NFL Roundup: Week 2

Some observations, comments and opinions about Sunday's NFL games.

Indianapolis 43, Houston 24
Peyton Manning passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns and receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne top 100 yards in the victory. The Colts actually got some running accomplished too with Joseph Addai (82 yards). Indy looks really sharp early on.

New Orleans 34, Green Bay 27
Drew Brees looked solid with 353 yards and two scores. The Saints, under new head coach Sean Payton have jumped out to a 2-0 record. Reggie Bush came down to earth this week, but a win is a win.

Cincinnati 34, Cleveland 17
The Battle for Ohio was rough and physical, three Bengal starters were injured in the game, but in the end Carson Palmer and the offense were too much for the Browns. Palmer shook off his first game rust and threw for 352 yards and two TDs, while Rudi Johnson collected 145 yards rushing and two scores.

Chicago 34, Detroit 7
The Bears are the most impressive team in the NFC right now. The defense has surrendered only seven points in two games and the offense is clicking with QB Rex Grossman. Yes, I know the Packers and the Lions aren't the best competition, but it's still impressive nonetheless. If Grossman, who threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns, continues to play like this, look out NFC. Where oh where is the Mike Martz offense? The Lions have scored only 13 points in two games.

Baltimore 28, Oakland 6
The Raven defense looked dominant once again. The offense struggled early, but McNair and company got it going in the second half. Cheer up Raider fans, at least they scored this week.

Atlanta 14, Tampa Bay 3
The Falcons have come out of the gate looking sharp with key divisional wins over Carolina and now Tampa Bay. Warrick Dun had another solid day (134 yards) and Michael Vick broke the 100-yard mark with 127 yards rushing. What's happened to the Bucs offense? Yes, Chris Simms threw for a ton of yardage (353), but he also had three picks. In two games Tampa has scored a whopping three points.

New York Giants 30, Philadelphia 24 OT
This was a crushing loss for the Eagles. This is the kind of setback against a division rival that can ruin a season. Up 24-7 going into the fourth quarter, Philadelphia gave the game away as the Giants scored 23 unanswered points. Eli Manning (371 yards, 3 TDs) and Donovan McNabb (350 yards, 2 TDs) had great games, but in the end the difference was Amani Toomer (12-137-2) and the inability of Sheldon Brown and the other DBs to cover him. Philly also lost Jevon Kearse to injury in this game.

Minnesota 16, Carolina 13
What the hell was Chris Gamble thinking? The Panthers are up 13-6 in the fourth quarter and he tries to lateral the ball across the field during a kickoff return. Amazingly stupid. The Vikings recovered, scored the touchdown on a scoring toss by kicker Ryan Longwell (huh?) to force overtime and then Longwell boots the game winner. The Vikes are now 2-0 and Carolina, the Corners choice for the Super Bowl, is struggling big time at 0-2.

Buffalo 16, Miami 6
Daunte Culpepper and the Dolphins continue to struggle on offense, while the Bills did just enough to pick up the victory down in Miami, a place where Buffalo has had major problems.

Seattle 21, Arizona 10
The Seahawk defense shuts down the vaunted, high -powered Cardinal offense to pick up a key division win. Darrell Jackson (5-127-1) had a big game, but Shaun Alexander (89 yards) continues to struggle on the ground. The Seattle defense forced five fumbles and collected five sacks, while limiting Arizona to just 256 total yards.

San Francisco 20, St. Louis 13
No matter what St. Louis coach Scott Linehan says, it's time for fans and coaches to worry about the once vaunted Ram offense. Counting the preseason, St. Louis starters have scored one touchdown in 13 quarters. The 49ers, not known for a powerhouse defense, racked up six sacks and held the Rams to 265 yards of total offense. If that wasn't enough for Rams fans to take, LT Orlando Pace and LB Pisa Tinoisamoa left the game with injuries. Frank Gore burned St. Louis for 127 yards rushing and Antonio Bryant caught four passes for 131 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown strike in the third quarter.

San Diego 40, Tennessee 7
The Charger defense almost recorded its second straight shutout, but gave up a late fourth quarter score to the Titans. Backup RB Michael Turner ran for 138 yards, while LaDainaian Tomlinson picked up 71 yards and two scores. It's looking more and more like Tennessee will be in a battle all season with Oakland for worst team in the AFC.

New England 24, New York Jets 17
The Patriots took a 24-0 lead, but had to fend off a feisty Jets squad in the second half to pull out the victory. Chad Pennington (306 yards, 2 TDs) had another solid outing, but the Patriot defense collected four sacks and came away with an interception to preserve the win.

Denver 9, Kansas City 6 OT
A defensive struggle that was ended in OT by a 39-yard Jason Elam field goal. Larry Johnson rebounded from a disappointing opening day with 127 yards, but KC, under the direction of backup QB Damon Huard, couldn't find the end zone. The Broncos offense, one of the best in 2005, has scored only one touchdown in 2006.

Dallas 27, Washington 10
The Redskins are struggling to learn offensive coordinator Al Saunders' playbook and it showed again last night. Although not having Clinton Portis doesn't help either. The Cowboy defense picked up five sacks and an interception to dominate Washington for most of the night and Drew Bledsoe, after being vilified by the Dallas media and fans, threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns. Terrell Owens broke his finger in the game and will miss 2-4 weeks.

Charlie Batch will try to make it 4-0 as a Pittsburgh starter when the Steelers face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football. Batch will have his hands full against a very tough, underrated Jags defense.

While it's still too early to know what's going to happen down the road, the two most impressive teams to start the season have been the Chicago Bears and the San Diego Chargers. Everyone knows the Bears have a defense and now Grossman is finally healthy and developing into a solid quarterback.

The Chargers have a solid defense and a decent offense with L.T., Keenan McCardell and Antonio Gates. QB Philip Rivers was the big question mark with the team this season and right now, he's doing what he's been told to do - protect the football and not make any stupid turnovers. If he continues to do this San Diego could be making a lot of noise in the AFC.


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