The NFL is constantly full of surprises, and it’s not often there aren’t at least a handful of unexpected events to mull over. In Week 2 of the 2018 regular season, the NFL once again failed to disappoint.
Through two weeks of the season, very little has gone according to plan or expectations. Surprise teams are making profound leaps forward, while other powerhouses seem to be lacking identity. New head coaches are struggling, players at the end of their careers are thriving and rookies are slowly finding their way.
Here’s a look at the top 10 surprises so far:
10. New York Giants’ offense is nonexistent
Coming into the season, many expected the Giants to establish themselves as a strong offensive team with Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram and Saquon Barkley. However, through two weeks, that has not been the case. The Giants are averaging just 14 points per game, their offensive line has been atrocious, Manning isn’t mobile enough to extend plays, and defenses are easily taking away the deep ball. Despite all those superstars, the team has been rendered one of the worst offensive units in the league.
9. The curious case of kicking woes
Kickers are people, too. And like most people, they are prone to mistakes. However, in Week 2, those mistake came en masse. In fact, it was almost like a bizarre invisible illness that affects only kickers spread through the NFL, causing some crucial and game-changing misses. Browns kicker Zane Gonzalez missed two extra points and two field goals, Viking kicker Daniel Carlson missed two overtime field goals, and Packers kicker Mason Crosby missed a game-winning field goal. Gonzalez and Carlson were released, but Crosby, who made five field goals in the game, kept his job.
8. Patrick Mahomes is the real deal
Saying a player is “the real deal” sometimes gets lost in translation. When it comes to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, it not only means he’s proven himself capable of playing in the NFL, but through two weeks, he has looked like one of the best gun slingers in the entire league and should be considered an early MVP contender. In Week 2, the 23-year-old threw for 326 yards and a wildly remarkably six touchdowns in a shocking victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mahomes now has over 580 yards passing, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions on the season.
7. Antonio Brown suggests a trade
During Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was caught on camera in a heated exchange with offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. Shortly after the game, in which Brown hauled in nine receptions on 17 targets for 67 yards, a former Pittsburgh public relations staff member tweeted that Brown should be thankful for playing on the same team as Ben Roethlisberger because he wouldn’t put up the same numbers elsewhere. Brown exploded, tweeting out “Trade me. Let’s find out.” Brown then declined to show up to work on Monday. Trouble brewing?
6. New head coaches are struggling
The NFL debuted seven new head coaches in 2018, from Pat Shurmur with the Giants to Matt Patricia with the Lions and from Frank Reich with the Colts to Mike Vrabel with the Titans. In Week 1, they went winless. In Week 2, three finally landed a win (Matt Nagy, Mike Vrabel and Frank Reich), but none of their teams have looked pretty through the early season. Combined, they now sport a record of 3-11. There aren’t usually high expectations for new coaches, but the collective futility of the group is a bit eyebrow-raising.
5. 21K open seats for Redskins’ home opener
For 50 straight years, the Redskins have sold out every single home game. However, during their home opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, not only did Washington fail to sell out the game, but there were more than 21,000 empty seats. That’s a far cry from a team that averaged 88,090 fans per game as recently as 2007 and 75,175 per home game just last season. 57,013 is an embarrassment for Dan Synder and the entire Redskins organization, but fans have grown tired of the poor on-field product.
4. Two ties after two weeks
Ties in the NFL are relatively rare, so when the Browns and Steelers finished in a 21-all deadlock in Week 1, many figured it would be the final overtime anomaly of the season. But in Week 2, history immediately repeated itself as the Vikings and Packers battled to a 29-29 tie thanks in large part to some of the aforementioned misses by kickers, and a controversial call. Since overtime was implemented in 1974, there have never been more than two ties in any one season, while two ties have only occurred in three seasons (2016, 1997 and 1986). Ironically, in two of those seasons, the two ties also came in back-to-back weeks.
3. Josh Gordon traded to the New England Patriots
Just prior to a Week 2 game against the Steelers, Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey announced that wide receiver Josh Gordon would either be released or traded after showing up to team facilities late and acting out of the ordinary. Then, on Monday, in one of the most New England Patriot-like moves ever, they acquired the embattled receiver in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round pick. The team later revealed that Gordon, who had injured his hamstring during a photoshoot he lied to the Browns about, would be healthy enough to play in Week 3.
2. Bills’ Vontae Davis retires at halftime
In one of the most shockingly unexpected decisions in NFL history, 10-year veteran Vontae Davis put on his street clothes at halftime of a 31-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, told his Bills teammates he was quitting, and then walked out. Shortly thereafter, Davis hit social media to announce he was retiring. He said he meant no disrespect to his teammate or coaches, but admitted he couldn’t play at the level he was accustomed to and that became evident during the Week 2 game. Bills head coach Sean McDermott insists it won’t be a distraction, but how could it not be?
1. Fitzmagic is very, very real
Through two weeks of the season, well-traveled veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick can literally do no wrong. He opened the season replacing the suspended Jameis Winston by throwing for 417 yards and four touchdowns (five total) in a victory over the New Orleans Saints. Then, in Week 2, he tossed four more touchdowns and again threw for over 400 yards in a defeat of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. If that weren’t enough, he stole DeSean Jackson’s attire for one of the most memorable and epic post-game press conferences of all-time. FitzMagic is undoubtedly very real and great for the NFL.
