NFL Game Recaps: Week 2, 2024

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Bills 31, Dolphins 10

The Dolphins signed Tua Tagovailoa to a 4-year, $212 million contract during the offseason, but it’s fair to wonder if they already have buyer’s remorse. Tagovailoa has a long history of disappointing in big games, but this matchup seemed different because the Bills were the weakest they had ever been during Tagovailoa’s tenure. The Bills lost Stefon Diggs, Matt Milano, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Gabe Davis, and Taron Johnson. All of those players are gone or injured. The Bills also lost key linebacker Terrel Bernard early in the evening, so Tagovailoa had a golden opportunity to win.

Instead, Tagovailoa wilted. He threw an early interception that wasn’t his fault, and then made up for it with a long touchdown drive, but the whole operation imploded after that. The disaster began when Tagovailoa was picked on a horrible overthrow that wasn’t even near his target. That seemed to destroy Tagovailoa’s confidence, as he took a sack on fourth down and then looked shell shocked during the 2-minute drill prior to halftime. Tagovailoa made a number of mistakes, ranging from turning the wrong way on a handoff, to failing to call a timeout to stop the clock. It didn’t get any better after halftime when Tagovailoa launched a helpless pass while under pressure that was easily pick-sixed. “Deer in the headlights” is a metaphor that is used far too often, but that can perfectly describe Tagovailoa in the second quarter and beginning stages of the third frame before he was knocked out with a concussion when he collided with Damar Hamlin.

Meanwhile, the Bills didn’t need Josh Allen to improve his chemistry with his receivers. Allen simply got the ball to James Cook, who did everything. Cook scored on a 17-yard receiving touchdown on the opening possession and then scored two more touchdowns, including a 49-yard burst in which he zoomed by the beleaguered Miami defenders. This gave the Bills a 24-7 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

This was a great victory for the Bills. Obviously, any divisional win is huge, but Buffalo still isn’t at full strength because of the injuries and lacking chemistry between Allen and the receivers. The Bills will be better in the second half of the year, so it’s great for them that they can rack up some wins now.

The Dolphins lost a couple of offensive linemen in this game, as Terron Armstead and Robert Jones were knocked out at the midway point of the game. The Dolphins were already down multiple scores when this occurred, so this is not the reason why the Dolphins struggled. If they don’t recover, however, Miami will continue to perform poorly, as Tagovailoa’s pick-six was the result of heavy pressure once Armstead was knocked out of the game. It’s also fair to wonder how long Tagovailoa will be sidelined, given his lengthy concussion history. Perhaps Miami will sign Ryan Tannehill.

Raiders 26, Ravens 23

The Raiders pulled the upset in Baltimore, but at one point in the fourth quarter, it didn’t look like they had much of a chance. They had just surrendered a touchdown to Derrick Henry out of the Wildcat, with Baltimore opening up a 23-13 lead. The Raiders still had time to mount a comeback, but they weren’t generating much offensively. Gardner Minshew made numerous mistakes throughout the afternoon, including an interception where he had all day to throw, and a horrible sack that nearly moved his team out of field goal range. Minshew otherwise was throwing short passes and not threatening the Ravens at all.

Things changed when Minshew began connecting with Brock Bowers and Davante Adams. He engineered a field goal drive, then hit numerous passes to his top two targets on the ensuing possession to tie the game, thanks to Adams making a spectacular catch along the sideline.

The Ravens looked like they would be in position to kick the winning field goal with Justin Tucker when they retained possession at their own 30-yard line, thanks to the new kickoff rule. However, Lamar Jackson, betrayed by an offensive line that lost three starters during the offseason, took a 9-yard sack to ruin any hope Baltimore had of scoring. A shanked punt later, and the Raiders took over in Baltimore territory. The Raiders quickly set up for a field goal to win the game.

The Ravens had the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs last year, but are now 0-2. Losing at Kansas City was understandable, but this home defeat to the Raiders is alarming, though not very shocking. The offensive line is in shambles after all the offseason departures.

The Raiders were able to avoid an 0-2 start. They’ll have a good chance to improve to 2-1 with a home game versus Carolina next week. Their defense saved the day by limiting the Baltimore offense when Minshew was struggling.

Chargers 26, Panthers 3

The Panthers were humiliated last week in a 47-10 loss to the Saints. They had a chance to rebound in their second game while playing at home against the Chargers, but they once again suffered a loss in a lopsided affair.

It appeared as though Carolina would be hurt by officiating incompetence early when the defense recovered a lost fumble near the red zone, but replay review made a perplexing decision when a call was overturned despite there not being much evidence to do so. On the very next play, Justin Herbert hit Quentin Johnston for a 29-yard touchdown pass to take the early lead.

The Panthers appeared to have a chance when they intercepted Herbert on an ensuing drive, but Bryce Young took a sack to move out of field goal range when he had plenty of time to throw the ball away. This wasn’t the only mistake Young made in the opening half, as he was intercepted in the second quarter when he fired a ball into a tight crowd. Meanwhile, Carolina’s run defense was completely helpless to stop J.K. Dobbins, who eclipsed the century mark before halftime. The Chargers took a 23-3 lead into intermission that they wouldn’t relinquish.

The Chargers are 2-0, though they didn’t get a great game out of Herbert. While Herbert didn’t perform poorly, it’s clear that he’s not 100 percent because of his plantar fascia injury.

The Panthers may consider moving off Young in favor of Andy Dalton. This would be the correct decision if they cared about winning this year, but Carolina’s goal should be to tank for the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in order to replace Young, who is an obvious sunk cost.

Saints 44, Cowboys 19

It’s amazing, but the Saints have somehow scored on every possession this year in which their starters have played and haven’t kneeled down to keep the clock moving. This wasn’t too much of a shock versus the Panthers’ anemic defense, but to do it versus the Cowboys was astonishing.

New Orleans entered the season with some serious question marks on the offensive line, which almost certainly had to be exposed against Micah Parsons and the Dallas pass rush. It was clear this wouldn’t be the case on a very early big play when Derek Carr had all day to throw where he found Rashid Shaheed for a 70-yard bomb. This was one of Carr’s 11 completions in this game, as the Saints did most of their damage on the ground. The Cowboys were trampled by Aaron Jones and the Packers in the wild-card playoff loss last year, and Kamara picked up where Jones left off, as he rushed for three touchdowns and scored another through the air. Dallas’ defense couldn’t get off the field against the Saints, who generated 432 net yards of offense and averaged 7.7 yards per play.

The Cowboys couldn’t quite keep up, as the protection failed Dak Prescott. The Saints put good pressure on Prescott, who was forced into a couple of interceptions, one of which was an absolutely atrocious throw. Prescott’s stats don’t look too bad, but keep in mind that most of his production came when he was down multiple scores, as New Orleans dominated this game from start to finish.

The Saints were projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, and yet they’re 2-0 with two blowout victories. The offensive line was supposed to be a huge liability in this matchup, but that was hardly the case.

The Cowboys, conversely, couldn’t have a second-consecutive blowout performance, as their big edge was neutralized by surprising play by New Orleans’ offensive line. The defense still can’t stop the run, as this area inexplicably wasn’t addressed in the offseason.

Buccaneers 20, Lions 16

The Lions believed they improved their secondary this offseason, but that doesn’t appear to be the case thus far. Matthew Stafford threw all over them in the opener, and Baker Mayfield continued that trend with some terrific connections to his receivers in this game, primarily Chris Godwin.

Detroit’s front seven tried its best to compensate for the poor secondary play. Aidan Hutchinson blew up the backfield twice when Tampa Bay was in scoring range early in the game, forcing Tampa Bay to settle for a couple of field goals. Hutchinson then had his third sack nine minutes into the game, ultimately finishing a half of a sack shy of the franchise single-game record with five. He was the primary reason why the Lions were able to limit Tampa Bay to only 20 points.

The Lions had multiple opportunities to take the lead late in the game. Jared Goff threw his second pick late in the game when he was crushed as he released the ball. Goff later threw short of fourth down because of pressure. Goff had one more chance at the very end, but three consecutive incompletions ended the game and allowed the Buccaneers to avenge their playoff loss.

The Lions had a scary moment in this game when Amon-Ra St. Brown got hurt on a tackle shy of the goal line. He was down for a while, but was able to return to action. This is a silver lining for the Lions, who need to focus on improving their secondary with some of their young players.

The Buccaneers improved to 2-0, as they were able to catch the Lions napping following their emotional overtime victory versus their former quarterback. It’s safe to say that Detroit will show a better effort if there is a playoff rematch.

Browns 18, Jaguars 13

The Browns were missing both tackles in this game, but the Jaguars were the team that had major problems pass protecting in this game. Trevor Lawrence had issues in the pocket throughout the afternoon, which hurt his accuracy. He misfired on more than half of his throws, as Lawrence looks like he’s regressed each year from the 2022 campaign in which he led the Jaguars to the second round of the playoffs.

Lawrence really had a rough time against the Browns. He was fortunate that a potential pick-six of his was dropped. He was later blasted on a third-down try by Myles Garrett and eventually took a sack in the end zone to give Cleveland a five-point lead.

These two points proved to be a huge deal because Lawrence moved the Jaguars into field goal range on the final drive. However, Lawrence ran out of time because of poor clock management, and he didn’t have the luxury of settling for just three points anyway. Lawrence final shot at the end zone fell incomplete, giving the Browns a nice bounce-back victory.

The Jaguars are now 0-2, and it’s fair to wonder if they’ll ever reach their full potential under Doug Pederson. Again, Lawrence has regressed, much like Carson Wentz did under Pederson after an amazing second season.

The Browns, meanwhile, saved their season with this victory. It was an impressive win, given that they once again were missing both tackles. They’ll need at least one of Jedrick Wills or Jack Conklin to return soon, however.

Vikings 23, 49ers 17

This was a game of wild swings that mostly went in Minnesota’s favor. We saw this very early when there was no score. The Vikings blocked a punt to give themselves a 3-0 lead. San Francisco tried to strike back right after that, going for it on a fourth-and-goal on the Minnesota 3-yard line. Brock Purdy missed Jauan Jennings, and on the very next play, Sam Darnold connected on a 97-yard bomb to Justin Jefferson to open a 10-0 lead.

There was another instance where the 49ers had a turnover to set up Minnesota with a score. This occurred when Purdy was picked in the third quarter to give the Vikings great field position. Darnold then found Jalen Nailor to extend the lead. Purdy tossed another interception that was deflected at the line of scrimmage, further putting the game out of range for San Francisco. The Vikings could have established a much larger lead than the 19-7 margin at the end of the third quarter, but Aaron Jones fumbled near the goal line. This didn’t end up mattering, as the Vikings had too big of a lead for the 49ers to engineer a complete comeback.

There were some scary moments in this game when Jefferson, George Kittle, and Nick Bosa all got hurt. Kittle ended up returning to the game. Bosa has a concern with his ankle. Jefferson, meanwhile, appears to have a quad contusion, so he should be OK.

The Vikings are now 2-0 with impressive wins against the Giants and 49ers. They’ve made some great signings to help the defense this offseason, while Kevin O’Connell has done a terrific job of coaching up Darnold, who made one mistake in this game when he was picked as a result of not seeing Fred Warner.

The 49ers lost, but they’ll be fine. They were playing on a short week and traveling from the West Coast after a big win on Monday night. We did not see them at their best.

Seahawks 23, Patriots 20

The Patriots appeared as though they would be off to another win when they scored an early touchdown, with Jacoby Brissett engineering a 60-yard touchdown drive, ultimately finding Ja’Lynn Polk in the end zone. The Seahawks scored much less methodically, as Geno Smith launched a 56-yard bomb to D.K. Metcalf for a score to tie the game at seven.

These teams would go back and forth throughout the afternoon, with both teams spending chunks of time with the lead. The Seahawks had trouble getting off the field against the run, with Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson generating big gains on the ground. Conversely, the Patriots had issues against the pass. Metcalf had a monster game, as did Jaxon Smith-Njigba, with both rebounding from dud performances last year.

This game eventually went into overtime. The Patriots had first crack at the win, but Seattle’s run defense made a rare, positive play when it stuffed Stevenson on third-and-1. Tyler Lockett didn’t do much in the box score, but drew a key pass interference to set up the Seahawks in New England territory. Lockett then came up with a 16-yard reception to move into field goal range. Two plays later, Jason Myers drilled a 31-yard field goal to prevail.

The Seahawks didn’t cover the spread, but they improved to 2-0, thanks to some brilliant quarterbacking by Geno Smith. This was a tough test for the new coaching staff despite the soft opponent, with this being an early start on the East Coast.

The Patriots didn’t quite live up to their upset victory against the Bengals, but they composed themselves well against the Seahawks. They haven’t embarrassed themselves yet, which is what many expected heading into 2024.

Jets 24, Titans 17

Will Levis had one of the all-time meltdowns in NFL history last week, as he was mostly responsible for a blown 17-0 lead as his opponent didn’t score a single offensive touchdown. The Titans would surely protect Levis more in this game, and yet the second-year quarterback still imploded at the worst times. His worst play in this game occurred when he was once again leading. Up 7-0 inside the Jets’ 5-yard line, Levis inexplicably heaved a backward shovel pass, which was ruled a lost fumble. Three sure points were taken off the board, thanks to Levis’ stupidity.

The Titans should have been up by two scores, which would have made a big difference when the Jets were mounting a comeback. New York eventually established two separate touchdown leads, including when Braelon Allen reached the end zone to help the Jets go up 24-17.

Levis had one more chance to extend the game. He did a good job of driving the team inside the 10-yard line, but showed poor pocket awareness on third-and-goal by taking an untimely sack. This made fourth down so much more difficult, and Levis didn’t even give his team a fighting chance by throwing shy of the goal line to turn the ball over on downs.

The Titans are 0-2, but they easily could be 2-0 right now. They’ve outgained both of their opponents, but Levis ruined a couple of potential victories. Tennessee needs to consider turning to Mason Rudolph.

The Jets salvaged a victory, but were trailing or tied for most of the game. This shouldn’t give anyone much confidence, but the Jets are banged up, so they’ll be better as the season progresses.

Redskins 21, Giants 18

Kickers are often never mentioned in the opening paragraph of these write-ups, but this must be an exception because an injury to the Giants’ kicker ruined a potential victory. Graham Gano suffered an injury early in the afternoon, which ended up costing the Giants six points. They missed an extra point and failed on a pair of two-point conversions. More significantly, the Giants drove deep into Washington territory when the game was tied at 18. They were stuck with a fourth down where a short field goal would have given them the lead, but Gano’s absence meant that New York had to go for it on fourth down. Daniel Jones delivered a perfect pass to Malik Nabers along the sideline, but Nabers, who had enjoyed a brilliant game, dropped the ball.

The Redskins still had to move into field goal range to get the win. This wasn’t a problem for them all afternoon, as Jayden Daniels engineered six scoring drives, all ending with a successful kick. Daniels, unlike Nabers, was able to come through in the clutch. He delivered a 34-yard pass to Noah Brown and then scrambled for 14 yards. This set up Austin Seibert with the decisive seventh field goal of the game.

Though both teams are terrible, this was an entertaining game in which two rookies showcased themselves. Daniels was terrific, albeit in a very easy matchup. He needs to improve in the red zone, as seven field goals won’t cut it against the better teams in the NFL.

The Giants, meanwhile, can at least know that they have a stud receiver in Nabers. Though Nabers choked at the end, he looked like the dynamic receiver the Giants thought they were getting with their first-round pick. The Giants likely would have prevailed if they had their kicker. Devin Singletary fumbling over midfield didn’t help matters either.

Packers 16, Colts 10
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: Malik Willis has now covered the spread in 75 percent of his starts. This is better than Patrick Mahomes, Peyton Manning, and even Tom Brady. Wow.

With starting quarterback Jordan Love out with a knee injury, the Packers were playing newly acquired backup Malik Willis at quarterback and looked to lean on their rushing offense. Shockingly, the Colts’ defense seemed unprepared to defend the run as Green Bay ran all over the Colts in the first half to build a lead that proved too much. Colts second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson struggled and could not produce any big plays through the air until it was too late.

Josh Jacobs ripped off 49 yards on the Packers’ opening drive to set up a field goal for Green Bay. The next Packers drive saw more running to move the ball down the field before Willis connected with Dontayvion Wicks for a 17-yard touchdown and a 10-0 lead. The next drive saw Richardson picked off by Xavier McKinney. Green Bay was about to go up by 17, but Jacobs was stripped of the ball by Zaire Franklin at the one-yard line, with the Colts recovering in the end zone to keep it a ten-point game at halftime.

Green Bay added a field goal midway through the third quarter, and the Colts offense finally got on the board with a field goal to make it 13-3. Jonathan Taylor started to run well, but the Colts had a missed field goal. Willis lofted in a 30-yard pass to Romeo Doubs, which set up another field goal for Green Bay. With just under two minutes remaining, Richardson tossed a short touchdown pass to Alec Pierce. The Packers recovered the onsides kick to clinch their first win of the season.

The Colts fell to the dreaded 0-2 start, which will be difficult to overcome in the ultra-competitive AFC. This was a huge win for the Packers, as they got it with their backup quarterback and avoided a 0-2 start in a tough division.

Cardinals 41, Rams 10
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: I guess the Rams left everything on the field against the Lions in Week 1. What in the world was this effort?

This game was a battle of division rivals both looking to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start. Arizona whipped the Rams from start to finish. Kyler Murray dominated the Los Angeles defense, and the Rams’ offense couldn’t manage any points before the game was already out of reach.

The Cardinals stopped a fourth-and-short to get the ball near midfield. After a few good James Conner runs, Murray lofted a 23-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr for a quick 7-0 lead. Arizona quickly got the ball back and produced a highlight-reel play, with Muarray rolling out and lofting in a 40-yard pass to Harrison. Then, Harrison ran the remaining 20 yards to dive into the end zone with a 60-yard touchdown. Early in the second quarter, a 99-yard drive was completed when Murray had a tremendous scramble before lofting a pass to Elijah Higgins for an 18-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead. The Rams responded with a field goal drive, but Arizona answered with a field goal to restore their three-touchdown lead. In the final minutes of the second quarter, Stafford led the Rams inside the five, but on fourth-and-goal, the ball sailed incomplete to keep it 24-3 Arizona at halftime. Cooper Kupp went out of the game with an ankle injury to make matters even worse for Los Angeles.

In the third quarter, James Conner added a short touchdown run and Matt Prater drilled a long field goal to put Arizona up 34-3. Kyren Williams added a short rushing touchdown, but that score was canceled out when Conner fumbled the ball near the goal line, and Trey McBride recovered to make it 41-10.

Arizona looked like a legit playoff contender in this game. San Francisco is 1-1, the Rams are 0-2, and the Seahawks are 2-0, but those wins came against rebuilding teams in the Broncos and Patriots. With this offense, the Cardinals are a legit contender in the NFC West. Los Angeles is 0-2 with a plethora of injuries. They need to rally immediately before they dig themselves into a hole that is too big to climb out of.

Chiefs 26, Bengals 25

The Bengals embarrassed themselves in a home loss to the Patriots last week. Joe Burrow did not look healthy, while Ja’Marr Chase wasn’t completely in shape either. The offensive line struggled, while the defense couldn’t get off the field. Magically, everything changed in just seven days.

While Burrow’s wrist seemed to be a big issue versus New England, he was on point on most of his throws versus an excellent Chiefs pass defense. He had plenty of success moving the chains on Kansas City, as he helped his team outgain the Chiefs, 320-286. Burrow, however, had one huge mistake when he lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. That was a huge turn of events that allowed the Chiefs to prevail because Patrick Mahomes didn’t have his “A” game in this contes. Mahomes was picked twice in this game, with one interception occurring because he inexplicably didn’t see the linebacker. The second pick was a brilliant play by Cam Taylor-Britt, who made a ridiculous Odell Beckham-type one-handed catch.

Burrow’s fumble put the Bengals behind. They were driving, but Chase was flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty for yelling at the official too much. This forced the Bengals into a field goal, which gave the Chiefs a chance to win with their own kick. Cincinnati seemingly stopped Mahomes on the final drive, but a deep pass interference flag allowed the Chiefs to convert a fourth-and-16. Four plays later, Harrison Butker drilled a 51-yard field goal as time expired.

The Chiefs are now 2-0, beating the Bengals despite not playing their best and making plenty of mistakes. They knocked off two top competitors, however, which could mean a lot when it comes to homefield tie-breakers.

The Bengals have dropped to 0-2, but the fans should be hopeful. Cincinnati is a team that starts slowly, so this is nothing new. The important thing is that Burrow appears to be healthy.

Steelers 13, Broncos 6

Bo Nix versus the combination of Mike Tomlin and T.J. Watt seemed like way too much of a mismatch heading into this game, and that’s exactly what it was. The Broncos had trouble sustaining drives all afternoon, as Denver converted just two third downs in the entire game.

Nix wasn’t all bad. He delivered a 49-yard bomb to Josh Reynolds and was able to get the ball to some other players who let him down. Greg Dulcich, for example, dropped multiple passes. However, Nix had some dreadful moments as well. He was a checkdown machine far too often, and he had gaffes in other moments, including an interception into the end zone that was completely telegraphed. He also missed a receiver for a potential touchdown. Granted, he was pressured early and often, but he did not have a very good performance. Neither did Sean Payton, who inexplicably didn’t try an onsides kick at the very end of the game despite it being an obvious moment to do so. Denver got the ball back with just nine seconds remaining.

The Steelers, meanwhile, saw Justin Fields take care of the ball once again. He completed a high percentage of his passes and didn’t make any mistakes, and that’s all Tomlin wants. Fields, by the way, had a brilliant moment in this game where he dropped the ball right into the bucket to his receiver for a beautiful 30-yard pass, but the play was negated by a holding penalty. Fields otherwise had some nice scrambles en route to his second victory.

The Steelers have improved to 2-0 with a pair of road victories. Beating the Broncos isn’t difficult, but the Steelers actually won by a wider margin in Atlanta. Their defense is amazing, so if Fields can continue to take care of the ball, they’ll be able to reach the playoffs again.

It’s no surprise that the Broncos are now 0-2. They projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, and that’s what they are. Nix does not seem like a starting-caliber NFL quarterback, but it’s still too early to say if he’s a sure-fire bust.

Texans 19, Bears 13

The Bears were dominated against the Titans in Week 1, so they needed to rebound with a stronger performance against the Texans. Caleb Williams was dreadful in his debut, but was much better to start this game. Williams made some big throws and showed a greater command of the offense. It was astonishing how much of a difference one week made.

Williams, however, regressed in the second half. He had three consecutive drives that finished with two interceptions and a sack taken on third down at his own 1-yard line. It appeared as though the Texans would be able to put this game away, but Cam Akers fumbled inside the Chicago 5-yard line to give the Bears new life. Williams responded with a field goal drive to trim the margin to 19-13.

Thanks to an illegal hands penalty by the Texans, the Bears were given one final chance. Williams delivered a 27-yard connection to Rome Odunze with a broken tackle. However, Williams took a horrible sack on second down that put him in too deep of a hole. A short run and a poor throw later, and the game was over. The Texans, thanks to a brilliant performance from Nico Collins and several defenders, improved to 2-0.

This was not the most convincing victory for the Texans, but they got the job done. They had a scary moment in this game when Joe Mixon got hurt on a hip-drop tackle, but he was able to return after missing some action.

The Bears lost this game, but their fans have to be more encouraged after the disastrous Week 1 performance. Williams showed great improvement after one game, so the future is bright.

Falcons 22, Eagles 21

Kirk Cousins is often criticized for being incapable of winning in prime time. The Eagles appeared to have a great matchup against Cousins, who often struggles with pressure, but they couldn’t put any heat on him for most of the evening. They didn’t even log a single sack until the third quarter. The Falcons moved the chains with ease for most of the game, at least in between the 20s. Philadelphia’s defense bent but didn’t break, preventing the Falcons from scoring a touchdown on either of their first two red-zone trips.

Philadelphia’s offense wasn’t very sharp either. The team botched a fourth-and-4 attempt in the opening quarter, while DeVonta Smith dropped a touchdown pass early in the second half. The Falcons were able to take a 15-10 lead with Cousins launching a 41-yard touchdown bomb to Darnell Mooney, aided by a missed tackle by Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.

The Eagles took the ball back and sucked the life out of the game with a drive spanning nearly 10 minutes. The possession was 17 plays and concluded with Philadelphia taking the lead on a Jalen Hurts tush push. Now with an 18-15 advantage, the Eagles needed to stop Atlanta on one more occasion. The Falcons had a fourth-and-1 near midfield and called for a Bijan Robinson run. Gardner-Johnson made amends for his prior mistake by blasting Robinson in the backfield.

Philadelphia appeared to ice the game following the Gardner-Johnson play, but Saquon Barkley dropped the ball on third down. The reception would have allowed the Eagles to go into victory formation, but the drop gave the Falcons new life. Cousins took over with about 1:40 remaining and no timeouts, and yet, he didn’t even use all of the clock. Cousins delivered deep passes to Kyle Pitts, Mooney and Drake London before finding London in the end zone for the decisive touchdown. Hurts had one more chance, but was picked on a deep shot to Smith.

The Falcons saved their season by improving to 1-1. They have the Chiefs next week, so a loss in Philadelphia all but would have locked them into an 0-3 start. Cousins was much better in this game than he was in the opener, but he didn’t see too many open receivers, as he’s still developing chemistry with his new teammates.

The Eagles, conversely, let this one get away from them. They would have prevailed if they didn’t make one of their many mistakes, but there has to be major concern about their non-existent pass rush.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

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