NFL

NFL winners and losers from Week 2, plus grades for every game, Eagles vs. Falcons Monday picks and best bets

by
SaC Bot
September 16, 2024

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

The second Sunday of the NFL season is officially in the books and if we learned one thing from Week 2, it’s that this is the year of the retread quarterback. I love retread quarterbacks. Derek Carr, Justin Fields, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith are a combined 10-0 this season. All five of those quarterbacks were unwanted at some point in their career, but now, they’ve landed in a spot where they’re appreciated. It’s nice to be appreciated.

Anyway, we have a lot to cover today: We’ll be handing out grades plus taking a look at some winners and losers from Week 2.

As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here.

1. NFL Week 2 grades: Cowboys get an ‘F,’ Packers earn an ‘A-‘ by winning without Jordan Love

You guys don’t have to call me Professor Breech, but that’s what I call myself during the NFL season since I’m in charge of handing out the grades for every game. There have been 15 games played in Week 2 so far, and we’ve graded them all.

Here’s a look at the grades from two notable games that were played Sunday:

Saints 44-19 over Cowboys (Click here for full recap)

Saints takeaway: New Orleans might actually be for real. After beating up on Carolina in Week 1, there were some questions about whether this team was actually any good, and the Saints seemed to answer all of those on Sunday. Alvin Kamara had a huge day with 180 yards and FOUR touchdowns on 22 touches. Derek Carr was nearly perfect for the second straight week for a high-flying Saints offense that suddenly looks unstoppable. The Saints defense also came up big on a day where they forced two turnovers while also sacking Dak Prescott three times. This looks like a well-rounded team that might not just compete for the NFC South title, but they also might end up competing for the top seed in the NFC. Grade: A+
Cowboys takeaway: The Cowboys hype train picked up some steam after Week 1, but it went off the tracks in this game. The Cowboys’ vaunted defense had no answers for a Saints offense that scored a touchdown on each of its first five possessions. They couldn’t tackle Alvin Kamara, they couldn’t cover Rashid Shaheed and they couldn’t slow down Derek Carr. The offense also struggled, especially in the red zone, where the Cowboys came up with ZERO touchdowns on three trips. The Cowboys got a reality check on Sunday and the reality is that they might not be one of the top teams in the NFC this year. Grade: F

Packers 16-10 over Colts (Click here for full game stats)

Colts takeaway: For the second straight week, Anthony Richardson struggled with his accuracy, and it might have actually cost the Colts the game. Not only did Richardson complete just 50% of his passes (17 of 34), but he also threw three interceptions with two of those coming after the Colts had driven into Green Bay territory. Of course, even if Richardson had played better, the Colts might have still lost because they couldn’t stop the run. Indy gave up 261 yards on the ground, which is the most the Colts have surrendered in a game since 2012. At 0-2, the Colts are going to need to quickly get things figured out on offense. Grade: C-
Packers takeaway: It looks like the Packers figured out the perfect offensive strategy for winning games without Jordan Love: Run the ball, run the ball and run the ball some more. With Love out, the Packers decided to let Josh Jacobs carry the offense and that plan went to perfection. The running back bulldozed the Colts for 151 yards on a day where the Packers rushed for 261 yards, which was the team’s highest rushing total in 21 years. Although Malik Willis wasn’t asked to do much, he actually played well when Green Bay needed him to, going 12 of 14 for 122 yards and a touchdown. The Packers defense struggled to stop Jonathan Taylor, but the unit made up for that by picking off Anthony Richardson three times. Grade: A-

As for the other 26 grades that I handed out in Week 2, you can check those out by clicking here.

2. NFL Week 2 winners and losers

You can’t have a week of NFL action without having winners and losers, so we have some winners and losers.

Cody Benjamin came up with this week’s list, which you can check out below.

Losers

John Harbaugh’s crunch-time track record (Ravens lose to Raiders, 26-23. “Lamar Jackson insisted after the Ravens’ upset loss that ‘that’s not us at all.’ But actually, it is. The Ravens have been notoriously poor at closing out double-digit leads under Harbaugh. They’re still talented, but they’ve yet to prove themselves as true finishers.”
Will Levis’ job security (Titans lost to Jets, 24-17). “Let’s be clear: The second-year quarterback isn’t likely to lose his starting gig anytime soon, but with a second head-scratching fumble in as many weeks, the gunslinger drew visible ire from new coach Brian Callahan against the New York Jets. He’s got to take better care of the football to stay under center.”
The Panthers’ rebuild (Carolina loses to Chargers, 26-3). “Sadly, this topic and category has been applicable for years now. We’re only two games into the Dave Canales era, but somehow Bryce Young has looked an additional step behind the NFL game. There’s something fundamentally broken about the way they operate with the ball in their hands.”

If you want to see Cody’s list of winners, be sure to click here.

3. 16 crazy facts from Week 2: Giants make unfortunate history

Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild facts about the games that were just played.

With that in mind, here are 16 crazy facts about Week 2:

Giants do the impossible. In their 21-18 loss to the Commanders, the Giants became the first team in NFL history to lose a game in regulation after scoring three touchdowns and holding their opponent to zero touchdowns. That had only happened one other time in NFL history, but the other game went to overtime, giving the Giants an NFL first. The Commanders beat the Giants with seven field goals.
High-scoring Saints. The Saints have scored 91 points through two games, which is the fourth-highest total in NFL history through two weeks. The Saints are also just the third team in NFL history to score at least 44 points in three straight games. Not only did they top that mark last week, but they also scored 48 in their 2023 season finale.
Kamara goes crazy. The Saints running back totaled 180 yards and four touchdowns against the Cowboys. Kamara, who also had 172 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns on Christmas Day in 2020, is just the fifth player in the Super Bowl era with multiple career games with at least 150 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns, The Saints running back joins four Hall of Famers in LaDainian Tomlinson (four games), Marshall Faulk (three) and Jerry Rice (two) along with Clinton Portis (two).
Cowboys get crushed at home. With their 44-19 loss to the Saints, the Cowboys became just the fifth team in the Super Bowl era to give up at least 44 points in two consecutive home games. Before Sunday, the Cowboys’ last home game came in a 48-32 wild-card loss to the Packers.
Steelers are winning without scoring points. The Steelers improved to 2-0 on the season by beating the Broncos, 13-6. The Steelers have totaled just one touchdown in those two wins, making them the first team since the 2000 Lions to start 2-0 despite scoring just one touchdown over the first two games.
Viking go long against 49ers. During Minnesota’s 23-17 win over the 49ers, Sam Darnold threw a 97-yard TD to Justin Jefferson (You can see the play here), which was the longest offensive play that the 49ers have ever surrendered in franchise history. It was also the second-longest receiving TD in Vikings history, trailing only Bernard Berrian, who had a 99-yard catch in 2008.
Burrow vs. Mahomes is always a classic. The two quarterbacks have met five times, and in all five games the final score has been decided by three points or less, which makes it the only QB matchup where that’s happened in NFL history. The streak continued on Sunday with Kansas City’s 26-25 win over the Bengals.
Mahomes always seems to win. The victory over the Bengals on Sunday was the 76th over Mahomes’ career, which puts him in a tie with Tom Brady and Roger Staubach for the most ever by a QB in the first 100 starts of his career. The twist here is that Mahomes has only made 98 starts, so he’ll have two chances to break the record.
Panthers might be one of the worst teams ever. The Panthers have not led with time on the clock during the fourth quarter for 20 consecutive games, which is tied for the second-longest streak in NFL history, trailing only the Rochester Jeffersons, who went 22 straight games from 1922-25.
Kyler Murray pulls off rare feat. The Cardinals QB finished with a perfect passer rating of 158.3 after completing 17 of 21 passes (81 percent) for 266 yards and three touchdowns. He also tacked on 59 rushing yards, which made him just the second QB in NFL history to throw for at least 250 passing yards with at least 50 rushing yards and a 158.3 passer rating in a game. Murray joins former Bengals QB Ken Anderson, who did it in 1974.
Brock Bowers is on a roll. The Raiders tight end caught nine passes for 98 yards against the Ravens, and if you combine that with his total from last week (six catches for 58 yards), it makes him the first tight end in NFL history to catch at least five passes for at least 50 yards in each of his first two NFL games.
Jayden Daniels is on a roll. The Commanders QB had 44 rushing yards against the Giants, which gives him 132 yards through two games. With that total, Daniels has broken Robert Griffin’s record for the most rushing yards by a QB in his first two career games in the Super Bowl era (Griffin ran for 124 during his first two starts in 2024).
Malik Nabers has a breakout game. The Giants rookie had 10 receptions for 127 yards and one touchdown and with those numbers, he became the youngest player in NFL history to record at least 10 catches for at least 100 yards. At 21 years and 49 days old, Nabers broke a record that had stood since 1953 when Gern Nagler had a huge game against the Chicago Cardinals at 21 years and 251 days old.
Braelon Allen also breaks an age record. The Jets rookie running back scored two touchdowns in New York’s 24-17 win over the Titans. At 20 years and 239 days old, Allen became the youngest player in the Super Bowl era to ever score a touchdown. He also became the second-youngest player to score since 1933, trailing only Andy Livingston, who was 20 years, 53 days, when he scored for the Bears in 1964.
Buccaneers beat long odds. During their win over the Lions, the Bucs got outgained by 247 yards and the Lions had five more sacks than Tampa Bay. According to NFL.com, that makes the Bucs just the second team since 1970 to win a game where they were outgained by at least 200 yards while also having five fewer sacks than the other team. The only other time that’s happened came in 1987 when the Oilers beat the Bengals.
Ka’imi Fairbairn can’t miss. The Texans kicker hit four field goals on Sunday night against the Bears, including three that came from longer than 50 yards. The Texans kicker also hit three field goals from beyond 50 yards in Week 1, which means he now holds the NFL record for the most field goals of 50 yards or more over a two-game span.

If you see any other fun facts, feel free to tweet them at me.

4. NFL Week 2 overreactions: Will Ravens miss the playoffs?

Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that’s especially true when we’re talking about the the NFL. With that in mind, Jeff Kerr decided to take a look at several things that happened around the NFL in Week 2 to decide if we’re all overreacting.

Statement: Rams will finish last in the NFC West.
Overreaction or reality: Reality. “After two weeks, the Rams are the worst team in the division — and completely banged up to boot. Puka Nacua is out multiple weeks and Cooper Kupp was seen in a walking boot after the blowout loss to the Cardinals. … These early season injuries are too much for the Rams to overcome, and the Cardinals and Seahawks have significantly improved from last year. Someone has to finish last in this division.”

Statement: Ravens will miss the playoffs.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. “The Ravens have suffered their first 0-2 start since 2015, uncharted territory under John Harbaugh. Under previous 0-2 starts in franchise history, the Ravens have failed to finish with a winning record or make playoffs. Is there reason to panic with this slow start, especially after a bad loss to the Raiders? Baltimore has the fourth-best total yards differential (+222) by an 0-2 team in the Super Bowl era, a good sign the Ravens are moving the ball. … Even the two losses are by a combined 10 points. The Ravens do have a gauntlet with the Cowboys, Bills and Bengals coming up — but the schedule gets much easier after that. Harbaugh and Jackson deserve the benefit of the doubt.”

Statement: Saints have the best offense in the NFC.
Overreaction or reality: Reality. “The Saints have scored on 16 of their 20 possessions (not counting end of game). They have averaged 32.5 points per game in the first half and 45.5 points per game on the year. … Not only is Derek Carr playing well, but the Saints have playmakers like Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave at the skill positions. They have one of the most explosive offenses in the league with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak calling plays. This offense is the best in the NFC until proven otherwise.”

There are plenty more overreactions from Week 2, and if you want to check those out, be sure to click here.

5. Monday night preview: Picks and best bets for Falcons at Eagles

USATSI

The final game of Week 2 will be a battle of the birds with the Falcons hitting the road to face the Eagles in Philadelphia. It’s a huge game for Kirk Cousins. If the Falcons QB struggles for the second straight week, there’s a good chance that fans in Atlanta will start calling for Michael Penix Jr. to start. As for the Eagles, they’re looking to start the season 2-0 for the third straight year.

Jared Dubin put a preview together for this game, and here’s how he sees things playing out:

Why the Falcons can win: The Falcons offense brings an element of mystery, which could be an advantage for Atlanta. Cousins is more comfortable playing from under center, but the Falcons didn’t really do that in Week 1 (They ran almost every play from shotgun or pistol). If Cousins is truly recovered from his Achilles injury, he should be taking snaps from under center against he Eagles and if that happens, that will open up Atlanta’s offense. If Cousins looks comfortable, the passing game should look better than it did last week. Kyle Pitts could be the biggest benefactor of that since he’ll likely be matched up against an Eagles linebackers group that struggles in coverage.
Why the Eagles can win: Philadelphia won’t have A.J. Brown, who’s already been ruled out due to injury, but that might not matter. The Eagles’ biggest star in Week 1 was Saquon Barkley and if they can get him going, he could end up having a big day against a Falcons defense that surrendered nearly 140 yards on the ground in Week 1. If Barkley and Jalen Hurts keep things moving on the ground, that will open the door for the Eagles to pull out the win, even without Brown on the field.

You can get a full preview of the game from Dubin by clicking here.

If you’re thinking about betting on the game, here are a couple of props.

ONE RECEIVING PROP I LIKE: Saquon Barkley OVER 75.5 rushing yards (-115): After watching Barkley rush for 109 yards in the opener, I won’t be surprised if the Eagles make him a big part of the game plan tonight. Also, with A.J. Brown out, Philly will likely lean more on the running game, which should mean more opportunities for Barkley.
ONE KICKING PROP I LIKE: Jake Elliott OVER 7.5 points (-105 at BetMGM): If Jake Elliott is playing, I’m almost always going to take the over on his kicking points. The Eagles love using Elliott and they showed that in Week 1 when he scored 10 points. With A.J. Brown out, I could see Philly struggling in the red zone, which should lead to more field goal attempts for the veteran kicker. I won’t be surprised if he lands near the 10-point mark for the second straight week.

The guys over at SportsLine have a full betting preview that you can check out here.

PICKS FOR ‘MNF’

Dubin’s pick: Eagles 24-16 over Falcons
My pick: Eagles 24-17 over Falcons

Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, all eight of our NFL experts are taking the Eagles to win straight-up. However, when it comes to the spread, only six of our eight experts are taking the Eagles to cover as a 6-point favorite.

6. Extra points: Christian McCaffrey out until at least October

It’s been a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.

49ers place Christian McCaffrey on IR. The 49ers running back has been placed on injured reserve, which means he has to miss at least four weeks. The game on Sunday counts as one of the four games, which means he could return as soon as Week 6 (Oct. 10). However, McCaffrey might end up being out longer than that. According to NFL.com, the 49ers running back could be out at least six weeks, which means he might not be back on the field until nearly November.
Hollywood Brown likely to miss the entire regular season. The Chiefs receiver is expected to miss the entire 2024 regular season due to a shoulder injury he suffered last month. The Chiefs are leaving the door open for Brown to possibly return in January for the playoffs.
Chiefs also lose their starting running back. Isiah Pacheco fractured his fibula during Kansas City’s win over the Bengals on Sunday, which is going to knock him for an extended period of time. Depending on the severity of the injury, Pacheco could be out anywhere from four to eight weeks, according to NFL.com. CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones reported that Pacheco will be placed on IR, so he’ll definitely be missing a minimum of four games.
Puka Nacua could be out until November. The Rams receiver, who’s already on IR, could be out until November. According to NFL.com, it’s looking like Nacua’s injured knee could sideline him until Week 9, which means he wouldn’t be back on the field until Nov. 3 when the Rams face the Seahawks.
Dolphins add former Pro Bowl QB. After Tua Tagovailoa went down, Mike McDaniel said his team would be adding a quarterback and they did that on Monday by signing Tyler Huntley, according to NFL.com. The 2022 Pro Bowler is expected to serve as a backup to Skylar Thompson.
Injury roundup. There were a lot of injuries on Sunday and we’re tracking all of them here. If you click over, you’ll read about how Cooper Kupp left the stadium in a walking boot. Also, Justin Jefferson left the Vikings win over the 49ers after suffering a thigh bruise.