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NFL Quick Hits, Week 2: Seahawks Stumble While Patriots Return To Form

Andrew McKagan |
September 16, 2014 | 12:57 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

Philip Rivers was brilliant on Sunday, connecting with Antonio Gates three times for touchdowns against the stingy Seahawk defense. (Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia Commons)
Philip Rivers was brilliant on Sunday, connecting with Antonio Gates three times for touchdowns against the stingy Seahawk defense. (Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia Commons)

Ravens 26, Steelers 6

- Elvis Dumervil is a really underrated pass rusher. The Ravens use him in a part-time role to keep him fresh, and he uses his speed to the outside to set up inside moves as well as anyone.

- Pittsburgh’s offensive line just isn’t that good. They paid Marcus Gilbert big this offseason to be their right tackle of the future, and he has to be better.

Bills 29, Dolphins 10

- EJ Manuel still has some work to do throwing the ball, but the Bills seem to be building this thing the right way: they’re very solid up front on both sides of the ball. Nice play calling to get Sammy Watkins the ball a bunch on short crossing routes, too. Also—props to rookie right tackle Seantrel Henderson for shutting down Cameron Wake.

- Ryan Tannehill has showed promise in the past, but he has to be more consistent if he wants to get better.

Panthers 24, Lions 7

- Man, are Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis good in coverage. And Carolina didn’t miss a beat with Greg Hardy’s deactivation, as his replacement Mario Addison had 2.5 sacks.

- I think the Lions will get better and better as the season goes on, especially offensively, as they’re still learning Joe Lombardi’s new offensive scheme. I’m still a believer.

Bengals 24, Falcons 10

- When there’s pressure in his face, Andy Dalton makes questionable throws. When there isn’t, he’s a well above-average quarterback. The Bengals are an elite team two weeks in.

- The biggest worries for the Falcons still reside on both sides of the line of scrimmage. They still can’t get a pass rush on opposing quarterbacks, and playing Gabe Carimi and Lamar Holmes at the tackle positions means Matt Ryan will be on his back a lot.

Browns 26, Saints 24

- If Andrew Hawkins was on the Packers or the Broncos, he would be in the conversation as one of the best slot receivers in the league.

- I don’t know what’s up with the Saints defense, but for whatever reason Cameron Jordan and Junior Gallette aren’t getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. They’re too talented to be contained for long, though.

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Patriots 30, Vikings 7

- Chandler Jones played more on the edge this week as opposed to the interior last week, and he had a much better game. Watch out for my piece on the Patriots defense which will hopefully come out within the next week or so.

- When your important players don’t have good games, you’re in trouble. Matt Cassel, Matt Kalil, and Xavier Rhodes all played poorly.

Chandler Jones played more on the edge, and it showed with his six tackles and two sacks. (Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia Commons)
Chandler Jones played more on the edge, and it showed with his six tackles and two sacks. (Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia Commons)

Cardinals 25, Giants 14

- Calais Campbell is so good at whatever he is asked to do, whether it’s two-gapping or rushing the passer. Tackles are an arbitrary stat, but 10 solo tackles for a defensive lineman is a pretty good indicator.

- Eli Manning actually didn’t play too poorly in this game. His wide receivers had some drops, and the Giants’ offensive line didn’t help him out much, which seems to be a theme of the recent past and the foreseeable future.

Cowboys 26, Titans 10

- There’s the Cowboys offense we expected. The offensive line established their will at the line of scrimmage, and Demarco Murray and Dez Bryant were fed.

- Bad day for the Titans all around, but I was more disappointed in their defense. They’re better up front than that.

Washington 41, Jaguars 10

- The Redskins did what they wanted to do offensively, RGIII or not. The receivers got open, and Alfred Morris ran well. They won’t go against Jacksonville every week, but if they can get the ball to their talented playmakers, they’ll win some games

- Terrible offensive line performance for Jacksonville, allowing ten sacks. They should be better than that, from both coaching and talent perspectives.

Chargers 30, Seahawks 21

- San Diego played a hell of a game on both sides of the ball. Philip Rivers is like Peyton Manning in that his throws don’t always look pretty, but they are scarily accurate. He’s an elite quarterback for sure, especially against the blitz and on third downs. Also, Dwight Freeney and Melvin Ingram are a fantastic pair of pass rushers. So fast off the ball.

- On defense, Seattle gave up what they usually want to—short completions over the middle. But Danny Woodhead was able to break some tackles to get larger gains, and when Seattle went to man coverage Antonio Gates had the clear matchup advantage by nature of the fact that he’s Antonio Gates. I also believe that the San Diego heat played a big factor in the game for Seattle, as the temperature was about 120 degrees on the field and the Seahawks were wearing their dark uniforms. A tough loss, but they have a chance to bounce back at home nest week.

Rams 19, Bucs 17

- Aaron Donald handled Logan Mankins in this game. Donald looks like 2012 Geno Atkins.

- The Bucs just don’t have much of a pass rush, especially after losing Gerald McCoy to a hand injury. For a defense that wants to play coverage as opposed to blitzing, they could be in serious trouble.

Broncos 24, Chiefs 17

- Peyton Manning continues to find Marcus Cooper and pick on him. Long completions to Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas were had over Cooper, who struggled to say the least. Manning might be the best in the league at finding a matchup and exploiting it over and over again.

- Travis Kelce might be the Chiefs best receiver. But the main concern with KC is probably their offensive line, where Eric Fisher looks pretty offensive.

Packers 31, Jets 24

- Mike Daniels and Jordy Nelson are two of the best players in the league at their position, yet they rarely get enough credit. Daniels is especially notable, since he excels at bringing that ever-important interior pressure on defense.

- “Smith went 8-of-13 with a 103.4 QB rating on drop-backs that took 2.5 seconds or less compared to 8-19 with a 37.2 QB rating on drop-backs that took 2.6 seconds or more,” courtesy of Pro Football Focus. In other words, Smith needs to be decisive to maximize his talents instead of scrambling around and thinking too much.

Fletcher Cox is turning into a difference maker on the Eagles' defensive line. (Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia Commons)
Fletcher Cox is turning into a difference maker on the Eagles' defensive line. (Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia Commons)

Texans 30, Raiders 14

- Finally Houston used JJ Watt on offense! I’ve been waiting for them to use him in goal line situations, but next time watch for a fade pass or something to use his size and jumping ability to his advantage.

- Oakland just can’t run the ball and can’t stop the run. I thought their defensive line would be a lot better this year with the additions of Khalil Mack, Antonio Smith, Justin Tuck, and Lamarr Woodley, but so far it hasn’t paid dividends.

Bears 28, 49ers 20

- I would have thought the Bears would go to Martellus Bennett more with Jeffrey and Marshall hurting. Still, a resilient effort by Jay Cutler to made some nasty back shoulder throws to bring his team back for the win.

- Patrick Willis flashed more than he normally does—he seems to have stepped up his game even more in NaVorro Bowman’s absence. Also, this team misses Aldon Smith, and had trouble getting in Cutler’s face in the second half.

Eagles 30, Colts 27

-Fletcher Cox is finally starting to live up to his potential the Eagles saw when they took him in the first round of the 2012 draft. He isn’t always deployed in the best way as a 3-technique to get single matchups, but he has still found a way to play the run well and is starting to be a star for the Eagles.

- When Erik Walden is your best pass rusher, you know you’re in trouble. The Colts defense as a whole, besides Jerrell Freeman when he’s healthy, is not very fast, and it was evident on big plays to Darren Sproles and Zach Ertz. Also, too bad Trent Richardson’s would-be best game as a Colt was ruined by his two fumbles. He does have some positive attributes though, including good receiving skills and elusiveness in space, but is probably more of a role player instead of a workhorse back at this point.

Reach Staff Reporter Andrew McKagan via e-mail here and on Twitter here



 

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