Top 10 Rants From the 2011 NFL Season: Week 2 Edition
Where to even begin? It’s safe to say Week 2 of the 2011 NFL season was even more exciting than the first considering how many intense games there were (how about that ending between the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills?) and how many “playoff contenders” continue to struggle–like the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs.
Now that two weeks of football are officially in the books, it’s time to take a look at the top 10 rants from Week 2:
10. For a team that looked like one of the top contenders in the NFC in Week 1, it’s clear the Chicago Bears have plenty to work on for any chance at repeating as NFC North champions–especially when it comes to the offensive line and protecting Jay Cutler. The New Orleans Saints had no trouble applying pressure to Cutler–who was sacked six times–all afternoon and the secondary had no answers for Drew Brees–who threw for 270 yards to go along with three touchdowns. For a game that was supposed to be one of the top matchups in Week 2, this turned out to be a blowout.
9. It was better than his 39-yard performance in Week 1, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to Minnesota Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb. The Vikings appeared to be in control of this game with a 17-0 lead at halftime before letting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rally in the second half by outscoring the Vikes 24-3–including the go-ahead touchdown by LeGarrette Blount during the final minute of the game. Adrian Peterson may be the heart and soul of this team, but Minnesota will never come up on the winning end if McNabb doesn’t pick up the slack. For a guy that claims to have a few starting years left in the tank–McNabb could be heading towards a backup role in 2012 if he continues to play this way.
8. Let’s be honest–nobody other than Rex Grossman predicted the Washington Redskins to be sitting at 2-0 heading into Week 3 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Grossman appeared like his old self at the beginning of the game after throwing interceptions on the first two drives of the game, but he deserves credit for the type of rally he put together in the second half to help his team get by the Arizona Cardinals. Give Mike Shanahan some credit considering all of the talk surrounding which quarterback he should start during the offseason. The decision to go with Grossman has paid off so far for the Redskins–even if it doesn’t look pretty 100 percent of the time.
7. Despite an impressive win over the Tennessee Titans, it would be nice to see Chris Johnson get out of his funk and put up the type of numbers the organization is paying him a ridiculous amount of money to produce. All of that time spent holding out and missing practices seems to have caught up with Johnson as he’s averaging a disappointing 2.3 yards per carry over the first two weeks of the season. While there’s still 14 games left in the season, it’s safe to say Johnson can kiss that goal of breaking the 2,000-yard mark this season goodbye.
6. After all of the criticism he took for his fourth-quarter collapse against the New York Jets, Tony Romo deserves all of the credit in the world for putting everything on the line against the San Francisco 49ers. Despite suffering a fractured rib and punctured lung, Romo made the choice to return in the second half and helped the Dallas Cowboys rally in what was arguably a must-win game considering how competitive the NFC East is.
5. There isn’t just one, but two teams that may have officially hit rock bottom after just two weeks–the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts. On top of scoring just 10 points over their first two games, the Chiefs have been hit with the injury bug big time after losing Eric Berry and Jamaal Charles for the 2011 season. As for the Colts, losing their home opener to the Cleveland Browns (no disrespect) was the perfect example as to how far this team has fallen without Peyton Manning–even though it’s no excuse for the performances by the defense and special teams.
4. Was Cam Newton that good or is the Green Bay Packers’ secondary is just that bad. Newton deserves all of the credit in the world for back-to-back performances with over 400 passing yards–but there’s no way he should have displayed that type of performance against the defending Super Bowl champions. It’s not a good sign the Packers have allowed opposing quarterbacks to cross the 400-yard mark in back-to-back weeks and the road to defending their title may be more difficult than they expected.
3. With the way they celebrated their win over the Oakland Raiders–you would have thought the Buffalo Bills had just won the Super Bowl. Still, this turned out to be one of the most exciting games to watch in Week 2 between two teams that nobody expected much from this season. Both of these teams still have plenty to prove before they can be placed in the “playoff contender” category–but the Raiders may have a better shot considering they play in a weaker division.
2. The fact that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell failed to suspend Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson for his illegal hit on Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is a joke. It’s hard to take a guy serious when he makes all these rules changes to promote safety and when a player intentionally puts another player at danger with a vicious hit–all he does is slap him with a $40,000 fine that is nothing but pocket change to him. Way to go Mr. Goodell–you certainly made the wrong call on this one.
1. It was one thing to win on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1–but what the Detroit Lions accomplished against the Kansas City Chiefs shows just how dangerous this team can be in 2011. Not only did the offense put up 48 points, but the defense forced six turnovers as well. While it’s still too early to jump ahead, don’t be surprised if Matthew Stafford finds his name in the MVP mix if he manages to stay healthy and continues to play at a high level (599 passing yards and seven touchdowns through the first two games). It looks like Lions fans finally have something to cheer about–which they deserve more than anyone considering how long it’s been since this franchise went to the postseason.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for RantSports.com.
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Email Dan: Dan.Parzych@RantSports.com
