The Best and Worst From Week 2 In The NFL

Week two of the NFL season is already in the books, and lets just say things have gotten a little more interesting around the league. The Buffalo Bills pulled out their first win of the year, the NFC West looks to be an average division, the Green Bay Packers dominate the Redskins, the NFC East looks weak to average at best. Things have really started to shape up after the completion of week two of the season. Some teams have gotten better, while others have seemed to have taken a step backwards. So with that in mind, much like we did last week, we are going to look at the best and worst from week two in the NFL.

Best:
New York Jets Defense
The Jets defense was able to hold the Patriots to just 13 points, despite getting scored upon on the opening drive of the game by the Pats. I know Tom Brady didn't necessarily have a typical week, by his standards, but still the Jets did enough to get in his head during the game.

Worst:
New York Jets Wide Receivers
I mean come on here guys. Sure Geno Smith put up some good numbers, throwing for 214 yards but he was picked three times at the end of the game. Before that though, he gave the team a chance to win. What was at fault? The Jets receivers. They had a lot of trouble hanging onto the football, dropping some easy passes, unable to haul in touchdown passes and even fumbling. It has to get better if the Jets want to even salvage anything from this season.

Best:
Aaron Rogers Quarterback Green Bay Packers
After the tough loss to the 49ers a week ago, Rogers needed to help right the ship. He did so in a big way against the Redskins. Rogers went out and had the best game of his career, throwing for a personal-best 480 yards (including 335 in the first half) and four touchdowns in his team’s 38-20 win.

Worst:
Washington Redskins
For the 2nd week in a row the Skins got off to a very slow start and it bit them in the rear end. They almost made up for it against the Eagles in the first game. This time they were playing a talent heavy Packers team, who had just too much firepower for the Skins to overcome. Washington has got to start better in their games, otherwise this is going to be a very long season down in DC.

Best:
Jay Cutler (Quarterback Chicago Bears) & EJ Manuel (Quarterback Buffalo Bills)
This was a bounceback game for both quarterbacks. Both had rough starts to the season in week one, but managed to find a groove and lead their team on game winning drives during week two. The Bears QB was in the groove, finding Martellus Bennett in the corner of the end zone on a game-winning 16-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left in Chicago’s 31-30 win against the Minnesota Vikings. Buffalo Bills rookie EJ Manuel was just as poised, hitting Stevie Johnson on a 2-yard fade route with time expiring to give his team a 24-23 win against the Carolina Panthers.

Worst:
Carolina Panthers Defense
Carolina blew a fourth-quarter lead for the second week in a row, with this egregious effort due to a miscommunication between defensive backs that left Bills receiver Stevie Johnson wide open on the game’s decisive touchdown. The Panthers lost starting cornerback Josh Thomas and both starting safeties to injuries during the game, so it’s somewhat understandable if their replacements were a little discombobulated.

Best:
Doug Martin Running Back Tampa Bay Buccanners
After having a miserable week one against the Jets, in which he only managed 69 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, Martin had a rebound game against the Saints in week two. He didn't get into the endzone, but did manage to run for 144 yards on 29 carries, a big improvement from his first performance of the season.

Worst:
Eli Manning Quarterback New York Giants
I guess he couldn't really handle the pressure of playing against big brother Payton. The two-time Super Bowl champ threw four interceptions in his team’s embarrassing 41-23 showing against brother Peyton’s Broncos. Not only are the Giants 0-2, but Manning also has thrown seven interceptions. That’s nearly half as many as he threw during the entire 2012 season. He has looked a little uncomfortable in the pocket in the first two games, and the line hasn't really given him, or the running game for that matter, much protection. "If the Giants want to have a shot at the playoffs, they need to get out of this funk that they're in, and it all starts with Eli Manning.