Monday Hangover: Analyzing a Dull Week 2 in the NFL

Written by Sam DeCoste

It was great to see the NFL come back last week. Now, it is already overstaying its welcome. Week 2 saw plenty of intriguing matchups with potential for great entertainment, but each and every one of them failed to live up to the hype. 

In this edition of the Monday Hangover, we will recap the main storylines of Week 2 in the 2017 NFL season.

Denver's Defense Shuts Down Dallas

One of the marquee matchups going into Week 2 was undoubtably Dallas going to Denver. The last time these two teams played, Peyton Manning and the Broncos triumphed over the Cowboys in Jerry's World 51-48, despite Tony Romo's career performance, throwing for 506 yards and 5 touchdowns. This week, it was Dak Prescott versus Trevor Siemian. Siemian led the Broncos down the field time and time again, and had no problem moving the ball against the Dallas defense. Siemian threw for 241 yards and four touchdowns against one of the league's best scoring defenses last year, while his counterpart, Dak Prescott, could only complete 30 of 50 passes for 238 yards and a pick six to Aqib Talib in the game's dying minutes. There is nothing deceiving about the score-Denver outplayed Dallas in every facet. 

For Denver fans, this has to be inspiring. They shut down one of the league's most potent offenses, and they penetrated through the best offensive line in football. Their defense was spectacular, and their offense was arguably even better. Trevor Siemian has silenced his doubters about the quarterback position in Denver for at least another week, and he answered plenty of questions. Now as they prepare for Buffalo, let's see if these Broncos are legit. Last season, they started 4-0 before the wheels fell of. They should be back in the playoffs if they can play like this consistently.

And even though Dallas lost in overwhelming fashion this week, don't panic. Dallas should be fine. They still have the best offensive line in football, they still have Dak Prescott, and they still have Ezekiel Elliott, who is not suspended. Their schedule is pretty tough in the short term, as they have a Monday night road trip to Arizona next week, and they have Green Bay coming to town in Week 5. But it was a poor performance all around by Dallas. Ezekiel Elliott ran for eight yards yesterday. Eight. He led the league in rushing last year. But hold your horses, Cowboys fans, and national pundits, it's Week 2. Dallas will be just fine.

League's Best Running Backs Off to a Slow Start

Speaking of Ezekiel Elliott, running backs have really struggled out of the gate to start the season, especially the league's elite. And if you play fantasy football, I don't need to remind you. David Johnson, arguably the league's best half back, ran for 23 yards on 11 carries before leaving the game injured. Le'Veon Bell has ran for 119 yards on 37 attempts, but 87 of them came just yesterday. LeSean McCoy ran for 9 yards yesterday. Elliott had 8. The league's top running backs from 2016 have been dreadful to start 2017. Now why is that? Good defense? It has to be. 

The league has seen rather good defense in the first two weeks already. Just this week, there have been plenty of low scoring affairs. 13-9 in Cincinnati, 9-3 in Carolina, 16-13 in Indianapolis, and 19-17 in Los Angeles. Defenses have certainly played really well to start the season. It is surprising considering how high scoring teams are in this day and age, especially last season. But then again, maybe it's just that these teams don't know how to do anything but run the ball? Think about it, Dallas runs the ball more than half the time. The Steelers are handing the ball off to Bell every snap to take pressure off of the aging Ben Roethlisberger. The Bills have no weapons on the perimeter to pass the ball, and they can only run the ball. David Johnson is, or at least was, the entire Cardinals offense. These teams run the ball because they have to, and defenses know it. So they know they can stack the box with eight men, and they don't have to worry about getting beat in the air. 

It's bad to see the league's best backs struggling to put up the stats which live up to their shirt sales. But based on the circumstances of these teams, things may just stay the way they are. 

Get Back on the Wagon, the Pats Are Fine

Last week, it looked like the Pats were falling off a cliff. Andy Reid out-coached Bill Belichick all the way, leading to a 42-27 loss for New England. Was Tom Brady done? 

No. 

In a Hall of Fame matchup between two of the league's best pure passers ever, Tom Brady threw for 477 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant 36-20 win for the Pats over the Saints. The Pats looked in command all the way. They put Week 1 behind them, and won in comfortable fashion. 

The Saints are still the Saints. They realistically have no chance of making it to the playoffs the way they are playing right now. They play the Panthers, Dolphins, Lions, and Packers in the coming weeks. The Saints need a new head coach moving forward if they want to compete for championships again.

As for the Pats, are we really surprised about this? Sure, Week 1 was a howler, and a heck of an upset to start the season. But they returned to winning ways, and we shouldn't be surprised if they don't lose again this season. The only problem is the Patriots defense is not very talented. Dont'a Hightower is their best player. Stephon Gilmore struggles in tackling and communicating with the defense. Malcolm Butler is a great shutdown corner in this league, but the Patriots shopped him all offseason. The Pats need to establish a pass rush, and they need to find a way to get the quarterback and stop the run. Their lack of resistance against the run was their undoing on opening night. They are the best team in the NFL is Belichick can sort the defense out. They return to New England to face the Houston Texans next week. 

Same Old Rams

Last week, I preached for the Rams for playing great against the Colts in a dominant 46-9 win. But after that, I said that they had to beat the Redskins to show that they are not last year's Rams. Or the 2015 Rams. Or the 2014 Rams. Or the 2013 Rams. Do you get my point?

Jeff Fisher's Rams could never replicate a good performance in consecutive weeks. They would beat the Seahawks at home, and lose to the Lions the next week. The Rams have been, and are still, inconsistent. They are not a playoff team.

The Redskins needed a win after a disappointing performance against the Eagles last week, and they delivered just what the doctor ordered. Their defense played well, and Kirk Cousins did just enough in a 27-20 win over the Rams. Obviously, the Redskins have a lot of work to do. Their offense looks very sluggish. Kirk Cousins and Terrell Pryor have zero chemistry so far, and it has shown in the first two weeks. They managed to get a result in a very difficult situation. Don't get me wrong, it is hard for an East Coast team to travel to the West Coast and beat a team in their building on the road, especially when you lost the week before. Fair play to Jay Gruden for getting the Redskins up for this one. They host the Raiders on Sunday Night Football next week.

But the Rams have to be better than this. The regime may be different, but it's the same old franchise. Until they win consecutive games, and replicate solid performances from one week to the next, the Rams will be watching the playoffs on the couch again. Sean McVay has a tough schedule coming up, including a short work week. They go to San Francisco for Thursday night, and then they play the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4.

Although Week 2 was rather disappointing, Week 3 promises to be better. The Eagles host the Giants in their home opener, Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford square off in Detroit when the Falcons and Lions play, the Bengals look to score their first touchdown of the season in a duel with the Packers, and the Cowboys and Cardinals close it up on Monday night. Stay tuned for Week 3 Predix!

Picture credit: http://www.denverpost.com/2017/09/17/broncos-cowboys-live-blog-week-2/