NFL Week 2 recap: The injury bug bites, a fat guy touchdown, and Jacksonville Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey is upset

Week 2 saw several starters across the league taken out of the game due to some serious injuries.

The Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints saw a slew of injuries on Sunday, most notably DT Aaron Donald (back), QB Drew Brees (hand), TE Tyler Higbee (chest), and OL Austin Blythe (ankle).

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger injured his right elbow then RB James Conner suffered a knee injury later in the game, followed by three other Steelers.

San Francisco 49ers RT Joe Staley broke his fibula. Washington TE Vernon Davis left his game due to an eye injury. New York Jets QB Sam Darnold is expected to miss weeks thanks to his mono(nucleosis), which he contracted before Monday.

Most of these injuries are sure to throw a wrench into the season for several teams.

Roethlisberger is out for the year. Brees is out 6-8 weeks. Staley’s loss will definitely be a huge blow to the 49ers for the next six-to-eight weeks. The team will now rely on rookie OL Justin Skule, a sixth-round pick out of Vanderbilt.

Last year, the Rams were lucky enough not to deal with the injury bug very often as they marched toward the Super Bowl. But now the Rams, and several other teams, have to endure some difficulties early.

NFC West

Here is how the division looks after two weeks:

1. Rams (2-0)

2. 49ers (2-0)

3. Seattle Seahawks (2-0)

4. Arizona Cardinals (0-1-1)

San Francisco 49ers 41 (2-0), Cincinnati Bengals 17 (0-2)

Okay, so the 49ers might be for real.

QB Skippy Aroundthehorn threw for nearly 300 yards with three touchdowns and a pick. But the run-game shined brightest with 259 combined yards on 42 carries. RB Matt Breida led the team with 121 rushing yards while Raheem Mostert finished with 83 yards.

The 49ers only punted twice.

The Bengals, however, left QB Andy Dalton to do all the heavy lifting for the second week in a row. Dalton had 311 yards threw the air with a pair of touchdowns and an interception.

Seattle Seahawks 28 (2-0), Pittsburgh Steelers 26 (0-2)

Okay, so the Steelers might suck. Or Seattle is probably pretty good.

QB Russell Wilson finished wit 300 yards through the air and three touchdowns and the ground game racked up 151 yards and a touchdown.

The Seahawks were facing a Pittsburgh team eager to prove the Week One loss to the New England Patriots was a fluke. While they lost, they still proved their point. QB Mason Rudolph stepped in for an injured Roethlisberger and tossed two touchdowns and an interception.

While Seattle’s run-defense held the Steelers to under 100 yards (81 total), the pass-rush only got to the quarterback one time.

Baltimore Ravens 23 (2-0), Arizona Cardinals 17 (0-1-1)

The Cardinals are staying competitive. That’s about the best way to put it.

QB Kyler Murray benefited from outstanding route running and catches by WRs Christian Kirk (team-high 114 receiving yards) and Larry Fitzgerald (104).

But the Cardinals’ offense, which only had 20 rushing yards, was awful in the red-zone. A failed third and one from the 4-yard line, a failed third and goal from the 3-yard line and a failed third and goal from the 6-yard line all could have gone for touchdowns. Had they come away with a touchdown on every red-zone trip, Arizona could have gotten it’s first win.

New England Patriots 43 (2-0), Miami Dolphins 0 (0-2)

The Dolphins are an abysmal football team, and it’s the best damn thing in the league right now.

A 43-point shutout that saw both QB Josh Rosen or QB Ryan Fitzpatrick throw for less than 100 yards and four combined picks (Fitzmagic with three). The o-line let up seven sacks, too. Miami’s run-game had 42 yards on 15 carries. Only one of the 18 receivers who caught a pass recorded more than 60 yards. And Dolphins P Matt Haack had more yards punting (298) than the entire Miami offense.

Oh, and new Patriots WR Antonio Brown caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.

Detroit Lions 13 (1-0-1), Los Angeles Chargers 10 (1-1)

Green Bay Packers 21 (2-0), Minnesota Vikings 16 (1-1)

Everything is fine:

Indianapolis Colts 19 (1-1), Tennessee Titans 17 (1-1)

The Titans’ shellacking of the Cleveland Browns made me think they’d roll the Colts, a team who couldn’t get it done against the Chargers last week. But like their starting quarterback, the Colts are subverting expectations. QB Jacoby Brissett led Indy to victory with three touchdown passes, all in spite of a subpar offensive line.

The Titans had another solid performance from RB Derrick Henry (15 carries, 81 yards, touchdown).

Also, fat guy touchdown!

Buffalo Bills 28 (2-0), New York Giants 14 (0-2)

Dallas Cowboys 31 (2-0), Washington 21 (0-2)

Dallas Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore was a genius on the field for Boise State and he’s a genius on the sideline with Dallas:

In the next two years, he will be a head coach somewhere, and he’ll have done it without knowing Sean McVay for all of five minutes.

Houston Texans 13 (1-1), Jacksonville Jaguars 12 (0-2)

Like trying to hold in a coffee dump while driving, the Jaguars soiled themselves when they were just inches away from victory.

Then star CB Jalen Ramsey erupted on head coach Doug Marrone on the sideline for some reason. Ramsey didn’t speak to the media afterward and Marrone said he couldn’t remember what led to the situation.

Everything is fine, though:

Kansas City Chiefs 28 (2-0), Oakland Raiders 10 (1-1)

Chicago Bears 16 (1-1), Denver Broncos 14 (0-2)

Atlanta Falcons 24 (1-1), Philadelphia Eagles 20 (1-1)

Monday Night Football: New York Jets at Cleveland Browns

The Browns host the Jets in what will almost certainly be a win for the Browns. I think. Granted, I thought that last week and the Browns were destroyed by the Titans.

This week, the Browns face their old defensive coordinator and, for a brief moment, head coach in Gregg Williams who once again had to defend himself against accusations.

In the lead up to tonight’s game, WR Odell Beckham Jr. claimed other players told him that Williams taught his respective defensive players to play dirty.

It’s a claim Williams has adamantly refuted.

Every season, we always forget that Williams was banned for a year for his role in Bountygate and just think of him as a good defensive coordinator and one of the few (interim) head coaches who left Cleveland with a winning record.

This isn’t the first time claims like this were made against Williams. When Bountgate gained public attention, several players and coaches, like Tony Dungy, said Williams operated similar systems with his respective teams. But while he has his detractors, Williams has his fans, too.