NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Seattle Seahawks 37, Detroit Lions 31

The Seattle Seahawks won 37-31 in walk-off fashion on the road in Detroit as Geno Smith found Tyler Lockett, who reached out for the pylon. Smith led Seattle to a turnover-free victory, going 32-for-41 with 328 yards and two touchdowns. Both passing touchdowns were to Lockett, who racked up eight catches for 59 yards. Seattle also found success on the ground, rushing for 82 yards and two touchdowns.

Seahawks receiver D.K. Metcalf left the game in the first quarter with a rib injury, and headed to to the locker room. He returned shortly after, finishing the game with six receptions for 75 yards, as Geno Smith spread the targets around all game. Turnovers proved to be the downfall for Detroit. The Lions fumbled the ball away twice in a row, one to end the first half and another to begin the second half. Jared Goff then threw a pick-six to Seattle cornerback Tre Brown, who ran it back 40 yards to the house. Late in the fourth quarter, Goff led the Lions down the field for a game-tying field goal, forcing overtime with a score of 31-31. However it was not enough for the Lions, who fall to 1-1 after the loss. Meanwhile, Seattle also moves to 1-1 with the victory.

NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Buffalo Bills 38, Las Vegas Raiders 10

Josh Allen led the Buffalo Bills to a stress-free victory at home, going 31-for-37 with 274 yards and three touchdowns. Both the Bills and the Las Vegas Raiders move to 1-1 on the season.

The ball seemed to be in the hands of the Bills all game, as the Buffalo defense forced three turnovers. Linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard both intercepted Jimmy Garoppolo, and Taylor Rapp recovered a Zamir White fumble. Josh Allen spread the touches throughout the offense, finding Gabe Davis, Khalil Shakir, and Dawson Knox for touchdowns. The run game was unstoppable for the Bills, led by James Cook who ran for 123 yards, as Damien Harris and Latavius Murray ran in a touchdown each. Allen had no turnovers and looked comfortable in a bounce-back victory.

NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Baltimore Ravens 27, Cincinnati Bengals 24

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens went on the road to Cincinnati and avoided a Bengals second half comeback, winning the game 27-24. The Ravens move to 2-0 on the year, as the Bengals fall to 0-2.

Jackson completed 24 passes on 33 attempts for 237 yards and two touchdowns. He added 54 yards on the ground, as the Ravens ran for 178 yards as a team, including a Gus Edwards touchdown. Safety Geno Stone intercepted Joe Burrow to begin the second half, and the Ravens turned it into a touchdown on the next drive.

Burrow and the Bengals made a late push in the second half, with a final drive consisting of 16 plays for 80 yards and a touchdown, making the score 27-24. The Cincinnati offense struggled, rushing for just 66 total yards as Burrow went 27-for-41 with 222 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Kansas City Chiefs 17, Jacksonville Jaguars 9

In a low scoring affair, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 17-9. Both teams move to 1-1 on the season.

The first five possessions resulted in punts, before Jacksonville finally took a 3-0 lead on a field goal. The Chiefs fumbled the ball away on the following possession, before Patrick Mahomes was picked off by Jaguars safety Andre Cisco. Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense struggled to move the ball all day, as the third year quarterback went 22-for-41 for 216 yards and no touchdowns. The ground game was no better, producing just 74 yards as the Jaguars failed to find the endzone. Kicker Brandon McManus was the lone scorer for Jacksonville, going 3-for-3. Mahomes finished the game 29-for-41 with 305 yards and two touchdowns, finding Travis Kelce on one of them.

NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Tennessee Titans 27, Los Angeles Chargers 24

The Tennessee Titans beat the Los Angeles Chargers 27-24 in an overtime thriller, as Nick Folk kicked the game-winning 41 yard field goal. The Titans move to 1-1 on the season, as the Chargers fall to 0-2.

Los Angeles got out to an early 11-0 lead after a Keenan Allen touchdown and a converted two-point conversion. Ryan Tannehill came back with a 70-yard pass to Treylon Burks, as Derrick Henry finished the drive with a touchdown, making the score 11-7. Both teams went back and forth all game, with impressive outings from both quarterbacks. Justin Herbert found Keenan Allen and Mike Williams consistently, with both receivers finishing the game with 8 receptions and a combined 194 yards. Allen brought in two touchdown passes, as the Chargers marched down the field for a field goal to send the game to overtime with a score of 24-24. The Chargers won the coin toss and got the ball first in overtime, but went three and out and punted the ball back to the Titans offense. Tannehill led them down the field for an 8 play, 37 yard drive to give Nick Folk a 41 yard field goal for the win, which he put down the middle.

NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Atlanta Falcons 25, Green Bay Packers 24

The Atlanta Falcons squeaked by the Green Bay Packers by a score of 25-24, including an electric fourth quarter comeback by the Falcons. Green Bay falls to 1-1 on the season as Atlanta goes to 2-0.

The Packers got out to a 24-12 lead in the third quarter after Jordan Love found Jayden Reed in the endzone for his second touchdown of the game. Desmond Ridder and the Falcons ground-and-pound offense put together an eight play, 75 yard drive for a touchdown of their own, as Ridder ran it in himself to make the score 24-19. The Falcons defense forced a punt and drove down the field for a field goal, cutting the deficit to 24-22. After forcing yet another punt, Atlanta went 12 plays for 66 yards, setting up a 25 yard field goal for Younghoe Koo. The made field goal put the Falcons ahead 25-24, ultimately winning them the game. Jordan Love finished the game 14-for-25 with 151 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Falcons.

NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Chicago Bears 17

Baker Mayfield shined, leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 27-17 victory over the Chicago Bears. The Buccaneers move to 2-0 on the season, as the Bears fall to 0-2.

Although the Bears scored on their first possession, it was all Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers for the rest of the afternoon. Mayfield found Mike Evans wide open on a deep pass that Evans took 70 yards downfield, inside the 10 yard line. The big play setup for a Rachaad White touchdown run, giving the Buccaneers a 10-7 lead. Mayfield connected with Evans again in the third quarter for a 32 yard touchdown, making the score 20-10.

The Buccaneers defense gave Justin Fields fits all game, sacking him six times. In the fourth quarter, Fields connected with Chase Claypool for a 20 yard touchdown, making the score 20-17. The bears got the ball back after forcing a punt, beginning the drive on their own seven yard line. After a couple penalties, Justin Fields dropped back and had his pass tipped and intercepted by Shaquil Barrett, who brought it just a few steps into the endzone, giving the Buccaneers a convincing 27-17 victory at home.

NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Indianapolis Colts 31, Houston Texans 20

The Indianapolis Colts stole a game on the road in a divisional matchup as they beat the Houston Texans 31-20. The Colts move to 1-1 on the season as the Texans fall to 0-2.

Anthony Richardson ran it in for a touchdown on the Colts’ first two drives of the game, making it 14-0. On the second touchdown, he took a shot causing his head to bounce off the turf, forcing the fourth overall draft pick to be evaluated for a concussion. The rookie quarterback was ruled out for the rest of the game, leaving the Colts with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew. Minshew took over and went 19-of-23 for 171 yards and a touchdown, maintaining the lead. The new acquisition at running back Zack Moss contributed 18 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown, as the Texans couldn’t stop the Indianapolis offense.

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud had an impressive outing in the loss, going 30-for-47 with 384 yards and two touchdowns. Stroud connected with Nico Collins and fellow rookie Tank Dell seven times each, for a combined 218 yards. Each of the receivers brought in a touchdown, as the Colts bounced back from their week one home loss.

NFL Week 2 Recap: New York Giants 31, Arizona Cardinals 28

The New York Giants rallied for a 21 point comeback on the road against the Arizona Cardinals, the third comeback that size in Giants history. With a 20-0 lead at halftime, and a 28-7 lead in the third quarter, Arizona allowed 24 unanswered points to fall to 0-2 on the season. Meanwhile, the Giants move to 1-1 on the season following the rollercoaster of a week two game.

The Giants went scoreless for the first six quarters of the season, the first time since 1934. Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs showed his athleticism all first half, using his legs to gain yards along with scrambling out of the pocket to make throws on the run. On Arizona’s third possession, Dobbs dropped back to pass and found an opening up the middle, taking it 23 yards for a touchdown, trucking a giants defender just before falling into the endzone. The play gave Arizona an early 14-0 lead, which would quickly grow before the half ended. 

Daniel Jones and the Giants offense came storming back in the third quarter, with help from Saquon Barkley, who scored both a receiving and rushing touchdown before leaving the field with an ankle injury towards the end of the game. The injury took away from the stunning comeback, as the Giants await the information on his ankle.

NFL Week 2 Game Recap: San Francisco 49ers 30, Los Angeles Rams 23

The San Francisco 49ers went on the road to SoFi Stadium, pulling away with a 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams. San Francisco elevates to 2-0 on the season as Los Angeles falls to 1-1 following the divisional matchup.

Two interceptions thrown by Matt Stafford proved to be the difference Sunday afternoon. With just under five minutes remaining in the game and the Rams trailing 27-20, Stafford looked across the middle for Van Jefferson but was picked off by Deommodore Lenoir.

Christian McCaffrey was in mid-season form, rushing for 116 yards on 20 carries to go with a touchdown. Brock Purdy missed some throws on big plays throughout the game, but was sufficient, going 17-for-25 for 206 yards, along with a rushing touchdown of his own. All three of the 49ers touchdowns came on the ground and the Rams defense had no answer. 

With Cooper Kupp sidelined, Puka Nacua was the focus once again for the Rams offense. He racked up 15 receptions for 147 yards, making him the first player in NFL history to record at least 10 receptions and 100 receiving yards in his first two games of his career. Meanwhile running back Kyren Williams got 20 total touches with both a receiving and rushing touchdown, proving why he should replace Cam Akers in the backfield.

NFL Week 2 Recap: Washington Commanders 35, Denver Broncos 33

The Washington Commanders completed the thriller comeback on the Denver Broncos, holding off a late game hail mary to win by a score of 35-33. Denver completed a hail mary as time expired, but couldn’t convert the two point conversion to force overtime. The Commanders move to 2-0 on the season as the Broncos fall to 0-2.

The Broncos jumped out to a 21-3 lead early into the first half, including a Marvin Mims Jr. one-play, 60 yard touchdown pass from Russel Wilson. The Commanders cut the lead to 21-14 before halftime, and continued into the second half as the defense immediately forced a punt. The offense took over and scored a touchdown on its first drive as Sam Howell found Terry McLaurin in the middle of the endzone for a 30 yard touchdown, tying the game 21-21.

Denver eventually got the ball back with a chance to tie the game. After moving the ball to midfield, Russel Wilson and company had one last chance to force overtime. The deep hail mary pass was tipped around before being brought in by Brandon Johnson for his second touchdown of the game, making the score 35-33. The two point conversion, a pass intended for Courtland Sutton was incomplete as the Broncos looked for a pass-interference call but didn’t get it.

Sam Howell finished the game with an impressive 27 completions on 39 attempts for 299 yards and two touchdown passes. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. also ran in for a pair of touchdowns himself.

NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Dallas Cowboys 30, New York Jets 10

The Dallas Cowboys beat the New York Jets handedly by a score of 30-10 as the Cowboys defense dominated for the second week in a row. Dallas moves to 2-0 on the season as the Jets fall to 1-1.

Micah Parsons and the Cowboys defense looked unstoppable in week two, intercepting Jets quarterback Zach Wilson three times. Parsons recorded two sacks and four hits on Wilson, as Jayron Kearse, Malik Hooker, and Trevon Diggs each intercepted a pass.

Ceedee Lamb showed he didn’t need the help of Brandin Cooks, who missed the game due to a sprained knee. Lamb recorded 11 catches for 143 yards, with big plays setting up for multiple scores for Dallas. Kicker Brandon Aubrey went five-for-five on field goals, as Dak Prescott found tight ends Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker for a touchdown each. 

The lone touchdown for the Jets came from star receiver Garret Wilson, who caught a pass across the middle and took it 68 yards to the house, marking his longest touchdown of his career thus far. Other than that, there wasn’t much going for Zach Wilson and the Jets offense, who recorded 215 total yards. Parsons along with the rest of the ruthless Dallas front four pressured Wilson all game, showing why they are one of the best defenses in the NFL.

NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Miami Dolphins 24, New England Patriots 17

The Miami Dolphins held off a late comeback by the New England Patriots, winning the game 24-17 as a lateral to Cole Strange came up short on fourth down. 

Tua Tagovailoa took what the defense gave him for most of the night, finding Jaylen Waddle five times for 86 yards. The Dolphins had plenty of success on the ground as well, as Raheem Mostert took 18 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Rookie Cornerback Christian Gonzalez kept Tyreek Hill in check for the most part, holding the star receiver to four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown, with the touchdown coming on a play where Gonzalez was not covering Hill.

Mac Jones finished the game 31-for-42 with 231 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The interception came at the end of the third quarter after the Patriots drove down the field into the redzone. Xavien Howard picked off the pass intended for DeVante Parker on the sideline at the Miami three yard line, putting an end to New Englands’ drive and keeping the score at 17-3.

The Patriots cut the lead down in the fourth quarter following a Mac Jones scramble for 18 yards, the longest run of the night for New England. Jones found Hunter Henry on the run for a six yard touchdown pass, making the score 17-10.

On the next Miami possession, Tagovailoa threw it deep down the left side of the field to Tyreek Hill as the pass was intercepted by Christian Gonzalez. The rookie first round pick made a leaping catch over Hill, giving the Patriots the ball back.

The Dolphins forced a three and out, getting the ball back on the New England 43 yard line. On the first play of the drive, Raheem Mostert took a handoff up the middle 43 yards untouched to the endzone, extending the lead to 24-10.

Mac Jones led the Patriots to a 9 play 75 yard drive ending with a Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown run to cut the lead down to 24-17.

The Dolphins took the ball and drove it into Patriots territory, before the snap was fumbled on third and one. Tua recovered the fumble, but the mistake forced Miami to kick a 55 yard field goal. With concern for Brenden Schooler, who blocked the previous field goal, Jason Sanders missed the field goal, giving the Patriots an opportunity to tie or win the game.

After finding Kendrick Bourne for a pair of completions, Mac Jones was sacked by Bradley Chubb for a loss of 8 yards. New England was faced with a fourth and four, where Mac Jones completed a pass to Mike Gesicki short of the first down line. Gesicki threw a lateral to offensive lineman Cole Strange, who was stopped short of the marker, ending the comeback for the Patriots.

The win brings the Dolphins to 2-0 on the season, as the Patriots fall to 0-2.

The post NFL Game Recaps Week 2 (2023) appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

BACKGROUND

Zay Flowers is a wide receiver prospect out of Florida. Coming out of NSU University School, he wasn’t heavily recruited by the big schools. Multiple websites had him ranked as a three-star prospect. He decided to commit to Boston College.

COLLEGE CAREER

Zay had a steady rise in his college career. In his first season, he caught 22 passes for 341 yards and three TDs. He made the leap in his second season with 56 catches for 892 yards and nine touchdowns. This year got him his first First-team All-ACC. There was a slight decline in performance in his junior season. In year three, Flowers only caught 44 passes for 746 yards and five TDs. He was named to the Third-team All-ACC.

2022-2023 COLLEGE CAREER

Flowers saved his best season for last as he had career-high numbers across the boards. In his final season, Zay had 78 receptions for 1077 yards and 12 touchdowns. This put him back for his second First-team All-ACC. He had gotten a reputation as one of the most electrifying wide receivers in college football.

STRENGTHS: Electric In The Open Field

Few are as impactful and exciting to watch when Zay is in the open field. His speed and tempo make him a tough player to cover. His balance and route running are crisp and he can make catches down the sidelines. There is a path for him to make an impact on a contending team.

WEAKNESSES: Size

He has been listed as 5’9″ and 182 lbs, so his size will definitely be in question as he is undersized and played as a WR 1. Teams will not want an undersized WR 1 for their team. Another problem with his size is his potential as a blocker. His arms are small also which can affect his catch radius.

PLAYER COMPARISON: Tyler Lockett

TEAMS WHO COULD DRAFT HIM

Zay will have a lot of suitors in the 20s in the first round. He played super well with a QB who wasn’t that good so he can shine in a team who takes him. The Chargers at #21 and Minnesota at #23 are good places to look at as they need WR help.

The post 2023 NFL Draft Focus: Zay Flowers appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Seattle Seahawks don’t have Super Bowl MVP Russell Wilson, but they still have an incredible hulk-like WR in DK Metcalf and a speed demon in Tyler Lockett. Metcalf ousted 12 touchdowns last season and 10 TDs in 2021. PFF also gave him an 80.9 grade for his 2021 performance. Seahawks Wire also stated Metcalf is the best non-QB MVP for the Hawks. Of course, the Hawks likely need to make him the highest-paid WR soon.

Lockett has been a “Marques Colston” like WR — as he has been one of the best players to not make the Pro Bowl. He is coming off his third 1,000+ yard season in 2022. He also has registered 8+ touchdowns in each of the past four seasons. He scored an 81.0 grade by PFF last season. Lockett inked a four-year contract extension worth $69 million in 2021.

Freddie Swain ousted 25 receptions, 343 yds, and 4 touchdowns last season. He clearly isn’t the best WR3 for the Hawks. After Swain, I believe the x-factor in the Hawks WR room is Marquise Goodwin. He recorded a fantastic 2017 campaign with the 49ers — as he unveiled 56 receptions for 962 yds. In 2021, he ousted 20 receptions for 313 yds with the Bears.

The Hawks will also rely on the 24-year-old TE Noah Fant to be a receiving weapon — as he logged 670+ yds in 2020 and 2021. All in all, the Hawks have a slightly above-average receiving group. PFF ranked the Seahawks WR group as the 13th best unit in the league. The Seahawks WR room really needs to unleash their best performances next season for either Geno Smith or Drew Lock.

The post Seattle Seahawks wide receiver outlook right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By Calvin K (Twitter: @Calvin_SGF)

The fantasy season is nearly here, and now that it’s later in August, most redraft leagues are finally getting started. The weeks leading up to the NFL’s opening games are always an exciting time, as tidbits of training camp and preseason news flow into social media feeds constantly throughout each day. As usual, there are many players that carry a lot of risk in redraft leagues this year. Below are three who pose difficult decisions for fantasy managers.

1. Tyler Lockett (WR, Seattle Seahawks)

Lockett finished as fantasy’s #9 receiver last year, yet he recorded just three top-10 fantasy weeks. His overall finish was drastically inflated by those weeks, and because of that, he likely wasn’t performing for your fantasy team at a WR1 level overall. Lockett’s first seven weeks were solid, as he had two blowup games and a couple of others where you probably weren’t mad about starting him. However, from Weeks 8-16, Lockett was disastrous for fantasy, posting just one week as a top-30 fantasy receiver. In that stretch, managers were likely starting him for many of those games due to his early-season production. Lockett’s Week 17 blow-up was obviously not counted in most fantasy leagues due to the season having ended, but anyone who played in that week likely didn’t start him then either.

To be fair to Lockett, Russell Wilson’s second-half performance in 2020 was very bad, and whether it was due to the play-calling, decision-making, or something else, that undoubtedly affected Lockett’s stock in a major way. However, Seahawks HC Pete Carroll has committed to reemphasizing the running game, something that could cause efficiency for Wilson, but major inconsistency from Lockett. Lockett is almost certain to be the second option in this offense behind D.K. Metcalf, and the additions of TE Gerald Everett and second-round WR D’Wayne Eskridge only hurt his potential. Lockett is almost certain to provide multiple great weeks again next year, but if he remains inconsistent, it’ll be maddening trying to predict when he’ll be startable.

2. Chase Claypool (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers)

Claypool is an amazing talent and a freak athlete, but like Lockett, consistency struggles could end up plaguing his fantasy performance this year. Claypool finished as the overall WR19 last year, but he put up top-36 WR numbers in just half his games. Part of that could be attributed to his acclimation period as a rookie, but three of his first five weeks had top-12 finishes, so that line of reasoning doesn’t make much of a difference in where he should be valued. Claypool could certainly see a second-year bump in production, but he could also struggle to gain targets with Pittsburgh retaining Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster again.

Claypool’s main target competition from 2020 will return again this year, but on top of the WR duo mentioned, there will be additional mouths to feed in Pittsburgh’s offense. First-round running back Najee Harris will likely command a major carry workload in year one, making Pittsburgh more run-heavy than it has been in the past. On top of that, Harris should also compete for receptions, further cutting into Claypool’s potential passing work. The addition of tight end Pat Freiermuth may only be a hindrance to the short-yardage work that Smith-Schuster specializes in, but even so, adding another capable pass-catcher to the offense certainly doesn’t help Claypool’s status. To reiterate, Claypool is a very talented receiver and a great athlete, however, the pass-catching room may end up being too crowded to make him a consistent starter.

3. Trey Sermon (RB, San Francisco 49ers)

Sermon is a fine late-round flier, but the multitude of options in this 49ers backfield makes it difficult to trust anyone in it, let alone the third-round rookie. Raheem Mostert is expected to lead this backfield in Week 1, but the hope of fantasy players is that Sermon takes over later in the season. It’s certainly possible that he grabs the starting role eventually, but with so many other options available on the team, the 49ers shouldn’t feel a need to give him a big workload in year one.

Along with Mostert, there are many other options in this backfield. Jeff Wilson is currently injured, but like in 2020, he should be a factor in the offense when healthy. Wayne Gallman also produced solid numbers last year with the Giants, and he could siphon away touches from Sermon as well. On top of that, it’s hardly a guarantee that Sermon surpasses Mostert for the lead role at all this year, as Mostert’s speed and explosiveness allow him to be a very efficient rusher. At cost, Sermon isn’t a terrible investment. However, fantasy managers need to be aware of the risk that he carries, and because of that risk, he could easily be seen as a bad draft-day value when the year is over.

The post The Biggest Fantasy Risks for 2021 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.