Matthew Ross
A collective exhale was felt on Sunday afternoon in New England, as Patriots fans saw the defending champs step u and deliver a tremendous offensive performance. Meanwhile, Super Bowl hopefuls like Oakland and Atlanta looked good as well. And we saw some Week 1 losers like Arizona and Seattle get on the board. We learned a lot about NFL teams in Week 2. Here are my words of wisdom.
2017 NFL Week 2 Betting Recap
– Until the Bills can throw the ball consistently downfield, they are not going to be a threat to anyone. Tyrod Taylor is not the answer. Meanwhile, the Panthers are 2-0 but they aren’t great, either. Carolina cannot run the ball yet, averaging under three yards a carry.
– The Titans bounced back nicely. But the real impressive note here is that RB Derrick Henry finally got some playing time and he capitalized, with 92 yards and a touchdown. Watch out for him. As for Jacksonville, yeah, they are slightly improved but not enough to even be .500 just yet. We’re just biding time until Blake Bortles is released next spring.
– The Cards BARELY earned a victory over the Colts, which isn’t saying much. Carson Palmer looks like he lost all of his skill this offseason. Will it come back?
– Way to go Bucs and Dolphins for winning in your opening week. Tampa destroyed Chicago behind a strong defensive performance and the Dolphins gutted one out, a real character builder. Both should feel great heading into Week 3.
– I have been saying that Denver is better than most people think and that Dallas is not an automatic 13-3. Well, we saw that Sunday. Did the Broncos just provide the blue print to stopping the Cowboys running game, or is Denver’s D just that elite? I think it’s both.
– The 49ers have more moxy than I thought they had, hanging with the Seahawks for a while. Seattle has to get some things right on offense before they can contend, even if they play in a weaker division.
– The Steelers are winning game, but they just lost T.J. Watt on the defensive side and LeVeon Bell hasn’t gotten going yet. I’m not sold on them returning to the AFC game at the moment.
– In fact, the Ravens are playing some great D and are running the ball better than last year. As Flacco rounds into form I think they could battle Pittsburgh for the division.
– Yep, both Cleveland and Cincinatti will be bad this year. The Bengals have some nice parts, but perhaps A.J. McCarron deserves a shot at some point this year over Andy Dalton.
– Both the Eagles and Chiefs put on a show at Arrowhead on the weekend. I like Carson Wentz a lot. But right now KC is the better team and a contender right now. Give Wentz and Philly a few more weeks to round into form, though.
– I am really disappointed in the Chargers, who now sit at 0-2. Losing to Miami? Really? I know it was a short week and all, but the Fins were displaced and had Cutler at QB. Wow. Philip Rivers has to be steaming. The Chargers have a good roster on paper but are prone to a couple of brutal mistakes a game that usually cost them.
– Let’s end on the Raiders, who embarrassed the Jets, which is something a few teams will do this year. Oakland has no major weakness and could be a 14 or 15 win team! Meanwhile the Jets should get the top pick next spring.
Matthew Ross is a sports commentator and a radio host on TSN 690 Radio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Follow him @MatthewWords.
