Post by Pittsburgh Steelers (Malachi) on Sept 25, 2020 21:21:56 GMT -5
LHL POWER RANKINGS: Week 2 saw 3 teams top 200 points and a team lose despite scoring 198 points. There are 9 2-0 teams this week with 2 matchups between those 2-0 teams and there are 8 0-2 teams with 2 matchup between those teams as well. Which of those 2-0 teams will win again and finish the sweep of their division the first time around, that is what I will be watching this week!
1. Los Angeles Chargers (2-0) - : The Chargers opened the season with a strong win, but out did that opening week with a 223 point week here in week 2 and won by 25 points over the Colts. Mike Gesicki and James Conner were the standouts on offense this week scoring 27 and 20 points. The Cowboy duo of Amari and CeeDee scored 16 and 17.5 as well to help the offense to 99.86 points on the week. The defense put up a big 105 points combined on the back of 26 from Micah Kiser and 22.5 from the rookie Antonio Winfield Jr., complimenting those monster games were Deion Jones (12), Vince Williams (11.25), Jayon Brown (11), and Jeremy Chinn (10.5). Week 3 for the Chargers might be the facing their toughest matchup with the Raiders. Both teams topped 200 points in week 2 so can the #1 team stave off an upset early in the season or will it be an early setback for them?
2. New Orleans Saints (2-0) +2 : The Saints continue their impressive start to the season, as the only team to top 200 points in both weeks so far and winning a huge top 5 battle with the Bucs last week. Aaron Jones was back to his 2019 insane game ways here in week 2 scoring a minor 47.6 points, which was almost half the 109 points put up by the offense. Kareem Hunt backed up Jones with his own 24.1 points and Big Ben chipped in 18 points as well. The team had Will Fuller put up points might have ended both weeks so far as the highest scoring team. On defense only 1 player scored less than 8 points, which is what led the defense to a 79 point week. LJ Fort, Malcolm Jenkins, and Calais Campbell were the biggest factors in the strong performance from the unit. The Saints will take on the Falcons this week and if the Saints just do what they have been and score 200 points again, this team will have nothing to worry about, but if they don’t and the Falcons play more to week 1 than week 2, the Saints might fall this week.
3. Minnesota Vikings (2-0) - : The Vikings picked up the win in week 2 by 37 points over the Bears, but the win did not come without some hiccups for the team. Gronk did not score a point on the week and Cousins threw 3 picks and only managed .39 points. With Melvin Gordon and Joshua Kelley combining for 29.7 points they did all the heavy lifting for an offense that only managed 51.89 points on the week. Thanks to an 84 point week from the defense the Vikings move to 2-0. Had Nick Bosa not gone down I think everyone on the defense aside from Cam Heyward would have topped the 10 point mark. Foye Oluokun led the way with 18 points which was backed by 15 from Micah Hyde and 13 from Demario Davis. A brutal matchup against Washington waits for the Vikings in week 3, the Vikings will need to hope that Cousins, Derrick Henry, and AJ Green look more like good options this week so they do not get blown out, if that happens they should sweep the division, or at least push Washington to their limits.
4. Green Bay Packers (1-1) +1 : After a tough loss in week 1, the Packers picked up a good win over Washington in week 2, winning by a final of 182.72-173.74. A 109 point total from the offense was the biggest reason for the win. Tyreek Hill and Miles Sanders scoring 20+ each were huge for the Packers, Carr and OBJ each putting up 19 were part of the successful week. The other 3 members of the offense AP, Ertz, and Marvin Jones combined for 25 points. The defense put up 70 points, but could have had more had Ferrell not put up a 0. The LB duo of Zach Cunningham and Christian Kirksey put up 43 points between them and that was well over half the units put out for the week. The Packers will be in a nice spot to move to 2-1 on the season with their week 3 matchup being against the Bears, who have struggled this season. Sal will be hoping his team takes care of business this week.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) -3 : In the biggest matchup of week 2, the Bucs were not able to come out on top as they lost the matchup by 60 points, managing to put up 150 points, despite Lock going down early on in his game. With Lock getting -.4 points and Kyle Rudolph scoring 0, the offense was only able to manage 76 points. DJ Moore at 20 points and Chris Carson with 19.8 points led the way for the offense, with Chark, CEH, and Chris Thompson all having solid days. It was a bit of a down day for the defense as they were only able to put up 60 points total. Marlon Humphrey and Grady Garrett were the standouts putting up 15 and 11.95 points. There were not much of any other noteworthy performances on that side of the ball. It might be a good thing for the Bucs in week 3 to be facing off with the Giants to end their first set of divisional matchups. If the Bucs can play up to their potential it will mean they leave the week sitting at 2-1, if not 1-2 will not leave a good taste in their mouth to this point in the season.
6. New England Patriots (1-1) +1 : After a bit of a surprising loss in week 1, the Pats were able to bounce back and look more like a contender in week 2 with a nearly 50 point win over the Jags. The biggest reasons for the win were Ekeler and Mostert looking more like their 2019 versions than the ones that ran out in week 1. Lamar Jackson was the only other player on the offense to top 10 points on the week, netting 15.52 points. The defense scored 88.9 points on the week and only had 2 players not score 10+ points on the week with Tuitt and Murphy-Bunting being the 2 that did not reach that mark. Kenny Moore, Eric Wilson, and Ndamukong Suh were the key players on that side of the ball, but when 6 guys scored 10+ points the unit did their jobs as a whole. Week 3 sees the Pats take on the only undefeated team in the division, the Miami Dolphins. Can the Pats carry the momentum from their first win and keep the Dolphins from 3-0 in the division, or fall to 1-2 early in the season.
7. Arizona Cardinals (2-0) +1 : Arizona remained unbeaten with a narrow 167.67-159.2 win over the 49ers. With everyone except David Johnson reaching 13+ points on the offensive side of the ball, it was a very balanced performance on their way to a 108 point total there. Travis Kelce and Tyler Lockett were the best performers of the group with point totals of 24 and 19.7 respectively. Things were not as polished on the defensive side of the ball for the Cardinals and it was the big reason this matchup was even close. Three players on that side of the ball did not put up a single point meaning the unit was only able to get 41.55 points. A 16.25 point day from De’Vondre Campbell was a nice silver lining for the unit, but the rest of them will need to be better moving forward. In week 3 the Cardinals will match up with the Rams setting up one of the two top 10 matchup of the week here in LHL. If the defense can step up and do more than they did last week the Cardinals have a good shot of knocking off the 2-0 Rams, but if not the Cards will be the 2-0 team to fall.
8. Los Angeles Rams (2-0) +1 : After a narrow win over the Seahawks, the Rams move to 2-0 on the season, the final was 182.65-178.46. A strong showing from the offense, scoring 96.4 points despite a 0 from Hightower, was due in part to 36 from Dak and 20 from Hayden Hurst. JuJu and Bourne had good enough days to help the offense as well, but finding a player to fill that 2nd flex spot will be important. On defense Jaylen Smith (22.25), rookie Kenneth Murray (15.5), and Jessie Bates (15) were the clear leaders of the defensive unit on their way to a 72.25 total for the week. The performance from the defense was likely the biggest reason they came out on top in the matchup. Week 3 for the Rams brings a top ten, undefeated battle with their division foes the Cardinals, can the Rams come out on top and be the team that exits the first round of divisional games 3-0 or will they suffer their first defeat of the season?
9. Tennessee Titans (1-1) -3 : The Titans had a very rough week 2, not only did they suffer their first loss of the season, but they also are now without the Giants duo of Saquon and Sterling Shepard, both of whom hit the IR this week. Despite both those facts and Mark Andrews only scoring 3.9 points the offense netted a 92 point week, thanks to 31 from Josh Allen and 29.9 from Calvin Ridley. The defensive side of things was also a little off the pace despite 14 from Landon Collins and both Joey Bosa and JJ Watt getting 9 points a piece. Only AJ Klein (7.5) was able to score more than 4.5 points to help the top 3 this week. So moving into week 3 with a matchup against the Steelers the biggest hurdle for the Titans will be replacing Saquon and Shepard, if they do not, it will be a long week and a long season for them, also getting the defense to put up a few more points will be key in what this team does this week and moving forward.
10. Miami Dolphins (2-0) +4 : The Dolphins find themselves with a 2-0 record after a big 29 point win over the Bills. It was maybe a little surprising given week 1, but the Dolphins will not care. Behind 24.4 points from Jonnu Smith and 21 points from James Robinson the offense was able to pull together 85.83 points on the week. The 97 point total from the defense was a big factor in the win for the Dolphins. Justin Simmons scored a mammoth 31 points and was backed up by a big 15.5 points from Benardrick McKinney, the other 6 combined for 50.5 points. Week 3 will bring a big matchup for the Dolphins, in way of a top 10 matchup with the Patriots. Will the Dolphins continue the hot run and sweep the division to open the season and be one of the few 3-0 teams next week, or will they taste defeat for the first time and what might prove to be a crucial head to head matchup with the Pats.
11. San Francisco 49ers (0-2) -1 : The 49ers had to accept a tough, narrow loss to the Cardinals, it was a 167.67-159.2 loss for them. One of the key factors in the loss was losing offense by 33 points, with the unit putting up 75.7 total. Mike Evans was the clear best player for the unit with Aaron Rodgers, Mixon, and McKinnon having decent days. The unit was held back because Sammy Watkins, Ian Thomas, and JK Dobbins only combined for 9.2 points. The defense for the most part carried their weight on the week, scoring 75 points. Fred Warner, Jalen Mills, John Johnson, and Roquan Smith combined for 57 of the unit's 75 points. For the 49ers it will be another tough matchup in week 3 as they have to face off with the Seahawks, but for this matchup both teams enter 0-2, so for the winner it will mean getting their first win, but the loser will be in a massive 0-3 whole. Can the 49ers avoid that whole and pick up a crucial win?
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) +4 : The Steelers moved to 2-0 on the young season thanks to a 7 point win over the Ravens. My team has surprised me to this point in all honesty. The offense put together a very strong showing despite Peyton Barber completely disappearing in week 2 for 1 whole yard, they put up 104 points on that side of the ball. Minshew, Chubb, and Diontae all scored 22+ points to lead the offense and Parker chipped in 16 in his LHL Steeler debut. The defense had an alright day with a 57.75 point total, that number was held back a little by Trey Flowers and Quandre Diggs scoring 1.5 total points. Keanu Neal (12), Jordan Whitehead (11.75), and Devin Bush (11.5) were the key contributors for the defense with Hewitt and Bentley playing a decent part. Week 3, currently looks like it will bring a very high opportunity for the Steelers to end the first set of division games at 3-0. That is due to the Titans missing a couple very key players, can the Steelers keep the run going, or will they fall victim to what will likely be an upset to the injury riddled Titans.
13. Washington Redskins (1-1) -2 : After nearly topping 200 points in week 1, Washington did not have as strong of a week in week 2, which resulted in their first loss of the season. With Golladay out again, they had to play Joe Reed at WR and he only managed .8 points. Darren Waller and Jonathan Taylor had big days and were the biggest reasons for the offense getting 76 points on the week. Lavonte David (19.5), Joe Haden (14.6), Patrick Queen (13.5), Anthony Hitchens (13.5), and Sheldon Richardson (12.25) were all on their game in week 3 and led the defense to an 88 point week and the clear better side of the ball for Washington. Washington gets Minnesota in week 3, it will be a tough matchup for Washington, but they have outscored Minnesota each of the first 2 weeks, so if they can do that again they will get the win over the 2-0 Vikings. Possibly getting Golladay back this week will likely go a long way too.
14. Indianapolis Colts (1-1) -1 : Had the Colts played almost any other team in the league, they would have exited week 2 with a win even with playing only 15 of the open 16 spots. Scoring the 4th most points and still losing is hard to take and yet losing was not the worst part of their week. With Matty Ice, CMC, and Scary Terry combining for 77 points the offense was able to score 112 points total. Losing CMC for a few weeks at minimum will be a hard thing to overcome for this unit. Despite only playing 7 guys, the defense put up 81 points total and Justin Houston was the only one of those guys to not score 10+ points. Bobby Wagner and Jon Bostic both grabbed 15 points and Marcus Peters, John Simon, and Vonn Bell all put up 12 points. It was a solid week for the defense and would have been a 100 point week had the Colts used JPP or Okudah. Week 3 might be a rough one for the Colts now that CMC will not play given the Broncos kept pace with them in week 2. Can the Colts overcome that and move to 2-1 or fall under .500?
15. Atlanta Falcons (1-1) - : I think the Falcons were grateful they had the opponent they did in week 2, because despite scoring the 4th least points on the week the Falcons were able to win the week over the Giants. John Brown and Robby Anderson did their part on offense putting up a combined 39 points, which was over half the offensive put out. Gurley, Hooper, and Snell combining for 10.4 points is not a recipe for success long term, so the Falcons will need those guys and Brees who scored 12 points to do better moving forward. The defense also did not have a stellar day as they put up 56 points with Carlton Davis being the only player to top 10 points for the unit. With the Saints being the matchup in week 3, things do not look great for the Falcons this week. It is likely they will need 200+ points to even have a shot and I just am not sold that this team can do that, but I could be wrong so who knows. We shall see what the Falcons can do with the Saints.
16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-0) +1 : The Raiders continue to prove me wrong so far this season, this time being one of three teams to top the 200 point mark in week 2 and that was in spite of Anthony Miller dropping a 0 on offense. Russ continues his push for at least an MVP vote with a 33 spot, Tyler Higbee had a massive game with 28 points, and Keenan Allen benefitted from Herbert making his debut with a 16 point week. All of those performances helped the offense to a 101 point total. The defense got 76 points on the week thanks to 15 from Jordan Hicks, 12 from Josh Bynes, and 11 from DeForest Buckner. Nine each from Minkah, Karl Joseph, and Tahir Whitehead also helped out the defense have a solid week. A 23 spot from the K never hurts either. It will be a battle of unbeatens this week for the Raiders as they face off with the VERY strong Chargers, if the Raiders can continue to impress and knock the Chargers off they will be the team to sweep the division and make an early statement.
17. Baltimore Ravens (0-2) -5 : The Ravens are the most surprising, not in a good way, team so far for me. Expecting them to likely be 2-0, seeing them at 0-2 is definitely unexpected. They are here thanks to a 7 point loss to the Steelers. The offense put up 93 points total and 43 of that came from the duo of Jared Goff and David Montgomery. Dalvin Cook added 17 of his own to help the offense. The defensive unit did their work winning that battle with a 67 spot thanks to 17.25 from Myles Jack and 15 from Blake Martinez with Rashaan Evans topping 10 points as well. The other 5 guys scored a combined 25 points. Despite being 0-2 and facing a team that is 1-1 this week, the Ravens have out pointed the Browns the first two weeks, so that should be a good sign for them this week. Can they hold that statement true one more week and get their first win, or slip into an 0-3 hole?
18. Buffalo Bills (1-1) - : After an impressive week 1 win over the Pats, things did not go as well in week 2. A measly 64 point total from the offense is a big reason the Bills lost in week 2. Watson, Thielen, Nyheim Hines, and OJ Howard all had very off color games combining for 19.8 total points. Noah Fant had a big 17 points, but with every other guy not having a strong game it did not help much. On the defensive side of the ball, those guys did their work putting up 84.95 points despite a 0 from Logan Wilson. Khari Willis with 25 and Devin White with 23 led the unit in a big way, with TJ Watt chipping in 13.5 points. Possibly some relief for the Bills in week 3, they face off with a team that has been in the bottom handful or so in points each week with the Jags. So can the Bills take advantage of that and move to 2-1 on the season, or stumble again and drop below .500?
19. Cleveland Browns (1-1) +3 : The Browns snuck out of week 2 with a narrow 156.01-153.15 win over the Titans. Thanks to a 116.01 point week from the offense which was led by 31.61 from Cam Newton, 20.8 from Nuk, and 16.7 from Mark Ingram and all 7 guys topping 10 points. It was a well rounded dominant performance from the Browns offense on the week. However, offense and defense were like night and day with the defense only scoring 35 points total. Myles Garrett was the only player of note scoring 10.5 points. Two guys scored 0 and Peterson only got 1.5 points. The game would have not been as stressful had the defense shown up. Week 3 brings another tough matchup for the Browns, as they will be squaring off with the Ravens. Can the Browns keep the offense flowing and get the defense to step up and put more points up to knock the Ravens to 0-3, or fall to 1-2 like the Ravens?
20. Seattle Seahawks (0-2) -1 : The Seahawks have not had a fun start to the season, after a big loss in week 1, they had to settle for a 4 point loss to the Rams, with a final of 182.65-178.46. The offense did their part putting up 101 points on the back of 29.3 from Stefon Diggs, 23.2 from Zeke, and 21.2 from DK Metcalf, so the big 3 for Seattle showed up for a big matchup. Despite 15 a piece from Andrew Sendejo and Justin Reid and 10.75 from Nathan Gerry, the defense only put up 65.75 points and seem to have been the biggest reason for the loss to the Rams. Week 3 does not get any easier for the Seahawks as this division is proving to be brutal already. The matchup might be with his fellow 0-2 division foe the 49ers, but the 49ers have been putting up points so the Seahawks will need their guys to do what they did last week and more to come out with a win here, or fall to 0-3?
21. Denver Broncos (0-2) -1 : The Broncos are another team that has had a bit of tough luck this season with their first two weeks, facing the Chargers week 1 and the Raiders that put up 200 points in week 2. Putting up 189 points in a week is nothing to sneeze at, it was just a losing effort this time around due to the opponent. Kyler scored one-third the points for the offense by getting 30 points then Julian Edelman put up 25.9 points to back Kyler up. The offense and team was held back a little by Greg Olsen dropping a 0 on the week. The defense kept pace with the Raiders this week thanks to a 28 point showing from Devin McCourty and 18.5 from Eric Kendricks. Donald, Simmons, and Awuzie combined for 5 total points which probably hurt this unit a bit. This week they face off with the Colts who lost CMC during the week. Can the Broncos take advantage of the hobbled Colts and get their first win of the season, or fall to the dreaded 0-3 hole?
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) -1 : The Jags have not had a good start to the season, scoring the lowest and 3rd lowest point total in the first 2 weeks. Despite having Pat Mahomes the offense has struggled mightily, this week only scoring 60 points. Mahomes put up 24 points and Humphries did his part with 15.8 points, RoJo was the only other guy to do anything of note. On defense, Damien Wilson with 17.25 and Joe Schobert with 15.25 led the way with over half the put out for this side of the ball. The other 6 guys combined for 23.5 points, which will not lead your team to many wins on the season. Week 3, they will face off with the Bills who have a big win in week 1, so can the Jags figure some things out and get a much needed win, or struggle again and be in the bottom few teams in points for the week?
23. Chicago Bears (0-2) - : The Bears first two weeks have not been stellar, this week it was the lowest point total of anyone in the league. The offense put up a putrid 29.77 points and 15 of that came from Baker. When you have 4 guys combined for -0.1 points on the week you are not going to win many if any weeks in a season. The defense was at least useful scoring 66 points on the week thanks to 20.5 from Kenny Vaccaro, 12 from Avonte Maddox, and 9.5 from Chase Young. Facing off with the Packers, I would bet a lot of money the Bears do not upset the Packers given the options they have on offense, but I am not a betting man and stranger things have happened, so we shall see how it goes.
24. New York Giants (0-2) - : The Giants looked a polar opposite to the team they were in week 1 here in week 2. Week 1 they looked like a team that was gonna be at least in the playoff race for a while, week 2 they scored the 2nd fewest points thanks to leaving Le’Veon Bell in the lineup, despite being on the IR. Gerald Everett scoring 0 also did not help the cause. Alvin Kamara scored 38 points and led the offense with well over half the total output and the only good performance for the unit. The defense did not have a strong week either with only 51 points. Jamal Adams with 17 and Lattimore with 11 were the key contributors. Anthony Barr and Marcus Davenport with 0 spots were big reasons for the defense struggling on the week. Will the Giants have a full lineup this week to fight with the Bucs, or will the manager not set a full lineup again and fall to 0-3?
1. Los Angeles Chargers (2-0) - : The Chargers opened the season with a strong win, but out did that opening week with a 223 point week here in week 2 and won by 25 points over the Colts. Mike Gesicki and James Conner were the standouts on offense this week scoring 27 and 20 points. The Cowboy duo of Amari and CeeDee scored 16 and 17.5 as well to help the offense to 99.86 points on the week. The defense put up a big 105 points combined on the back of 26 from Micah Kiser and 22.5 from the rookie Antonio Winfield Jr., complimenting those monster games were Deion Jones (12), Vince Williams (11.25), Jayon Brown (11), and Jeremy Chinn (10.5). Week 3 for the Chargers might be the facing their toughest matchup with the Raiders. Both teams topped 200 points in week 2 so can the #1 team stave off an upset early in the season or will it be an early setback for them?
2. New Orleans Saints (2-0) +2 : The Saints continue their impressive start to the season, as the only team to top 200 points in both weeks so far and winning a huge top 5 battle with the Bucs last week. Aaron Jones was back to his 2019 insane game ways here in week 2 scoring a minor 47.6 points, which was almost half the 109 points put up by the offense. Kareem Hunt backed up Jones with his own 24.1 points and Big Ben chipped in 18 points as well. The team had Will Fuller put up points might have ended both weeks so far as the highest scoring team. On defense only 1 player scored less than 8 points, which is what led the defense to a 79 point week. LJ Fort, Malcolm Jenkins, and Calais Campbell were the biggest factors in the strong performance from the unit. The Saints will take on the Falcons this week and if the Saints just do what they have been and score 200 points again, this team will have nothing to worry about, but if they don’t and the Falcons play more to week 1 than week 2, the Saints might fall this week.
3. Minnesota Vikings (2-0) - : The Vikings picked up the win in week 2 by 37 points over the Bears, but the win did not come without some hiccups for the team. Gronk did not score a point on the week and Cousins threw 3 picks and only managed .39 points. With Melvin Gordon and Joshua Kelley combining for 29.7 points they did all the heavy lifting for an offense that only managed 51.89 points on the week. Thanks to an 84 point week from the defense the Vikings move to 2-0. Had Nick Bosa not gone down I think everyone on the defense aside from Cam Heyward would have topped the 10 point mark. Foye Oluokun led the way with 18 points which was backed by 15 from Micah Hyde and 13 from Demario Davis. A brutal matchup against Washington waits for the Vikings in week 3, the Vikings will need to hope that Cousins, Derrick Henry, and AJ Green look more like good options this week so they do not get blown out, if that happens they should sweep the division, or at least push Washington to their limits.
4. Green Bay Packers (1-1) +1 : After a tough loss in week 1, the Packers picked up a good win over Washington in week 2, winning by a final of 182.72-173.74. A 109 point total from the offense was the biggest reason for the win. Tyreek Hill and Miles Sanders scoring 20+ each were huge for the Packers, Carr and OBJ each putting up 19 were part of the successful week. The other 3 members of the offense AP, Ertz, and Marvin Jones combined for 25 points. The defense put up 70 points, but could have had more had Ferrell not put up a 0. The LB duo of Zach Cunningham and Christian Kirksey put up 43 points between them and that was well over half the units put out for the week. The Packers will be in a nice spot to move to 2-1 on the season with their week 3 matchup being against the Bears, who have struggled this season. Sal will be hoping his team takes care of business this week.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) -3 : In the biggest matchup of week 2, the Bucs were not able to come out on top as they lost the matchup by 60 points, managing to put up 150 points, despite Lock going down early on in his game. With Lock getting -.4 points and Kyle Rudolph scoring 0, the offense was only able to manage 76 points. DJ Moore at 20 points and Chris Carson with 19.8 points led the way for the offense, with Chark, CEH, and Chris Thompson all having solid days. It was a bit of a down day for the defense as they were only able to put up 60 points total. Marlon Humphrey and Grady Garrett were the standouts putting up 15 and 11.95 points. There were not much of any other noteworthy performances on that side of the ball. It might be a good thing for the Bucs in week 3 to be facing off with the Giants to end their first set of divisional matchups. If the Bucs can play up to their potential it will mean they leave the week sitting at 2-1, if not 1-2 will not leave a good taste in their mouth to this point in the season.
6. New England Patriots (1-1) +1 : After a bit of a surprising loss in week 1, the Pats were able to bounce back and look more like a contender in week 2 with a nearly 50 point win over the Jags. The biggest reasons for the win were Ekeler and Mostert looking more like their 2019 versions than the ones that ran out in week 1. Lamar Jackson was the only other player on the offense to top 10 points on the week, netting 15.52 points. The defense scored 88.9 points on the week and only had 2 players not score 10+ points on the week with Tuitt and Murphy-Bunting being the 2 that did not reach that mark. Kenny Moore, Eric Wilson, and Ndamukong Suh were the key players on that side of the ball, but when 6 guys scored 10+ points the unit did their jobs as a whole. Week 3 sees the Pats take on the only undefeated team in the division, the Miami Dolphins. Can the Pats carry the momentum from their first win and keep the Dolphins from 3-0 in the division, or fall to 1-2 early in the season.
7. Arizona Cardinals (2-0) +1 : Arizona remained unbeaten with a narrow 167.67-159.2 win over the 49ers. With everyone except David Johnson reaching 13+ points on the offensive side of the ball, it was a very balanced performance on their way to a 108 point total there. Travis Kelce and Tyler Lockett were the best performers of the group with point totals of 24 and 19.7 respectively. Things were not as polished on the defensive side of the ball for the Cardinals and it was the big reason this matchup was even close. Three players on that side of the ball did not put up a single point meaning the unit was only able to get 41.55 points. A 16.25 point day from De’Vondre Campbell was a nice silver lining for the unit, but the rest of them will need to be better moving forward. In week 3 the Cardinals will match up with the Rams setting up one of the two top 10 matchup of the week here in LHL. If the defense can step up and do more than they did last week the Cardinals have a good shot of knocking off the 2-0 Rams, but if not the Cards will be the 2-0 team to fall.
8. Los Angeles Rams (2-0) +1 : After a narrow win over the Seahawks, the Rams move to 2-0 on the season, the final was 182.65-178.46. A strong showing from the offense, scoring 96.4 points despite a 0 from Hightower, was due in part to 36 from Dak and 20 from Hayden Hurst. JuJu and Bourne had good enough days to help the offense as well, but finding a player to fill that 2nd flex spot will be important. On defense Jaylen Smith (22.25), rookie Kenneth Murray (15.5), and Jessie Bates (15) were the clear leaders of the defensive unit on their way to a 72.25 total for the week. The performance from the defense was likely the biggest reason they came out on top in the matchup. Week 3 for the Rams brings a top ten, undefeated battle with their division foes the Cardinals, can the Rams come out on top and be the team that exits the first round of divisional games 3-0 or will they suffer their first defeat of the season?
9. Tennessee Titans (1-1) -3 : The Titans had a very rough week 2, not only did they suffer their first loss of the season, but they also are now without the Giants duo of Saquon and Sterling Shepard, both of whom hit the IR this week. Despite both those facts and Mark Andrews only scoring 3.9 points the offense netted a 92 point week, thanks to 31 from Josh Allen and 29.9 from Calvin Ridley. The defensive side of things was also a little off the pace despite 14 from Landon Collins and both Joey Bosa and JJ Watt getting 9 points a piece. Only AJ Klein (7.5) was able to score more than 4.5 points to help the top 3 this week. So moving into week 3 with a matchup against the Steelers the biggest hurdle for the Titans will be replacing Saquon and Shepard, if they do not, it will be a long week and a long season for them, also getting the defense to put up a few more points will be key in what this team does this week and moving forward.
10. Miami Dolphins (2-0) +4 : The Dolphins find themselves with a 2-0 record after a big 29 point win over the Bills. It was maybe a little surprising given week 1, but the Dolphins will not care. Behind 24.4 points from Jonnu Smith and 21 points from James Robinson the offense was able to pull together 85.83 points on the week. The 97 point total from the defense was a big factor in the win for the Dolphins. Justin Simmons scored a mammoth 31 points and was backed up by a big 15.5 points from Benardrick McKinney, the other 6 combined for 50.5 points. Week 3 will bring a big matchup for the Dolphins, in way of a top 10 matchup with the Patriots. Will the Dolphins continue the hot run and sweep the division to open the season and be one of the few 3-0 teams next week, or will they taste defeat for the first time and what might prove to be a crucial head to head matchup with the Pats.
11. San Francisco 49ers (0-2) -1 : The 49ers had to accept a tough, narrow loss to the Cardinals, it was a 167.67-159.2 loss for them. One of the key factors in the loss was losing offense by 33 points, with the unit putting up 75.7 total. Mike Evans was the clear best player for the unit with Aaron Rodgers, Mixon, and McKinnon having decent days. The unit was held back because Sammy Watkins, Ian Thomas, and JK Dobbins only combined for 9.2 points. The defense for the most part carried their weight on the week, scoring 75 points. Fred Warner, Jalen Mills, John Johnson, and Roquan Smith combined for 57 of the unit's 75 points. For the 49ers it will be another tough matchup in week 3 as they have to face off with the Seahawks, but for this matchup both teams enter 0-2, so for the winner it will mean getting their first win, but the loser will be in a massive 0-3 whole. Can the 49ers avoid that whole and pick up a crucial win?
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) +4 : The Steelers moved to 2-0 on the young season thanks to a 7 point win over the Ravens. My team has surprised me to this point in all honesty. The offense put together a very strong showing despite Peyton Barber completely disappearing in week 2 for 1 whole yard, they put up 104 points on that side of the ball. Minshew, Chubb, and Diontae all scored 22+ points to lead the offense and Parker chipped in 16 in his LHL Steeler debut. The defense had an alright day with a 57.75 point total, that number was held back a little by Trey Flowers and Quandre Diggs scoring 1.5 total points. Keanu Neal (12), Jordan Whitehead (11.75), and Devin Bush (11.5) were the key contributors for the defense with Hewitt and Bentley playing a decent part. Week 3, currently looks like it will bring a very high opportunity for the Steelers to end the first set of division games at 3-0. That is due to the Titans missing a couple very key players, can the Steelers keep the run going, or will they fall victim to what will likely be an upset to the injury riddled Titans.
13. Washington Redskins (1-1) -2 : After nearly topping 200 points in week 1, Washington did not have as strong of a week in week 2, which resulted in their first loss of the season. With Golladay out again, they had to play Joe Reed at WR and he only managed .8 points. Darren Waller and Jonathan Taylor had big days and were the biggest reasons for the offense getting 76 points on the week. Lavonte David (19.5), Joe Haden (14.6), Patrick Queen (13.5), Anthony Hitchens (13.5), and Sheldon Richardson (12.25) were all on their game in week 3 and led the defense to an 88 point week and the clear better side of the ball for Washington. Washington gets Minnesota in week 3, it will be a tough matchup for Washington, but they have outscored Minnesota each of the first 2 weeks, so if they can do that again they will get the win over the 2-0 Vikings. Possibly getting Golladay back this week will likely go a long way too.
14. Indianapolis Colts (1-1) -1 : Had the Colts played almost any other team in the league, they would have exited week 2 with a win even with playing only 15 of the open 16 spots. Scoring the 4th most points and still losing is hard to take and yet losing was not the worst part of their week. With Matty Ice, CMC, and Scary Terry combining for 77 points the offense was able to score 112 points total. Losing CMC for a few weeks at minimum will be a hard thing to overcome for this unit. Despite only playing 7 guys, the defense put up 81 points total and Justin Houston was the only one of those guys to not score 10+ points. Bobby Wagner and Jon Bostic both grabbed 15 points and Marcus Peters, John Simon, and Vonn Bell all put up 12 points. It was a solid week for the defense and would have been a 100 point week had the Colts used JPP or Okudah. Week 3 might be a rough one for the Colts now that CMC will not play given the Broncos kept pace with them in week 2. Can the Colts overcome that and move to 2-1 or fall under .500?
15. Atlanta Falcons (1-1) - : I think the Falcons were grateful they had the opponent they did in week 2, because despite scoring the 4th least points on the week the Falcons were able to win the week over the Giants. John Brown and Robby Anderson did their part on offense putting up a combined 39 points, which was over half the offensive put out. Gurley, Hooper, and Snell combining for 10.4 points is not a recipe for success long term, so the Falcons will need those guys and Brees who scored 12 points to do better moving forward. The defense also did not have a stellar day as they put up 56 points with Carlton Davis being the only player to top 10 points for the unit. With the Saints being the matchup in week 3, things do not look great for the Falcons this week. It is likely they will need 200+ points to even have a shot and I just am not sold that this team can do that, but I could be wrong so who knows. We shall see what the Falcons can do with the Saints.
16. Las Vegas Raiders (2-0) +1 : The Raiders continue to prove me wrong so far this season, this time being one of three teams to top the 200 point mark in week 2 and that was in spite of Anthony Miller dropping a 0 on offense. Russ continues his push for at least an MVP vote with a 33 spot, Tyler Higbee had a massive game with 28 points, and Keenan Allen benefitted from Herbert making his debut with a 16 point week. All of those performances helped the offense to a 101 point total. The defense got 76 points on the week thanks to 15 from Jordan Hicks, 12 from Josh Bynes, and 11 from DeForest Buckner. Nine each from Minkah, Karl Joseph, and Tahir Whitehead also helped out the defense have a solid week. A 23 spot from the K never hurts either. It will be a battle of unbeatens this week for the Raiders as they face off with the VERY strong Chargers, if the Raiders can continue to impress and knock the Chargers off they will be the team to sweep the division and make an early statement.
17. Baltimore Ravens (0-2) -5 : The Ravens are the most surprising, not in a good way, team so far for me. Expecting them to likely be 2-0, seeing them at 0-2 is definitely unexpected. They are here thanks to a 7 point loss to the Steelers. The offense put up 93 points total and 43 of that came from the duo of Jared Goff and David Montgomery. Dalvin Cook added 17 of his own to help the offense. The defensive unit did their work winning that battle with a 67 spot thanks to 17.25 from Myles Jack and 15 from Blake Martinez with Rashaan Evans topping 10 points as well. The other 5 guys scored a combined 25 points. Despite being 0-2 and facing a team that is 1-1 this week, the Ravens have out pointed the Browns the first two weeks, so that should be a good sign for them this week. Can they hold that statement true one more week and get their first win, or slip into an 0-3 hole?
18. Buffalo Bills (1-1) - : After an impressive week 1 win over the Pats, things did not go as well in week 2. A measly 64 point total from the offense is a big reason the Bills lost in week 2. Watson, Thielen, Nyheim Hines, and OJ Howard all had very off color games combining for 19.8 total points. Noah Fant had a big 17 points, but with every other guy not having a strong game it did not help much. On the defensive side of the ball, those guys did their work putting up 84.95 points despite a 0 from Logan Wilson. Khari Willis with 25 and Devin White with 23 led the unit in a big way, with TJ Watt chipping in 13.5 points. Possibly some relief for the Bills in week 3, they face off with a team that has been in the bottom handful or so in points each week with the Jags. So can the Bills take advantage of that and move to 2-1 on the season, or stumble again and drop below .500?
19. Cleveland Browns (1-1) +3 : The Browns snuck out of week 2 with a narrow 156.01-153.15 win over the Titans. Thanks to a 116.01 point week from the offense which was led by 31.61 from Cam Newton, 20.8 from Nuk, and 16.7 from Mark Ingram and all 7 guys topping 10 points. It was a well rounded dominant performance from the Browns offense on the week. However, offense and defense were like night and day with the defense only scoring 35 points total. Myles Garrett was the only player of note scoring 10.5 points. Two guys scored 0 and Peterson only got 1.5 points. The game would have not been as stressful had the defense shown up. Week 3 brings another tough matchup for the Browns, as they will be squaring off with the Ravens. Can the Browns keep the offense flowing and get the defense to step up and put more points up to knock the Ravens to 0-3, or fall to 1-2 like the Ravens?
20. Seattle Seahawks (0-2) -1 : The Seahawks have not had a fun start to the season, after a big loss in week 1, they had to settle for a 4 point loss to the Rams, with a final of 182.65-178.46. The offense did their part putting up 101 points on the back of 29.3 from Stefon Diggs, 23.2 from Zeke, and 21.2 from DK Metcalf, so the big 3 for Seattle showed up for a big matchup. Despite 15 a piece from Andrew Sendejo and Justin Reid and 10.75 from Nathan Gerry, the defense only put up 65.75 points and seem to have been the biggest reason for the loss to the Rams. Week 3 does not get any easier for the Seahawks as this division is proving to be brutal already. The matchup might be with his fellow 0-2 division foe the 49ers, but the 49ers have been putting up points so the Seahawks will need their guys to do what they did last week and more to come out with a win here, or fall to 0-3?
21. Denver Broncos (0-2) -1 : The Broncos are another team that has had a bit of tough luck this season with their first two weeks, facing the Chargers week 1 and the Raiders that put up 200 points in week 2. Putting up 189 points in a week is nothing to sneeze at, it was just a losing effort this time around due to the opponent. Kyler scored one-third the points for the offense by getting 30 points then Julian Edelman put up 25.9 points to back Kyler up. The offense and team was held back a little by Greg Olsen dropping a 0 on the week. The defense kept pace with the Raiders this week thanks to a 28 point showing from Devin McCourty and 18.5 from Eric Kendricks. Donald, Simmons, and Awuzie combined for 5 total points which probably hurt this unit a bit. This week they face off with the Colts who lost CMC during the week. Can the Broncos take advantage of the hobbled Colts and get their first win of the season, or fall to the dreaded 0-3 hole?
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) -1 : The Jags have not had a good start to the season, scoring the lowest and 3rd lowest point total in the first 2 weeks. Despite having Pat Mahomes the offense has struggled mightily, this week only scoring 60 points. Mahomes put up 24 points and Humphries did his part with 15.8 points, RoJo was the only other guy to do anything of note. On defense, Damien Wilson with 17.25 and Joe Schobert with 15.25 led the way with over half the put out for this side of the ball. The other 6 guys combined for 23.5 points, which will not lead your team to many wins on the season. Week 3, they will face off with the Bills who have a big win in week 1, so can the Jags figure some things out and get a much needed win, or struggle again and be in the bottom few teams in points for the week?
23. Chicago Bears (0-2) - : The Bears first two weeks have not been stellar, this week it was the lowest point total of anyone in the league. The offense put up a putrid 29.77 points and 15 of that came from Baker. When you have 4 guys combined for -0.1 points on the week you are not going to win many if any weeks in a season. The defense was at least useful scoring 66 points on the week thanks to 20.5 from Kenny Vaccaro, 12 from Avonte Maddox, and 9.5 from Chase Young. Facing off with the Packers, I would bet a lot of money the Bears do not upset the Packers given the options they have on offense, but I am not a betting man and stranger things have happened, so we shall see how it goes.
24. New York Giants (0-2) - : The Giants looked a polar opposite to the team they were in week 1 here in week 2. Week 1 they looked like a team that was gonna be at least in the playoff race for a while, week 2 they scored the 2nd fewest points thanks to leaving Le’Veon Bell in the lineup, despite being on the IR. Gerald Everett scoring 0 also did not help the cause. Alvin Kamara scored 38 points and led the offense with well over half the total output and the only good performance for the unit. The defense did not have a strong week either with only 51 points. Jamal Adams with 17 and Lattimore with 11 were the key contributors. Anthony Barr and Marcus Davenport with 0 spots were big reasons for the defense struggling on the week. Will the Giants have a full lineup this week to fight with the Bucs, or will the manager not set a full lineup again and fall to 0-3?
