Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day’s action and examines their significance moving forward.
Nobody knows anything
A lot of pessimism surrounded the Saints heading into this season, and it’s not difficult to understand why.
A horrific cap situation once again gave them no choice but to run it back with a seemingly mediocre roster, and it seemed possible, if not probable, that an unproven offensive line would undermine anything the Saints tried to accomplish with a new scheme. Not exactly the most inspiring situation.
Yet here we are two weeks into the season, and New Orleans is the most interesting story in the league. The blowout win over the Panthers in Week 1 flew under the radar for obvious reasons, but it’s impossible to overlook the Saints’ similarly dominant effort against the Cowboys this week.
New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is doing some phenomenal work scheming up big plays, and Derek Carr looks more comfortable than we’ve seen him at any other point in his 11-year pro career. He’s thrown for five touchdowns through two games, leading the league with well over 11 yards per attempt.
Crucially, the Saints have also put together an efficient run game despite the offensive line’s perceived shortcomings. Alvin Kamara’s four-touchdown day included 115 yards and three scores on the ground. His 5.6 yards per carry (in a very small sample) would be his most efficient mark since his rookie campaign in 2017.
While we probably can’t lump the Saints in with the NFC’s other contenders just yet, their offensive resurgence, along with their always steady defense, makes them worth watching over the next few weeks. If New Orleans can keep performing at anything close to this level through an upcoming schedule that includes the Eagles and Chiefs, the hype train will be full steam ahead.
LaFleur puts on a clinic
We all had the same thought when Jordan Love went down in Brazil; a star quarterback missing even a few weeks can derail a whole season in today’s NFL. Matt LaFleur, however, wasn’t interested in that scenario.
The Packers head coach needed all of one week to successfully shift his team’s offensive identity, putting together one of the best and most creative coaching jobs you’ll see all season in Sunday’s win over the Colts.
While Malik Willis deserves credit for the way he handled his role in a big spot, the game plan was clear from the beginning: The Packers were going to run the ball in every possible manner, and it didn’t really matter if Indy knew it was coming.
Josh Jacobs led the way with 32 carries for 151 yards, and Green Bay got significant contributions from five other ball carriers, including Willis and breakout receiver Jayden Reed. In total, the Packers finished the day with 53 carries for 261 yards, their most since 2003.
Succeeding under these circumstances should be appreciated. LaFleur has long been one of the game’s best play-callers, and his status probably deserves another bump after his display of genius this week.
This type of malleability, plus an opportunistic defense, will put the Packers in position to steal some wins until Love gets back. Once he returns, this period of run-game experimentation will keep paying off by giving the offense more ways to attack opponents. The Packers are very much alive.
Fields needs to start
The Steelers’ offense has been anything but spectacular over the first two games of the season. They’ve managed 31 points in a pair of narrow victories, with Justin Fields throwing for just 273 yards and one touchdown.
That may not look like the kind of production that should earn him the full-time starting job after Russell Wilson gets healthy, but this isn’t a normal situation.
Remember: Pittsburgh’s commitment to Wilson is about as negligible as it gets for starting quarterbacks in today’s NFL. He’s on the books for a veteran’s minimum salary this year – which was only possible because he was so disastrous with the Broncos that they moved on despite owing him a fully guaranteed $39 million this season. He never should have been expected to make a huge impact in this offense.
In the best-case scenario, this post-post-prime version of Wilson would be able to avoid negative plays, take care of the ball, and not lose games while Pittsburgh’s defense wins them. Look beyond the counting stats and that’s exactly what Fields is doing while adding a bit of upside as a runner.
Don’t mess with success. And who knows? Perhaps Fields has more upside to unlock as he continues to grow within this offense. That seems a whole lot better than hoping an aging Wilson can somehow rediscover a level of play we haven’t seen in four years.
Quick slants
Caleb getting no help
The popular idea that the Bears were a dream spot for a No. 1 pick at quarterback focused a little too much on the receiver group. Offensive line and scheme are also significant factors, and neither is doing much to set Caleb Williams up for early success. Chicago’s front five was completely overmatched Sunday night in Houston, giving up seven sacks in a frustrating defeat. It was tough to watch the Bears keep trotting out the same basic protection plan only for their young quarterback to continue taking a beating from a ferocious Texans pass-rush. Something has to change if Williams is going to get on the right path as a rookie.
Bengals deserved better
Cincinnati is 0-2, but not all losses are created equal. Last week’s defeat at the hands of the Patriots was cause for concern. This week’s loss to the Chiefs, meanwhile, can arguably be considered a moral victory. The Bengals issued an important reminder that, if any team is built to beat Kansas City, they’re it. Lou Anarumo’s defense continued to give Andy Reid problems, and Joe Burrow was a late pass-interference call away from moving to 4-1 against Patrick Mahomes. The Bengals instead find themselves in a less-than-ideal hole to start the season, but they’ll feel a lot better heading into next week after going shot for shot with the champs.
Harbaugh cooking
The Chargers are 2-0 for the first time since 2012. Early-season wins over the Raiders and Panthers may not be enough for everyone to buy in just yet, but it sure seems like Jim Harbaugh is providing the kind of stability that has evaded this organization for well over a decade. J.K. Dobbins’ sensational start continued this week with another 131 yards, and the Chargers even got two touchdowns out of Quentin Johnston. Keep an extra-close eye on the defense – new coordinator Jesse Minter has quickly brought this group up to speed on his Ravens/Michigan-style system. This team has a real chance to make some noise in the AFC playoff picture.
wHaT’s HiS tOp SpEeD?
If you spend any time on Football Twitter, you’re painfully aware that the discussion around Marvin Harrison Jr. following his dud of a debut focused on the No. 4 pick’s top recorded speed being a paltry 16.7 mph. Some wondered whether Harrison, who declined to work out for teams leading up to the draft, was much slower than anyone had realized. Thankfully, it didn’t take him long to dismantle that narrative in his second game. Harrison exploded for 130 yards and two long touchdowns in the first quarter alone as the Cardinals blew out the Rams. This generational draft prospect is going to be just fine.
Kyler is back
Speaking of the Cardinals, I’m pleased to inform you that Kyler Murray is extremely back. The former first overall pick had to ease his way back into action last year after recovering from a major knee injury, but after a complete offseason allowed him to return to full strength, he looks exactly like the electric quarterback we saw before he got hurt. Murray was back to making video game-like plays in Sunday’s win over the Rams: He threw for 266 yards, ran for 59, and became the only quarterback this week to pass for three touchdowns. It may take some time for the Cardinals to emerge as consistent contenders, but they should be very fun to watch in the meantime.
Hutch taking off
Aidan Hutchinson is the official way-too-early favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. The Lions edge rusher was unblockable Sunday afternoon against the Buccaneers, racking up 4.5 sacks to put him at 5.5 through two games. Hutchinson took a significant step toward elite status with 11.5 sacks as a sophomore last season, and this early dominance suggests he’s lifting his game to yet another level. The Lions will have to budget for yet another market-setting contract – and they’ll happily pay up.
Vikings here to compete
The Vikings aren’t NFC North afterthoughts. While they may lack the star power of their division rivals, this seems like a club that will defy expectations and work its way right into the mix by December. Brian Flores’ defense can be a pesky matchup for even the best offenses in football, as six sacks and two turnovers from that group were key to this week’s upset of the 49ers. But don’t sleep on the offense either. Sam Darnold is proving more than capable of working around the occasional mistake to keep Kevin O’Connell’s offense running at a more than acceptable level. His 97-yard touchdown strike to Justin Jefferson was a reminder of the talent that once made him a first-round pick.
Seahawks ready to fly
Squeaking by Denver and New England for a pair of wins to start the season may not seem all that exciting. Look a little closer at Seattle’s offense, though, and this thing is just about ready to take off. Geno Smith looked extremely comfortable in his second game in the Seahawks’ new system, putting the team on his back with one big-time throw after another against the Patriots. Jaxon Smith-Njigba appears to be ready for a breakout too, as the second-year receiver tallied a team-high 12 catches for 117 yards on the day. Big plays were the selling point of Ryan Grubb’s offense coming over from the University of Washington, and that’s what we’ll get when this group truly hits its stride. That unit working in tandem with a Mike Macdonald defense makes for an especially exciting pairing.
Daniels has to protect himself
Jayden Daniels has 26 rushing attempts through two games. That puts the Commanders rookie on an early 17-game pace for 221, which would shatter Lamar Jackson’s quarterback record of 176. Some of those runs have been by design, while many have been scrambles under pressure. Either way, this volume isn’t sustainable. Daniels has always been far too reckless about contact for a player of his size. The No. 2 overall pick getting banged up a bit in Sunday’s win over the Giants, a game where he also took five sacks, should encourage the Commanders to do a better job of protecting him than they have so far. The team’s future depends on it.
