While offense was the big takeaway in the NFL from Week 1, there were a lot of other factors at play in Week 2, with the unfortunate reality that injuries were one of them. Three NFL teams lost starting quarterbacks while several prominent contenders dropped to 0-2, including the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans. The Las Vegas Raiders are also out of the gate fast in the Klint Kubiak era, posting a 2-0 start that could delay Fernando Mendoza's eventual ascension to QB1 status in Sin City.
With Week 3 set to begin in just two days as the hapless Falcons travel to Green Bay to take on the struggling Packers, it's time to reset the landscape in this week's NFL Skinny. We'll start with our big story, which is the three major quarterback injuries.
The Big Skinny: Quarterbacks are dropping like flies
While Eagles' fans will note that Saquon Barkley's stinger made life tougher for them in Tennessee, it is always easier to replace a running back than a quarterback. Three young stars suffered significant injuries this week as Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Jaxson Dart all look poised to miss some time.
Things looked quite bad for Williams, who pulled up lame on a red zone scramble in Sunday's 9-3 loss to Minnesota, but he appears to have dodged a bullet with a hamstring injury coach Ben Johnson is dubbing "week-to-week". Daniels had a freakish elbow dislocation while trying to stabilize himself late in the first half and is set to be out a while Dart took a nasty hit on Monday night that resulted in a sprained MCL.
It is hard enough to find 32 starting caliber quarterbacks in the NFL and seeing three teams forced to their backups after Week 2 is not good for the health of the league. A soft-ish schedule gives the Giants a chance to weather the storm if Dart's absence is minimal, but seeing this many talented passers drop in one week raises more questions about how teams could possibly make it through an 18-game season without a severe drop in quality.
The NFL's biggest risers after Week 2
Los Angeles Rams
Despite missing Puka Nacua and Myles Garrett on Monday night the Rams had plenty of firepower in the tank to beat the Giants. It helped that Dart went down early with an injury but Matthew Stafford turned back the clock with a four touchdown performance, connecting eight times with Davante Adams for 195 yards and two spikes.
There was going to be a lot of panic if the Rams, the heavy Super Bowl favorites entering the preseason, dropped to 0-2. Now Sean McVay's team can write off the Week 1 Australia debacle as poor planning and focus on taking down a vulnerable Broncos' team in Week 3 on Sunday night football to complete a primetime trifecta.
Las Vegas Raiders
Having the top pick in the draft generally means that a team has a long way to go towards true contention, but no one told the Raiders that. Sunday's win over the Chargers helped Klint Kubiak improve to 2-0 as a head coach and leaves Las Vegas in a first-place tie with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.
The Raiders won just three games all season in 2025 so being 2-0 gives them a chance to have an exciting year if Kirk Cousins, who threw three touchdowns against the Chargers on Sunday, can offer steadying quarterback play. There is another level that the offense can reach when they get back Brock Bowers, who missed the first two weeks with a knee injury, so there's a chance Las Vegas can be in the hunt throughout the year.
The NFL's biggest fallers after Week 2
The AFC South
The entire division went 0-for-Week 2 as Jacksonville, Houston, Indianapolis and Tennessee all lost games. Three efforts were highly competitive, including the Colts taking Kansas City to overtime before falling at the gun of the extra session, but anytime an entire division goes a week without a win earns a demerit for the group.
Perhaps this week is good news for Houston and Indianapolis, who were viewed as potential playoff teams entering the year off to 0-2 starts. While they both remain a game behind the Jaguars in the division standings, their scheduled Week 3 showdown will be essentially do-or-die as the loser drops to a disastrous 0-3.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs have gotten old fast and it certainly felt like their window to contend was coming to a close entering the year. That window may have slammed shut after Tampa Bay lost its home opener to Deshaun Watson and the Browns on Sunday, with a lightning delay that lasted over two hours delaying the misery for Bucs fans.
Baker Mayfield has his contract extension but isn't playing inspiring football with a group that has gotten rapidly older around him. If things don't turn around quickly head coach Todd Bowles could pay the price as last season's second half swoon appears to be carrying over to the new campaign.
The Fantasy Corner
The big blowups in fantasy came from quarterbacks as Josh Allen's five-touchdown day to kick off the slate against Detroit on Thursday marked the start of a big slate for signal callers. Stafford, Dak Prescott and Jared Goff all threw four touchdown passes in their wins, while Patrick Mahomes turned back the clock with a 382-yard, three-score performance against the Colts on Sunday night.
Investments in WR1s also paid off significantly in Week 2 as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Adams, CeeDee Lamb and Amon-Ra St. Brown delivered over 35 fantasy points in half PPR leagues. Jonathan Taylor paced the backs with 94 yards and two touchdowns while adding four receptions for 40 yards while Travis Kelce turned back the clock with a 9-101-1 line with his wife in attendance at Arrowhead in primetime.
The top pickups of the week include Houston tight end Dalton Schultz, who was targeted 14 times and secured 12 of them for 140 yards in a game where the Texans were down Nico Collins. Tre Tucker and Rashod Bateman also are pickup-worthy after solid efforts, although those may be short-term plays while injured stars are on the mend, while running back Jonah Coleman could seize the RB1 chair in Denver if J.K. Dobbins misses time with a hamstring issue.
Week 2 in the FanSided Fantasy League saw yours truly improve to 2-0 and maintain first place with a 133.08-117.84 victory over Brad Berreman with a well-rounded effort featuring all but two players (D.K. Metcalf and Wil Lutz) scoring double-digit points. Brad did receive a huge day from Jonathan Taylor, who led the matchup with 29.2 points, but was burned by the Daniels injury as he departed before halftime with 14.74 points.
The high score of the week went to Oliver Fox, whose team put up 135.52 points in a blowout victory over Adam Fromal. The tightest matchup saw Justin Carter win by 9.5 points over Christopher Kline to move into sixth place in the league after two weeks.
Week 3 sees a huge matchup for 4th Quarter Mike (still not changing the team name as the group has good mojo going) takes on Cody Williams' Green Eggs And Hampton in a matchup of two of the top three teams in the league to date. The Yahoo app has dubbed it the league's Matchup of the Week, so it could be quite important for bragging rights in the group Slack chat.
NFL Week 2 MVP and LVP
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
It was the Mahomes show at Arrowhead on Sunday night as the league's standard-bearer at quarterback showed he was fully over his torn ACL against the Colts. Mahomes completed 32-of-47 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns to help Kansas City survive a stiff test from Indianapolis to improve to 2-0 on the year.
LVP: The Atlanta offense
This group was so putrid that it has torpedoed the fantasy values of 2025 league winners Drake London, Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts over the span of just two weeks. Neither Cooper Rush or undrafted rookie Jack Strand could unlock much on Sunday as Atlanta scored only three points against a Panthers' defense that surrendered 59 in Week 1. Michael Penix is back on Thursday to see if he can save the Falcons' season at Lambeau Field against a Packers' side that has looked quite sloppy thus far.
Games To Watch In NFL Week 3
New England Patriots (1-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1)
These two 2025 playoff teams have showcased inconsistent form so far, looking like world beaters in one game and suffering a sloppy loss in the other. A win here would mean a lot more for New England, which is staring down the barrel of a tough trip to red-hot Josh Allen and Buffalo in Week 4.
Baltimore Ravens (1-1) "at" Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
This contest will be played in Rio de Janeiro as a potential shootout could unfold between Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson and friends. Keep an eye on reporting on the field conditions for this one as early word from Brazil has indicated there are issues that need to be resolved before the NFL arrives this weekend.
Los Angeles Rams (1-1) at Denver Broncos (1-1)
The alternate universe version of Super Bowl LX arrives on NBC's Sunday Night Football as the Rams and Broncos both bounced back from Week 1 losses to get back on track with key statements in Week 2. One figure that could loom large over this game is Los Angeles star Puka Nacua, who had to sit out of Monday night's game with a groin injury and whose presence would mean Denver can't just have Patrick Surtain II shadow Adams all night.
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