Following the scoring splurge in Week 1, defenses struck back on Sunday.
The 13 afternoon games on Sunday averaged 36.8 points. Boosted by the two prime-time contests, the league-wide average of 40.9 points per tilt in Week 2 is down significantly from Week 1's mark of 49.4 ppg, with Monday Night Football remaining.
Five defenses held their opponents without a touchdown on Sunday: Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Minnesota and New England. It's notable that two of those teams (the Bears and Panthers) were involved in a 96-point Week 1 bout. The week-to-week flip underscores that clubs are still figuring themselves out early in the 2026 campaign.
Two high-profile quarterback injuries -- Jayden Daniels (dislocated left elbow) and Caleb Williams (hamstring) -- will hover over the early portion of the week. As we wait to better understand the extent of those players' potential absences, let's look at the rest of the aftermath of Sunday's showdowns, including:
But first, a look at some unexpected developments in the young season ...
Raiders lead surprising 2-0 teams
If we were ranking the most stunning teams to begin this season at 2-0, we'd start with the Las Vegas Raiders, then there would be a wide, football-field-long gap before the next squad. Klint Kubiak and Co. took care of business in the opener against a Miami team they were supposed to beat. They were expected to be a doormat in L.A. in Week 2.
Nope.
Instead, the Raiders sent the Chargers spiraling with a 26-14 win, outplaying their opponents in all three facets. That isn't something we've been able to say about the Silver and Black in a long, long time.
It's not just that Vegas won its first two games; it's that the Raiders are winning by being the more professional team. In years past, the Raiders have bungled themselves into the turf. They were the ones turning the ball over in key spots, making mental mistakes and taking brutal, drive-killing penalties. Sunday, they were the even-keeled squad, letting the Chargers dunk on themselves. Vegas capitalized at every turn.
Kirk Cousins is far from perfect, but the 38-year-old can still sling it. On throws of 10-plus air yards against the Bolts, Cousins was 8 of 12 for 181 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, per NFL Research. The 40-yard touchdown pass to Tre Tucker was just the third completed pass of 40-plus air yards by a Raiders QB over the past three seasons. Kubiak has modernized the offense, while Rob Leonard's defense has swarmed, forcing five turnovers over two games (the Raiders had 16 takeaways all of last year).
Soberly, I anticipate the positive vibes from the Raiders' first 2-0 start since 2021 to be curtailed, particularly as the schedule picks up in October. However, the building blocks of the future are more visible than at any time in recent memory -- and that's without the No. 1 overall pick (Fernando Mendoza) at the helm yet.
The Bengals would probably rank as the next-most-surprising 2-0 squad, not because of the record but because of how they've won their games: on the back of the defense.
As Joe Burrow got battered and the offense scuffled for much of Sunday's contest in Houston, the defense kept giving C.J. Stroud and the Texans fits. The run-defense turnaround, led by Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen, has completely flipped how the Bengals can play. A year ago, they were getting gashed as the young linebackers struggled. Through two weeks, with the big boys creating havoc and taking up blockers, Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter have played more fluidly. Sure, the young LBs still have some coverage issues, but their performance has improved significantly. On Sunday, the Bengals did not allow a single touchdown, their first game allowing zero TDs since a 27-12 road win over the Jets back in Week 3 of 2022, per NFL Research.
Of course, there was still the Joe Burrow-Ja'Marr Chase magic to put Cincy over the top, but this was a game the Bengals lose with last year's defense.
While we're here, this is how I'd rank the eight 2-0 teams -- with the Giants looking to join the list by beating the Rams on Monday night -- starting with the most impressive through two weeks:
- Buffalo Bills
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Minnesota Vikings
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Philadelphia Eagles
Chiefs, Mahomes prove they are back
Trailing the Colts in the third quarter, and facing a third-and-11, Patrick Mahomes uncorked a 45-yard bomb to Tyquan Thornton to put the Chiefs on the doorstep of a go-ahead touchdown. The heave underscored that A) Mahomes is fully back; and B) the Chiefs' offense can finally return to being a field-stretching menace.
K.C. turned back the clock on Sunday night, with Travis Kelce looking spry and gobbling up 101 yards and Mahomes dropping bombs in the OT win.
The QB threw for 382 passing yards and three TDs while playing near-flawless football. The presence of Kenneth Walker III has completely unlocked the Chiefs' offense. The RB wasn't as dynamic on Sunday night as he was in Week 1, yet he still bulldozed his way for 117 yards on 24 carries. The threat of Walker, however, is a massive boon to Mahomes. It opens up the play-action in a way the two-time MVP hasn't had in the past. Against Indy, he recorded a career-high 14 completions on play-action passes, per Next Gen Stats. Across 17 play-action attempts, he totaled 137 yards and two touchdowns.
Also, after failing to complete a downfield pass in Week 1, Mahomes finished with six completions on nine downfield attempts (10+ air yards) for 154 yards.
After years of living in an offensive box and having to manufacture scores the hard way while leaning on the defense, the Chiefs' attack finally looks like it inhaled fresh oxygen.
Vikings' dominant D here to stay
Boy, the Vikings can coach.
The early front-runners for Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year should both reside in Minnesota. Kevin O'Connell has made the offense work without his starting quarterback and one of his top running backs. Starting in place of Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz struggled in the rain-soaked Soldier Field conditions. But unlike in previous years, Wentz avoided the catastrophic turnover that might have sunk his team.
The far more impressive unit, however, belongs to Brian Flores. The Vikings' defense has been the biggest game-changer in a young season. The ferocious D flipped the script on Green Bay in Week 1, then smothered a Bears team that had just put up 59 points, keeping Ben Johnson's offense out of the end zone for 60 minutes in a 9-3 win.
Flores blitzed Caleb Williams on 27 of his 33 dropbacks (81.8%) before he exited the game in the fourth quarter -- that blitz rate would have ranked as the third-highest mark in a game by a defense since at least 2018, per NGS.
Flores' ability to create havoc without confusing his own players or giving up a trove of big plays on the back end is impressive. Other teams could try it and get repeatedly burned. For Flores, it's a style. It's doubly remarkable given the questions Minnesota entered the season with on the back end. Isaiah Rodgers has been studly so far, and the return of veteran safety Harrison Smith has been a godsend.
Dallas Turner has come on strong in Year 3. The former first-round pick generated 10 pressures, including two sacks, on 36 pass rushes against the Bears, marking his second straight week with double-digit pressures, per NGS. Five of the pressures on Sunday were unblocked, a credit to Flores discombobulating the offense.
As Minnesota's offense continues to figure things out, Flores' defense has the muscle and guts to keep the Vikes on the winning track.
'Boys back on track after Dak's record day
After the prime-time Week 1 dud in New York, Dallas showed its high-octane potential in an easy home win over the Commanders, with Dak Prescott tossing four touchdown strikes to break Tony Romo’s all-time franchise record of 248 passing TDs.
It's quite impressive for a former fourth-rounder to put himself in a spot not only to break records, but to sprint past them.
"Sometimes it's great being naïve, and I was a little naïve just growing up, thinking that I could do this and I could do that. But yet, I think it put such insurmountable belief in my head that I can accomplish whatever I want to accomplish," Prescott said after the game. "And any thought that I said or anything that I wanted to do, and I mentioned it and I said it out loud, I had a mom and I had brothers who poured gas on those thoughts, who told me I could. And as I said, you can call it arrogance, you can call it confidence, belief, whatever you need to. I wouldn't be here if I didn't have those thoughts, if I didn't believe in myself like that. And I just encourage the next little kid out there who comes from the trailer park in Louisiana or wherever he may come from and doesn't know if he can do it or have the resources or have the family that ... You're right. Believe in what you want to believe in and find the people that support that, and you can do it."
The Cowboys continue to have issues with their revamped defense under Christian Parker. The injuries aren't helping, but Dallas had far too many breakdowns against Washington, especially early. Some of the issues are of the mental variety and can be cleaned up.
Sunday was reminiscent of 2025, when the Cowboys needed big offensive performances to earn Ws. Fortunately for Brian Schottenheimer, when Dak spins it like he did against the Commanders, few defenses can keep him quiet. The hope is that, eventually, the defense catches up.
Are these four offenses in trouble?
The Steelers looked moribund, out of sync and, frankly, boring in Sunday’s dismal outing against the Patriots. Aaron Rodgers struggled to navigate the pocket and took numerous hits, with two producing game-altering fumbles. DK Metcalf has been a net negative. The $32 million receiver looks like he's about $30 million overpaid through two games. The run game is all but non-existent. The offensive line, which on paper appeared to be a strength, has been disappointing and got its doors blown off on Sunday. Nothing about the operation has worked. Rodgers’ postgame comments were telling:
"Can't feel sorry for ourselves. Can't point fingers. We've all got to play better," he said. "But I think we can all give a little more. The best teams are player-led teams, so we've got to keep taking the ownership. In a game like today where there wasn't a lot of flow to it, we need to be better, and it starts with me at, like, making sure Mike (McCarthy) knows what's working, what's not working, our coaches know, and so we can call stuff that we feel like has a better chance.”
So much for a seamless transition under Mike McDaniel. Through two weeks, Justin Herbert looks completely uncomfortable. Yes, the blocking has remained porous, and Joe Alt’s play on Sunday was stunningly bad. However, it’s more than that with Herbert. He’s playing as though every decision must be funneled through an AI bot first. The Chargers' offense has zero flow; nothing’s easy, and every time they take a step forward, they wind up hacking off their own leg the next play.
The idea entering the season was that McDaniel would bring a quick game that would make life easier for Herbert. Instead, the veteran QB appears brain-cramped. On Sunday, Herbert threw two interceptions and fumbled three times (though the Chargers recovered all three). After losing to two teams that went a combined 6-28 a year ago, things only get more challenging for the Bolts, who face the Bills, Seahawks, Broncos and Chiefs over the next four weeks. McDaniel will have to figure things out quickly before the season spirals.
Even Bijan Robinson couldn’t make the Falcons offense watchable this week. Facing a Panthers defense that got taken to the cleaners a week ago, ATL looked like a JV squad. We shouldn’t be surprised, given their QB situation. Cooper Rush wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a veteran backup. Sunday’s three-turnover, 86-yard performance underscored that reality. Undrafted rookie Jack Strand was tossed into the fire in the third quarter and proceeded to throw a pick-six on his first career pass attempt, joining Brett Favre, Jameis Winston and Sam Darnold as the only quarterbacks since 1991 to do so. So he’s got that going for him.
Frankly, we can’t even evaluate the Falcons offense until we see it with something close to an NFL quarterback at the helm. With three prime-time games coming up, the hope is Michael Penix Jr. can get back in the saddle. Otherwise, this is going to be a looooong year in Atlanta.
The Bucs have moved the ball for spells over the first two weeks, but they can’t get out of their own way. After Week 1’s fumble-filled loss to Cincy, Baker Mayfield again turned the ball over with a first-quarter INT that led to Browns points. The Bucs' offense has yet to find a groove, with the entire operation feeling herky-jerky. Yes, the D needed to play better in the second half on Sunday, but Mayfield getting outplayed by Deshaun Watson is about as big an insult as a QB can experience in 2026. Perhaps most surprising is Zac Robinson's inability to get his top receivers involved. Emeka Egbuka generated just three catches for 16 yards (with a TD), while Chris Godwin had only three targets for three catches and 46 yards. That duo needs to butter the Bucs' bread in order for the passing attack to turn the season around.
For his part, Mayfield sees light at the end of the tunnel.
"(I'm) frustrated because it's close," Mayfield said after Sunday's loss to Cleveland. "You can feel it. You can see it. We're moving the ball at times, and then just shooting ourselves in the foot. So, that makes it more frustrating when you know you're right there. Our group is more than capable of handling stuff like this, but we (have to) really be self-critical, look at the tape, get stuff fixed and (we) just can't keep making the same mistakes over and over."
Week 2 Sunday spotlight
Lloyd had a sack and two interceptions -- including a pick-six -- in the Panthers' Week 2 blowout of the Falcons. Lloyd joins Charles Woodson (2009) and Zach Brown (2012) as the only players to have a sack, multiple interceptions and a pick-six in a single game over the last 20 seasons.
Just give the man the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award now.
