After a relatively ho-hum Week 1 in terms of offense, the NFL saw the scoreboards flipping like crazy in Week 2. Aside from the New York Jets, every team who played on Sunday afternoon scored at least 17 points, with perhaps the craziest game of the day coming in Dallas as the Giants and Cowboys went to overtime as the home team escaped with a 40-37 win.
There was also plenty of drama surrounding teams trying to avoid 0-2 starts, with several key contenders scoring dominant wins to get into the win column. Who were the biggest winners and losers of Week 2? Read on to find out.
NFL Week 2's winners and losers
Winner: Fantasy Football players
After seeing plenty of stars underwhelm in Week 1, it was hard to find a fantasy star who actually finished their game that underwhelmed. Malik Nabers and Amon-Ra St. Brown had massive days on the receiving front while Lamar Jackson threw four touchdowns in a blowout of the Browns, with Jonathan Taylor racking up 165 rushing yards in a hard-fought win over the Denver Broncos.
Even some players who had sleepy Week 1 performances rebounded nicely in Week 2, with most Dolphins delivering usable lines in a shootout with New England and Ja'Marr Chase racking up 14 catches for 165 yards and a score even though Joe Burrow left the game in the second quarter with a case of turf toe. It's hard to be disappointed in that kind of production, which seemed to be up league-wide as defenses struggled to contain their offensive counterparts on a day where most of the country had good weather.
Loser: The Jets
While the Jets were a few plays away from beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, they didn't look like they belonged on the same field as the Buffalo Bills, who blew them out in a 30-10 rout at MetLife Stadium. Justin Fields crashed back to Earth with a rough day, completing just 3-of-11 passes for 27 yards before leaving the game late with a concussion.
Aaron Glenn's defense also was abysmal, letting the Bills march up and down the field all game, while killer penalties from Michael Clemons and Tony Adams allowed Buffalo to extend drives. There is going to be a learning curve for Glenn's team, but seeing a complete regression on offense (albeit against a much better opponent) was a bad look for a Jets' squad trying to build a winning culture.
Winner: Russell Wilson
There were calls for Wilson to hit the bench in favor of Jaxson Dart after an awful Week 1 showing against Washington. Seeing a Cowboys' defense sans Micah Parsons allowed Wilson to turn back the clock at least a decade as he shredded Dallas' secondary to help the Giants nearly steal a win at AT&T Stadium.
Wilson completed 30-of-41 passes for 450 yards with three touchdowns, including some nifty deep bombs to Nabers that showed off his patented moon ball. The calls for Dart will be quieted now that Wilson showed there is still some magic in his arm, giving him at least a few more games of runway to start with the potential for more time in the pocket when star left tackle Andrew Thomas returns from injury.
Loser: Mike McDaniel's job security
Even though the Dolphins did show up to play today, they were still extremely sloppy in a 33-27 loss to the New England Patriots. Even though Tua Tagovailoa played much better offensively, the Dolphins' defense couldn't force enough timely stops of the Patriots, who converted 7-of-12 third down attempts to go along with a fourth down conversion.
Special teams were also problematic for Miami, which allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown, and the Dolphins committed 10 penalties for 65 yards. Dropping two winnable games to begin the season could be costly as Miami heads to Buffalo on a short week for Thursday Night Football, which could raise the temperature on McDaniel's seat considerably if they are 0-3 by Friday.
Winner: The Lions' offense
It turns out that Green Bay's defense is pretty good, which makes Detroit's offensive explosion against old friend Ben Johnson and Chicago on Sunday a welcome sign that their success wasn't entirely due to the schemes of their former coordinator. The Lions racked up 511 yards of offense against the Bears and racked up 52 points, easily the most of the day as Jared Goff and company did essentially anything they wanted.
It was very encouraging to see Detroit rely on the run game again, racking up 177 yards on the ground while averaging 5.9 a carry. The Lions' running game is the key to their offensive success, so seeing it get going again was a very strong sign that Detroit's brain drain in the coaches' room won't short-circuit their season.
Loser: Aaron Rodgers' revival
There was plenty of talk last week about how Rodgers looked revitalized after escaping the toxic hellscape that is the Jets, with plenty of ballyhoo made about his four touchdown passes to beat his former team. While there was a lot to like from Rodgers' performance at MetLife Stadium, a closer look at the film showed he was still making some questionable decisions, with two different Jets dropping picks in that 34-32 game.
A more competent team showed up to take on Pittsburgh in Week 2 in the form of Seattle, which made Rodgers look every bit his age in a convincing 31-17 win. Rodgers completed just 18-of-33 passes for 203 yards with a touchdown and two picks, getting sacked three times for good measure. Buffalo's performance against the Jets in Week 2 makes it look more like last week's success for Rodgers was more a product of the opponent than him turning back the clock to his vintage form.
Winner: Daniel Jones' comeback tour
One of the more impressive results from Week 1 was Daniel Jones' dismantling of the Dolphins, although it was fair to question how good that effort was since Miami essentially didn't show up for the game. Week 2's matchup against Denver's elite defense was a much stiffer test that Jones passed with flying colors, completing 23-of-34 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over.
There has been a trend of former first round quarterbacks who found success in new homes of late, with Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold serving as positive examples for players who struggled in their first stop. It sure looks like Jones is on track to join that class with the best supporting cast of his career and a smart offensive coach in Shane Steichen, which could give the Colts a chance to seize control of the AFC South early.
Loser: The Bengals' AFC North hopes
While Cincinnati did score a 31-27 win over Jacksonville at home to improve to 2-0, they did suffer a damaging blow when Joe Burrow left the game in the second quarter with a left foot injury. The initial reporting on the injury is a case of turf toe with the potential for torn ligaments, which is a nasty injury that tends to linger.
It is likely that Burrow will miss at least next Sunday's game against Minnesota and Cincinnati's bye doesn't come until Week 10. With a brutal month ahead (after Minnesota the Bengals play the Broncos, Lions, Packers and Steelers before a Week 8 reprieve against the Jets), there is a good chance a Jake Browning-led offense could fade quickly if Burrow needs to miss significant time.