When the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills continue their rivalry on Thursday night, NFL Week 2 officially begins. Here are the players to watch for the week.
Week 1 always provides the NFL universe with a chance to overreact, because assumptions we made before the season about certain teams and players are quickly thrown out the window. These are replaced with what seem to be new realities. But everything has a tendency to normalize over the course of the regular season, starting with NFL Week 2.
Well, almost everything. Sometimes, Week 1 storylines turn into season-long themes. That’s why after every week, it’s important to identify players to keep an eye on. We need to appreciate the context that hindsight provides whenever we choose to track a player’s progress over a period of time.
Let’s take a look at five players who are in an interesting situation heading into NFL Week 2, and the pressure is on these players to prove a point when they step onto the field.
Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz looks to pass in the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
5. Philadelphia Eagles QB, Carson Wentz
Yes, it came against the Cleveland Browns unrecognizable defense, but Carson Wentz deserves every bit of credit for a convincing display. Wentz became the starter after the Philadelphia Eagles traded Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings for a rather hefty sum, and Doug Pederson wasn’t shy about immediately ushering in the new era of Wentz football.
The Eagles loved Wentz enough to aggressively move up for him in the draft and stake their reputations on the quarterback, and there’s a chance this pays off for them faster than we could have imagined.
Wentz’s Week 2 test will come against a better opponent, though the Chicago Bears defense isn’t exactly an impenetrable force. Even with Kyle Fuller potentially back in Week 2, this secondary has weaknesses that Wentz can exploit.
Against the Browns, Wentz’s touchdown passes to Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor were absolute beauties, and he also had a memorable dime over the middle of the field on third down. Philadelphia’s wide receivers will have to play at a high level if Zach Ertz cannot play, and the star tight end’s injury puts further pressure on Wentz.
There are those who see Wentz’s Week 1 as proof that he’s the future. Meanwhile, there are those who see it as merely a reflection of the Browns weak defense. Wentz’s development and merits as a quarterback go beyond even just one entire regular season, but Week 2 will help us expand our evaluation of the exciting No. 2 overall pick.
Sep 11, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) runs past Oakland Raiders defensive back Reggie Nelson (27) and defensive back Sean Smith (21) and outside linebacker Ben Heeney (50) for a 98 yard touchdown during the third quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Raiders defeated the Saints 35-34. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
4. Oakland Raiders CB, Sean Smith
Brandin Cooks’s 98-yard touchdown reception is an indication of the kind of season he could put together as a third-year pro, but it also raised alarms in #RaiderNation.
The Oakland Raiders viewed Sean Smith as a centerpiece player when they signed him to a four-year, $40 million deal with $20 million in guarantees. It wasn’t an unfair expectation either, since he established himself as arguably one of the game’s 10 best cornerbacks during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs.
At 29, Smith only has a couple of years of top play left in him, but I wouldn’t fault Raiders fans for being nervous about even getting one good year from him. It’s too early to overreact, but the play Smith gave up to Cooks reminds us of a 38-yard pick-up he surrendered to Andre Johnson in the preseason.
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In that game against the Tennessee Titans, Smith was far too aggressive, he jumped on what he thought was a corner route, and he paid the price for it.
Against Cooks, it’s hard to tell exactly what happened. But, if we’re giving him the benefit of the doubt, it looked like he simply whiffed on jamming Cooks at the line of scrimmage. That’s a huge problem and the Raiders need to make sure they tell Smith exactly what he needs to be doing.
A press corner, Smith is at his best when he is able to use his physicality to mar the fact that speed is not his strength. They either need to do a better job of giving him safety help when he chooses to be overly aggressive, or they need to play him a little further off the line of scrimmage. If you look at how closely he lined up across from Cooks on that play, you can smell the impending disaster, particularly if you notice safety Reggie Nelson’s body position.
Additionally, I get that Smith wants to take away the inside release, but letting a player considerably faster than you get to the outside is a recipe for disaster. That said, as Nelson and Smith become more familiar with each other, I have a feeling Nelson, who was an interception-forcing machine last year, will have a better understanding of when to help out his fellow DB.
In Week 2, the Raiders have a 4:25 p.m. ET game against the Atlanta Falcons, which means Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu are on the horizon. Those two are fast enough to blow by Smith and strong enough to play his physical game. It will take a team effort to cover Jones, which means that we will get to see how this coaching staff will use Smith in the context of their defensive philosophy.
Seeing as how D.J. Hayden played significant snaps, benching Smith is not the ideal answer.
Sep 11, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Phillip Dorsett (15) catches a pass while Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay (23) defends in the second half of the game at Lucas Oil Stadium. the Detroit Lions beat the Indianapolis Colts by the score of 39-35. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
3. Indianapolis Colts WR, Phillip Dorsett
Games between the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts are always entertaining, but with the way Andrew Luck tossed the football in last week’s shootout loss to the Detroit Lions, this game has the potential to be just as captivating. With Trevor Siemian‘s weak arm handicapping the Denver Broncos C.J. Anderson-led offense, this should shape up to be a real Luck vs. defense battle for Indianapolis.
Luck’s friends are pretty darn talented, too, and 2015 first-round pick Phillip Dorsett looked like a beast last Sunday. T.Y. Hilton, to nobody’s surprise, led the team with 12 targets, but Dorsett’s 94 receiving yards topped the Colts stat sheet.
Dorsett’s stat line was supported by two huge plays against the Lions defense, and the Colts might have to count on him to work some more magic down the field when they face Denver this week.
The Broncos, meanwhile, gave up nothing to Cam Newton and the Panthers vertically last week. Whereas the Colts attempted 13 passes of at least 15 yards against the Lions, the Panthers took only three deep shots against Denver. And don’t tell me Newton is gun shy.
This is a great chance for Dorsett to take a miserly defense to the task by making some game-changing plays, because the Colts will need them to beat the 1-0 defending champions.
Sep 11, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) looks to throw a pass against the Seattle Seahawks during a NFL game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
2. Miami Dolphins QB, Ryan Tannehill
All eyes continue to be on Ryan Tannehill, and it’s hard not to feel bad for the former Texas A&M star. Tannehill did everything he could to lead the Miami Dolphins to an upset win over the Seattle Seahawks, but the man just couldn’t catch a break.
With under 200 passing yards, his stat line did not look impressive, but he didn’t throw any interceptions and seemed to give his team a decisive lead by scoring a two-yard touchdown run with less than five minutes left in the game.
Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin, and the Seahawks had other plans, but it was great to see Miami playing gritty, competitive football against one of the Super Bowl favorites.
Another tough opponent awaits Tannehill in Week 2, though the 1-0 New England Patriots defense isn’t quite as daunting of a foe as the Seahawks D.
Even so, there have been real questions raised in the past about Tannehill’s ability to play against division rivals. An away game against New England in Week 2 is a perfect chance for Tannehill to spit out the taste of a last-gasp Week 1 defeat and let the critics know that he can lead this team to signature wins.
Sep 12, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) prepares to throw the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
1. Washington Redskins QB, Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins became a meme with his “You like that?!” line, but that meme was thrown back in his face after the Washington Redskins Monday Night Football loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Thanks to garbage time, Cousins threw over 329 yards, but he had two interceptions and did nothing to help his team win. He failed to pull the trigger on several open throws downfield, he didn’t spread the ball around among his targets, and he had some frustratingly inaccurate throws. Cousins’ 2015 looked like a fluke in the 38-16 loss and it came against a defense that didn’t have much fanfare surrounding it.
Cousins needs to do a better job against the Dallas Cowboys this week, because this rivalry matchup could be important at the end of the season when the division rankings are sorted out. As usual, the NFC East is tight and anybody’s for the taking, especially after Wentz seemingly showed that he already belongs as a starting quarterback in this league.
Playing on a franchise tag, every week is a critical one for Cousins, and there remains doubt whether he belongs as a starter. I mean, if there were no issues, Scot McCloughan and the Redskins wouldn’t have been adverse to giving him the contract he sought this summer.
Instead, Cousins’s seat is at least as hot as Tannehill’s. More help from the worst running game in the NFL would be nice, but Cousins can’t complain about the pass-catchers he has at his disposal.
If Cousins thinks he’s a franchise quarterback, he should be able to take care of business against the Dallas Cowboys defense. Failure to do so would raise more questions, so this is a big chance for Cousins to right the ship.
Stats can shroud the truth on film, but Cousins had 7.8 adjusted yards per attempt and led the league in completion percentage last year. There’s a reason why some people believe in him, so let’s see if he can prove them right in the coming weeks.
Washington faces the New York Giants in Week 3 before a soft matchup against the Browns in Week 4.
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