 – This was a winnable game for Cleveland, but they were not able to finish. Joe Flacco had 2 picks (the second one coming from no help from his WR), but threw for 290 yards. Rookie RB Dylan Sampson had just 29 yards rushing on 12 attempts, but he did have 8 grabs for 64 yards.  Three other Browns had at-least 52 yards receiving. Cincinnati didn’t play well, but they found a way to leave Cleveland with a W, in a game where Joe Burrow had just 113 passing yards. Myles Garrett had 2 sacks, and I guess he can enjoy the personal success and his contract as he wastes the rest of prime in a Browns uniform.

Colts 33 Dolphins 8 – This was one of the more interesting results of the weekend to me.  Lots of people like the Colts roster. They need average ish QB play to be a playoff team. Daniel Jones was effective, completing 22 of his 29 attempts, for 272 yards and a score. He worked an effective play action game with RB Jonathan Taylor. Rookie TE Tyler Warren had 7 catches for 76 yards, and Michael Pittman caught 6 passes for 80 yards, and a TD. The Indianapolis defense had 3 sacks, including one from Safety Nick Cross (Maryland). The Dolphins looked dead in the water, and their HC Mike McDaniel seemed utterly defeated in his post-game presser.

Raiders 20 Patriots 13 – Vegas’ Geno Smith had 362 yards in his Raiders debut. TE Brock Bowers, and WR Jakobi Myers combined for 13 receptions for 200 yards. If Ashton Jeanty gets unlocked at RB, the Raiders offense could be pretty solid.  The Rookie had 19 carries for just 38 yards (and a score) in his pro debut. Drake Maye had a new career high with 46 pass attempts. Would think going forward the Patriots would prioritize getting more carries to TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson, to take some of the burden off of Maye. In this opener, Henderson and Stevenson had just 12 carries combined. Four different Patriots (including Henderson) had at-least 4 catches. Four different Raiders had a sack. On the Patriots side, Harlold Landry had 2.5 sacks in his New England debut. This was a game of two potential AFC Wild Card teams, and the Raiders came away with the road head-to-head victory.

Cardinals 20 Saints 13 – Spencer Rattler getting 46 attempts in a one score game seems like a poor game plan. The Saints defense is solid.  They had 5 sacks with Carl Granderson and Cameron Jordan combining for 3. The Cards Marvin Harrison Jr had 5 catches, for 71 yards, and a TD to begin his 2nd year.

Steelers 34 Jets 32  – Pittsburgh got the road W in one of the better games of the opening week. Fun game. Aaron Rodgers had 4 TD’s in his Steelers debut. He can still throw the ball. He was motivated to face his former team, saying as much in the post-game. He was sacked 4 times. DK Metcalf will have a big year. So will Pat Freiermuth. Calvin Austin – opposite of Metcalf – could also put up some numbers. Pittsburgh’s rushing attack has been sub-standard for several years. That doesn’t look like it will change here in ’25. Rodgers still has the arm, and a quick release; but he looks vulnerable anytime he has to hold the ball. The Jets didn’t get the W, but it was a pretty solid performance from a team nobody has making the playoffs. I liked that Justin Fields had just 22 attempts. He was accurate with the chances he got, and had a couple of throws that showed off the big arm talent. He also ran for 48 yards. Overall the Jets ran for 198 yards (107 from Breece Hall), and had the aforementioned 4 sacks (2 from Will McDonald IV). That’s an identity they can move forward with.

Commanders 21 Giants 6 – Russell Wilson was 17 of 37 passing. Not going to keep his job very long with that type of performance. DC had 220 yards rushing on 32 attempts. Free Agent acquisition Deebo Samuel had 96 combined yards in his Commanders debut.

Jaguars 26 Panthers 10 – Could the Jags push Houston in the AFC South? They have solid weapons. Travis Etienne had 143 yards on the ground, including a long of 71. Really it comes down to what you feel about Trevor Lawrence. Carolina looks like they’re in for another long year. Bryce Young showed some improvement towards the end of ’24. This felt like a step back. Travis Hunter got his feet wet on both offense and defense for Jacksonville.

Broncos 20 Titans 12 – Cam Ward was 12 of 28 for 112 yards, and sacked 6 times in his NFL debut. He was facing a quality defense, and on the road. Denver is a solid team. RJ Harvey and JK Dobbins combined for 133 yards on the ground. Denver lost two fumbles, and Bo Nix was picked twice, and they were still able to win.  The 6 Denver sacks came from six different Broncos.

49ers 17 Seahawks 13 – I don’t have a great handle on either team. I can see a path for either team becoming a solid contender. Can also see a path where they’re mediocre also-rands. Christian McCaffrey had 143 combined yards, despite being limited to 3.1 yards per carry. I think he has to be more than good for the Niners to contend. Fred Warner and Nick Bosa combined for 14 tackles, 1 sack, and 4 tackles for loss.  Sam Darnold had 150 yards in his Seattle debut. The Seahawks gave their RB’s Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker a combined 22 carries, but they only 67 rushing yards. The O-line in-front of them is not very good. If Seattle can’t establish the backs as threats, I don’t see them putting things together. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a big game with 9 receptions for 124 yards and a score. They’re also going to need more from Cooper Kupp (2 catches, 15 yards).

Packers 27 Lions 13 – Green Bay largely controlled the game, and got the first punch in, in this game of NFC North Divisional foes. Similar to Philadelphia, it felt like their O-Line has taken a step back. The Lions are also dealing with lots of staff changes. Might be awhile until they look right.  David Montgomery 25 carries on 11 attempts. Jahmyr Gibbs 19 carries on 9 attempts.  Making Detroit one-dimensional will likely be the goal of every opposing defense. Five different Packers had at-least 2 catches. Green Bay had 4 sacks, with Micah Parsons getting #1 in a Green Bay uniform. Green Bay is right with Philadelphia at this point as NFC favorites.

Rams 14 Texans 9 – This was a game of two teams that can be playoff teams in their respective conferences.  There was question on if Matthew Stafford was going to play. He did, and he was effective. Puka Nucua had 10 receptions for 130 yards.

Bills 41 Ravens 40 – I think we’ve talked enough about this one.

Vikings 27 Bears 24 – That’s a disappointing result for Chicago. Divisional match-up. Both teams with 2nd year QB’s, but Minnesota’s JJ McCarthy spent all of last year injured, and he was without WR Jordan Addison. Chicago beefed up their O-Line, they have good weapons. It’s on Caleb Williams to make quicker judgements, and get the ball to his skill position talent.

Week 2 Games

Thursday September 11th

Commanders at Packers – Two NFC contenders coming off of Week 1 wins. Two talented QBs.  I look at DC more as a playoff contender, vs. a real threat to win the NFC. A road here could have me change my mind.

Sunday September 14th

Jaguars at Bengals – Not the best showing from Cincinnati last week. Could the Jaguars win this battle of cats?  I think we can safely expect more from Burrow this week. If Lawrence and Jacksonville are going to take a collective step-up this year, this would be one of the weeks where they show that.

Giants at Cowboys – A game Dallas can not lose if they expect to be in the playoff mix.

Bears at Lions – Detroit’s talented RB’s were stifled in Week 1.  Let’s see if they get going in Week 2.

Rams at Titans – Ward gets his first home game.  LA with a great opportunity to jump out to 2-0.

Patriots at Dolphins – Does McDaniel survive this game if Miami falls to 0-2?

49ers at Saints – Like the Rams, SF also has a good opportunity to get out to 2-0. Can they get CMAC unleashed? EDIT: Brock Purdy could miss up to 5 weeks with toe and shoulder issues; so Mac Jones is now up for San Fran.

Bills at Jets – You’d expect the Bills to win here, but coming off an emotional comeback win vs. the Ravens; maybe they’re a bit vulnerable against a physical divisional foe in a letdown game?

Seahawks at Steelers – The DK Metcalf revenge game? If Pittsburgh’s offense is totally one-dimensional, how often is Rodgers hit?

Browns at Ravens – Joe Flacco returns to Baltimore for probably his last game at M&T.  The Ravens figure to be ticked after their loss at Buffalo.  Cleveland could have stolen their opener vs. Cincinnati. Important for the Ravens to not allow Cleveland to hang around.

Broncos at Colts – Will Indianapolis be able to run against Denver? Game of two potential playoff teams.

Panthers at Cardinals – No excuse for Arizona to lose this game at home.

Eagles at Chiefs – Last year’s Super Bowl teams. Has Philadelphia’s O-line actually regressed? Will be tested against KC’s line.  The Chiefs will be motivated by the Super Bowl loss, and fears of falling to 0-2. Curious to see if KC tries to run the ball.  Smith-Schuster, Kelce, and Noah Gray will need to make plays in the middle of the field.

Falcons at Vikings – Lots of skill talent on both sides. Vikings have a better defense. Penix and McCarthy both trying to establish themselves. These are two teams which should be right around the NFC playoff bubble. A head-to-head win could have post-season implications later.

Monday September 15th

Buccaneers at Texans –  Mayfield vs. Stroud should be a fun game to end Week 2.

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