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#pounditFriday, March 29, 2024

15 key questions for NFL Week 2

Ben Roethlisberger
Week 2 of the NFL season kicked off Thursday, but the meat of the schedule comes Sunday. We’ll see several key divisional games early in the season, a rematch of the NFC Championship Game, and a number of teams trying to keep their seasons from hurtling toward early trouble. That gives us plenty of storylines to watch and questions that need answering.

Here are 15 key questions for the second week of NFL action.

1. Was the Steelers’ Week 1 performance a fluke or the start of a worrying trend?

The Pittsburgh Steelers were absolutely wiped out by the New England Patriots in Week 1. They lost 33-3 and never looked competitive on either side of the ball. That’s particularly worrisome on offense, where the loss of weapons in Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell looked to hurt them, even if Bell wasn’t a new departure. The Steelers now face the formidable Seattle Seahawks in their home opener, and a similar performance will be reason to panic.

2. Can Green Bay’s offense wake up against a talented Minnesota defense?

Credit the Chicago Bears’ defense for holding Green Bay to ten points in the season opener, even if that turned out to be enough for the Packers to win. Things won’t get much easier at home against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings bottled up Atlanta in Week 1, with Matt Ryan and Julio Jones struggling to connect. That’s the kind of performance they’ll need against Green Bay to get the job done. Aaron Rodgers, meanwhile, will be looking to improve his game against a familiar opponent — one that’s held him in check their last few meetings.

3. Is Gardner Minshew the real deal?

The Jaguars lost in Week 1 and will be without Nick Foles for several weeks. The good news is his backup, rookie Gardner Minshew, looked very capable against Kansas City, going 22-of-25 for 275 yards and two touchdowns. Skeptics were dismissive that it came against a Chiefs defense that’s perceived as second-rate. Minshew will be tested by the Houston defense, which didn’t hold up well late against Drew Brees in Week 1. Another good performance will make Jacksonville feel very good about their stopgap quarterback.

4. Might the Titans be AFC South favorites?

The Houston Texans will have something to say about it, but the Titans can move to 2-0 with a win over the division rival Colts. That would be a big coup after a dominant road win in Cleveland that surprised many. It’s certainly too soon to say that anyone has entrenched themselves as a division favorite, but a win would put them 2-0 with winnable games against the Jaguars, Broncos, and Bills looming, which could really propel them forward.

5. Will the Adrian Peterson controversy have any lingering impacts on the Redskins?

Jay Gruden created needless drama by dismissing Adrian Peterson after he was left inactive for Week 1. That bothered Washington veterans, which was bad enough. Things got worse when Gruden admitted Peterson would have to start against Dallas after Derrius Guice went down injured. Has the damage been done? Probably. Peterson isn’t starting because Gruden wants him to. Whether it proves a distraction in any way remains to be seen. Perhaps Peterson and his offensive line will want to prove a point, which could work to Washington’s benefit.

6. Which Kyler Murray from Week 1 will show up against Baltimore?

Kyler Murray spent the first three quarters of his NFL debut looking extremely underwhelming before turning it on in the fourth quarter and looking like the franchise quarterback the Cardinals expect him to be. As encouraging as that performance down the stretch was, it raises questions for Week 2. The Baltimore Ravens should be tougher than the Detroit Lions were, and John Harbaugh didn’t sound very impressed by Arizona’s offensive scheme. If Murray is being bottled up again, will he be able to shake it off?

7. Will the Lions suffer a hangover after their collapse against Arizona?

The Lions absolutely should be 1-0, but a fourth quarter collapse meant they tied against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1. In their home opener, they will face the Los Angeles Chargers, and they’ll have had to deal with a full week of questions about why that collapse occurred. It will be imperative that the Lions shake off those questions quickly and try to get off to a good start and get that good feeling back. Questions will rise if it’s close in the fourth quarter, but the Lions need to put themselves in that position first for it to be worth anything.

8. Is this John Ross’ breakout season?

John Ross spent the first two years of his NFL career looking like a major draft bust, but there was real hope in his Week 1 performance against Seattle. Ross went off for 158 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener, leading some to think it’s not too late for him after all. Ross will have an increased spotlight on him as the Bengals host the 49ers, but a flat performance could quickly wipe out some of his goodwill.

9. Can Josh Allen be more consistent against a hapless Giants defense?

It took the Bills a while to get going against the New York Jets in Week 1, but they managed to turn things around for a victory. Allen’s numbers looked fine except for the obvious two interceptions, which has to change going forward. Fortunately for him, he’s facing the lackluster New York Giants, who got taken apart in Week 1 by Dak Prescott. A good performance from Allen could really bolster his confidence and make the Bills a 2-0 team.

10. Can the Dolphins even hang with the Patriots?

The Patriots are favored by more than two touchdowns in this one, and it’s easy to see why. Miami was eviscerated by Baltimore in Week 1, while the Patriots looked better than ever against Pittsburgh. Several Dolphins players reportedly want out, including last year’s first-round pick. The question here is less about whether the Dolphins can win and more whether they can even keep it competitive. It would be a surprise if they did.

11. Will Saints-Rams count as a revenge game, or business as usual?

The only good news for this one is that it’s in Los Angeles, which means the Rams won’t face angry Saints fans still upset over last year’s NFC Championship highway robbery. That will do little to quiet the storyline around the game. How the Saints treat this will be important. While there should be healthy motivation to get a little revenge, too much focus on it could be detrimental to their chances of winning. The Saints will want to stick to their gameplan in order to come away with a road win.

12. Can Patrick Mahomes make it happen against Oakland without some key weapons?

There will be no Tyreek Hill for the Chiefs in Week 2, meaning Patrick Mahomes is going to have to look elsewhere. Of course, he showed against the Jaguars that he can still dominate without him. He still has tight end Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins had a massive Week 1, and rookie Mecole Hardman. The Raiders looked pretty solid against Denver in Week 1, but Joe Flacco is not Mahomes. It will be a good challenge to see whether the Chiefs quarterback can make it work without a key weapon.

13. Will Mitchell Trubisky or Joe Flacco show improvement?

Week 2 matches up a pair of quarterbacks who really struggled in their respective season openers. Both Mitchell Trubisky and Joe Flacco struggled to do a ton on offense in their Week 1 games, and both come in needing a good performance. Whoever outperforms the other may end up winning this, and both need it for different reasons. Trubisky is a high draft pick whot people expect more out of, while Flacco is a marquee offseason acquisition. It will be a very bad week for whoever the loser is.

14. Is Atlanta’s offense prepared for the Philadelphia defense?

The Falcons looked like a second-rate offense against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, with most of their explosive players limited or bottled up in some way. The Philadelphia Eagles aren’t going to be a lot easier. It’s up to Matt Ryan to shake off a bad performance in the opener and look better. If he can’t, the Falcons will be 0-2, and the questions will really grow about the team’s capabilities. This is a very big game for him and his teammates this early in the season.

15. Can the Browns handle the pressure of 0-1 after an offseason of hype?

Baker Mayfield may claim to like the return of the doubters, but there is no question that Cleveland’s Week 1 was a disaster. It will be interesting to see how they react to it after an offseason of hype. The Titans likely brought them back to reality, but they’re certainly not the underdogs Mayfield wants them to be; they’re road favorites, a rare role for the franchise. An 0-2 start and a loss to a Jets team without its starting quarterback would really pile on the pressure for a franchise that isn’t used to high expectations.

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