fbpx
Skip to main content

Three NFL teams that should have won in Week 2

Joe Flacco

Millions of bets were lost and NFL survivor pools were blown nationwide because of some surprising outcomes of certain NFL Week 2 matchups. This is the way it goes from time to time, though. This league is as unpredictable as it gets, which is why we all love to watch.

The following are three teams that should have pulled off a victory rather than letting their opposition gain the upper hand in Week 2.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are now at 0-2 and should have been victorious in a home game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday instead of losing 20-10.

The Cowboys entered the game without their star wide receiver Dez Bryant, and they lost their quarterback Tony Romo in the second half when he sustained a broken clavicle. And, despite these losses which the Eagles should have turned into gains, Philly looked awful and got spanked by the Cowboys.

By the end of the first half, the Eagles had only managed to tally 21 offensive yards. Total.

Once Romo exited the game in the third quarter the Eagles should have swooped in to take advantage. Instead, a few drives later, Sam Bradford got intercepted in the end zone by linebacker Sean Lee. The interception was followed by a fumble a few plays later when Bradford lost the shotgun snap.

Bradford was also intercepted in the fourth quarter when a pass intended for tight end Zach Ertz got picked off by safety J.J. Wilcox.

Besides the Bradford blunders, the Eagles running game was pathetic. The team managed a net total of of only seven rushing yards including a loss of four by Darren Sproles. DeMarco Murray couldn’t gain any traction and tallied only two rushing yards on 13 attempts.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys minus Murray had no problem piling up some yardage on the ground accumulating a total of 109 rushing yards with Joseph Randle leading the team with 51 yards.

The only touchdown scored by the Eagles came late in the game when Bradford connected with Jordan Matthews, but by then it was too late to turn the disaster around.

Overall, the Eagles should have been able to take advantage of a wounded Cowboys squad. Unfortunately, multiple mistakes and costly turnovers were predominant. We must wonder what is in store for the Eagles when they host the New York Jets in Week 3.

Baltimore Ravens

After a high-scoring battle against the Oakland Raiders on the road, the Ravens were defeated 37-33 and now sit at the bottom of the barrel at 0-2 in the AFC North.

The Ravens, who held the Denver Broncos to zero offensive touchdowns in Week 1, let second-year quarterback Derek Carr get away with the bank and pass for three touchdowns while running back Latavius Murray pounded out one ground score on Sunday.

Carr passed for a career-high 351 yards on 30 completed passes against an unsuspecting Ravens defense. Not all bad, the Ravens offense put up a major fight as well with quarterback Joe Flacco passing for 384 yards and two touchdowns. Steve Smith Sr., whose legs showed no signs of age, was the recipient of 150 receiving yards stemming from 10 catches.

Unfortunately, with the clock ticking down, Flacco missed Smith in the end zone, forcing the Ravens to go for a field goal. The Raiders sealed the win when they intercepted Flacco late fourth quarter.

Many folks surely underestimated the Raiders and Carr, who was coming off of a hand injury and playing against a stout Ravens defense that made the Broncos offense look foolish last week. Carr made it look easy by connecting with both of his top wide receivers — rookie Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree — for over 100 yards apiece and one touchdown each.

As for the Ravens, they were were without Terrell Suggs, who sustained a season-ending injury in Week 1. Nearly unstoppable, the Raiders totaled 448 offensive yards, which was more than double what the Ravens allowed the Broncos to accomplish in Week 1.

The outcome of this game surely foiled Vegas betting and NFL Survivor pools as the Raiders managed a narrow win to advance to 1-1 in the AFC West.

Baltimore should have won this contest handily. Instead, the Ravens head home with heads hung low and a tough road ahead of them.

New Orleans Saints

What could possibly go wrong for the New Orleans Saints playing at home against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team featuring a rookie quarterback that completely got taken to the cleaners in Week 1?

Everything would be the answer here.

Quarterback Drew Brees should have had a field day against a Bucs defense that allowed Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota to pass four touchdowns against it in Week 1.

Instead, Brees struggled tremendously to complete longer passes, showing us that his throwing arm is definitely weakening with age. At the end of the day, Brees took four sacks, completed 24 of 38 passes for 255 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He later admitted that he was dealing with a sore shoulder and is now expected to miss some games.

Brees’ quarterback rating was only 29.4 compared to that of his rookie competition in Jameis Winston, who rated 85.3.

Making matters worse, the Saints had two other turnovers. Running back Mark Ingram lost a fumble and as did receiver Willie Snead. The only time the Saints were in the lead was when Ingram rushed in a seven yard touchdown, boosting their score to 7-3 in the second quarter.

The Buccaneers, who had a couple of turnovers of their own, weren’t exactly flawless either, letting a 23-7 lead they had in the third quarter slip away.

Ultimately, the Saints were defeated 26-19, resulting in their sixth consecutive loss at home. Surely, any fantasy football owners of Brees and wide receiver Brandin Cooks who were projected to have big days due to their matchup were wringing their hands in frustration by the end of the game.

This loss for the Saints leaves the team at 0-2, ranking them dead-last in the NFC South. And, the forecast for the near future doesn’t look pretty with Brees possibly missing time while his bum shoulder heals.

Mentioned in this article:

More About: