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NFL Week 2: Defenses Rule as Vikings, Giants, Rams Win

By  3 min read
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Source: Pioneer Press-John Autey/Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Like all NFL seasons, the weeks flash before our eyes, but this week took awhile to end as an ugly week of low-scoring affairs prevailed with lots of dominating defenses ruling and, sadly, many injuries. Week 2 featured a few blowouts and a few grinders highlighted by divisional matchups throughout the day.

The week started with a battle in the AFC East between the Buffalo Bills (0-2) and the New York Jets (1-1) on Thursday Night football. Gang Green ended up pulling out the victory 37-31 in a shootout:

Strangely, the Bills fired Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman the very next day (after scoring 31 points – huh?).

New England continued its otherworldly regular-season dominance, proving a Tom Brady-less Patriots (2-0) team is just as dangerous. They raced to a 21-0 lead, only to lose Jimmy Garoppolo to a collar-bone injury. Not to be deterred, even in the face of a Miami Dolphins (0-2) comeback, they won 31-24. Garoppolo is expected to miss Week 3 with rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett set to start and wide receiver Julian Edelman as his potential backup unless New England makes a mid-week acquisition.

The Cleveland Browns (0-2) continue to be the Cleveland Browns. With Josh McCown at the helm, the Browns at one point held a 20-2 lead only to watch it all dwindle away as the Baltimore Ravens (2-0) came all the way back to win 25-20:

https://twitter.com/DFSDAILYBEST/status/777574860495187968

In non-divisional action, everyone expected another huge shootout between the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints, but it ended up being the opposite of last year’s 52-49 roller coaster. The Giants won an ugly 16-13 victory, and unfortunately the most action came when P.J. Williams, second year corner of the Saints, suffered a violent hit to the head and neck and had to be carted off the field. Luckily, reports from the team state that Williams only suffered a concussion and was able to move his extremities in the hospital.

The first Denver (2-0) vs. Indianapolis (0-2) game not involving Peyton Manning since 1993 ended with the Colts falling 34-20. Andrew Luck couldn’t do it all by himself, as the injuries in the Colts’ secondary continued to pile up and the offense was no match for Denver’s defense. The win came at a cost for Denver, however, as star defensive end DeMarcus Ware suffered an ulna fracture near his elbow and could miss three weeks of action.

The Los Angeles Rams (1-1) opened their new stadium with a victory against the Seattle Seahawks (1-1), but man, was it ugly – the game ended 9-3, with 13 punts and no offensive touchdowns. Gross. But hey, at least there was this:

In the primetime NFC North matchup, the Minnesota Vikings (2-0) upset the Green Bay Packers (1-1) 17-14 in their first game in their new stadium on Sunday Night Football, but it didn’t come without bad news after Adrian Peterson went down with another knee injury. Quarterback Sam Bradford did an excellent job helming the offense, but it was the Viking defense that stole the show, causing four fumbles, sacking Aaron Rodgers five times and intercepting his final pass of the night.

Final Scores and Fantasy Football stars from the rest of Sunday’s games:

Carolina Panthers (1-1) def. San Francisco 49ers (1-1) 46-27
Fantasy Star: Cam Newton – 24/40 for 353 passing yards, 4 touchdowns

Houston Texans (2-0) def. Kansas City Chiefs (1-1) 19-12
Fantasy Star: DeAndre Hopkins – 7 catches, 113 yards, 1 touchdown

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) def. Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) 24-16
Fantasy Star: Giovani Bernard – 5 carries, 17 rushing yards, 9 catches, 100 yards, 1 touchdown

Tennessee Titans (1-1) def. Detroit Lions (1-1) 16-15
Fantasy Star: Marcus Mariota – 25/33 for 238 passing yards, 2 touchdowns/1 interception

Dallas Cowboys (1-1) def. Washington Redskins (0-2) 27-23
Fantasy Star: Dez Bryant – 7 catches, 102 yards

Arizona Cardinals (1-1) def. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) 40-7
Fantasy Star: Arizona Defense – 2 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, 1 touchdown

Atlanta Falcons (1-1) def. Oakland Raiders (1-1) 35-28
Fantasy Star: Derek Carr – 34/45 for 299 passing yards, 3 touchdowns

San Diego Chargers (1-1) def. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) 38-14
Fantasy Star: Philip Rivers – 17/24 for 220 passing yards, 4 touchdowns

Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) def. Chicago Bears (0-2) 29-14
Fantasy Star: Ryan Mathews – 32 rush yards, 2 TDs

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