NFL Week 2 Roundtable: Jordan Love’s Status, Bears-Texans, and Underrated Week 1 Storylines

September 14, 2024

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NFL Week 2 Roundtable: Jordan Love’s Status, Bears-Texans, and Underrated Week 1 Storylines

While Tua Tagovailoa’s Week 2 concussion has the league talking, the Green Bay Packers could be without quarterback Jordan Love, the Dallas Cowboys’ early hype appears to be outpacing the New Orleans Saints, Joe Burrow will once again face Patrick Mahomes, and the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans will close out Sunday’s game.

The AthleticsMike Sando, Jeff Howe and Zak Keefer discuss the upcoming weekend.

Which storyline from week 1 was not talked about enough?

Zando: How bad the Carolina Panthers looked. It was realistic to expect some improvement this season, but after a 47-10 loss to New Orleans and the loss of top defenseman Derrick Brown for the season, what is the way forward?

How: I was impressed with how Jalen Hurts rebounded from the Philadelphia Eagles’ terrible start, which was, of course, partly his fault. They started with two turnovers, including an ugly interception and a botched snap up the middle, but Hurts led the Eagles to three touchdowns and a field goal on the next four drives to take control of the Packers. Hurts was rightfully criticized for his two interceptions, but they wouldn’t have won that game without his mental toughness.

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Custodian: Maybe it’s because they’ve been in the spotlight for five seasons, but I found the Kansas City Chiefs’ opening night win over the Baltimore Ravens to be extremely impressive. Not only do the Chiefs have one of the league’s strongest defenses, but in Xavier Worthy, they have another offensive weapon that should alleviate some of the midseason struggles they had on that side of the ball last season. The Ravens have been as consistent as any team in football, and the Chiefs have now beaten them in six of their past seven games. That’s impressive. It’s no exaggeration to say that Kansas City can win 14 or 15 games this season and cruise to a No. 1 seed. A three-peat, assuming all the key pieces stay healthy, is very much in play.

It’s only Week 2, but has anything you’ve seen from the Cowboys made you believe this year could end differently? Did the Saints just play a bad Panthers team, or is there something to believe in from New Orleans?

Zando: It’s hard to say this Cowboys season will end any differently after watching the San Francisco 49ers dominate the New York Jets on both lines. Dallas needs regression elsewhere in the NFC to avoid falling short. The Saints’ great start suggested they might not be a disaster. I think people forget they finished 9-8 last season.

How: I was all for the Cowboys to make that long-awaited leap last season, but another playoff failure ruined all the goodwill they had built up. They’re once again one of the most talented teams in the league, so it seems like a similar regular season is in the cards. There’s probably nothing they can do before mid-January to erase the doubts of their last playoff performance. The Saints are 25-26 over the last three seasons. They’ve proven they can be good at times and mediocre at others. This will be more about the Panthers, unless the Saints prove otherwise in the next five games against quality opponents.

Custodian: The problem with the Cowboys is that their postseason collapses of the past few years have overshadowed how consistent and productive they’ve been during the regular season. As long as Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are on the field, this is one of the best offenses in football, and the way the defense played on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns speaks volumes to how much that unit can disrupt the game. As for the Saints, I’m not taking anything away from them, but that was more about Carolina — the Panthers are the least talented team in football, and it’s not even close. I’m looking forward to seeing how New Orleans does with a much more legitimate test on Sunday against Dallas.

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Colts-Packers is also an intriguing matchup. How can Green Bay tread water without Love (listed as questionable on Friday) if he has to miss significant time? While Anthony Richardson showed off the special ability that makes him unique in Week 1, what else do you need to see from him to believe he can take a step forward this year?

Zando: I don’t see how the Packers can tread water with Malik Willis as their interim starting quarterback. There is no evidence to suggest he can play consistently enough to win. For Richardson, let’s string games together without injury. Then we can focus on the finer points of his game.

How: The Packers needed a strong September to offset a challenging schedule over the last three months, so they’re in trouble if Love misses this series against the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings. They’ll need flawless play from Willis, a great running game, some catch-and-runs from their talented receivers and takeaways on defense. That’s a lot that has to go right as Love gets healthy. Richardson appears ready to take the next step. He just has to stay healthy to get there.

Custodian: Mike’s right — nothing we’ve seen from Willis so far suggests he can step into the starting role in Green Bay and beat a pretty solid Indianapolis team. He’s also only been with the Packers for about three weeks, so it’s not like he’s got the playbook down pat. As for Richardson, this season is about becoming more than a highlight reel: His highlights are unreal, but he missed too many open throws on Sunday — including a walk-in touchdown to AD Mitchell — and that was the difference in the game. But remember: That was his fifth NFL start. This will take time. He’s shown enough promise to make you think he’ll make it.

Which Texans midseason signing was more impressive on Sunday: Joe Mixon or Stefon Diggs? Caleb Williams’ performance left a lot to be desired, but what were some positives you took away from his debut?

Zando: Mixon became the sixth player since the start of the 2020 season to record at least 30 carries and average at least 5.0 yards per rush in a game. That’s hard work and more impressive than Diggs, whose six receptions were nothing special.

How: Wow, this would be a great barroom debate. Mixon gives the Texans an element they didn’t have last season when they were 22nd in rushing, and CJ Stroud would be great regardless of Diggs because they’re already so good at receiver. But if Diggs comes in like he’s advertised and gets that game-changing ability back, it could be enough to put the Texans over the top in the playoffs. For now, I’d say Mixon is the better answer. As for Williams, I’m not worried about him long-term, but I don’t know how many positives there were on Sunday. More than anything, the Bears seem primed to play at a high level on defense and special teams, and that could mean more to their success this season than anything else.

Custodian: I covered the Houston Texans-Colts game on Sunday and I thought Mixon ran like he was five years younger. He crushed the Colts in the second half. The week before, in practice, he told his offensive linemen, “Let’s get 150 to start.” He ended up with 159 and threw the game away late in the fourth. If he can become a consistent threat in Bobby Slowik’s scheme, this will be one of the best offenses in football. As we saw, the receiver room is full. As for Williams, the most encouraging takeaway was how he handled it; this was a botched debut, but he handled it like a veteran, praising his defense and special teams and promising to get back to work. Having the humility to bury a bad game and start fresh the next week is vital for a young quarterback. He’ll get a good look at how one of the best in the league, Stroud, does on Sunday.

CJ Stroud’s soft-spoken, easygoing personality belies a sharp edge that he’s always played with—and now takes charge of.

He doesn’t let it go often. But when he does, teammates feel the fire.

Quarterbacks won’t get far in this league if they’re polite, writes @zkeefer. photo.twitter.com/niFjqLyJeI

— The Athletics (@TheAthletic) September 12, 2024

We had two returnees from Week 1 Achilles injuries in Kirk Cousins of the Falcons and Aaron Rodgers of the Jets. What are your thoughts on both QBs? Are they rusty and need time, in good shape or is there cause for concern?

Zando: They both looked good throwing the ball. The questions I have are more about the offensive design and their play callers. Rodgers showed he can throw the ball well. But is this going to be a dynamic offense? Cousins threw the ball well, but he was under pressure and took hard hits, which affected his play. Cousins was also in the shotgun or pistol much more than he has been in the past, with zero under-center play-action looks, which he thrives on. Is that the best thing for Cousins?

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How: I thought Rodgers looked good at times. The 49ers overwhelmed the Jets, who weren’t ready to compete with one of the best teams in the league. It was a nice starting point for the QB, though. Cousins was a bit more concerning because the Atlanta Falcons had so many opportunities to take control of the game and just couldn’t. Maybe it’s because TJ Watt looked like the best defender on the planet last week, so I’m looking forward to seeing more from Cousins and the Falcons as a whole.

Custodian: It’s too early to panic on either count — especially with veteran QBs like these two — but that was poor offensive football from both teams. Rodgers still throws one of the prettiest passes in the league, but he didn’t seem to move all that great in the pocket — certainly not as he did for most of his time in Green Bay. Part of that was likely the 49ers’ defense, which was excellent, but aside from a good first-half drive and a free-play touchdown, they didn’t do much. On the Falcons front, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense made life pretty miserable for Cousins most of the day — Watt was downright unstoppable at times. Can they protect him better? Cousins will likely settle in more as the season progresses, but Mike’s concerns about the schedule are valid. We’ll find out more on Monday night.