Week 2 of the 2013 NFL season is in the bag, so here’s what we learned from last weekend’s action:
1) The Patriots are very vulnerable
In the first week of action, the Patriots narrowly overcame a Bills team who seemed to be trying their hardest to lose in the first half. This week, New England only managed to overcome the lowly Jets by three points at home. Worst of all, Tom Brady seemed to lose his cool as he screamed at his receivers out of frustration.
Although they are 2-0, this year’s Patriots team are a much weaker team than last year. Even though Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, he can only do so much with a very limited receiving corps. It doesn’t look like he’s getting much help from his running game either. It would be the most impressive feat of the Belichick-Brady era if they were to still pull off a championship this year.
2) The Redskins, Vikings and Giants are in trouble
No team has managed to make the playoffs after starting their season with back-to-back losses since 2008. The Giants actually started off 0-2 in 2007, before they raised their game to sneak into the playoffs at 10-6 and eventually win the Superbowl. It looks unlikely, however, that they will pull off it again this year.
Since the playoffs expanded to 12 teams in 1990, only 8% of the teams to start 0-2 have made the playoffs. It’s not impossible, but it is certainly a tough hill to climb for these teams who all had big question marks coming into the season.
3) The Seahawks are unstoppable at home
Coming into Sunday evening’s game, the Seahawks were 3 point favourites over the 49ers. For the second season in a row, Seattle dismantled San Francisco at home in an incredibly impressive performance. The rivalry between Kaepernick and Wilson looks like it’s going to be a great one for the next decade.
If the Seahawks can secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, then they will be the NFC representative in the Superbowl this year. The noise levels in their stadium clearly unsettle the visiting teams. They just need to prove that they can do it on the road.
4) The Dolphins are quietly rolling
Ryan Tannehill’s Dolphins are 2-0 and have flown under the radar so far. For all the talk about young quarterbacks, it was Tannehill who overcame Andrew Luck last week. Miami made a few moves during the off-season which hint at the fact that they feel like this team is ready to win now.
They have now beaten the Colts and the Browns; two teams who many people had high hopes for this year. The Patriots are looking shaky, so Miami could sneak into the playoffs as AFC East champions and could cause some problems in the postseason. A playoff win would be huge for their young quarterback.
5) The Steelers are the worst team in the AFC North
This year is not a good one for Steelers fans. Under Mike Tomlin, the team has seriously regressed and is now one of the worst in the AFC, which has some pretty bad teams this year. Ben Roethlisberger can’t compensate for an offense completely devoid of any direction.
Pittsburgh are an example of how to waste a good quarterback. They should finish at the bottom of the AFC North this year, although they’ll probably end up wasting their high pick again. The Steelers have been very poor at drafting in recent years, which has led to their fall from Superbowl champions to worse than the Browns.
