By Brandon Simmons
How Scary is it For the Chiefs?
The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 20-10, which put the Chiefs at 0-2. Kansas City Quarterback Patrick Mahomes only registered 187 yards passing but was also the leading rusher with 66 yards. This was a tough loss for the Chiefs, because it was against the team that beat them in last season’s Super Bowl, but also puts them down to 0-2 to start the season.
The Chiefs being 0-2 is a rarity and should be cause for some concern. One of those concerns is the lack of playmakers to help out Mahomes. This has been brought about with Chiefs wide receiver Rasheed Rice starting the season with a 6 game suspension and receiver Xavier Worthy suffering a shoulder injury in Week 1. This kind of forces Mahomes to take on more, which is why he ran for a touchdown and threw for one, but also had a pick. Mahomes has a known tendency to scramble but he should not be the leading rusher, especially when the KC running backs are Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. Sure, there’s tight end Travis Kelce, whim but he’s not at the level where he can take over a game as he has done over the years.
The bottm line is things are going to look spooky for the Kansas City Chiefs if they continue playing like this. The offense has always been this team’s superpower and if they can’t generate that explosiveness, they are in deep trouble. The Chiefs have the New York Giants this weekend – which isn’t guaranteed to be a cakewalk – but they also have the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions in the coming weeks after this weekend. It would be nice to have Rice back in the lineup to get things back in motion but it would be better to have a spark to have something for him to return to.
Cowboys and Giants Put on a Classic
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants put on an absolute classic as the Cowboys won 40-37 in an overtime shootout. It was a game that saw 2 teams who were having rough starts to their seasons, almost find the light that they needed. The Cowboys looed to be out of the game but big plays from QB Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb helped this team hold on. The Giants defense tried to do enough to allow QB Russell Wilson to take the win, but obviously not enough was done.
The takeaway from the Dallas Cowboys side of things is maybe not all is lost, but things are not yet stable. Prescott threw for 361 yards and had a key scramble n overtime, to set up the game winning field goal. Lamb bounced back from his 5 drop game to add another 100 receiving yard afternoon on the season. However, the Cowboys defense gave up 450 yards in the air but was able to grab a key interception late in the game. Dallas has been giving their fans a lot of anxiety since trading away Micah Parsons a week before the regular season, and this game stayed within that theme. The offense put on a fireworks show while the defense was getting torched, but it all ended up in a win. This won’t be the last time that the Cowboys go through the ups and downs simultaneously in a game so stay tuned.
The takeaway from the New York Giants is that this team is biding their time for when Jaxson Dart becomes the QB. It’s weird to say considering Wilson threw for 450 yards and 3 touchdowns, but to insert Dart into the game on a crucial moment says a lot. Luckily, that drive ended on a touchdown, but it could have went a whole different direction. Aside from that, they lost a game, a game that they could have very much won. It won’t matter how well Wilson plays if the losses keep coming. Those losses will likely accelerate Dart into the lineup if they feel he is close to being ready.
What Does the Bengals Look Like with a Sidelined Joe Burrow?
Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2 that will sideline him for 3 months. Burrow got the injury In the 2nd quarter of the Bengals’ win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The team sent images to a foot specialist and from there, it was determined that Burrow would need surgery, which will have him out for 3 months.
Since it’s early, the team looks to have him back before the year is out, but that Bengals team is going to look a lot different, and likely not in a good way. Bengals QB Jake Browning did step up and get the win but how long will that continue? Predictably, rumors have started of who the Bengals will add as a quarterback. So far, it’s been an unofficial consensus that the Bengals trade for Jameis Winston from the Giants, who is 3rd on the depth chart. Many fans point out his high risk high reward style – or vice versa to most – could be beneficial to Cincy wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Winston used to be a full-time starter early in his career and even a few times in his recent backup QB years. He can probably get a few wins to keep the team afloat so a season doesn’t feel wasted with Chase and Higgins. From now, until the trade deadline, shpuld tell a lot about Cincy’s outlook for the rest of the season.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield for converting a 4th down after he almost didn’t. Monday, Tampa Bay was down 19-14 to the Houston Texans and facing a 4th and 10 at their own 32 yard line. When the ball snapped, the Texans sent a blitz which saw the pocket collapse quickly. It seemed imminent that Mayfield would be taken down but he escaped at the last minute, dodging a Texans linebacker and ran for the first down before being taken down by Texans safety Cj Gardener-Johnson. Eventually, Bucs RB Rachaad White ran in for the game winning touchdown, but that wouldn’t be possible without Mayfield’s clutch run.
Shut out to the Chicago Bears who may have well been shut out. The Bears lost to the Detroit Lions 52-21 to start the year 0-2. This was also Bears’ head coach Ben Johnson’s first game back in Detroit since he left the Lions to take his current role.
Week 2 is outta here and Week 3 brings another playoff rematch. The Philadelphia Eagles host the Los Angdles Rams this weekend, a rematch of their snowy divisional rpund matchup from last season. Considering it’s still September, there’s likely not going to be any snow, so the conditions may be more fairer to air the football out. That could certainly be the case for the Rams but the Eagles might stick with the balances attack that has kept them in the winning column. But until then…I’ll holla.
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