NFL Game Recaps: Week 2, 2026

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

Bills 41, Lions 31
Dan Campbell told the sideline reporter heading into halftime that the Lions had to clean up their penalties. That was the correct assessment of what troubled Detroit throughout the first half.

A defensive hold gave the Bills a free first down when they were facing a second-and-15 on the opening drive. Buffalo eventually took advantage, with Josh Allen scoring on a touchdown run. Two possessions later, a series of penalties ruined Detroit's chances of getting off the field in the red zone. The Lions intercepted Allen and later sacked him, but both plays were negated by defensive holding penalties. Allen eventually made Detroit pay by throwing a touchdown to Dawson Knox, helping Buffalo build a 21-0 lead.

The Lions, meanwhile, couldn't get anything going offensively in the early stages of the game. Jared Goff, playing without three starting offensive linemen, was under constant pressure and took several sacks. He also lost a fumble on a strip-sack, as Detroit's depleted blocking unit struggled to hold up against Buffalo's pass rush.

Buffalo eventually extended its advantage to 27-7 when Allen connected with Dalton Kincaid for another touchdown. The Lions scored some points in the second half, but never threatened to win the game.

This was a great win for the Bills, though the dark cloud over the victory was an injury that D.J. Moore suffered in the opening half. Moore fell hard on his shoulder and was evaluated for a couple of ailments in the locker room.

Packers 20, Jets 17
This game was an offensive slog for most of the afternoon. Neither team could get much going on the ground, especially the Jets, who failed to have Breece Hall break 30 rushing yards despite Minnesota's two mediocre running backs nearly reaching 100 yards against Green Bay last week.

Both pass rushes were terrific as well. The Jets managed to sack Jordan Love on three occasions, keeping Green Bay to three points for most of the afternoon. New York, meanwhile, got some crucial third-down conversions from Geno Smith and a big play in the passing game from Hall to take a 17-3 lead.

Love, however, engineered a great comeback, though the Jets helped with one sequence where two runs were stuffed on third and fourth down. Love hit some big passes while Green Bay's pass rush awakened, with Lukas Van Ness getting into the backfield repeatedly to pressure Smith. The Packers eventually forced overtime and then held the Jets to a three-and-out.

Green Bay drove down the field on the ensuing possession, aided by a Jets personal foul penalty, to set up the game-winning field goal.

Patriots 20, Steelers 3
The Patriots lost at home to the Steelers last year because they committed five fumbles. It looked like history would repeat itself when Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled in field goal range during the opening quarter. However, the inverse happened, as New England was able to force numerous turnovers from the Steelers.

The trouble began for Pittsburgh when it was down 10-0. The Steelers drove into field goal range, but Aaron Rodgers was blasted from the blind side, resulting in a strip-sack and a 40-yard loss.

This was one of four sacks Rodgers took in the game. Another resulted in a strip-sack that was returned for a touchdown. This helped the Patriots distance themselves from Pittsburgh, which was important because Drake Maye had an uneven performance. He made some great throws, including a perfect downfield bomb to Romeo Doubs, but he was also intercepted on an underthrow in the red zone.

However, the defense, as well as TreVeyon Henderson, who played in place of the benched Stevenson, carried New England to victory.

Panthers 34, Falcons 3
The Falcons had a disastrous offensive showing in the first half of this game. On the very first drive, Cooper Rush fumbled the ball right away, although it appeared as though he was down by contact. The Panthers turned the turnover into a Chuba Hubbard touchdown run.

Rush was then intercepted on his second possession, and following that, the Falcons went three-and-out. The Panthers had a nice punt return afterward, setting up a field goal.

Atlanta's fourth possession wasn't any better, as Drake London was tackled on an end-around on fourth down. And if that wasn't bad enough, the penultimate drive of the first half featured a 25-yard reception by London that was negated by a facemask penalty, and then the last possession saw Rush throw an apparent interception that was dropped.

As this was happening, Bryce Young seemed to gain more confidence as the game progressed. The Panthers squandered some opportunities early on, but Young delivered some dimes in the second half to extend the lead.

Rush was eventually benched in favor of Jack Strand, but the change didn't help Atlanta. Strand's first throw was deflected and intercepted for a pick-six, adding to what was already a disastrous afternoon for the Falcons.

Browns 23, Buccaneers 19
The Buccaneers were massive favorites in this game, but apparently no one told the Browns. There was a two-and-a-half-hour thunderstorm delay, but it was worth the wait for Cleveland, which was able to hang on for the victory after last week's embarrassing performance.

For a while, it didn't look like the Browns would be able to win. They trailed 16-6 after Baker Mayfield escaped a potential sack to scramble for a first down and then once again avoided pressure to throw a touchdown to Emeka Egbuka. However, the Browns kicked a field goal and then scored a touchdown when Denzel Boston broke out of a tackle.

The Buccaneers responded with a field goal, but Cleveland took a 23-19 lead on a Deshaun Watson touchdown pass to Blake Whiteheart. Tampa Bay then drove into Cleveland territory, only for the game to be halted because of the thunderstorm.

Following the delay, Mayfield appeared to throw a touchdown to Ted Hurst, but the rookie receiver dropped the ball. Two plays later, Mayfield overthrew Egbuka for what would have been the game-winning touchdown. This occurred on fourth down, so it effectively ended the game.

Overthrows were a problem for Mayfield throughout the entire afternoon, so it was fitting that one ultimately ended the contest.

Bengals 20, Texans 6
The Texans lost this game by two touchdowns, but they had multiple opportunities to take an early lead. They put together a nice drive that was ruined by a botched hold on a field goal attempt, and then David Montgomery was stopped on fourth down on the following possession.

Cincinnati controlled the game after that. The Bengals scored a touchdown on their ensuing possession, with Ja'Marr Chase making an acrobatic catch while falling down and somehow managing to keep his feet in bounds.

That touchdown gave the Bengals a 7-0 lead, and it was the first of two amazing plays by Joe Burrow and Chase. The second occurred in the second half, when Burrow did a great job of evading some potential sacks before finding Chase for a touchdown. This extended Cincinnati's lead to 17-3.

The Texans, meanwhile, couldn't get anything going offensively after their first couple of possessions. Cincinnati's defense sacked C.J. Stroud four times, while Houston converted just 5-of-17 third downs.

Saints 24, Ravens 17
The Ravens scored two early touchdowns. The first came via Derrick Henry, who capped off a terrific drive in which he had several great runs. The second was a deep bomb from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman.

Baltimore appeared to have complete control of the game, but squandered some opportunities to extend its lead even further. For example, Mark Andrews dropped a third-down pass, which has become the norm for him. Baltimore also had a field goal blocked. This didn't seem like a big deal at the time because the Ravens had a double-digit lead.

However, much like last week, the Saints were undaunted. Tyler Shough converted a third-and-13 by escaping a potential sack and completing a big pass to Devaughn Vele. The Saints then opened the second half with a field goal drive. Shough followed that up with a touchdown drive.

While the Ravens did nothing in the second half - Henry somehow finished wth only 16 carries - the Saints tied the game and then scored a touchdown on a quarterback sneak. It appeared as though Shough didn't get into the end zone, but the officials couldn't overturn the call on replay review. This gave the Saints a 24-17 lead, and the Ravens couldn't convert on their final possession with limited time and no timeouts remaining.

Eagles 24, Titans 20
The Eagles looked like they were going to establish a quick 7-0 lead when they drove the ball into the red zone. However, Jalen Hurts failed to see Amani Hooker, and the Tennessee safety returned the interception to the Philadelphia 10-yard line for what was effectively a pick-six. Cam Ward then had a heroic scramble to the 1-yard line before sneaking it into the end zone on the next play to give Tennessee a 7-0 lead.

Adding injury to insult, Saquon Barkley suffered a stinger and was sidelined for the remainder of the first half. This didn't bother the Eagles much, however, because Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley ran well. In fact, one could argue that Philadelphia's offense was more effective with Barkley out of the lineup because it slowed down in the second half.

For most of the first half, Philadelphia completely dominated possession, holding the ball for 22 of the first 28 minutes. This appeared to be a major advantage for the Eagles, given how hot it was on the field. However, Tennessee engineered a late scoring drive just before halftime to gain some momentum heading into the second half.

The Eagles had issues stopping Tennessee on several possessions following halftime, as the Titans converted some absurd plays. For example, Tyjae Spears broke a 27-yard run on third-and-22 while Philadelphia's defense looked half asleep.

Tennessee eventually took the lead with a field goal, leaving the Eagles with a couple of minutes to either send the game to overtime or win in regulation. Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks for some big completions before ultimately throwing the decisive touchdown pass to Darius Cooper.

Vikings 9, Bears 3
By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell

EDITOR'S NOTE: It sucks to see a team's season be ruined by an injury, but Tyson Bagent might be one of the better backup quarterbacks in the NFL.

In rainy conditions, both teams struggled mightily on offense, and Brian Flores' Vikings defense was superb. But this could be a season-altering game in Week 2 as Chicago franchise quarterback Caleb Williams went down with a non-contact right leg injury that led to him being carted into the locker room in the fourth quarter. If Williams is out for a significant amount of time, the Bears' playoff hopes are on life support.

Even before Williams was injured, Flores' defense was getting the better of Ben Johnson's offense to drop Chicago to 1-1. Filling in for the concussed Kyler Murray, Minnesota backup quarterback Carson Wentz struggled against the Bears defense that allowed 59 points a week. The 2-0 Vikings haven't lost in Chicago since 2019, and that seven-game streak was extended thanks to their stop unit.

The Vikings took the opening possession into Chicago territory with a 30-yard completion to Justin Jefferson. After Devin Bush dropped an easy interception, Minnesota settled for a field goal. The Bears responded with a field goal drive and had another drive into Minnesota territory that ended with a Byron Murphy interception. Chicago's defense forced a punt as Wentz had some accuracy issues, missing some open receivers. After a Bears' three-and-out, the Vikings used Jefferson and Aaron Jones to produce a field goal. Chicago had a string of four plays in a row with a penalty to kill a promising drive, and Dallas Turner had a drive-killing sack before the half to keep it 6-3 Minnesota at intermission.

To open the third quarter, the Bears marched down the field and set up a first-and-goal, but D'Andre Swift fumbled the ball away at the one-yard line, and the Vikings recovered. Aside from the fumble, both offenses were opting to feature their punter in the third quarter with no scoring.

Early in the fourth quarter, Chicago popped a screen pass to Swift, who rumbled down the field for 32 yards. A pass to Odunze moved inside the 20, and a fourth-and-1 run was converted by Kyle Monangai. A play later, Caleb Williams ran for the end zone on a bootleg, and Williams fell to the ground with the non-contact injury. Williams was carted into the locker room with the right leg injury. Chicago settled for a field goal attempt, but Isaiah Rodgers blocked the field goal to keep it 6-3 with just over six minutes remaining.

The Vikings produced a drive to eat up clock, and they produced a field goal to go up 9-3 with little time remaining. Tyson Bagent fired the ball down the field on a drive, but Bagent and the Bears had some poor time management. A game-clinching interception by Rodgers was ruled out of bounds. With six seconds remaining and the Bears at the 12, one pass was broken up, and Dallas Turner finished off a great game with a sack on the final play.

Cowboys 37, Redskins 20
By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell

EDITOR'S NOTE: Charlie Campbell covered both games where the top two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft were both carted off the field. What are the odds?

Just hours after the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring injury that had him carted into the locker room, the No. 2 overall pick, Jayden Daniels, suffered an elbow injury that had him carted into the locker room. Daniels left elbow bent back the wrong direction and spoiled a good game that he was having against Dallas. Washington falls to 0-2 while Dallas improved to 1-1, playing much better after their underwhelming Week 1 performance.

Early in the first quarter, Dallas went down the field, and Prescott threw to a wide-open CeeDee Lamb for a short touchdown. The teams traded field goal drives to make it 10-3 Dallas midway through the first half. The Cowboys went down the field with Prescott using his receivers before hooking up with Jake Ferguson for a 10-yard touchdown. Midway through the second quarter, Washington went down the field, and they cut the lead to seven after Daniels found a wide-open Stefon Diggs. Daniels should have tied the game on their next possession as Treylon Burks was wide open in the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown, but Daniels overthrew the diving receiver for an incompletion. Washington kept moving the ball to set up a first-and-goal, but on third-and-goal with only a few seconds, Washington opted to go for the touchdown rather than taking the field goal. Daniels got stepped on as he went back from under center and fell awkwardly. He tried to brace his fall, and it looked like he dislocated his left elbow. He flung the ball incomplete, and Daniels was carted off the field. Dallas held their 17-10 lead at the half.

With Daniels out, Marcus Mariota came into the game in the third quarter and moved the ball into Dallas territory. He lofted in a 29-yard touchdown pass to Dyami Brown, but the officials blew the call and took away the touchdown. They settled for the field goal this time to cut the lead to 17-13. Dallas responded with a field goal drive, and then Brown fumbled the ball away to set up a short field for Prescott. A few plays later, Prescott connected with Ferguson for another touchdown strike. Washington responded with a drive into Dallas territory but missed a field goal to keep the score 27-13 entering the fourth quarter.

Brandon Aubrey hit a 60-yard field goal early in the fourth to make it 30-13. Mariota quickly responded with a 73-yard drive that ended with him lofting in a touchdown to Diggs. With three minutes left, Prescott lofted in a touchdown to Lamb to clinch the win.

Raiders 26, Chargers 14
The announcers in this game commented on how much ugly football there was. It began early when the Chargers missed a field goal after their kicker doinked the ball off the upright. Kirk Cousins followed that up with an interception in the red zone when Tre Tucker fell down. Justin Herbert then took his turn with an interception, but the Raiders couldn't capitalize because Ashton Jeanty was stopped at the goal line.

The Chargers, however, were marooned near their own goal line and couldn't do anything. They punted from deep in their own territory, giving Las Vegas a short field and setting up a Cousins touchdown pass to Tucker.

The two teams exchanged a couple of touchdowns after that. The Raiders led 17-14 when Jeanty dropped a third-down pass, giving the Chargers a chance to tie the game or take the lead. Herbert fumbled the ball on the ensuing possession, but a teammate recovered.

The Chargers then faced a fourth-and-1, but were given a free first down when the Raiders were caught with 12 men on the field. On the very next play, Omarion Hampton, who had scored a touchdown earlier in the game, lost a fumble in Las Vegas territory.

The Raiders took possession deep in Chargers territory after a long return and capitalized with a touchdown to seal the victory.

Broncos 20, Jaguars 13
The Jaguars beat the Broncos by two touchdowns in Denver late last season, and it appeared as though history would repeat itself in the early going. The Jaguars went up 7-0 early, while the Broncos squandered an opportunity to answer following a big Jaylen Waddle reception. A botched snap on third down forced Denver to settle for a field goal.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars moved the chains effectively against Denver's defense, while the Broncos continued to make mistakes, drawing the ire of the home crowd, which booed them repeatedly.

Everything changed in the second half, however. The Jaguars were up 13-6 when Trevor Lawrence heaved an underthrown interception. The Broncos capitalized with another big play by Waddle and eventually scored a touchdown to tie the game.

Jacksonville stalled after that, and Denver found the end zone again. The Broncos moved deep into Jaguars territory following a bogus pass interference penalty on Travis Hunter and an ensuing unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Liam Coen. Jonah Coleman scored a rushing touchdown on the next play.

Suddenly down 20-13, the Jaguars failed to do anything on their next possession, as Brian Thomas Jr. dropped a couple of passes. The Broncos took over and iced the game with several Coleman runs, with the rookie runner playing because J.K. Dobbins injured his hamstring.

Seahawks 31, Cardinals 7
The Seahawks were starting Drew Lock for the first time this year, but you wouldn't have known it based on the final score or Jaxon Smith-Njigba's stats. The backup wisely locked in on Smith-Njigba, and that was apparent in the early going when the two connected for an 82-yard touchdown.

The Cardinals were able to answer with a touchdown, as Jacoby Brissett found Trey McBride to tie the game. However, that was all Arizona could do offensively, as Seattle drowned the Cardinals in the second half.

Arizona couldn't generate anything following halftime because the Seahawks put immense pressure on Brissett. Meanwhile, Lock continued to hit Smith-Njigba for significant gains, as the reigning Offensive Player of the Year found the end zone three times.

The Seahawks then played a nice game of keepaway, with Emanuel Wilson nearly rushing for 100 yards after usurping Jadarian Price's chances in garbage time because of a chest contusion Price suffered.

49ers 35, Dolphins 13
There was some concern about the 49ers having jet lag following their win over the Rams in Australia. We now know that wasn't going to be an issue at all, given how thoroughly San Francisco dominated Miami.

Brock Purdy was incredibly accurate in this game, misfiring just twice on his 22 attempts. He did whatever he wanted offensively, as the 49ers didn't punt whatsoever until very late in the afternoon.

The Dolphins were able to keep pace for a little while. They trailed just 14-6 at halftime, as Malik Willis was able to keep some drives alive with his mobility. However, the 49ers made some great adjustments in the second half and completely shut down Miami's offense.

The only points the Dolphins scored in the second half came in garbage time, courtesy of a random 77-yard touchdown to someone named Ryan Miller.

Chiefs 33, Colts 30
The Colts opened this contest like they did last week's loss to the Ravens, which was with a touchdown drive to begin the game. The question was whether they'd be able to withstand the eventual onslaught from Kansas City's offense.

Kenneth Walker trampled all over Indianapolis' defense, much like Derrick Henry did last week, while Patrick Mahomes found Travis Kelce for some considerable gains. The Colts eventually fell behind 17-13, but a horrible personal foul call against Kansas City helped set up a Jonathan Taylor touchdown. Suddenly up 20-17, the Colts were clearly a threat to win the game.

The teams exchanged scores in the second half and eventually went to overtime. Mahomes hit Tyquan Thornton for a big gain and then scrambled for a first down, but Kansas City stalled in field goal range. The Chiefs converted the kick to go up 30-27.

Indianapolis then took the field, and Daniel Jones matched Mahomes with a deep completion, connecting with Laquon Treadwell. The Colts receiver appeared to fumble the ball, but replay review ruled that he was down by contact.

Much like the Chiefs, the Colts stalled deep in opposing territory and had to settle for a field goal. This is where Indianapolis' decision to defend first in overtime came back to haunt them. Kansas City received the third possession of the extra session and made the most of it.

Walker picked up some chunks of yardage, and another Mahomes scramble moved the Chiefs into Colts territory. A few plays later, Harrison Butker lined up for a 40-yard field goal and drilled it, giving the Chiefs the overtime victory.

Rams 28, Giants 6
Jaxson Dart is a great talent, but the primary criticism with him is that he hasn't been able to avoid the medical blue tent. Well, he didn't go to the blue tent in this game, but he went to the X-ray room instead. Dart got hurt on the opening drive when his leg bent awkwardly upon getting hit in the pocket. He left the game after that possession and never returned.

Jameis Winston entered the game but was very ineffective. Matthew Stafford, meanwhile, went 5-of-5 on the Rams' second drive, capping off the possession with a touchdown to Davante Adams. Stafford made a considerable number of terrific throws to Adams throughout the evening. His only blemish was an interception when he got greedy and challenged double coverage.

Stafford's sole turnover occurred prior to halftime. He was far cleaner in the second half. The only times he missed were when Terrance Ferguson dropped passes. However, Ferguson made amends with a touchdown reception late in the game.

Meanwhile, the Giants continued to suffer other injuries. Malik Nabers got hurt on the third drive but returned a little later, while Brian Burns had to be helped off the field at the end of the game. Adding insult to injury, the Giants were ultimately outgained, 481 to 182.

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

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