Welcome to another instalment of my weekly NFL Column. My goal is to watch everything so that you don’t have to. I will present to you the best games to watch back; the craziest moments; the best individual performances and the season-long stat leaders and records. I will also be previewing the upcoming gameweek, too.
If that sounds like something you’re interested in, check in each week.
Not everybody in the UK has the ability to watch almost 20 hours of live NFL every week, but I’ll make sure you don’t miss anything you’d wish you didn’t. Without further delay…
This is what happened This Week in the NFL.
Game of the Week
If you can only watch one full game in its entirety, watch this one:
Miami Dolphins @ Baltimore Ravens
You HAVE to watch this game. I’m not going to say another word until you’ve had the opportunity to go and enjoy this football game. This is your final warning.
This. Was. Everything.
The Baltimore Ravens offense looked absolutely awesome yesterday, with Lamar Jackson putting on a real show, passing for 318 yards and 3 TD’s, while also rushing for 119 yards and another score. This was one of the best games of his life.
And he wasn’t the best quarterback in this game.
The Miami Dolphins entered the fourth quarter losing 35 to 14. The 21-point deficit didn’t deter second-year QB Tua Tagovailoa. He went absolutely nuclear. After he’d thrown two interceptions in the first half, the fourth quarter version of Tua was practically unrecognisable. He threw four passing TD’s in the final period alone, putting up 28 points in 15 minutes.
The Alabama product finished his assault with a 7-yard TD pass to his long-time teammate Jaylen Waddle, as the game finished 42-38, in one of the best games you’ll see all year.
Tua’s final stat line: 469 passing yards and 6 Touchdowns.
What a game.
Other games to watch back
Arizona Cardinals @ Las Vegas Raiders
New York Jets @ Cleveland Browns
Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs
Upset of the Week
Screw it, we’re going back again.
Indianapolis Colts 0 – 24 Jacksonville Jaguars.
Back-to-back upsets of the week for Indianapolis. For a team who have pretty high aspirations – thus trading for Matt Ryan in the first place – they have had a catastrophic start to the year. In Week 1 they tied 20-20 with the Texans. They followed that performance up with an even worse shortcoming this Sunday.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were the team who sealed the Colts’ fate last season with a Week 18 win. It happened again. Indianapolis got shut out and dispatched 24-0. Matt Ryan threw 3 interceptions and took five sacks, in a completely uninspired effort.
Winners and Losers
Winners
Kansas City Chiefs (2-0)
Arizona Cardinals (1-1)
New York Jets (1-1)
Detroit Lions (1-1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)
New York Giants (2-0)
New England Patriots (1-1)
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1)
Miami Dolphins (2-0)
Los Angeles Rams (1-1)
San Francisco 49ers (1-1)
Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
Denver Broncos (1-1)
Green Bay Packers (1-1)
Buffalo Bills (2-0)
Philadelphia Eagles (2-0)
Losers
Los Angeles Chargers (1-1)
Las Vegas Raiders (0-2)
Cleveland Browns (1-1)
Washington Commanders (1-1)
New Orleans Saints (1-1)
Carolina Panthers (0-2)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)
Indianapolis Colts (0-1-1)
Baltimore Ravens (1-1)
Atlanta Falcons (0-2)
Seattle Seahawks (1-1)
Cincinnati Bengals (0-2)
Houston Texans (0-1-1)
Chicago Bears (1-1)
Tennessee Titans (0-2)
Minnesota Vikings (1-1)
Undefeated Watch!
Kansas City Chiefs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New York Giants
Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Bills
Philadelphia Eagles
Winless Watch
Indianapolis Colts (0-0-1)
Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals
Houston Texans (0-1-1)
Las Vegas Raiders
Tennessee Titans
Standout Individual Performers
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
72% completion rate, 469 passing yards, 6 passing TD’s and 2 INTs.
Sometimes there is a performance that would be impressive on its own, but there is also some real context behind how Tua Tagovailoa entered this year under pressure to deliver. He has some amazing weapons and a solid defense behind him, so this was the season he’d have to prove that he was the QB of the future for Miami.
Yesterday he did everything he had to do, to prove that the upside is there. He threw 469 passing yards and 6 passing TD’s – which is tied for second all-time. I already hyped him up in our Game of the Week segment, so all I’ll say is: bravo.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
72% completion rate, 318 passing yards for 3 TD’s and 119 rushing yards and a TD. 142.6 QB rating.
He might have lost the game, but Lamar Jackson put up one of the best all-around performances I’ve ever seen from a quarterback. Dual-threat QB’s are expected to provide a bit of each element of their game each week, but it’s rare to see near-perfection passing side-by-side with the massive rushing numbers. This week Lamar had his third-best ever career passing performance, and his third-best ever rushing performance – in the same game. We know how good LJax can be, but this is the most complete performance he has ever put up.
Yes you’d trade the stats for a win, but wow. The former MVP is trying to prove something after an injury-derailed 2021 campaign. When they sit down for their next meeting in contract extension negotiations, I recommend Jackson just puts on the tape from this game in the background.
Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
11 receptions on 13 targets for 190 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.
Back to Miami, now. Tyreek Hill reminded everybody why the Dolphins traded for him, as he went ballistic on a very strong Baltimore defense. He caught 11 of his 13 targets, converting them into 190 yards and two game-changing TD’s, on the way to an epic comeback. His two scores, worth 108 of his yards on just two catches, came within a period of just 3 minutes on the game clock. This is the kind of performance that you have to pay six picks and a big-money extension for.
Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
11 receptions on 19 targets for 171 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.
When your QB has the game of his life, more than one receiver can go crazy. That’s exactly what happened with Tua’s explosion this week. Jaylen Waddle actually commanded even more targets than Tyreek, with a whopping 19. He hauled in 11 of them, for 171 yards and a pair of TD’s of his own – including the epic game-winning score with just a handful of seconds to go. The second-year receiver already showed how explosive he can be at times last season, but this year he has really taken the next step, benefitting from not being the fastest or most dangerous player in the eyes of the defense anymore.
Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
12 receptions on 14 targets for 148 receiving yards and 3 TD’s.
I think you can forgive me for focusing on the epic Miami-Baltimore game, but now that’s out the way, we have to talk about Stefon Diggs. There’s a reason that I don’t rush this article out quickly on on a Monday. This Monday Night Football performance needs a shoutout. Stefon Diggs had the best individual performance of anyone outside of Tua Tagovailoa. He saw 14 targets against an uninspired Tennessee defense. The Bills domination, with a 41-7 scoreline, came largely off the back of his scoring. He had 12 catches for 148 yards and found the endzone three times. This was his third career 3-TD game, and impressively, his second in his last five games.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
59% completion rate, 256 passing yards and 4 TD’s.
I think it’s all too easy to see those two top-performing QB’s and then look no further, but I want to give credit to Jared Goff. The Rams discarded him in pursuit of their Super Bowl, and that chip on his shoulder is helping him to operate a surprisingly potent Lions offense. They have scored 35 and 36 points in their first two games, which is impressive. Goff had a very professional outing, and put up 256 passing yards and 4 TD’s, leading the Lions to a deserved victory.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
9 receptions on 12 targets for 116 receiving yards and 2 TD’s, plus 2 carries for 68 rushing yards.
Of Goff’s impressive stat line, one individual was responsible for nearly 50% of all of it. Amon-Ra St. Brown firmly secured the spot of Jared Goff’s number one target last season, and hasn’t missed a step in 2022. For the second week in a row he saw 12 targets, this time catching 9 of them. He put up 116 yards and scored twice. He also got involved in the running game, with two rushing attempts that broke for 68 more yards on the ground.
Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions
6 combined tackles, 3.0 sacks.
The most epic performance in Detroit this Sunday, though – the first-round pick. Aidan Hutchinson absolutely balled out in his second game in the league. After a quiet debut, we got to see the real potential in a big win over the Washington Commanders. The Michigan man got three solo sacks, while absolutely terrorising the poor Washington O-Line. Obviously, when you draft a pass rusher 2nd overall you’re expecting some sacks, but this was something else. He set the franchise rookie sack record, in just his second outing. The future looks bright for Detroit – or maybe they won’t have to wait too long.
Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
17 carries for 87 rushing yards and 3 TD’s, plus 3 receptions for 26 yards.
The Cleveland Browns didn’t get the win this week, but that sure as hell isn’t on Nick Chubb’s shoulders. He got notably less yardage than his first outing of the season, but you can’t disrespect the hat-trick. If you touch the ball 20 times and score on three of those touches, that sounds like a pretty good performance to me.
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
15 carries, for 132 rushing yards and a TD, plus 3 receptions for 38 yards and a TD.
The Green Bay Packers were able to bounce back after a disappointing week 1, and the best performer in this effort was Aaron Jones, who has been ruthlessly efficient to start the year. AJ Dillon has stolen away the larger workload, but Jones continues to deliver those efficient high-quality touches we expect from him anyway. He rushed 15 times this week and turned those looks into 132 rushing yards and a score, as well as three receptions for 38 yards and another TD through the air.
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
8 receptions on 14 targets for 102 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.
For a casual NFL fan who doesn’t pay too much attention to the offseason excitement around the draft and rookies coming into the league, this name will be new – but remember it. Garrett Wilson is an incredibly talented young WR. The Jets took him 10th overall, and he’s already showing what he’s capable of. Against a good Cleveland defense, Wilson hauled in 8 of his 14 targets for 102 yards. He also scored twice, playing a key role in the narrow victory.
Stat Leaders Through Week 2
Passing Yards – Tua Tagovailoa MIA, 739
Passing TD’s – 4 players tied at 7
Rushing Yards – Saquon Barkley NYG, 236
Rushing TD’s – Nick Chubb CLE and Jalen Hurts PHI, 3
Receiving Yards – Tyreek Hill MIA, 284
Receiving TD’s – Stefon Diggs BUF, 4
Total TD’s – Stefon Diggs BUF, 4
Tackles (combined) – Jonathan Owens HOU, 25
Sacks – Micah Parsons DAL, 4.0
Interceptions – Marcus Williams BAL, 3
Week 3 Preview – What to watch
Week 3 Best Games
Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins, 6pm
Green Bay Packers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 9:25pm
Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals, 9:25pm
Tyler’s Bold Week 3 Prediction
Joe Burrow throws for 300+ yards, 3+ TD’s and has no turnovers in a bounce-back effort.
Week 3 Storylines
The battle of two winless teams who made the playoffs last year. Raiders @ Titans, 6pm
Will Indianapolis dig deep and get their first win against all odds? Chiefs @ Colts, 6pm
An epic battle between two of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. Bills @ Dolphins, 6pm
Cincinnati need to bounce back after a horrendous start, will this be the week they win? Bengals @ Jets, 6pm
An exciting NFC West divisional clash, Rams @ Cardinals, 9:25pm
How is this not a primetime game? Packers @ Buccaneers, 9:25pm
Can Jimmy Garoppolo step up in Trey Lance’s absence and defeat Russell Wilson? 49ers @ Broncos, SNF
