As a long-time NFL fan and observer, I’m supposed to have graduated to the age bracket where I appreciate a great defensive battle. Make no mistake, I love to break down All-22 of a blue-collar trench skirmish.

But I’m a young fan at heart, and big-time offense that puts even the Vegas sharps on tilt is much more exhilarating to watch on RedZone. So I felt like a bear cub in a honey hole watching Scott Hanson try to keep up with all the touchdowns in Week 2.

Sunday produced the second-highest slate of day games in NFL history, with an average of 54.3 points across the 12 matchups.

The end result: All-nighter film breakdowns for defensive coordinators around the league and as dramatic a second week as the league has seen in years.

Which of the Week 1 surprises proved to be flukes? Let’s take a look at the most important storylines coming out of Week 2.

It’s getting late early for the New York teams

All the preseason promise around the New York Giants and New York Jets has quickly turned to more angst for long-suffering fans.

The Jets are 0-2 for the first time since a three-year stretch of 0-2 starts from 2019-21. The Giants are 0-2 for the second straight year under head coach Brian Daboll.

Hopes of turning momentum around are weak at best, as the Jets head to Tampa to face quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after their thrilling 20-19 comeback win over the Houston Texans on Monday. The team is prepping backup Tyrod Taylor with the first team.

Starting quarterback Justin Fields is in concussion protocol after slamming his head on the turf early in the fourth quarter of a Week 2 home blowout loss to Buffalo.

The Giants face a potentially bleaker scenario with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs coming to MetLife Stadium for a Sunday Night Football showdown. The team played undisciplined all day against Dallas, committing the most penalty yards (160) by a Giants team since 1949.

Quarterback Russell Wilson likely quieted fan chants for rookie Jaxson Dart to start with his 450-yard, 3 TD passing day against the Cowboys. But his boneheaded overtime heave-ho to nobody set up the ‘Boys’ game-winning drive and took the shine off a classic revival narrative for Wilson.

Since 1990, only 11.5 percent of 279 teams that started 0-2 made the playoffs.

And speaking of those Chiefs …

Kansas City finally looks human under Mahomes

The Chiefs will be looking to avenge their first 0-2 start and first three-game losing streak of the Mahomes era.

The star quarterback said all the right things in his post-game press conference after a 20-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. But Mahomes’ ability to be the consistent Band-Aid on the dam’s worth of Chiefs offensive woes is wearing thin.

The O-line is full of rookies, leading to more blitzes and Mahomes scrambles. Running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt are lacking burst. That’s allowed defensives to drop back and tie up wide receiver Hollywood Brown and tight end Travis Kelce (who is himself lacking burst off the line).

The team hopes to have wideout Xavier Worthy (shoulder) back against the Giants, but he will be wearing a harness and likely be on a snap limit.

The schedule gets no easier with Baltimore looming in Week 4, a Monday Night Football trip to feisty Jacksonville in Week 5, and a home Sunday Night Football game against the Lions in Week 6.

Experts penciled in wins against the Los Angeles Chargers and Giants. Now, a win in New York is far from guaranteed, and a 0-4 start is a growing possibility.

The Cowboys are legit NFC East contenders

It pains me to play into the exhaustive hype around Jerry World, but here are the facts. The Dallas Cowboys held their own against the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 2 in our Week 2 power rankings) in Week 1, just days after losing star pass rusher Micah Parsons in a trade to Green Bay. Then they ultimately put down a Giants team desperate for a win.

Quarterback Dak Prescott’s 361-yard day made him the second QB since 1950 to beat a team 14 straight times (Hall of Famer Bob Griese did it against Buffalo). But his 52 attempts is not a sustainable formula.

Running back Javonte Williams (33 carries, 151 yards, 4.6 yards per carry, 3 TD) has shown the explosive bursts that made the 25-year-old a rookie standout in Denver in 2021. But fantasy owners are waiting for the floor to fall out on his upside.

Wideout CeeDee Lamb is doing CeeDee Lamb things (16 receptions on 24 targets, 222 yards, 13.9 yards per catch). Fellow hands man George Pickens had game-changing moments in the Giants’ win.

The defense is lacking a pass rusher, something owner/GM Jerry Jones hopes free agent linebacker signee Jadeveon Clowney can help as he suits up for his seventh different team. The Cowboys’ D got a bottom-five 55.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in Week 2.

Daniel Jones and the Colts are for real

Oh sure, the Indianapolis Colts feasted on the dumpster fire that is the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. But what would they do against a playoff contender with a top defense?

The answer: More of the same.

The Colts are now 2-0 for the first time since 2009. Quarterback Daniel Jones threw for the most first-half yards of his career (235) and is looking like the 2025 version of Sam Darnold early on. Running back Jonathan Taylor became the first Colt with 150-plus rushing yards and 50-plus receiving yards since Marshall Faulk did it in 1998.

The defense came back to Earth with a 55.1 PFF rating against Denver. Kicker Spencer Shrader is 9-for-9 to start the year. But the Colts are an idiotic Broncos special teams penalty away from a 1-1 record.

They head to Tennessee in Week 3, hoping to establish AFC South dominance in the first quarter of the season. Moreover, they can continue authoring the kind of feel-good story that never fully materialized in their last two QB reclamation projects in Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz (two mentions; welcome back to NFL relevance, Carson).

The Falcons’ defense is on the come-up

It’s difficult for me, a lifelong New England Patriots fan, to maintain a friendship with an equally passionate Atlanta Falcons fan when I always have “28-3” to lord over him. But for once, the Dirty Birds have more legit buzz around them than the Pats.

QB Michael Penix, Jr. and the offensive unit have been as impressive and efficient as hoped. But it’s the Atlanta defense that is truly turning heads – and the 2025 draft class, specifically.

Fourth-round pick Billy Bowman Jr. had one interception and came up just short of a second. First-rounders Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. each had at least half a sack, and third-rounder Xavier Watts had a late-game pick.

This defense was ranked near the bottom in 2024, when the concept of a sack was nearly non-existent. In fact, the team had just 169 sacks from 2019-24, 30 fewer than the next-worst team. They haven’t had a player with 10 sacks since 2016, the longest drought in the NFL.

A tough divisional tilt in Charlotte against Carolina is next up in Week 3, with the Commanders, Bills, and 49ers on deck. We will know by the end of Week 5 if this defense can truly hang with the league’s elite.

Division in focus: The NFC North is suddenly anything but boring

That’s saying a lot given that this division was the very definition of blue-collar dull for decades. The Green Bay Packers are looking like a defensive juggernaut, as they had 12 QB hits on Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. Both linebacker Micah Parsons and cornerback Keisean Nixon (five pass breakups) landed on PFF’s top 10 Week 2 defenders list.

The Detroit Lions‘ offense responded to a lackluster Week 1 (246 yards, 46 rush, 2 TDs) with 511 yards (177 rush) and 7 TDs versus Chicago. Quarterback Jared Goff had his fifth career game leading a team to 50 or more points. Only Tom Brady (8), Drew Brees (6), and Peyton Manning (5) have equal or more. And the Lions as a team have three 50-plus-point games since the start of 2024, one more than the rest of the league combined.

The Chicago Bears have now lost 12 of their last 13 games and are now 0-2 in the division. How the team is losing is equally as soul-crushing as the pivotal losses that deflated any early hope in 2024.

Head coach Ben Johnson does not seem enamored with QB Caleb Williams’ embracing of his system, but the offense has not been the issue (65+ PFF grades in both games). The defense earned a 44.5 grade against Detroit, with their pass coverage earning a 30.1.

With the Cowboys’ star wideouts next, the Bears could be looking at a repeat of their Week 2 explosive play implosion (15 of 10-plus yards, seven of 20-plus yards, and five of 30-plus yards, the latter their most in any game over the past decade).

On the surface, the news is equally depressing for the Minnesota Vikings. Their offense is sputtering, the youth QB they went all-in on (J.J. McCarthy) is injured and out for multiple weeks.

And the three veterans they opted to snub (Sam Darnold, Aaron Rodgers, and Daniel Jones) are all looking far better than McCarthy.

Could backup journeyman Carson Wentz be the answer? It can’t get much worse, and truth be told, he needs to be serviceable in moving the ball down the field and giving wideout Justin Jefferson his chances to shine. It’s the defense that’s making the worst headlines. They gave up 200-plus rushing yards at home for the first time since 2010.

SECONDARY STORYLINES

Porous Steelers: Yes, maybe Aaron Rodgers came back to Earth a bit. Yes, he could only turn a big Jaylen Warren gainer, a missed Seahawks field goal, and interceptions from Jaylen Ramsey and Nick Herbig into 10 total points.

But before you make A-Rod the scapegoat, ask yourself this: When was the last time you saw the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ defense be the glaring weakness? They gave up 30-plus points in the first two weeks of the season for the first time since 2002. They gave up 24 points in the second half alone. And with the Patriots offense clicking after putting up their first 30-piece since 2022, a visit to Foxborough is far from the elixir for this ailment.

Another nifty Jones: All the hype has been about Daniel, but another rejuvenated Jones is making hay on the West Coast. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones was the unlucky “guy to follow the GOAT” in New England. He didn’t help himself with bad body language that seemed to throw his coaches and teammates under the bus. Jones looked decent at best in relief of an injured Trevor Lawrence last year in Jacksonville.

Sunday, he looked mature and rebooted under the tutelage of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Jones threw for three touchdowns, but more importantly, no turnovers – his first such game since 2022.

That performance made fans take their hands off the Brock Purdy injury panic button. In the process, the 49ers moved to 2-0 for the fourth time under Shanahan (the first three times- they went to the NFC title game).

Is the hot seat warm or burn-worthy in Miami? It is a crazy fall for the Miami Dolphins since they were the “it” team heading into the 2023 season. Mike McDaniel was heralded as a nerdy genius. The in-season “Hard Knocks” was ultra entertaining and actually made Tyreek Hill look like a man with redeeming qualities.

After a Christmas Eve win over the Cowboys, the Fins were 11-4 and looking like a Super Bowl contender. Since that day, Miami lost three straight to end 2023 (including a first-round playoff exit), six of eight games to start 2024, and now the first two games of 2025 after an 8-9 finish last year.

Hill said he wanted to be anywhere but Miami, then pulled that declaration back, but not before he lost his team captaincy. NFL observers said there was some of the worst energy they’d ever seen at the Dolphins’ training camp. Miami looked amateur in every way during Week 1. Then, for all the positive signs that came out of the New England tilt, the game ended with an embarrassing home opener loss.

McDaniel needs his team to show some pride and keep it close at Buffalo. Week 4 could be the tell-tale week. If Miami loses at home to the Jets and goes to 0-3 in the division, the HC is likely a goner.

More hot seat stats: Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper has shown he has a very short leash for new coaches. As respected as head coach Dave Canales is around the league, the Panthers are off to their fourth straight 0-2 start … The Giants have lost eight straight NFC East contests. The Giants have two tough AFC West home games up next against KC and the Chargers. They need a win in one of those two games, even if management makes the move to Dart. The death knell game could be Oct. 5. If they lose to the lowly Saints, Daboll could be Da-gone … slightly less hot is Cleveland, but how much patience does head coach Kevin Stefanski get?

The Cleveland Browns are off to their first 0-2 start since 2017, when they went 0-16. They’re amid an eight-game losing streak. Star defensive end Myles Garrett is disgruntled. And a brutal run through the NFC North (Week 3 home vs. Green Bay, then at Detroit and home against Minnesota) could leave them at 0-5 staring down a trip to Pittsburgh.

Storyline seed stats: Good or bad, they’re the numbers that lead to trends and/or headlines … first, the good: the Seattle Seahawks pulled off their seventh road win, a franchise record … The Jacksonville Jaguars are now 0-13 when quarterback Trevor Lawrence throws two or more interceptions … The Jets’ first nine drives against the Bills: seven punts, a fumble lost, and a field goal … Eagles QB Jalen Hurts became the second QB to beat Mahomes twice (joining Joe Burrow).

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson had more yards on his first Week 2 run (25) than he had all of Week 1 (24) … The Tennessee Titans are off to their first 0-2 start since 1983 when they were the Houston Oilers … New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler is the first QB to lose his first eight starts since DeShone Kizer in 2017 … for all the preseason worry about quarterback Matthew Stafford’s back, the Los Angeles Rams are 2-0 for the first time since 2021, when they won the Super Bowl.