Week 2 Surprises From Each Team

By Timothy Ann and Shawn Stewart

Arizona Cardinals - WR Larry Fitzgerald

After Week 1, many people probably expected DeAndre Hopkins to get the ball another 15 times. That wasn’t particularly the case. While Hopkins was still productive, it is the ageless wonder Larry Fitzgerald who stands out. Even at the young age of 37, Fitzgerald was able to contribute 7 catches and 50 yards to the offense. While those numbers are not going to garner any weekly awards across the league, it is still surprising that Fitzgerald is even playin in the league still, let alone producing.

Atlanta Falcons - WR Julio Jones

While we are tempted to have selected the Falcons special teams unit, it was Julio Jones who has surprised us in Week 2, Julio was only targeted 4 times  and had 2 catches for 24 yards. It looked like he was dealing with some cramping or hamstring issues, so that could have played a huge factor in it as well. The standout receiver for this Atlanta offense this season has been Calvin Ridley, not Julio Jones. Ridley finished the game as the leading receiver with 7 catches and 109 yards as well as 2 touchdowns. Even in Week 1 for the Falcons, Ridley had 130 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 catches. While Julio did have 157 yards in that matchup, he was held without a touchdown. Last season, not being able to find the endzone that often was a huge knock on Julio Jones. Through two games, he now has less than 200 receiving yards and still no touchdowns again.

Baltimore Ravens - RB Gus Edwards

In the 33-16 victory over the Houston Texans, the Ravens rushing attack really asserted its dominance as one of the scariest in the entire league. Lamar Jackson led the team with 16 rushes for 54 yards, but the three-headed running back crew came out to play. The biggest surprise was Gus Edwards, whom many consider to be the third best running back on the roster. However, though Ingram and Dobbins had solid games, Edwards led the three in rushes with 10, and also gained the most yards in 73 compared to 55 (Ingram) and 48 (Dobbins). Though we can still expect Ingram or Dobbins to be the starting back, don’t be surprised if the Ravens start splitting carries between the three of them equally after Edwards proved to be a quality starter.

Buffalo Bills - QB Josh Allen

Josh Allen continues to prove himself as a great young quarterback, putting in back-to-back great performances to start the year. He threw for 417 yards on 24-35 passing, along with 4 passing touchdowns. On top of this, he ran four times for 18 yards. The most impressive highlight of this game came on a 3rd and 8 where Allen came short of the 4th down. However, even though he failed to pick up the first, he showed his impressive strength, size, and athleticism when he escaped the collapsing pocket, stiff-armed Kyle Van Noy, Miami linebacker, to the ground, and proceeded to truck another Miami defender in his attempt to gain the first down. Josh Allen showed his elite athleticism, and continues to grow and grow into a more reliable franchise quarterback showing better consistency with the more experience he gains.

Carolina Panthers - WR Robbie Anderson

Robbie Anderson does continue to be a bright spot for the Carolina offense. He had 9 more catches for 109 yards. Even after a solid Week 1 performance, there were very little people who expected Anderson to repeat his numbers. Even in another loss, Anderson proved that he has become Teddy Bridgewater’s go to receiver, not DJ Moore. With Christian McCaffrey expected to miss 4-6 weeks, Anderson is going to have to keep this production up for the Panthers to want to have any fighting chance in the NFC South.

Cincinnati Bengals - QB Joe Burrow

Joe Burrow had an excellent performance, for a rookie, in the 30-35 loss against the Cleveland Browns Thursday night. Despite being constantly under pressure and sacked three times, Burrow was able to throw for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns. The most impressive part about this statline, was the fact that Burrow was able to throw zero interceptions in a whopping 61 pass attempts, while under constant duress from the Browns defensive line, who were able to simply pin their ears back and rush the quarterback due to the Browns’ lackluster running attack.

Chicago Bears - QB Mitchell Trubiksy

Mitchell Trubisky continues to put up decent numbers, and he added two more touchdown passes to his total today. The calls for Nick Foles have gone quiet as Trubisky has the Bears sitting at 2-0. He had another solid game on Sunday. Even though he had less than 200 yards through the air and 2 turnovers, the Bears are sitting atop the NFC North. The Bears do not need Trubisky to be Patrick Mahomes. They need him to continue what he is doing, but they also need him to turn the ball over less. While the Bears were able to win this weekend, it was against a very weak Giants team and they very well could have lost in Week 1 as well if it were not for D’Andre Swift.

Cleveland Browns - RB Kareem Hunt

The Browns were able to utilize their two-headed running attack in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to run for 215 yards. While Chubb had the more impressive statline at the end of the game, Hunt played an excellent game with fewer touches than Chubb. In just ten rushes, he gained 86 yards and one rushing touchdown. He also added 2 receptions from 2 targets for 15 receiving yards and a touchdown. If Hunt is able to continue his stellar performance and return to his old form, the Browns could produce the most lethal running attack in the NFL.

Dallas Cowboys - WR CeeDee Lamb

Rookie CeeDee Lamb had a solid game on Sunday with 6 receptions for 106 yards. While everyone knew how good he was coming out of college, everyone believed that the Cowboys were going to struggle getting the ball to him. Well in only his second week in the NFL. He was the Cowboys leading receiver and was a huge part of their comeback win against the Falcons. While Amari Cooper also had 100 receiving yards, it looks like the Cowboys might somehow, someway figure out how to get the ball to Cooper, Lamb, and Michael Gallup on a weekly basis.

Denver Broncos - S Justin Simmons

After losing four key starters including quarterback Drew Lock in the game this past Sunday against the Steelers, it was up to the Broncos D to keep them in this game. Justin Simmons, free safety for the Broncos, played a fantastic game keeping the Broncos’ hopes alive. He led the team with eight tackles, and had an interception and two pass breakups in the 26-21 loss to the Steelers. The 2019 second-team All-Pro continued to show why he was considered one of the top safeties of the 2019 season.

Detroit Lions - Adrian Peterson

The future Hall of Famer, Adrian Peterson continues to put up decent numbers, even at his age. He carried the ball 7 times for 41 yards, which is an average of 5.9 yards per carry. While he likely will never see another game where he touches the ball 20+ times, he is showing that he still has plenty to offer. Even after a solid Week 1 showing against the Bears, many believed that the Lions were going to try to phase in their younger backs D’Andre Swift and Kerryon Johnson more and more. That doesn’t look to be the case. Surprisingly, Adrian Peterson has already carved out a very specific role in this offense.

Green Bay Packers - The Rushing Attack

Aaron Jones had a monster day with 18 carries for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns. That is a whopping 9.3 yards per carry! Jones also contributed out of the backfield as well, with 4 receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown.  Jamaal Williams also chipped in with 8 carries of his own for 63 yards and  AJ Dillion had  5 carries for 17 yards. Even with Aaron Rodgers playing some of the best ball he has in years, the Packers are realizing that they don’t have to rely on him so much. The Packers are getting tremendous production out of Aaron Jones. With Jamaal Williams kicking in as well, this offense will be scary all year long. And they haven’t even worked rookie AJ Dillion into the offense as much as we all thought they would!

Houston Texans - DE JJ Watt

In a 33-16 loss to the Ravens, JJ Watt proved his dominance as a defensive superstar after dealing with major injury concerns the last couple of years. After producing only 4 sacks in 8 games all of last season, he was able to track down Lamar Jackson for 2 sacks in this matchup. Seeing JJ Watt return to his dominance was a hopeful sign for Texans fans that he is hopefully back to 100% and will be able to be a key contributor to the Texans’ season this year.

Indianapolis Colts - RB Jonathan Taylor

With the injury to Marlon Mack, Jonathan Taylor’s opportunity to be the feature back in Indianapolis has come a lot quicker than most people expected. Taylor was able to explode in his first ever start at running back, rushing 26 times for 101 yards and a touchdown. He added 2 receptions for 9 yards on top of that. The Colts made it very clear from the start of the game that that offense was going to run through the rookie out of Wisconsin. We can continue to see Taylor improve as he gets more comfortable with the physicality and speed of the NFL, but after this performance, Jonathan Taylor can be a real contender for the ROTY award at the end of the year.

Kansas City Chiefs - K Harrison Butker

The Chiefs had many good performances in their 23-20 victory over the Chargers, but none were as impressive as Harrison Buklers. Butker started off the game getting an extra point blocked by Chargers defensive tackle Jerry Tillery. However, after that, Bukler went back to his usual self and, once again, channeled his inner Mariano Rivera to ice the game. He hit a 58-yard field goal in the third quarter, tying the Chiefs franchise record for longest field goal, then followed that up with a 30-yard field goal. Butker then put the game away when he hit a 53-yard field goal, called back by a false start, then a 58-yard field goal, cancelled due to a Chargers timeout, and then hit another 58-field goal right down the middle in overtime to win the game for the Chiefs.

Los Angeles Chargers - QB Justin Herbert

In a surprise start, after Tyrod Taylor got ruled out of the game due to chest pains, Justin Herbert, rookie quarterback out of the University of Oregon, was called upon to make the first start of his career. Learning he was starting only 10-15 seconds before the game, Herbert did an excellent job maintaining his poise in his first start against the defending Super Bowl champions. He went 22- for-33 throwing for 311 passing yards along with a touchdown and an interception. He also showed his sneaky athleticism rushing four times for 18 yards and a touchdown. Herbert proved to Chargers fans that he can start, and it might be time for Tyrod to get back on the bench as the rookie showed flashes of being a great quarterback.

Los Angeles Rams - TE Tyler Higbee

Tyler Higbee for the Rams, had himself an afternoon, in fact, he outscored the entire Eagles team by himself on Sunday! He had 5 receptions for 54 yards and 3 touchdowns. After a very solid season for the Rams in 2020, many were wondering if Higbee would be able to keep it up. With his performance in Week 2, to go along with solid Week 1 performance, many are starting to push him into the top-5 tight end tier across the league. It looks like he very well could be Jared Goff’s favorite target this season. He certainly was on Sunday!

Jacksonville Jaguars - RB James Robinson

Undrafted rookie running back James Robinson from Illinois State University put up a stellar performance against the Tennessee Titans, proving their release of Leonard Fournette was a smart move after all. The undrafted rookie rushed 16 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. He also added 3 receptions from 4 targets for 18 yards. This was an especially impressive performance from Robinson as it came against a great front seven in the Titans, and proved that Robinson can consistently perform at a high level as he has shown thus far in the first two weeks of the NFL season.

Las Vegas Raiders - TE Darren Waller

After a great first season with the Raiders last year, Waller continues to prove himself as a reliable, top tight end in the NFL. He showed out on Monday night against the New Orleans Saints catching 12 out of his 16 targets, for 103 yards and a touchdown. Going against Demario Davis, the stud linebacker for the Saints, is no easy task, and Waller was still able to dominate this matchup leading the Raiders to a 34-24 upset victory. We can expect to see Waller continue this dominant performance throughout the year as he is clearly a weapon quarterback Derek Carr trusts. Leading the team with 16 targets compared to the second most targets, which was 3, shows that Carr really believes in Waller and will continue to throw his way throughout the season.

Miami Dolphins - TE Mike Gesicki

Third-year tight end Mike Gesicki had a great performance against the Buffalo Bills, giving hope to Miami fans that he will be a reliable target for Tua Tagovailoa when he eventually becomes the starter. Gesicki had 8 receptions off of 11 targets while racking up 130 receiving yards along with a touchdown in the 28-31 loss against the Bills. Gesicki showed off his speed, and ability to get open, which is something Dolphins fans have hoped to see from him over the past couple of seasons. This may finally be his breakout year, and the possibility of having a Tua-Gesicki duo for years to come must have Dolphins fans excited for the future of this franchise.

Minnesota Vikings - Kirk Cousins

When was the last time that Kirk  Cousins had a game this bad? He was flat out awful on Sunday against Indianapolis! In fact the entire Vikings offense stunk!  Cousins put up forgettable numbers by only completing 11 of his 26 pass attempts for 113 yards with 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. This horrible performance came against a Colts defense that just allowed Gardner Minshew throw for 3 touchdowns and have a 95% completion percentage a week prior. Is the Colts defense that good? Or will Kirk Cousins be just that bad for the Vikings in 2020? Or is Gardner Minshew just the best quarterback in the NFL?

New England Patriots - QB Cam Newton

Even though the Patriots suffered a 35-30 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, Cam Newton delivered a vintage performance proving that the Patriots made a fantastic decision signing him in free agency for pennies on the dollar. Newton went 30-for-44 passing for 397 yards along with one touchdown and an interception. On top of that, Newton ran all around the Seahawks defense, leading the team in rushes with 11 for 47 yards and two more rushing touchdowns. This is the Cam Newton we are used to seeing, using his legs to drive defensive coordinators crazy. Even though this game resulted in a loss, we see that the Patriots should not be written off just yet. Even with Tom Brady moving on to Tampa Bay, the Patriots, with Cam, proved they could still compete with the best of the best.

New Orleans Saints - WR Tre’Quan Smith

Losing Michael Thomas was a huge blow for this New Orleans offense. Many wondered who was going to step in to replace his production. Immediately, that responsibility fell on the shoulders of Emmanuel Sanders, the slated number two receiver behind Thomas. However, that was not how things played out. Sanders was less than helpful for the Saints, only accounting for 18 yards on offense. Sanders was only target 3 times in the passing game and could only haul in 1 of those, which didn’t even come until late in the game. Through two games, Sanders only has 4 catches for 33 yards. Instead, it was 3rd year receiver Tre’Quan Smith that stepped up, pulling in 5 catches for 86 yards out of nowhere. Smith was far and away the best wide out that the Saints had on Sunday and will look to keep that production going until Michael Thomas is healty.

New York Giants - Saquon Barkley

The biggest thing to take away from this game is that Saquon  Barkley is done for the year. With that being the case, the Giants might as well pack it in early. Barkley appeared to have injured his knee in the game and needed to be carted off the field with reports later confirming that the star running back tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. The Giants have started the year very slow so far after going winless through 2 games.  After the Barkley injury the Giants could not establish a running game at all in Week 2. This will put a lot of pressure on 2nd year quarterback Daniel Jones going forward, and will undoubtedly make the Giants very one dimensional.

New York Jets - DE Quinnen Williams

The third overall pick in the 2019 draft had an impressive performance for the Jets on Sundayagainst the injury-riddled 49ers. After being labeled a “bust” after his underwhelming rookie season, Quinnen Williams posted two sacks along with a forced fumble in the 31-13 defeat on Sunday. WIlliams is only half a sack shy of his first year season total thus far, and hopefully we can continue to see him perform at a high level and become the Pro Bowl caliber player we all expected him to be coming out of the draft.

Philadelphia Eagles - Carson Wentz

The Eagles did not show up to play again in Week 2. Carson Wentz continues to struggle with 2 more interceptions and he did not record a single touchdown pass in this game. Was he reliving the game and bad memories against the Rams back in 2017 when he tore his ACL? Wentz and the Eagles could be in serious  trouble! Through two games, Wentz has only 2 touchdown passes compared to 4 interceptions and just 516 passing yards. With the Eagles sitting at 0-2 with two very ugly losses, 2020 2nd round pick out of Oklahoma, Jalen Hurts, may be getting closer to taking over than we thought.

San Francisco 49ers - Injuries

The 49er's are just bound and determined to be hit hard by the injury bug this season. That was already a huge issue heading into Week 2 and in fact, you can add a few more big names to the bruised and battered list. The 49er's lost their star defensive end in this game, Nick Bosa, due to a torn ACL and is done for the year. Fellow defensive lineman Solomon Thomas was also carted off of the field, just moments after the Bosa injury. Reports Monday confirmed that Thomas will also miss the year with a torn ACL. Jimmy  Garoppolo was also injured and did not finish the game. Starting running back Raheem Mostert was also lost for the game due to a knee injury after a very strong start. Somehow, someway, the 49er's hung in there and handled the Jets.  The 49er's defense only allowed 179 yards passing and 1 touchdown. Not a bad day for a team that had already entered the game decimated by injuries, only to add to that large list even more.

Seattle Seahawks - QB Russell Wilson

At this point in his career, Russell Wilsons talent should be a surprise to no one. We all know how good he is, but what he was able to do against the number 1 pass defense from a year ago was nothing short of amazing. Wilson had himself a night! He threw for 5 touchdown passes, 4 of those to wide receivers and 1 to running back Chris Carson while also throwing for 288 yards. The crazy stat of this game was that the Patriots only gave up 4 passing touchdowns to wide receivers in all of 2019 and Russell Wilson had 4 in one night!  He has already thrown for 9 touchdown passes through just 2 games. 2020 very well could be the year that Russell Wilson garners some MVP consideration.

Pittsburgh Steelers - OLB T.J. Watt

T.J. Watt was able to tie for the league lead in sacks this past Sunday with his disruptive performance against the Broncos and backup quarterback Jeff Driskel. Watt is tied for the league lead in sacks with rookie Chase Young at 2.5 sacks. In this game, he produced all 2.5 sacks and was an absolute menace up front for the Broncos’ tackles. T.J. Watt continues to cement his name as one of the best pass rushers in the league, and we can expect him to continue to go on a tear as one of the top sack artists in the National Football League.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Rushing Attack

The Buccaneers running game was very balanced today, which was very surprising especially when you have number 12 behind center. Nonetheless, it was the two running back stars in Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones that carried the offense as they combined for 126 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. Not a bad day at the office for one of the worst rushing teams in 2019. If the Buccaneers can keep things balance and not have to rely on the 43-year old, they will keep things moving along.

Tennessee Titans - TE Jonu Smith

Jonnu Smith has had a fantastic start to this season thus far, already tying his career-high in touchdown receptions in a season two weeks into the 2020-21 season. He caught 4 balls, on 5 targets for a total of 84 receiving yards, along with two touchdowns. Labeled as a potential breakout candidate this year, Smith has lived up to expectations giving many fantasy owners a sleeper tight end to start in fantasy. If Jonnu can keep this performance up, the Titans may have found a gem at tight end for years to come.

Washington Football Team - RB Antonio Gibson

Antonio Gibson has really taken over the lead running back duties with Adrian Peterson now in Detroit and Derrius Guice no longer on the team. Gibson had 13 carries for 55 yards and 1 touchdown. While the Washington wasn’t able to follow up their Week 1 upset over the Eagles, they showed that they might be better than we all thought. After losing Peterson and Guice, no one knew who was going to run the ball for this team. It is looking more and more like the rookie out of Memphis will be the one to step in and produce.

Follow Timothy on twitter @timothyan1 and Shawn @ShawnSportsNut.