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Who's up, who's down after Week 2 in the NFL

The Bills continue to roll while other possible AFC contenders have fallen flat.

By Mark Craig

September 21, 2022 at 12:48AM
After reaching the Super Bowl last season, things are not going well for Joe Burrow, right, and the Bengals. (Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

BEST TEAM

1. Bills (2-0). Their average point differential is 27.5. Next highest: 13.0 by the Chiefs and Buccaneers.

WORST TEAM

32. Colts. They're 0-1-1 with a 24-0 shutout against the AFC South. Next up: Kansas City and 0-2-1.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

NFC East. The Giants are 2-0 for the first time since 2016, their last playoff season. The Eagles are 2-0 as the second-best team in the NFC. Washington is 1-1 with Carson Wentz. And Dallas got to 1-1 without Dak Prescott.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Bengals. Tennessee is 0-2 for the first time in 10 years. Las Vegas is 0-2 with Davante Adams. Matt Ryan and the Colts' offense just posted five turnovers and five punts in a 24-0 loss to Jacksonville. But Joe Burrow and the reigning AFC champion Bengals falling to 0-2 with 13 sacks allowed after rebuilding the offensive line in the offseason is by far the biggest wet-blanket start of the season.

RANKING THE VIKINGS

11, down from 10. The utter faceplant in Philly is concerning, but there are 18 1-1 teams riding similar roller coasters. For what it's worth, which isn't much, this view of the league ranks the Vikings behind the six 2-0 teams and the 1-1 Rams, Browns, Ravens and Steelers.

STATS OF THE WEEK

2,229-0: The record of teams holding at least a 13-point lead in the final two minutes from Week 9 of the 2001 season — when the Browns blew one against Chicago — and Sunday, when the Browns turned a 30-17 lead into a 31-30 loss to the Jets.

39-0: The Raiders' all-time record when leading by at least 20 points at halftime … until they blew Sunday's 20-0 lead against Arizona.

45.2: Russell Wilson's completion percentage in a 16-9 win over the Texans. It was his lowest percentage since Week 16 of the 2013 season.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jaylen Watson, CB, Chiefs. Rookie Trent McDuffie, the 21st overall draft pick, was out. No problem. Rookie Watson, the 243rd overall draft pick, stepped in with a 99-yard fourth-quarter go-ahead pick-6 in the win over the Chargers.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Cooper Rush, QB, Cowboys. Yeah, yeah, Tua Tagovailoa threw for six touchdowns, including four fourth-quarter scores in leading the Dolphins from a 35-14 deficit to a 42-38 win over Baltimore. But … Rush did it again! The backup who rallied the Cowboys past the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in prime time a year ago raised his career mark to 2-0 with a game-winning drive to beat the Bengals. With 54 seconds and one timeout left, Rush completed 3 of 3 passes to set up the winning field goal as time expired. He also was 6 of 8 for 76 yards and a touchdown when blitzed.

WEEK 3 SNEAK PEEK

Aaron Rodgers at Tom Brady. The Packers (1-1) play at Tampa Bay (2-0) Sunday afternoon (3:25 p.m., Ch. 9) with a couple of QBs who are a combined 83 years of age. The 45-year-old Brady is 3-1 against Rodgers. As a Buccaneer, Brady is 2-0 against Rodgers, including an NFC title game two years ago. Including playoffs, Brady and Rodgers are a combined 431-162-1 with 1,208 touchdown passes.

about the writer

about the writer

Mark Craig

Sports reporter

Mark Craig has covered the NFL nearly every year since Brett Favre was a rookie back in 1991. A sports writer since 1987, he is covering his 30th NFL season out of 37 years with the Canton (Ohio) Repository (1987-99) and the Star Tribune (1999-present).

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