Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman suffered multiple facial fractures after being struck in the face by a foul ball while standing in the grass several feet in front of the on-deck circle during Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, ESPN reported on Monday night.

Bregman won’t need surgery and the Cubs are hopeful to have him back for the playoffs.

“He got hit in the left cheekbone essentially, under the eye,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “I don’t know anything more than that right now. He was bleeding from his nose a little. There’s some swelling. It’s a terrible, terrible accident. We hope he’s OK.”

In the fourth inning, left-handed batting Michael Busch checked his swing and fouled off a pitch from Reds right-hander Luis Mey that struck Bregman, who immediately jogged toward the Cubs’ dugout with his hand covering the left side of his face.

Bregman was escorted by a trainer down the dugout steps and into the clubhouse, with blood visible on his face. Matt Shaw replaced Bregman and drew a walk. He remained in the game to play second base, with Pedro Ramírez shifting to third.

“It just happens so fast,” Busch said. “[Mey]’s throwing the ball hard and it comes off hard. Any time it enters the head area, it’s always a scary thing. We try to focus on the game, but it’s tough. Hopefully he’s OK, first and foremost.”

Bregman went 1 for 1 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored before leaving the game. He is batting .262 with 26 home runs and 89 RBIs after signing a $175 million, five-year free agent deal in January.

“I mean, at the end of the day, you just hope your friend is OK,” Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “That’s the news that I’m hoping for. But scary stuff. Such a rarity.”

Counsell said he hadn’t thought about how a potential long-term absence for Bregman might impact his postseason roster plans.

“You know, we’ve got to get good results from the hospital,” Counsell said. “He got hit in the face, [so] you’re worried just about his general well-being first. I want to get a good report first.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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For years, Justin Herbert has been widely considered a prototype for an NFL quarterback. Scouts, coaches, executives and many in the media have gushed over his arm and legs, marveled at his mechanics and drooled over his potential.

Heading into every year following his splendid rookie season, the NFL has been bracing for his inevitable breakthrough.

It’s time we all admit that we were just wrong.

After six NFL seasons, plus two ugly games this year, we should all accept Herbert for what he is: a good quarterback but not one destined for greatness. Herbert is no longer being held back by a poor situation. 

In 2026, he’s holding back the Los Angeles Chargers.

It’s true that his offensive line is terrible at times and his receivers drop way too many passes. But the best quarterbacks find ways to elevate their teams. And it’s clear that Herbert doesn’t do that, at all.

Justin Herbert is known for putting up big numbers, be he’s eclipsed 250 passing yards just once in the past 11 games. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

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His shortcomings were on full display Sunday, as the Chargers fell to 0-2 with a 26-14 home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Herbert was just 15 of 27 for 192 yards with a touchdown pass and two interceptions. He was outplayed by Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins, just like he was outplayed by Arizona quarterback Jacoby Brissett one week ago.

Was it entirely Herbert’s fault that the Chargers lost to two teams that were supposed to be awful to start the season? Of course not. But that’s not the standard of a franchise quarterback. And it’s certainly not the standard for a quarterback Jim Harbaugh recently said “will be known as the greatest, best ever to play the position of quarterback” when his career ends.

The truth is, Herbert is not even on the fringe of the fringe of that conversation. And even with his record pace to 25,000 career passing yards, he doesn’t seem destined to pass Dan Fouts or Philip Rivers on the list of the greatest Chargers quarterbacks of all time.

Now, Herbert does put up numbers. There’s no denying that. But he’s been expected to transcend the numbers, especially when Harbaugh hired Mike McDaniel as his offensive coordinator this season. McDaniel was the guy who was finally going to get the greatness out of Herbert. It’s why the Chargers were considered a dark-horse Super Bowl contender. It’s crazy now to think that just two weeks ago their title odds were equal to the Eagles’ and better than those of the Broncos, Patriots, Bengals and 49ers.

While the season is still young, the 28-year-old Herbert is not. Moreover, the McDaniel addition hasn’t helped at all. And the only logical conclusion is that Herbert is simply missing what makes quarterbacks great.

The hiring of Mike McDaniel as Chargers OC was supposed to bring out the best in Justin Herbert. Through two games, the pairing has resulted in two touchdown passes and three interceptions. (Photo by Luke Johnson/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)

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Ernie Accorsi, the former New York Giants general manager who passed away on Saturday, once described the bar like this: “Can they take their team down the field with the championship on the line and into the end zone?” In other words, how do quarterbacks perform in the biggest moments?

Well, Herbert is 0-3 in the playoffs for his career, and he performed pretty poorly in each of those three games. But it’s more than just the results. It’s about making his team better than the sum of its parts, even in the regular season. It’s about making his teammates better than they are.

Herbert couldn’t even do that against the Cardinals or the Raiders, two clubs universally predicted to finish last in their respective divisions. His supporters might point out that Chargers tight end David Njoku deflected a pass into Herbert’s first interception on Sunday. But the truth is the pass was underthrown and behind Njoku, who was a few yards behind the defense and would’ve had an easy big gain if the ball had been thrown in front of him. Herbert’s second interception, late in the fourth quarter, was an ill-advised, forced throw into traffic to the wrong side of Derius Davis’ hands.

Herbert’s lone touchdown pass, to be fair, was outstanding. He evaded pressure, stepped up and sidearmed a dart to tight end Oronde Gadsden, giving the Chargers a short-lived, third quarter lead. But that’s Herbert. For every good play, there’s at least one bad play. One step forward, one step back. And more often than not, the step back comes at a terrible time.

Which brings up one more Accorsi-ism: He said the definition of leadership was “watching Johnny Unitas step off the bus.” His point was that the old Baltimore Colts knew they had a shot every game just because Unitas was their quarterback, because of his presence. They were that confident that he’d find a way to pull a game out.

There’s just no way the Chargers can say that about Herbert. He’s good yet frustratingly overrated. He’s a white-knuckler, not a man that inspires confidence in the big spots. And that’s a huge problem for the 0-2 Bolts. Their upcoming schedule is brutal — at Buffalo, at Seattle, versus Denver, at Kansas City, at the L.A. Rams, versus Houston and at Baltimore. The Chargers need a great quarterback to avoid bottoming out.

But that’s just not who Herbert is. He’s never going to be among the best doing it, much less the best to ever do it. He is, instead, the most overrated. 

Jayden Daniels’ Injury Could Cost Dan Quinn His Job

Everything about this season for the Washington Commanders was riding on the health of QB Jayden Daniels. They were sure that their 5-12 disaster a year ago was mostly because he missed 10 games with injuries. They believed that with him healthy again, they could really be a contender again.

Then Daniels was carted off the field on Sunday with a dislocated left elbow and a towel over his head. And that moment might mark the figurative end of the Commanders’ season — and Dan Quinn’s coaching tenure in D.C.

And yes, it’s that serious, because it’s hard to see how the 0-2 Commanders can recover if Daniels is sidelined for an extended period of time. He looked great against the Cowboys on Sunday before his first-half injury, throwing for 96 yards and running for 69 more. The Commanders were in the game prior to that point.

Then they fell apart and lost, 37-20.

The extent of Daniels’ injury isn’t known, but as cruel as it may be, it’s hard to see Quinn surviving another season without his biggest star and best weapon. The Commanders don’t have the defense or running game to push through Daniels’ absence. It would take a brilliant coaching job by Quinn to even reach the heights of .500.

And that might not be enough to keep him on the job for a fourth year, not after he shook up his coaching staff and took over the defensive playcalling as a way to get the Commanders back on track. 

Maybe it would be unfair to make Quinn pay for two seasons lost to devastating Daniels injuries. But it sure seems likely that if the Commanders miss the playoffs again for any reason, owner Josh Harris and GM Adam Peters will opt to go into 2027 with a new coach and a fresh start.

The Bears Are Hanging In Caleb Williams’ Shaky Balance

It felt like all of Chicago went silent when QB Caleb Williams went down on Sunday afternoon. It had to cross everyone’s mind that a special season might have just slipped away for the Bears.

The good news after the game — a wretched 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings — was that Williams had only suffered a hamstring injury and was walking without much of a limp. But even Bears coach Ben Johnson admitted that hamstring injuries can be “pretty damaging.”

And it’s possible the damage is already done.

That’s because even though the extent of Williams’ hamstring injury wasn’t immediately known, hamstring injuries tend to linger. And that’s especially problematic for players who make their living with their legs. Just ask Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, who was never the same last year after pulling his hamstring in Week 4 — an injury from which the Ravens never recovered, either.

A fully healthy Williams really is the key to everything in Chicago. He’s grown so much in his first two seasons and looked primed to be an MVP contender this year, now with a stronger grasp of Johnson’s offense. Yes, he was struggling on Sunday in the rain against a tough Vikings defense. But even in that game, he showed how good he is at making something out of nothing and keeping defenses off balance. His presence alone is a huge part of what makes the Bears’ powerful running game go, too.

Tyson Bagent might be a fine backup, but he’s just not nearly the QB Williams is. Few are. And unfortunately, it’s possible Williams won’t be himself again this season. That would be a shame, because there was a chance for this to be a super season in Chicago, if you catch my drift. 

Someone Needs To Make Brian Flores Their Head Coach

This will get lost in the headlines about Williams, but don’t dismiss the brilliant job Brian Flores’ Vikings defense did against the Bears — and the miracle they’ve pulled off so far this season.

A week ago, the Bears put up 59 points and 552 yards. Flores’ defense held that unit to 297 yards and three points. Williams was out there for all but the final seven-and-a-half minutes Sunday, and the Vikings had him throttled. Flores’ defensive masterpiece comes on the heels of a brilliant fourth quarter against Green Bay, in which the Vikings forced two turnovers and twice stopped the Packers on fourth down in the red zone to spark a wild comeback victory.

The Vikings are now 2-0 despite some bad quarterback play from Carson Wentz, who took over for injured starter Kyler Murray, and it’s all because of Flores’ defense.

Maybe one club out there team will remember that in the coming offseason, and look beyond the fact that he’s suing the NFL for racially discriminatory hiring practices, and offer him a head coaching job. He certainly deserves it. He’s the best defensive coordinator in football right now, and he was a better head coach than you probably remember in Miami, where he guided a rebuilding franchise to a 24-25 record and two winning seasons in three years.

He deserves a second chance, regardless of whether that lawsuit is settled.

Jalen Hurts Has To Carry The Eagles Now

There were signs last season, and they are even more obvious now: These aren’t the same old Philadelphia Eagles. They’re not going to wear teams down with a best-in-the-league offensive line anymore, and they’re not going to beat teams into submission with a punishing, clutch defense.

So if they’re going to win as much as they’re used to winning, it’s going to be on the shoulders of quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Jalen Hurts connects with DeVonta Smith for 22-yard TD, giving Eagles lead over Titans | NFL Highlights

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That was really clear on Sunday in Tennessee when Hurts nearly cost the Eagles the game by throwing two terrible interceptions, but then bailed them out with a brilliant final drive. Down 20-17 with 1:56 to go, Hurts drove the Eagles 65 yards for a touchdown, completing 6 of 8 passes for 61 yards and a 3-yard scoring pass to Darius Cooper along the way. That included two brilliant throws to — and catches by — DeVonta Smith, proving they can be a heck of a duo even without A.J. Brown.

Afterward, his teammates were clear that Hurts was the main reason the Eagles escaped with a win.

“That motherf—er balled out today,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. “Jalen really got in his bag today.”

• I told you the New Orleans Saints were for real, and were going to be the biggest surprise in the NFC this year. Their come-from-behind, near-win in Detroit in Week 1 was a big clue. But the proof came in their 24-17 win in Baltimore on Sunday. They have it all, from a brilliant coach in Kellen Moore to one of the best young quarterbacks in the game in Tyler Shough (27 of 34, 252 yards, 1 TD passing and rushing), and a defense that held the 1-2 punch of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry to a combined 102 rushing yards. The Saints probably aren’t a championship contender yet, but they’re good enough to finish on top of the weak NFC South.
• There was a lot of noise that Deshaun Watson was playing for his job this week. If that’s true, he did enough to keep it. He went 24 for 38 for 238 yards, two TDs and no interceptions in the Browns’ 23-19 win in Tampa, surprisingly outplaying the QB he replaced in Cleveland: Baker Mayfield. So far, Watson has done exactly what Todd Monken was hoping he’d do when he named him the starter over Shedeur Sanders. That is, he’s played like a veteran. He’s not great, but he can run an offense, which can really aid the development of a young team. Eventually, Monken might want to take a peek at the future and let Sanders play. But it’s clear the time for that isn’t right now.
• Aaron Rodgers has now thrown 79 passes in two games, which feels like an unsustainable rate for a 42-year-old who has completed just 59.4% of those throws and averaged just 5.2 yards per attempt. Rodgers was 23 of 39 for 187 yards and an interception in an ugly 20-3 loss to the Patriots. His lack of mobility continues to get him into trouble (four sacks, including a fumble that resulted in a scoop-and-score) and he just has nothing on his throws downfield. It’s hard to imagine Mike McCarthy would bench his old friend, but if things continue to go like this, he’s going to have to think about giving rookie QB Drew Allar a look at some point in the season.

In NFL Fallout, Ralph Vacchiano breaks down the impact of the biggest events every Sunday.

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The Kansas City Chiefs did it again.

Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs on two field-goal drives in overtime, which were good enough to get to 2-0 with a win over the Indianapolis Colts. It improves the Chiefs’ recent streak of overtime wins.

Here are my takeaways from Sunday night:

1.

It’s hard to find many situational stats where Kansas City doesn’t look good, but they’re a really good team once a game gets to overtime.

When they pulled out an overtime win over the Colts on Sunday night, it was their sixth win in their last six overtime games. Their last overtime loss was to the Bengals in the 2021 AFC Championship Game. Even with that, they’re now 9-1 in overtime games since the start of the 2019 season.

Of course, a big part of that is Mahomes – in overtime entering Sunday’s game, his career overtime numbers were 30-for-41 for 377 yards, completing 73% of his passes for a 109.5 passer rating. He’s actually only thrown one touchdown pass, but he consistently leads his team to victory. 

Converting a third-and-12 as he did with a pass to Tyquan Thornton was another case of Mahomes delivering when the Chiefs need him most.

2.

It’s almost like last season, when the Chiefs missed the playoffs and Mahomes looked mortal, was a palate cleanser to allow fans to enjoy the three-time Super Bowl champion being extremely good again.

Patrick Mahomes (right) celebrates a touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy (center). (Jamie Squire/Getty Images) –>

Sunday night was Mahomes getting back to his old self – three touchdowns and no interceptions, with one score each to tight end Travis Kelce and wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals. It’s the 30th time in Mahomes’ career he’s had at least three touchdown passes and zero interceptions. He actually had four such games last year, and he registered two-thirds of his touchdown passes for the season in those games.

The dynastic aspect of the Chiefs going to five Super Bowls in seven years and winning three of them put Mahomes at a level of consistently great that has fans almost rooting against him as a default. We might not be able to seriously sell them as underdogs for very long, but it’s reset things enough that fans can enjoy Mahomes in a way they couldn’t for a while.

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3.

Wide receiver Alec Pierce was carted off with an ankle injury. The Colts just don’t have the receiver depth to keep up without Pierce, with Josh Downs helping out but little else from the position Sunday night. Keenan Allen had no catches on his first four targets.

Then, both starting corners were sidelined: ex-Chiefs star Mooney Ward and Sauce Gardner. It’s hard to build enough depth to handle multiple injuries at a position like corner in one game.

Give the Colts credit for keeping this game close, though. They kept it close with the Chiefs despite playing cornerback Kapena Gushiken, an undrafted rookie from Ole Miss who the Colts claimed off waivers from the Eagles less than three weeks ago. Having that kind of player ready to play for exactly this kind of scenario.

3 ½. What’s Next?

The real setup in the Chiefs’ upcoming schedule is them facing the Seahawks and Broncos – both of last year’s Super Bowl teams – on the road in back-to-back games in Weeks 6-7.

Before they get there, Kansas City should have three very winnable games – at the Dolphins, at the Raiders and at home against the 0-2 Chargers. Kansas City could have a lot of momentum built up by the time they take on the defending Super Bowl teams two weeks in a row.

The Colts, meanwhile, have a pair of 0-2 teams on deck with a home game against the Texans and a trip to face the Commanders in Week 4, with quarterback Jayden Daniels’ status up in the air after suffering an elbow injury on Sunday.

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Week 2 might not have featured the same scoring fireworks as Week 1, but it still delivered plenty of historic performances.

Dak Prescott etched his name into the Dallas Cowboys record books, while Christian McCaffrey joined another exclusive list. Ja’Marr Chase and Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued to establish themselves among the NFL’s most dominant receivers.

But not every milestone was worth celebrating. One rookie quarterback joined an unfortunate group with his first career pass, while the Bears followed their Week 1 explosion with a historic scoring drop-off.

From record-breaking performances to some very unfortunate history, Week 2 had a little bit of everything. Here are the numbers that put it all into perspective:

• With four touchdown passes against Washington, Dak Prescott passed Tony Romo to become the Cowboys’ all-time passing touchdown leader with 249.
• Prescott earned his 20th consecutive home win against a divisional opponent, tying Tom Brady for the longest such streak in NFL history.

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• Since entering the NFL in 2021, Ja’Marr Chase has recorded 56 receiving touchdowns, the most of any player in the league over that span.
• Joe Burrow and Chase connected on a 32-yard touchdown, their 19th score on a pass traveling at least 20 yards downfield. That is the most by any quarterback-receiver duo since Chase was drafted in 2021.
• Chase recorded the 14th multi-touchdown game of his career, second among wide receivers since 2021 behind only Davante Adams (15).
• Chase now has 529 career receptions, the second-most by any player through his first 80 games in NFL history.

• Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s 82-yard touchdown against the Cardinals was the longest touchdown of his career.
• Since the start of the 2025 season, Smith-Njigba leads the NFL in touchdowns of 40+ yards (five) and 60+ yards (three).
• He has recorded three games with at least 150 receiving yards since the beginning of last season. Only Puka Nacua has more over that span (four).
• Smith-Njigba recorded three receiving touchdowns in a game for the first time in his career.
• He also became the fifth wide receiver ever with at least eight catches, 120 receiving yards and a touchdown reception in each of his team’s first two games.

What Happened To The Bears?

• Chicago followed its 59-point performance in Week 1 with just three points in Week 2. That 56-point decline is the third-largest scoring difference between a team’s first two games of a season in NFL history.
• Before Sunday, the largest scoring difference between the Bears’ first two games of a season in either direction was 34 points in 1940, when Chicago followed a 41-10 victory with a 21-7 loss.
• The Bears’ three points marked the second-fewest scored by a Ben Johnson-led offense during his time as a head coach or offensive coordinator in his entire career.

• Christian McCaffrey became the third player in NFL history to record at least 50 scrimmage touchdowns for multiple franchises, joining Marshall Faulk and Randy Moss.
• McCaffrey’s play has helped the 49ers start 2-0 with each win coming by 20+ points for the first time in franchise history.

Vikings Keeps Winning

• The Vikings became the first team in NFL history to win four consecutive games, including the playoffs, with four different starting quarterbacks (Max Brosmer, J.J. McCarthy, Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz).
• Minnesota recorded four sacks and has now produced at least four in five consecutive games, the longest streak in franchise history.
• The Vikings have won seven consecutive road games against the Bears, tied for the longest streak vs. a divisional opponent in franchise history.

• Jack Strand became the fourth quarterback since at least 1991 to throw a pick-six on his first career pass attempt.
• He joined Sam Darnold (2018 vs. Lions), Jameis Winston (2015 vs. Titans) and Brett Favre (1991 vs. Washington) as the only QBs to do so (all were in their rookie season).

Trouble In Los Angeles

• For the first time in his 23 seasons as a college or NFL head coach, Jim Harbaugh has started a season 0-2.
• The Chargers opened 0-2 with losses to the teams that held the first and third overall picks in the 2026 NFL Draft— the Raiders and Cardinals, respectively.

Packers Get An Ugly Win

• The Packers became the first team in the Super Bowl era to win despite recording fewer than 200 total yards, committing at least 10 penalties and forcing zero turnovers.
• Teams were previously 0-38 when posting those numbers.

• Travis Kelce caught nine passes for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Colts, recording his first 100-yard game since Nov. 4, 2024, against the Buccaneers.
• Kelce has already recorded more games with at least 60 yards after the catch through two weeks this season (two) than he did during the 2024 and 2025 seasons combined (one).
• Kenneth Walker III is the first player since 1980 to record 175+ scrimmage yards in each of his team’s first two games of a season. Billy Sims (Lions) and Paul Hofer (49ers) both did this in the 1980 season.

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The NFL season doesn’t end after Week 2, but if your favorite team is off to an 0-2 start, it might feel like it’s over. Historically speaking, you have a reason to feel that way, too. 

In the last 10 years, only 12 of the 84 teams that have lost their first two games have gone on to make the postseason that year (14.3%). That percentage was better last year, when three of the 10 teams that started the year 0-2 reached the playoffs. However, recent history says it’s likely that just one of the eight teams that are winless through Sunday’s games will end up in the playoff field. 

There are a few surprises in that group of eight teams as well. The Los Angeles Chargers were upset for the second straight weekend on Sunday, falling to the Las Vegas Raiders. Teams that were expected to make the postseason, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans, are also out to 0-2 starts, complicating their paths to the playoffs. And this all before the potential inclusion of the Los Angeles Rams, who could join this list if they lose to the New York Giants on Monday night.

So, which 0-2 teams need to start panicking and getting their season on track? We put those eight teams on the panic meter.  

Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert threw two interceptions in the Chargers’ loss to the Raiders in Week 2. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

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Not just 0-2, but 0-2 with losses to the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders by identical 26-14 scores? That’s two teams that picked in the top three of this past year’s draft and had minimal expectations entering this season. The Kansas City Chiefs look like they’re back. The Denver Broncos bounced back from a rough opener. And the Raiders are surprisingly 2-0, firmly placing the Chargers in last place in the AFC West. 

The last time the Chargers opened 0-2 and made the playoffs was 2008. This was a team with a ton of offseason buzz, having added Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator, but the more significant coordinator change might be losing Jesse Minter to the Baltimore Ravens. 

And the Chargers’ schedule doesn’t get any easier anytime soon. Their next two games? At the Bills and at the Seahawks, where they’ll do really well to avoid being 0-4 when they host the Broncos in Week 5. Then, they play at the Chiefs and have games against the Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens following their Week 7 bye.

PANIC LEVEL: High

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers’ 0-2 start has only increased the noise surrounding Todd Bowles’ hot seat status. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

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A close loss against the Cincinnati Bengals to open the year was discouraging, but not nearly the way losing at home as an eight-point favorite to the Cleveland Browns was Sunday. Baker Mayfield lost three fumbles in the opener, then had an interception early Sunday, and the offense has struggled to get top receivers Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin involved. 

Todd Bowles’ MO as head coach has been great starts, then a midseason swoon. But can they get out of this one quickly with matchups against the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys in a span of 12 days starting Sunday? 

Many fans wanted Bowles out after last season, so he started the year on thin ice.

PANIC LEVEL: High

Washington Commanders

The Commanders are 0-2, but what might be worse is that Jayden Daniels will likely miss an extended period of time. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

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Yes, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys to open the year 0-2 in the NFC East isn’t good. But what’s worse was seeing Jayden Daniels clearly dislocate his elbow on Sunday, making the road ahead a lot tougher for Washington.

The Commanders went 2-6 with Marcus Mariota starting last year, and there’s more of the same ahead, so it’s a question of whether head coach Dan Quinn can survive another year of noncompetitive games with the asterisk of a quarterback injury. If there was a chance of them getting back to the heyday of 2024, that seems very unlikely with Daniels injured and a big hole to dig out of if/when he’s back healthy.

PANIC LEVEL: High

Atlanta Falcons

Tua Tagovailoa (left) and Michael Penix Jr. (right) have yet to play and it’s unclear when they’ll play, leading to woeful play at QB for the Falcons. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

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This can’t be shocking, given that the Falcons have played without their top two quarterbacks. But a 34-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers was particularly damning. Cooper Rush had three turnovers before getting benched for undrafted rookie Jack Strand, who went on to throw a pick-six on his first career pass. 

Can the Falcons get Michael Penix Jr. back this week? Perhaps, but they’re at Green Bay in prime time on Thursday night, so that doesn’t solve all the problems. They’re also without their top two edge rushers, so creating pressure is a challenge. They can’t be minus-5 in turnover margin as they were in Sunday’s loss.

PANIC LEVEL: High

Houston Texans

C.J. Stroud and the Texans didn’t do much to quiet concerns about their offense on Sunday. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

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Houston opened 0-3 last year and still somehow went 12-5, so if it’s possible to be good at this kind of unnecessary comeback, the Texans certainly are. Losing to the Buffalo Bills on a touchdown with two minutes left is one thing, but getting held to six points by the (checks notes) Bengals defense is a bit more concerning. 

C.J. Stroud had 55 passes in Sunday’s loss, and having an elite defense isn’t as great when the offense is struggling to move the ball with any consistency. They face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3, and Indy gave up 41 points to Baltimore in Week 1 and 33 points to Kansas City (27 before overtime) in Week 2, so that could be a get-right game.

PANIC LEVEL: Medium

Indianapolis Colts

Daniel Jones and the Colts nearly upset the Chiefs on Sunday night. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs was really close to being a road win at Arrowhead, and the Colts are in a division where three teams are 0-2. So, there’s ample time to make up for a disappointing first two games. 

Injuries to cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Charvarius “Mooney” Ward could be problematic, and facing another 0-2 team in the Texans in Week 3 will raise the panic level for one of those teams. But a win against the Texans could serve a quick turning point for the Colts. Their three opponents after that are the Commanders, Pittsburgh Steelers and Titans. 

So, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if we looked at the AFC South standings in a month and saw the Colts sitting at 3-3 or 4-2. Everything’s still in play for them, and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ loss on Sunday certainly helps things, too. 

PANIC LEVEL: Medium

Tennessee Titans

Cam Ward rushed for two scores on Sunday, but has had some struggles passing through the first two weeks. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

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The Titans were so close to knocking off the Eagles, losing on a touchdown with nine seconds left. So yes, they’re 0-2, but they’re probably closer to 1-1 than most Tennessee fans would expect to be. Losing 23-10 to the New York Jets doesn’t sting as much when they took the Packers to overtime. 

Get rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate more involved in the pass game, get more takeaways from the defense and head coach Robert Saleh’s first season can be a step in the right direction. The next two games are on the road, facing the Giants and Ravens. But if you took the Eagles to the wire, there’s nothing to say you don’t have a chance in the next two as well.

PANIC LEVEL: Medium

Miami Dolphins

The first two weeks have gone as expected for first-year Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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What were you really expecting? If they lost to the Raiders, they weren’t going to beat the San Francisco 49ers, lingering jet lag or not. This is a long year for Miami and head coach Jeff Hafley, and wins will be hard to come by. 

The Chiefs come to town in Week 3, and it shouldn’t look much different from this week. Focus on making progress, finding what you can build around, including the high draft pick likely ahead with their record. Can Malik Willis show enough to convince the Dolphins they should take Jeremiah Smith and not another quarterback?

PANIC LEVEL: Low

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If Week 1 is a liar, Week 2 provided some truth serum for NFL teams — and some probably didn’t like the results.

The Green Bay Packers ended a six-game losing streak, but needed overtime to defeat the New York Jets. The defending champion Seattle Seahawks still cruised with starting quarterback Sam Darnold, upping their franchise-best and league-leading winning streak to 12 games by making quick work of the Arizona Cardinals.

But the major storylines this week were the injuries to the top two picks from the 2024 draft class. Caleb Williams (hamstring) and Jayden Daniels (elbow) suffered injuries severe enough that they needed to be carted off the field in their respective teams’ losses. How the Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears move forward without their franchise quarterbacks for an extended period might define the rest of the 2026 NFL season.

Now, let’s overreact to Sunday’s Week 2 action.

The Cowboys Are Back

After a disappointing road loss against the New York Giants in Week 1, Dallas rebounded at home with a convincing victory over Washington. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense finally looked as good as advertised.

Prescott threw for 279 yards and four scores. His favorite target was CeeDee Lamb, who finished with 153 receiving yards and two touchdowns. And after looking disjointed against the Giants, the Dallas defense led by new defensive coordinator Christian Parker held Washington’s offense to 207 passing yards and two touchdowns.

So, are the Cowboys really back?

Conclusion: Overreaction 

Washington lost standout quarterback Jayden Daniels and had to finish the game with Marcus Mariota, making the Commanders less dangerous on offense. And even with that in consideration, the Commanders still finished with 182 yards on the ground, which followed a 165-yard ground performance from the Giants in Week 1.

While the Cowboys improved to 1-1, we need to see more from them defensively against Lamar Jackson and the high-flying Baltimore Ravens in Week 3 to truly consider them a playoff contender. 

The Chargers Will Miss The Playoffs

Considered a Super Bowl contender and facing another beatable team at home, the Bolts once again looked like they hadn’t practiced in another humbling loss, this one to the Las Vegas Raiders by an identical 26-14. Second-year running back Omarion Hampton ran for 94 yards but fumbled twice, losing one. The Chargers had a whopping six fumbles in the game. 

The pairing of Justin Herbert and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has yet to produce the results many expected entering the season. Herbert finished Sunday’s game with 192 passing yards, a touchdown pass and two interceptions. He was sacked three times, posting a 59.5 passer rating.

And defensively, the Chargers appear to be missing departed defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. 

“We’re going to have to fight our way out of this,” Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said.

Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers are searching for answers after falling to 0-2. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

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Conclusion: Not an overreaction  

Over the next six games, the Chargers face five playoff teams from last season and the Kansas City Chiefs. Extend that stretch to nine games, and that slate includes the Ravens and New England Patriots. That arduous trek starts with road games at Buffalo and at Seattle. 

Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in the league, leading the Chargers to back-to-back 11-6 seasons in his first two years in Los Angeles. But his coaching acumen will be tested over the next month. 

The Chiefs Are The Best Team In The AFC

The Kansas City Chiefs have put last year’s 6-11 season in the rearview mirror, as they’re one of four teams in the AFC with a 2-0 record following their overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts. The others include the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and the Las Vegas Raiders. 

The Chiefs have done it by playing complementary football, too. In the win over the Colts, Patrick Mahomes threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns as he and tight end Travis Kelce rekindled the connection that made them the AFC’s king for years. Running back Kenneth Walker III had his second straight 100-yard rushing performance and Kansas City’s defense got enough stops to seal the victory after a strong outing in a win against the Denver Broncos last week. 

Conclusion: Overreaction

Josh Allen has been the best player in the NFL and the Bills have been the best team through two weeks of the NFL season. The Bills are second in the AFC in scoring and defeated teams with more pedigree, getting a win against the Houston Texans on the road in Week 1 before taking down the Detroit Lions on Thursday. 

The Chiefs and Bills meet on Thanksgiving Day in Week 12, so we’ll get a more accurate barometer on where these two teams stand later this year. But, for now, the Bills pass the eye test as the more complete team.

Improved Defense Makes Bengals Super Bowl Contender

With a double-digit victory over one of the best defenses in the league in the Houston Texans, the Cincinnati Bengals have started the year 2-0 for a second straight season. That’s not insignificant, considering the Bengals have traditionally started out slowly under head coach Zac Taylor.

With Joe Burrow, J’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals always had an offense that could lead them to a deep playoff run. But with offseason additions in defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence and Jonahan Allen, plus edge rusher Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook in free agency, the Bengals are stout defensively. That was apparent on Sunday, when they allowed just six points as Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw the ball 55 times. 

Jonathan Allen (left) logged a sack on Sunday, while Boye Mafe (right) has contributed to the Bengals’ strong start. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

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Conclusion: Not an overreaction 

Through two games, the Bengals have allowed 33 total points after giving up 29 points a game last season. However, if you account for the pick-six Burrow threw in their win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, the Bengals’ defense has allowed just 13 points per game. 

Burrow said before the season started that this is the year for the Bengals to make the Super Bowl happen. Maybe he spoke it into existence. 

In Seattle’s comeback victory over the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch, Smith-Njigba made the game-changing play: a short pass from Drew Lock that he turned into a 45-yard touchdown.

Smith-Njigba finished with 122 receiving yards in Week 1, and he was back this week on the road against the Arizona Cardinals, scoring on an 82-yard catch-and-run on a deep ball from Lock for the first touchdown of the game. That catch was the longest of his career and served as the start of a strong day for the star wide receiver. Smith-Njigba finished with nine receptions for 155 yards and three scores, putting the Seahawks tied atop the NFC West at 2-0 with the San Francisco 49ers.

Conclusion: Not an overreaction

On a day where Ja’Marr Chase shined with two touchdowns (including a highlight toe-tapping grab), Smith-Njigba outdid him. He had over twice as many yards as the Bengals’ star and one more touchdown — and he’s doing it with a backup quarterback. 

The Seahawks do not have a definitive timeline for Same Darnold’s return from a glute injury, but with Smith-Njigba putting Seattle’s offense on his back, Seattle can take a cautious approach to his return. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Smith-Njigba leads the NFL in receiving yards (277) and is tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns (4). 

Yes, Sunday’s Vikings-Bears game was played in a steady downpour at Soldier Field. Still, the Vikings and defensive coordinator Brian Flroes made one of the best offenses in the league, led by Caleb Williams, look pedestrian, holding them to three points after Chicago rang up 59 points against the Carolina Panthers.

Minnesota made Williams uncomfortable most of the game and bottled up Chicago’s potent running game led by D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, holding that duo to 92 rushing yards combined on 3.5 yards per carry. 

Conclusion: Not an overreaction 

The Vikings are the only team at 2-0 in the NFC North division. Even with backup Carson Wentz starting in place of Kyler Murray at quarterback, the Vikings dominated so much defensively that Wentz didn’t have to take any risks on offense. 

Flores once again proved he’s the best coordinator in the league and deserving of an opportunity to serve as a head coach again.

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A replay review kept the Indianapolis Colts’ overtime possession alive against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night when it overturned the call that wide receiver Laquon Treadwell had fumbled before the Chiefs went on to beat the Colts 33-30 in overtime.

Kansas City had kicked a field goal on the first drive of overtime to lead 30-27. Indianapolis needed a touchdown to win, and a possession that ended without points would end the game. 

Daniel Jones completed a 48-yard pass to Treadwell that moved the ball to the Kansas City 17. Nohl Williams punched the ball out, and the Chiefs recovered it and celebrated. 

The play was ruled a fumble on the field. Had the call stood, Kansas City would have won 30-27.

Why Wasn’t It A Fumble?

Officials reviewed the play and overturned the call. 

Andy Reid looks up at the video board next to officials during the Chiefs’ 33-30 overtime win over the Colts on Sunday night. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

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The question was whether Treadwell had control of the ball when a Chiefs defender first touched him. He bobbled the ball during the catch, and contact before he had control would not have ended the play. 

Upon further review, officials determined that the defender touched Treadwell on the hip after he had control, that his knee then hit the ground, and that the ball came out after that. 

In the NFL, a runner is down by contact when a defender touches him and a part of his body other than his hands or feet hits the ground, so the play ended before Williams knocked the ball loose. The result was a 48-yard completion, and Indianapolis kept the ball at the Kansas City 17.

What Happened Next?

The Colts kept their offense on the field, then took a timeout and sent out the field goal unit. Spencer Shrader made a 38-yard field goal to tie the game at 30-30 with 3:11 left in overtime. 

Kansas City then drove from its own 32 and won 33-30 on a 40-yard field goal by Harrison Butker as time expired. 

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The New York Giants visit the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. New York is 1-0 after a 28-20 win over Dallas, while Los Angeles is 0-1 following a 27-7 loss to San Francisco in Melbourne.

New York’s opener was sharp. Jaxson Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, added 11 carries for 54 yards, and Isaiah Likely caught all eight of his targets for 78 yards and two scores.

Los Angeles never got going in Australia. Matthew Stafford finished 15 of 25 for 155 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, while Puka Nacua still led the Rams with five catches for 74 yards.

The Rams are 7-point favorites over the Giants, with a total of 48.5 and a moneyline of -356 for the Rams and +283 for the Giants. Keep reading for everything you need to tune in.

How to Watch Giants vs. Rams

• When: Monday, September 21, 2026, 8:15 p.m. ET
• Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
• TV: ABC, ESPN
• Streaming: ESPN Unlimited – Get the FOX One / ESPN Bundle

Players to Watch

New York converted 9 of 10 third downs and finished with 394 total yards in the win over Dallas, with Jaxson Dart’s dual-threat game at the center of it.

Los Angeles scored only seven points in Melbourne. Sustaining that Giants efficiency against a Rams defense trying to reset at home is what matters Monday night.

Los Angeles scored only seven points in Melbourne, and that empty night is still hanging over Matthew Stafford heading into Monday.

New York just held Dallas to 20 points and picked off Dak Prescott once. Getting the Rams into the end zone against that defense is the job at SoFi.

Isaiah Likely caught all eight of his targets for 78 yards and two touchdowns in his Giants debut, finishing as New York’s top receiver in the win over Dallas.

The Rams allowed 27 points in Melbourne. Likely’s red-zone production is one of the first matchup pieces New York can lean on again.

Giants vs. Rams Odds

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The Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers flirted with catastrophic losses before pulling out wins at the last minute. But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn’t, losing at home to the awful Cleveland Browns. Like the Bucs, the Los Angeles Chargers dropped to 0-2 as well. But in the Chargers’ case, I actually believe in their opponent: the Las Vegas Raiders. Coach Klint Kubiak has that unit looking much better than it should. The Raiders might even be playoff-worthy.

But that’s the obvious stuff. You came here to sound smart.

So let’s go below the surface. Let’s spin it forward, dive deeper, think outside the box and read between the lines. If I do my job, you’ll be fluent in the NFL’s Week 2 action.

1.

Maybe you’d think that, after two weeks, we know nothing about the Chicago Bears. They scored 59 points on the way to a win over the Panthers in Week 1. They scored three points in a loss to the Vikings in Week 2.

The 56-point differential is the third-largest in a team’s first two games — ever.

Yes, the conditions were sloppy in the Chicago rain. But this is who the Bears are. They are going to boom and bust from week to week. They’re going to be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They’re going to be their own yin and yang. In other words, they are the song “Hot N Cold” by Katy Perry. 

I’ll admit that I took the bait after the first week, thinking that they could score more points than anyone in NFL history. I thought Caleb Williams could insert himself into the MVP debate. We can see fairly clearly now that the Bears aren’t likely to break scoring records, particularly not after the QB’s hamstring injury. And Williams has much longer odds to join the MVP race if he’s out for an extended period after this stinker of a performance.

That doesn’t mean this offense won’t realize its immense potential. It’s just that it won’t do it every single week. Think about how young the Bears are. Williams is 24, receiver Luther Burden is 22, tight end Colston Loveland is 22, receiver Rome Odunze is 24 and running back Kyle Monangai is 24. They’re all basically young enough to still be in college. (Although I might be young enough for college, according to all these new NCAA rules.)

The offense has some properly grizzled veterans like receiver Kalif Raymond (32), guard Joe Thuney (33) and center Garrett Bradbury (31). And the defense is actually composed largely of veterans. But on offense, it’s no surprise that Raymond and D’Andre Swift (27) have been the most reliable playmakers. They’re also the team’s oldest playmakers.

Don’t dismiss what we saw from the Bears in Week 1. It wasn’t a fluke. When Williams gets healthy, we’ll see more of that. We might even see some of that high-scoring with backup quarterback Tyson Bagent.

But don’t dismiss how out of sorts the Bears looked in Week 2. That wasn’t fluky either. We’ll see more of that, even when Williams returns to the lineup.

Now, all of this unpredictability is sure to make coach Ben Johnson miserable. 

He expects everything to be perfect. And his youngsters are going to make a lot of mistakes. But maybe as the season goes on, he’ll rein in their variable performances. That seems to be what he does best. He’s already working wonders on Williams.

2.

It took nine weeks for Drake Maye to throw four interceptions in 2025. It took him seven quarters in 2026.

We knew the New England Patriots quarterback was going to regress in 2026. Maye was brilliant last year, but the playoffs gave us a taste of how he might look against elite defenses. We also knew that when receiver A.J. Brown went down with a high ankle sprain, Maye’s regression was likely to get worse. But he is playing more like he did when he was a rookie in 2024 rather than as the MVP runner-up he was in 2025.

This season, Maye has struggled inordinately with situational awareness. He’s playing with too much arm arrogance. You can see that clearly in his interception in the third quarter against the Steelers in Week 2. It was a completely unnecessary risk.

“You have got to know that that is not always the time to take a shot on first down,” Maye said when I asked during a press conference.

He said that after last week’s loss to the Seahawks, about how he needed to play with more patience after throwing three interceptions in the league’s season-opener. He had 11 days to get his head right. And still, he had what I’d call a mental lapse.

Of course, tight end Hunter Henry, the target of the pass that became a pick, didn’t agree.

“Yeah, that’s on me, man. It’s a crosser. I was taking it high across his face,” Henry told me after the game. “I was trying to turn. … I need to get my eyes back to [Maye], and that’s all.”

Even if the execution is better, I don’t like the decision. It was unnecessary. It was more of the same from last week.

In consecutive weeks, Maye had the lead — and an elite defense showing signs of complete control. He had a ground game that was doing enough (and in Week 2, more than enough). And still, Maye forced interceptions. He unnecessarily threw the ball into dangerous situations when he didn’t have to. Against the Seahawks, he threw three in a row to, essentially, lose the game for the Patriots. In New England’s 20-3 win over the Steelers, he threw one in the third quarter.

It’s a Benjamin-Button-style reverse maturation for Maye.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and coach Mike Vrabel need to figure out how get back their MVP candidate. Rein him in. 

They’ve done it before. They shouldn’t have to do it again. But clearly, they do.

3.

Let’s start with how the Lions’ defense tried (and failed) to stop Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who has been historically dominant to start the season, logging nine total touchdowns in the first two weeks. He is just the second player to do that in the Super Bowl era, following Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (2013, 2018).

It’s important to note Allen’s accolades because it shows that he’s not necessarily a quarterback who can be stopped right now. But as the stats show, the Lions didn’t even slow him down in their 41-31 loss on Thursday.

“That quarterback can make things difficult,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “[But] we didn’t make life easy on ourselves.”

The Lions dialed up one of the most aggressive blitzing game plans that Allen has ever seen.

And Allen made that plan look stupid.

Detroit blitzed Allen on 55.3% of his dropbacks, the third-highest blitz rate he has faced in a game in the past five seasons, and the highest rate by the Lions under defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, per Next Gen Stats. Yet Allen completed 20 of his 31 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns. 

Facing the blitz, this was an outlier game for Allen. Sending the blitz, this was an outlier for Sheppard.

So what happened?

Against the blitz, Allen was 12-of-17 for 137 yards and two touchdowns, while adding two scramble runs for 10 yards and a touchdown. 

“We’ve got to clean up a lot of things defensively right now, particularly on the back end,” Campbell said, revealing that the Lions had a series of coverage breakdowns that allowed big plays.

Allen saw the blitzes clearly. He saw the coverages clearly. (And the busts.) We’ve always known he’s among the most physically talented players in NFL history. It’s his mental game that has lapsed, with him — notably — failing to diagnose and/or defeat blitzes from the likes of Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo in big moments, often in the playoffs.

But Allen’s mental game seems to be getting better. Sheppard couldn’t trick, stump or deceive Allen. All that aggression backfired.

On the other side of the ball, Detroit’s offense has its own issues. For starters, QB Jared Goff’s connection with receiver Jameson Williams has me slightly concerned. In his fifth season with the Lions, Williams has been unable to make big plays when they’ve needed him.

In the first two weeks, Goff has 533 passing yards and six touchdowns, but Williams has just six catches for 78 yards and no touchdowns. He has snagged just six of his 13 targets (46%). At this time last year, Williams had 131 yards and a touchdown. Last season, he caught 64% of his targets. Williams is a boom-and-bust player, but it feels notable that while the offense has erupted through two games, the WR2 has not. 

Tight end Sam LaPorta is back, and star running back Jahmyr Gibbs seems to be contributing even more in the passing game. But let’s not make excuses for an elite playmaker: Williams is struggling to haul in his targets. Something’s off with him and Goff.

Something’s way, way off with this Lions defense.

The only consolation — after a game where there’s this much to fix (and rethink) — is that they have a long week to take a look in the mirror. The film room won’t be a happy place this week. But honest criticism should pay dividends for a team this talented.

4.

Green Bay’s 20-17 overtime win over the Jets was brutal to watch — for Packers fans.

At times during the game, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one wondering whether coach Matt LaFleur might end up on the hot seat. The offense was sluggish. Jordan Love looked stumped on what to do without help from his offensive line or run game. Against the Jets.

And there was the context that made it worse: LaFleur had lost the previous five games, extending back into the 2025 season. It’s not just that he’s lost so many games in a row. It’s how he’s done it, with an underwhelming display of in-game management throughout the streak.

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

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Despite all that, he’s not going anywhere.

And it’s not because the Packers somehow pulled out a win. It’s because of money. LaFleur just signed a contract extension in the offseason, and he will get a very, very lengthy leash — probably extending safely into 2027 in just about every scenario. The Packers and LaFleur are a package deal for the foreseeable future.

It might be frustrating for Packers fans to hear, because Love is already 27 years old. Because he sat for so many years, his window is naturally shorter. I’m not going to go as far as saying that the Packers shortened that window further by extending LaFleur, but his longstanding weaknesses haven’t changed. Until they do, he’s going to get in Love’s path to a Super Bowl.

It’s hard to put too much faith in LaFleur. For the foreseeable future, however, Green Bay has no choice. 

5.

Kenneth Walker is first in the NFL in rush yards over expected (125) and expected points added as a runner (13.5), per Next Gen Stats. In back to back weeks, he has set career highs in forced missed tackles, with 14 in Week 1 and 15 in Week 2.

You can’t always get what you want. But the Chiefs have. 

It seemed like they were getting what they needed when they inked Walker to a three-year, $43 million free-agent deal this offseason. He would bring hope to the run game — often contributing the explosive plays the offense sorely lacked. But he has done more than that. He has become the central cog in the offensive rebuild, bringing fresh life to the unit that looked stale. Everyone looks better, from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to tight end Travis Kelce to coach Andy Reid.

The Chiefs are third in the league in points per game at 32. They’re eighth in explosive play rate (15.2%) and seventh in success rate (49.0%). They may not be the best offense in the NFL (yet). 

That’s all a bunch of numbers that say this: The Chiefs are fun to watch again. The Kansas City offense isn’t laboring, like last year. There’s a weight lifted off Mahomes’ shoulders. The whole unit looks free to attack the field.

That’s because of Walker, who is forcing missed tackles at a faster clip than any other running back in the league. He’s stacking up expected points added on the ground. And he’s helping the Chiefs close out games (sometimes early) with massive plays. Last week, it was his 60-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-1 that psychologically seemed to crush the Broncos. And this week against the Colts, he helped clinch the game-winning field goal, with a third-and-1 reception that got the Chiefs down into chip-shot range.

The Chiefs have forced a new, under-center offensive identity that has Reid stealing out of Sean McVay’s playbook — and stealing personnel out of Mike Macdonald’s backfield. It might be humbling for Reid to be the one who is copying other coaches. Usually, it’s the other way around. But that doesn’t mean Reid is washed up. To the contrary, he’s keeping up with the times brilliantly. Walker is helping him do just that.

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It’s tough to definitively say we know who will be contending for the Lombardi Trophy this season, but it’s hard to ignore what some teams have done so far this season.

The San Francisco 49ers have blown out both teams they’ve played, while the defending-champion Seattle Seahawks went on the road and beat an upstart Cardinals team in Week 2. Also, the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals have put the AFC on notice that they might be back as contenders.

But how do they stack up against each other? Here’s my top-10 rankings following Week 2’s Sunday slate and ahead of Monday night’s Giants vs. Rams matchup.

Record: 0-1

Previous ranking: 8 ↓

Matthew Stafford and the Rams face a tough test in Week 2 following a dud to open the season. (Martin Keep / AFP via Getty Images)

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The Rams are too talented to leave off this list after one game. That said, though, a loss to the Giants on Monday night would mean they will not be here next week.

Record: 1-0

Previous ranking: N/A ↑

Isaiah Likely (left), Jaxson Dart (center) and Malik Nabers were on Cloud 9 after beating the Cowboys in Week 1. (Elsa/Getty Images)

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The Giants were extremely impressive in Week 1, dominating the Cowboys at home to kick off a new era under head coach John Harbaugh. A trip across the country to play one of the most talented rosters in the NFL will be a good litmus test for them.

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: N/A ↑

Kirk Cousins has played well in both of the Raiders’ wins to start the season under new head coach Klint Kubiak. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

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Do not sleep on the Silver and Black after head coach Klint Kubiak quickly changed the culture in Las Vegas. The offensive guru has transformed the Raiders into a disciplined unit that pays attention to detail and avoids the self-inflicted miscues (turnovers, penalties and missed assignments) that lead to losses. 

Although the wins have not been perfect, the Raiders’ 2-0 start suggests the team is headed in the right direction.

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: N/A ↑

Joe Burrow and the Bengals have made a statement in the first two weeks of the NFL season. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

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Joe Burrow & Co. are quietly re-emerging as a force in the AFC with a couple of W’s to start the season. Although the offense was expected to sizzle with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase terrorizing opponents, the defense has held its own with defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence dominating the line of scrimmage. 

With a more balanced roster producing impressive results, the Bengals are back in business as a playoff contender.

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Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: N/A ↑

Patrick Mahomes is back in control of a Chiefs offense that thrived on Sunday night against the Colts. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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After taking a year off as a title contender, the Chiefs are officially back in contention with quarterback Patrick Mahomes leading the way. The NFL’s QB1 of the 2020s remains as clutch as ever, delivering big plays in key moments as a playmaking wizard. 

Running back Kenneth Walker III adds a dynamic element as a runner-receiver with home-run potential. With another stellar performance on Sunday night, Walker became the first player in 40 years to record at least 175 yards from scrimmage in each of his team’s first two games.

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 4 ↓

Jalen Hurts threw two interceptions, but he led the Eagles to a late win over the Titans. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

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After registering a couple of gritty wins, the Eagles are well-positioned to make another title run. Jalen Hurts closed out Philadelphia’s Week 2 victory over Tennessee with a “dime” to silence the haters questioning his skills as a title-winning quarterback with a Super Bowl MVP in the trophy case.

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 7 ↑

Brock Purdy and the 49ers are 2-0 with a pair of blowout wins under their belt. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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The 49ers showed no signs of jet lag from their Week 1 trip to Australia, issuing a beatdown on the Dolphins that was not as close as the 35-13 score indicated. The Brock Purdy-led offense is clicking on all cylinders, with running back Christian McCaffrey continuing to dazzle as the ultimate offensive weapon out of the backfield. 

On the other side of the ball, the defense looks like a juggernaut under new coordinator Raheem Morris, setting the “Bang Bang” gang up to make a deep postseason run.

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 9 ↑

Minnesota’s defense, in part led by Byron Murphy Jr. (left) and Isaiah Rodgers (right), shut down the Bears’ offense for an impressive win on Sunday in Chicago. (Getty Images)

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Defensive coordinator Brian Flores put on a clinic, holding a high-powered Chicago Bears offense to three points with a barrage of pressures that disrupted QB Caleb Williams’ timing and suffocated the running game. 

With a defense that has surrendered just six points over the past six quarters, the Vikings have been able to climb to the top of the NFC North with their starting quarterback on the sidelines.

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 5 ↑

Led by QB Josh Allen, Highmark Stadium opened with an impressive Bills win last Thursday night. (Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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Josh Allen has the Bills’ offense humming with his weekly heroics. The 2024 league MVP could earn some more hardware at season’s end if he continues to put up five-touchdown days while leading the Bills to more primetime wins.

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 1

Quarterback Drew Lock runs off the field after his team’s 31-7 win over the Cardinals. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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The defending champs are primed for a back-to-back title run after jumping out to a 2-0 record with a pair of impressive performances. With Drew Lock thriving as a super-sub in place of Sam Darnold, the Seahawks’ offense hasn’t skipped a beat without its QB1.

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