Every Sunday, we cut through the noise to spotlight the NFL's most important developments and break down why they matter moving forward.
Jump to: Early slate
Baker Mayfield still can't get his lick back
In September 2022, Mayfield got his first chance to face the Cleveland Browns, not long after they traded him to the Panthers for peanuts. While he led Carolina back from a 20-7 fourth-quarter deficit, Mayfield's revenge was spoiled by a game-winning 58-yard field goal for Cleveland.
Four years later, he suffered another agonizingly close loss to the Browns. During a weather delay Sunday that lasted about two hours, Mayfield sat in the locker room contemplating how he'd take the Buccaneers 28 more yards for a game-winning touchdown in his latest attempt to exact revenge on Cleveland. That didn't come to fruition, and his fourth-down throw to Emeka Egbuka flew through the back of the end zone instead.
Mayfield has wins against 27 franchises in nine seasons. Cleveland still isn't one of them.
Deshaun Watson earns more time as Browns' QB1
After his brutal season opener against the Jaguars, Watson appeared to be in danger of losing his spot ahead of Shedeur Sanders on Cleveland's depth chart. His performance against the Buccaneers earned him some leash.
With rookie Denzel Boston making big plays at receiver, Watson finished the 23-19 win with 238 passing yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 121.9 passer rating. Watson's success probably won't stop Browns fans from booing him in the team's home opener next week, but Todd Monken's decision to stick with the veteran was validated in Tampa Bay.
No team steps on rakes quite like the Chargers
The Chargers fell to 0-2 on the year in Three Stooges fashion.
Los Angeles' first drive of Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders ended when tight end Oronde Gadsden dove on a third down and inadvertently knocked away a pass headed straight to teammate Brenen Thompson. The Chargers missed a field goal off the upright on the next play.
Another first-quarter drive came to a halt when a throw from Justin Herbert to a wide-open David Njoku was bobbled right into the arms of the Raiders' Hezekiah Masses. In the fourth quarter, Omarion Hampton fumbled and the ball bounced directly toward Las Vegas safety Jeremy Chinn, ending a series that could've resulted in a game-tying field goal or even a go-ahead touchdown.
Are the Chargers a bad football team or a good one digging itself a hole because it can't get out of its own way?
Commanders stuck in Daniels' injury purgatory
During the 2025 season, Jayden Daniels missed two games with a knee sprain, one game with a hamstring injury, and seven games due to a dislocated left elbow that he reinjured in his first game back. Now, his 2026 campaign is off to a rough start after he suffered another left elbow injury that sent him off the field in Dallas on a cart.
The Commanders, who fell to 0-2 with Sunday's defeat, won't move on from the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year anytime soon, but the team is stuck in neutral as it continues to rely on Daniels' health.
Broncos' D sure can make life difficult
The Broncos' defense looked more like last year's iteration against the Jaguars after struggling to contain the Chiefs' Kenneth Walker III in Week 1. Trevor Lawrence couldn't get comfortable, his receivers had a hard time getting separation from cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II and Riley Moss, and the Broncos scored 17 unanswered Sunday to snap Jacksonville's nine-game regular-season win streak.
JSN remains uncoverable
It's been a quarter-century since a player won Offensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba is off to a great start in his pursuit to join Earl Campbell and Marshall Faulk as the only ones to do so. JSN has 17 receptions for 277 yards and four touchdowns through two games this season. Both his yardage and touchdown totals lead the league.
Other star receivers such as Ja'Marr Chase and Amon-Ra St. Brown also showed up big in Week 2, but Smith-Njigba's output is awfully difficult to outpace.
Early slate
A bad day turned into Bears' worst nightmare
It doesn't get more Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde than following up a 59-37 win - the highest-scoring Week 1 game ever - with a 9-3 stinker of a loss seven days later. But before the Chicago Bears could get to the locker room and evaluate where things went awry, Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter.
Was the Minnesota Vikings' Brian Flores-led defense to blame for the Bears' shockingly poor offensive performance? Was it the rainy weather in Chicago? Or is the Bears' offense simply not very good? Maybe it's a combo of all three. Regardless, it doesn't matter much, as it sure seems like Chicago's chances of being a serious contender are as good as gone, assuming Williams' injury is a serious one.
Panthers, Saints could make for fun NFC South race
A year ago, no NFC South team had a winning record, and the 8-9 Carolina Panthers snuck into the playoffs thanks to a tiebreaker. This season looks different, though.
The Panthers scored 37 points in their Week 1 loss and followed it up with 34 points in a demolition of the Atlanta Falcons. Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan, Darren Waller, and Co. have been prolific, and Carolina's defense, which couldn't stop the Bears last week, looked much more formidable in Week 2. Linebacker Devin Lloyd, who signed a $45-million deal with Carolina in the offseason, had a monster game with a sack and two interceptions, including a pick-6.
Carolina would be the clear front-runner in the division if not for some impressive offense from the Saints. After coming up a two-point conversion away from a road upset of the Detroit Lions in its season opener, New Orleans outscored the Ravens 18-3 in the second half to steal a win Sunday. Second-year quarterback Tyler Shough was the league's leading passer in Week 1, and he added another 252 yards to his total versus Baltimore.
Steelers' offense stuck in neutral
It's easy to point to Aaron Rodgers, a 42-year-old quarterback whose best days are clearly in the rearview mirror, as the reason Pittsburgh's offense can't find points. But even though he clearly isn't the same player who won four MVP awards in Green Bay, the Steelers' issues run deeper than that.
Protection has been leaky, which made for a painful day for Rodgers in New England. He was sacked four times and fumbled twice, one of which was scooped up for a Patriots touchdown. The Steelers' run game never got going, and star receiver DK Metcalf, who was locked up by Christian Gonzalez for most of the day, had two bad drops.
T.J. Watt bailed out the Steelers a week ago with an athletic pick-6, but the offense will need to contribute more points of its own if Pittsburgh hopes to string together victories.
Bengals' defense gets the job done
Cincinnati's defensive turnaround was one of the most interesting stories last week, but the unit was even more impressive in Week 2. Texans running backs David Montgomery and Woody Marks combined for 18 yards on 14 carries against the Bengals, forcing C.J. Stroud to carry Houston's offense on his own. That didn't work out well. The Texans never found the end zone, and the duo of Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase did enough to put the game out of reach.
Jets' defense can't get the job done
It was almost an incredible day for the Jets. After three quarters, the Green Bay Packers had just 101 yards of offense and seven points Sunday. Geno Smith and the rest of New York's offensive unit weren't lighting up the scoreboard, but they did enough to take a double-digit lead with less than 12 minutes left in regulation. Then things fell apart for the Jets.
The Packers put together a 73-yard touchdown drive, got the ball back quickly, and kicked a game-tying field goal late in the fourth quarter. In overtime, New York's offense went backwards, and its defense couldn't stop anything. It was a crisis averted for Green Bay and a familiar story for the Jets.
Cam Ward gives Titans reasons to be optimistic
Nobody likes moral victories, but the Tennessee Titans can't feel too terrible about their 24-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Against a perennial contender with a stacked roster, Tennessee's young offense showed a lot of positive things. Ward scored two rushing touchdowns and led the Titans' offense down the field on a pair of 69-yard drives that turned a 17-10 deficit into a 20-17 lead with less than two minutes left. However, Tennessee couldn't hold on, as Jalen Hurts found Darius Cooper moments later for the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds remaining.
For the Titans, who are still a work in progress, this season is about answering questions. Is Ward a viable starter, and, if so, what kind of supporting cast would help him blossom? Sunday looked like a step in the right direction.
Adam Stites is a contributing writer for theScore.
