Best: Lamar Jackson, Quarterback Baltimore Ravens
One of the biggest knocks against Lamar Jackson early in his career, is that he couldn't get it done against one of the heaviest hitters in the AFC. Jackson had never been able to beat Mahomes and the Chiefs in his career. Sunday, that finally happened. Baltimore knocked off the defending AFC Champions in a thrilling 36-35 win. The only downside in the pass game for Jackson was the fact that he got picked off twice. He also had completed under 20 passes on the day, finishing with just 18 completions. How then did he finish with a best performance? Because of his legs. He had 16 carries for 107 yards on the ground, being one of only four runners in the entire league this week to run for over 100 yards. And he's a quarterback! That's showing me flashes that Lamar still has the movement in his legs and is showing flashes of what we saw in his MVP year.
Worst: Rookie QB's
It not just rookie's who had a bad week, a few second year QB's underperformed this week as well. The worst offender for me of the bunch was Jets starter Zach Wilson, who got picked off four times in his second career start, this coming against New England. It seemed like every time you turned around, Wilson was throwing to a wrong colored jersey. We will get into the Jaguars in a bit, but top overall pick Trevor Lawrence looks like he is having a little trouble adjusting to the pro game. He's looking shakey at times over his first two starts in the Sunshine State. Mac Jones looked average against the Jets
Best: Derrick Henry, Running Back Tennessee Titans
One of the best running backs in football, Henry found his footing again in week two. Tennessee pulled off a big 33-30 win over Seattle, and in Seattle no less, and Henry was a big reason for that. Henry had 35 carries, for a league leading 182 yards and three scores. This should come as no surprise, as Henry is one of the best backs in the league. He had a down week, by his standards, in week one. But he bounced back nicely to lead all of the NFL in rush yards in week two. What makes this so good is that it was against what is considered not only one of the best rush defenses in the league, but doing it in a very tough place to play in Seattle.
Worst: Jacksonville Jaguars
This is getting off to a very rough start for Urban Meyer coaching in the NFL They got blasted in their home opener, 23-13, by the Broncos. This put them as one of the seven teams in the league without a win two weeks into the season. That's bad enough. To make it worse, the Jaguars put out a statement over social media, saying hang in there with us, we're going to get better. It's not even October yet and the Jaguars are already doing something like this. It's a red flag and its only two weeks into the season. Yikes
Best: Sam Darnold, Quarterback Carolina Panthers
One of the biggest surprises through the first two weeks of the season has been the Carolina Panthers. This week, they smacked around a decent Saints team to the tune of a 26-7 Panthers win. Sam Darnold had himself a day, throwing for 305 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Yes he got picked once, but he still had the two throwing touchdowns and he ran for another one. What's even better is that in his first two games of the year, he's thrown for over 275 yards in each game. Why is that a big deal? Well he never really did that much during his time with the Jets. He had done that a grand total of six times during his tenure in New York. You can tell from his play in the first two games, he's more comfortable and is in a better system here in Carolina than he was during his time in New York
Worst: Miami Dolphins
I guess somebody forgot to wake the Dolphins up Sunday. A lot went wrong for Miami Sunday. First there was the fact that they got blasted 35-0 by the Bills. It was a complete no show by the Fins, who were expected to be a decent team this season, and still possibly could be. But, to add insult to injury, the Dolphins could be playing a little while without Tua Tungaviloa, who going to miss some time with a possible rib injury. It made a Sunday worse when the team laid a huge egg against the Bills. Granted it was playing Buffalo, who is still considered one of the top tier teams in the AFC. Still I'd like to think that, for a divisional game, Miami would have shown more life then they did.
Best: Cooper Kupp, Wide Receiver Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are starting to show again that they are a big threat in the NFC West. They are now 2-0 following a 27-24 win over the Colts. A big reason for that was Cooper Kupp. Nine catches, two of which were for touchdowns, went for 163 yards. He was playing like a man possessed on Sunday. Indy did all they could and still couldn't find a way to stop him. Kupp is showing flashes of having the potential to be a major threat again in the NFL. He's got the talent and skills and now he got a good quarterback under center again throwing to him.
Worst: New York Giants Running Game
For the third year in a row, the Giants have started the season 0-2. This coming after a 30-29 loss to Washington on Thursday night. Sure, the stupid offside penalty at the end of the game hurt their cause. But what's showing up even worse is the lack of a run game. When quarterback Daniel Jones has lead the Giants in rushing in the teams first two games, there's a problem. Yes I know that Saquon Barkley is coming off the injury from a season ago. He's trying to get his legs back under him, but through the Giants first two games it's not happening. It's not just Barkley, its the Giants as a whole that are having trouble getting out of the blocks with the run game, which needs to improve and quickly if the Giants are going to have a chance to have an even halfway decent season
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