It was another weekend of down-to-the wire affairs. And that long losing streak in Jacksonville continues to grow. Here are the latest NFL Power Rankings.
It was another tremendous Sunday for both the AFC West and NFC West, although the reigning division champions both happen to take it on the chin. Elsewhere, the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers continued to score at will. On the other hand, there were a few notable quarterback injuries that could make for some new starting signal-callers in Week 3.
The Green and White had dropped 10 straight to the Patriots entering Sunday’s clash with Bill Belichick’s squad. The team was without left tackle Mekhi Becton (via Geoff Magliocchetti of Jets X-Factor). Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson had a forgettable home debut.
No. 2 for the Green and White was sacked four times and served up four interceptions. New York’s defensive unit played respectable football, limiting New England to just 260 total yards.
The Falcons hoped to have better luck on Sunday at Tampa than they did a week ago at home when the team was limited to two field goals in a lopsided loss to the Eagles. And late in the third quarter, Arthur Smith’s club trailed the defending Super Bowl champions by only three points.
But the Bucs scored the final 20 points of the game. And while Matt Ryan threw for 300 yards and two TDs, he had two of his three interceptions retuned for scores.
The Giants’ defense played well after a slow start in 2020. But Joe Judge’s team had its problems with Denver’s offense in Week 1 and struggled to stop Washington’s offense last Thursday night.
New York allowed 407 total yards and watched backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke riddle its solid secondary for 336 yards. Giants’ signal-caller Daniel Jones ran for 95 yards and one score and threw for 249 yards and one touchdown. And it wasn’t enough.
Jacksonville’s current losing streak had reached 16 games as they hosted the Denver Broncos. And the drought continued despite the fact that Urban Meyer’s team got off to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence wound up having a shaky afternoon. He connected on only 14 of his 33 throws for 118 yards. And his early scoring pass – Jacksonville’s lone offensive touchdown of the game – was offset by a pair of interceptions.
The Purple Gang hit the road for the second straight week to take on the Cardinals. Unfortunately, Minnesota’s defense picked up where it left off last season in an overtime loss to the Bengals and that was the case again in the desert.
Mike Zimmer’s team allowed a whopping 474 total yards on 60 offensive plays (7.9 average). Dalvin Cook and Kirk Cousins had solid showings. But Greg Joseph missed a 37-yard field goal on the final play of the game.
Dan Campbell’s team fought back from a 41-17 fourth-quarter deficit last Sunday vs. San Francisco to make things interesting. But the bottom line is that the Lions were on the short end of the scoreboard once again.
And it was a dubious start for a team that a year ago allowed 519 points – the second-highest single-season total in NFL history. And now the team will have to deal with Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers without cornerback Jeff Okudah.
The Indianapolis’ defense looked helpless last week against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. Now the Colts were at home for a second straight Sunday as they took on the Rams. Matt Eberflus’ unit did pick off Matthew Stafford but their pass rush only sacked him once.
And the Colts’ secondary has no answers for Rams’ wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Carson Wentz and the Indianapolis’ offense reached the end zone just once in a second straight home loss.
Under Matt LaFleur, the Packers have won back-to-back NFC North titles, finished 13-3 each year and reached the conference title game both times. But the Super Bowl has eluded Green Bay these past two years.
Now the club looks to bounce back from a Week 1 debacle vs. the relocated Saints – a 35-point loss at Jacksonville. But the Pack has yet to lose consecutive games in the same season under LaFleur and have beaten the Lions four straight times.
The Bengals made their first appearance in the Windy City since 2013 looking to get off to their second 2-0 start in four years. But it proved to be a rough afternoon for second-year quarterback Joe Burrow, despite the fact that he threw a pair of touchdown passes one minute apart with less than five minutes to play.
He was also picked off three times in the fourth quarter, the first of those thefts returned for a touchdown. A case of too little, too late.
Houston proved to be a major problem for the Jaguars last week and this week headed north to Cleveland. David Culley’s team gave the Browns all they could handle, taking a surprising 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
Tyrod Taylor threw for one score and ran for another touchdown before leaving the game with a hamstring injury. Via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he’s been ruled out for Thursday’s clash with the Panthers.
Mike McCarthy’s club lost a nail biter at Tampa more than a week ago and now headed west to face the Chargers. The Cowboys would have to deal with Justin Herbert without standout pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence (via ESPN’s Todd Archer).
But it proved to be a big afternoon for Tony Pollard (109), Ezekiel Elliott (71) and a Dallas’ ground attack that rolled up 198 yards. Greg Zuerlein’s 56-yard field goal at the gun gave McCarthy’s team the victory.
Ron Rivera’s club looked to bounce back from a Week 1 loss to the Chargers and hosted the rival Giants on a Thursday night. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick went down with a hip injury (see Nick Shook of NFL.com) so enter Taylor Heinicke.
He overcame an interception and threw for 336 yards and two scores. Dustin Hopkins missed a 48-yard field goal on the final play of the game, got a reprieve and nailed the game-winner from 43 yards out.
The Bolts pulled out a victory at Washington last week and now returned home to face a second straight NFC East opponent in the Cowboys. Once again, quarterback Justin Herbert put up some big numbers, throwing for 338 yards and finding Mike Williams for a score.
But he also absorbed three sacks and served up a pair of interceptions. And the Chargers’ defense had their issues with the Dallas’ ground attack to the tune of 198 yards on 31 carries.
The Titans were blasted at home last week by the Cardinals and now made their way to the Pacific Northwest. And Tennessee trailed 30-16 early in the fourth quarter. But workhorse Derrick Henry found his groove and was the catalyst for a big comeback.
He finished the game with 35 carries, good for 182 yards and three scores. He also caught six passes for 55 yards. And Randy Bullock connected on the game-winning 36-yard field goal in overtime.
Matt Nagy’s club took on the Bengals as Andy Dalton got a look at his original employer for the second straight year. But the 11-year pro was knocked out with a knee injury. Enter Justin Fields, who was far from impressive – hitting on less than 50 percent of his 13 passes.
He was sacked twice, fumbled once (no turnover) and threw an interception. But Roquan Smith (53-yards TD return) and the Chicago defense picked off Joe Burrow three times.
Matt Rhule’s club held off the Jets a week ago and now the Panthers would host Jameis Winston and the Saints. Carolina’s improving defense held New Orleans to 128 total yards on 43 offensive plays. Panthers’ quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 305 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The mistake-prone signal-caller had one fumble (no turnover) and also threw an interception. But the Panthers blanked their guests for the first three quarters.
In a battle of 2020 last-place teams, the Eagles hosted the talented 49ers. Philadelphia’s offense moved the ball to the tune of 328 total yards. Second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 190 yards and also ran 10 times for 82 yards and his team’s only touchdown of the afternoon.
But the Birds couldn’t punch it into the end zone until there was 4:02 left in the contest. And Nick Sirianni’s team wound up having the football for only 25:06 on Sunday.
Off a 35-point victory over the Packers at Jacksonville, Sean Payton’s team made its way to Carolina for its first divisional game of 2021. Things didn’t come nearly as easy for the Saints as the team was shut out for the first three quarters.
Jameis Winston did run for one score but he hit on only 11-of-22 passes for just 111 yards. He was sacked four times and was picked off twice. All told, Payton’s offensive unit managed a disappointing 128 yards.
Bill Belichick’s team headed to MetLife Stadium looking to continue their recent dominance of the Jets. And the Patriots made it 11 straight wins in this series dating back to 2016. The New England offense managed only 260 total yards and rookie quarterback Mac Jones threw for only 186 yards.
He overcame three sacks and the Pats played turnover-free football while Belichick’s defense picked off Zach Wilson four times – twice by J.C. Jackson.
It wasn’t pretty but the Steelers notched a win over the defending AFC East champions at Buffalo last week. Now they took on a Raiders’ team that stunned the Ravens on Monday night. For the second straight week, the Pittsburgh offense had its struggles and that unit has reached the end zone just three times in two games. Keith Butler’s defense was lit up for 425 yards and outside linebacker T.J. Watt was missed after he left the game.
The Dolphins came away with a one-point win at Foxborough last Sunday and now looked to get off to a 2-0 start. They hoped to snap a five-game losing streak to the rival Bills but it wound up being a long day for Brian Flores’ squad.
The team would lose quarterback Tua Tagovaiola to a rib injury. Miami was down 14-0 after one quarter and finished the day with three turnovers. Tagovaiola and Jacoby Brissett were sacked a combined three times.
The Niners jumped out to a big lead at Detroit last week and then held on for a victory. They hit the road again, this time at Philadelphia, to take on the Eagles.
Kyle Shanahan’s team managed only 306 total yards but the team played turnover-free football and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was not sacked. He threw for 189 yards and one score and also ran for another TD. The 49ers’ defense kept the Birds out of the end zone for nearly 56 minutes.
Vic Fangio’s club was impressive in a road win over the Giants and headed to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. The Broncos trailed 7-0 in the first quarter before scoring the next 23 points of the game.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was extremely effective. While he was sacked three times, he threw for 328 yards – including touchdowns to Tim Patrick (12 yards) and Noah Fant (14 yards). And Denver picked off Trevor Lawrence twice.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 19: Zack Moss #20 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after running for a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on September 19, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
For the second straight week, the Seahawks took on an AFC South playoff team from a year ago when they hosted the Titans. And by halftime, the defending NFC West champions owned a 24-9 lead thanks to a Russell Wilson TD pass and a pair of Chris Carson scoring runs.
Seattle was up by 14 points early in the fourth quarter but Tennessee responded with the final 17 points of the contest – the last three in overtime. The ‘Hawks allowed 532 total yards.
The Silver and Black made its first appearance in the Steel City since 2015 looking for a win over Mike Tomlin’s Steelers. Quarterback Derek Carr looked confident throughout the afternoon and hit on 28-of-37 passes for 382 yards and two scores, including a fourth-quarter touchdown strike to Henry Ruggs III that covered 61 yards.
The Raiders’ defense limited Pittsburgh to 39 yards rushing and Solomon Thomas had two sacks of Ben Roethlisberger.
The reigning AFC East champions hit the road to South Florida looking to bounce back from a Week 1 loss. And make it six consecutive wins over the Dolphins as the Buffalo defense limited Miami to just 216 total yards and registered six sacks of Tua Tagovaiola and Jacoby Brissett.
The Bills rushed for 143 yards, 82 of those (1 TD) from Devin Singletary. Zack Moss ran for two TDs and Josh Allen threw a pair of touchdown passes (1 interception).
Three turnovers cost the Browns dearly last Sunday at Kansas City. Now the club looked to rebound at home against the Texans. Kevin Stefanski’s team gave up the football twice, one of those an interception by Baker Mayfield.
But Cleveland’s balanced attack proved to be too much for Houston. Running back Nick Chubb ran 11 times for 95 yards and one score, Mayfield ran for one TD and threw for another and the Browns rallied for a win.
The Ravens were back in prime time for the second straight week as they hosted the defending AFC champions. Baltimore had dropped four straight to Andy Reid’s team dating back to 2015.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson got off to a rough start on Sunday night with a pair of interceptions – one of those returned for a score. But Greg Roman’s offense proved to be patient and the Ravens wore down the Kansas City defense by evening’s end.
Kliff Kingsbury’s team hosted the Vikings looking to open the season 2-0 for the second straight year. It was a wild outing as the Arizona defense had their issues stopping both Dalvin Cook and Kirk Cousins.
Cardinals’ quarterback Kyler Murray overcame three sacks and two interceptions to throw for 400 yards and three TDs and also ran for one score. And fortunately for the Cards, Minnesota missed a go-ahead field goal on the final play of the game.
Matthew Stafford and the Rams made it look easy last Sunday night vs. the Bears and headed to Indianapolis to take on the talented Colts. The 13-year signal-caller enjoyed another big outing, throwing for 278 yards and two scores (1 interception).
Nearly half of his 19 completions and more than half of those yards went to Cooper Kupp, who finished with nine receptions for 163 yards and two TDs. The Rams sacked Carson Wentz three times.
Andy Reid’s team looked to continue its recent dominance of the Ravens as they traveled to Baltimore for a Sunday night showdown. In his first three games vs. Baltimore dating back to 2018, Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes had thrown for 300-plus yards each time and a combined nine scores to one interception.
He put up big numbers once again but the Kansas City defense had no answers for a Baltimore ground attack that rolled up 251 yards.
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Bruce Arians’ team had a little extra time to prepare for the rival Falcons, who the Buccaneers who swept a season ago. And the reigning Super Bowl champions racked up the points via their offense and defense.
Tom Brady threw for 276 yards and five touchdowns – two each to Rob Gronkowski and Mike Evans. And third-year safety Mike Edwards had quite the fourth quarter, returning a pair of Matt Ryan interceptions for scores (31 and 15 yards).