2024 NFL Week 2 Takeaways
The Saints Are Legit
Derek Carr and the Saints looked terrific in their 47-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in week 1. The question going into this game was “Were the Saints great or were the Panthers just that bad?”. In their own right, the Cowboys had a dominant week 1 victory. They defeated the Cleveland Browns 33-17. This game would always be a reality check for one of these teams.
The Saints came out swinging with a 14-3 start in the first quarter, and they never let up. Derek Carr ended the game with 243 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. Running back Alvin Kamara looked like his old self again with 4 total touchdowns and 115 rushing yards.
This was the Saints’ chance to prove themselves and they did just that. It may be too soon to hop on the hype train, but New Orleans has the most dominant offense in the NFL through 2 weeks. It’s time to take the Saints seriously now.
Kyler Murray Is Back!
Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals had a slow start in week 1. They fought hard in their 34-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills, but now it just feels like that was Murray shaking off the rust. Week 2 was a completely different story for the Cards. After being plagued with injuries over the past 2 years, Kyler Muray is back at full strength. He went 17/21 for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams.
Marvin Harrison Jr. heard the chatter after his lack of production in week 1. He showed out this time with 4 catches for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s just getting started in the league. Overall the team looked tremendous in their 41-10 victory on Sunday. Kyler Murray is back, and he's about to put the league on notice.
Rookie QBs Off To A Slow Start
The 2024 NFL Draft class saw a ton of hype around it, with 6 quarterbacks going in the first round. Only 3 of them are currently starting in the league. Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, and Bo Nix are showing varying degrees of progression. JJ McCarthy is out for the year due to injury while Drake Maye and Michael Penix Jr. are on the bench.
Caleb Williams had a resilient showing in week 2. He was sacked 7 times by the Houston Texans. The first overall pick was running for his life on most dropbacks and he took hit after hit on Sunday night. His stat line isn’t pretty right now, but what he shows on the field is promising.
Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix are in similar boats. Both of their offenses are finding an identity and struggling while they do. Daniels looks better than Nix right now, but that's mostly due to his lack of mistakes. Nix has 4 interceptions under his belt while Daniels has none.
It’s a slow start for this year’s first-round QBs. The starters are finding their groove and they’ll improve through the year. The current backups have time to grow behind the scenes and come out swinging when the opportunity arrives.
The Eagles’ Problems Haven’t Gone Away
The Philadelphia Eagles looked strong in their week 1 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Saquon Barkley found the endzone 3 times in his Philly debut. The entire team had a game plan and executed it very well. Week 2 saw an entirely different Eagles team.
They’d find themselves leading the Falcons 7-6 at halftime, but they couldn’t extend that lead to a comfortable place. Whenever the Eagles face a team that looks prepared for them, they struggle to improvise. They still struggle to close out games effectively, and their defense allowed Kirk Cousins to walk down the field for Atlanta’s go-ahead touchdown.
Philly’s offensive struggles were glaring in this game as well. The play-calling was abysmal at times, and they fell apart in the clutch. Run the ball, and close out games, that’s what they need to do. The Eagles have a lot of work to do if they want to turn things around this year.
There Is No Clear #1 Team
The biggest takeaway from week 2 is that there is no clear top team in the NFL. There are plenty of contenders, but none of them look like Super Bowl favorites. The Super Bowl contenders looked rough in week 2. The Lions lost to the Buccaneers, the 49ers looked terrible against the Vikings, and the Ravens blew a 23-13 lead to the Raiders.
Even the Chiefs struggled against a Bengals team that looked horrible in week 1. They were able to sneak away with it in the end, but not without controversy. Of course, this isn’t new to Kansas City, but squeaking out wins shouldn’t become the norm for them.
Teams that had low expectations are exceeding them as well. The Saints, Vikings, Chargers, and Steelers are at the top of their respective divisions. The Lions, Chiefs, and Niners will likely find their way back up. For now, it looks like the league is wide open.
It’s hard to predict how the season will go based on the first 2 weeks. After an extremely surprising weekend, it’s even harder to do so. Things will start taking shape and making more sense in the coming weeks, but for now, it’s exciting to see new teams emerge.
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