Week 2 NFL Takeaways: Mahomes, Walker shine as Chiefs discover classic type

Everyone is aware of Week 1 is usually a liar. We’ve witnessed sufficient sizzling begins and speedy cooldowns over time to take early outcomes with a grain of salt.

Week 2 doesn’t all the time inform us the entire story, both. 

But one thing tells us that with regards to these Kansas City Chiefs, we should always in all probability consider them. 

Six days after their ground-pounding win over Denver final Monday, Kansas City made one other grand assertion on the prime-time stage with Sunday evening’s 33-30 additional time victory towards the Indianapolis Colts. It was the form of win that makes it exhausting to not lean all the way in which into hyperbole — about Kenneth Walker’s franchise-altering presence to offer this crew the run sport it so desperately wanted; about Patrick Mahomes’ classic efficiency and Travis Kelce turning again the clock; concerning the defence arising clutch and Andy Reid’s masterful clock administration; and concerning the psychological video games this crew can play on the coach manning the alternative sideline, figuring out higher than to go away his opponent with a lot time on the clock however being unable to cease it. 

Sunday evening’s basic contest delivered all of it. Mahomes accomplished 32 of 47 passes for 382 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and one commanding game-winning drive to tee up Harrison Butker for the walk-off winner. Walker ran 24 occasions for 117 yards, then added 61 extra on six catches. Kelce caught 9 passes for 101 yards and a landing. (That Kansas City, at 2-0, now sits atop the AFC West alongside… the Raiders?… is a complete different form of assertion, due to Vegas’s victory over the Chargers earlier Sunday. Wild stuff!)

The Chiefs, in fact, weren’t the one crew making grand proclamations on the sector Sunday evening. Though the Colts got here out on the dropping finish, we are able to confidently say it is a crew that’s higher than their 0-2 file. After a dismal begin to the season, Daniel Jones & Co. have been a worthy opponent that merely couldn’t make the most of a fortunate name in OT that overturned what seemed like a certain Laquon Treadwell fumble to shut out the match. Jonathan Taylor was the story of this Colts efficiency, piling up 92 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries and catching 4 passes for one more 40 yards on prime of that. Unfortunately, so too is the lack of Alex Pierce to damage. 

Overall, this one was a chess match, a barnburner, and an ideal method to cap an eventful day of soccer. 

Here are a few of our different takeaways from Week 2:

After quiet season-opener, Ja’Marr Chase places on a present

After barely registering on the Week 1 stat sheet, catching simply two passes for 12 yards in Cincinnati’s season-opening victory towards the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ja’Marr Chase made up for misplaced time in Week 2.

His toe-tapping landing catch within the second quarter was nothing in need of spectacular. The play noticed Chase get out of a tangle with Texans defender Derek Stingley Jr., monitoring the ball and twisting his physique to grab it simply contained in the objective line for 32 yards and the primary rating of the sport. 

Chase adopted up these acrobatics with a second landing catch within the third quarter to offer the Bengals a 14-point lead in what was an eventual 20-6 victory. That he wasn’t even the Bengals’ chief in receiving yards looks like a win inside this win — whereas Chase collected seven catches for 75 yards and two TDs, teammate Tee Higgins led the squad in targets (10) and yards (95). Together, the duo made all of the distinction towards a tricky Houston defence that sacked Joe Burrow a whopping 5 occasions. 

Waddle makes a splash in Broncos’ win over Jaguars

Like Chase in Cincinnati, Jaylen Waddle began sluggish in Denver with a really quiet Week 1 efficiency. That modified in Week 2. The former Dolphin caught eight passes for 138 yards, together with a 49-yard seize to place Denver at first and objective at Jacksonville’s one-yard line within the second quarter. 

But that’s when the Broncos’ red-zone points confirmed up. Despite the optimum subject place, the Broncos couldn’t money in on Waddle’s setup, as a substitute settling for a subject objective after a powerful goal-line stand by Jacksonville. On their subsequent journey to the crimson zone, Bo Nix was picked off ultimately zone for a touchback. Their first alternative to attain within the second half additionally noticed them accept three. 

Maybe Nix was simply ready for the fourth quarter to roll round, identical to outdated occasions. Down a landing getting into the ultimate body, issues lastly clicked, with the Broncos outscoring Jacksonville 14-0 within the fourth quarter due to some clutch performs from Waddle in addition to a well timed surge from rookie operating again Jonah Coleman. Was this a fortunate break towards an offence that cooled off too quickly, or an indication of fine issues to come back for Denver? With a date towards the Rams subsequent Sunday evening, one thing tells us we’ll discover out quickly.

Falcons’ QB scenario is an actual mess

We thought issues seemed messy in coaching camp because the Atlanta Falcons weighed choices and well being experiences between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa… 

Well, seems, these have been the great outdated days. Because two weeks into the season, the crew has already rolled out QB4. With each Penix and Tagovailoa sidelined with accidents, the membership was pressured to open the season with third-stringer Cooper Rush because the starter. After a tough outing final week towards the Steelers, Rush received completely crushed by the Carolina Panthers on Sunday — the identical Panthers defence that allowed 59 factors towards the Bears only a week in the past. Rush registered simply 10 completions for 86 yards, with two interceptions, a sack, and a passer score of 32.6. With the sport already manner out of hand, fourth-stringer Jack Strand added insult to damage when he took to the sector within the third quarter. His first go was a pick-six, with Carolina placing the exclamation level on their 34-3 victory. 

All eyes have been on the Falcons’ sidelines as frustrations flared. All that elite pass-catching expertise, with nobody to feed them, is a storyline that’s been round too lengthy in Atlanta. But is assistance on the way in which? According to NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter, Penix may make his season debut towards the Packers this Thursday. Fingers crossed. 

Heartbreak hits early as Bears lose Williams, Commanders lose Daniels to damage

After opening the marketing campaign on the very best of highs with their 59-point statement-maker of a season-opener final week, the Chicago Bears’ offence fell flat towards the Minnesota Vikings’ hard-hitting defence on Sunday. But the 9-3 loss on a wet afternoon at residence was the least of their issues, as evidenced by Caleb Williams being carted down the tunnel in apparent misery within the fourth quarter. 

The nature of the damage, suffered throughout a scramble play, and Williams’ speedy response as he lay on the sector had worst-case situations enjoying out, however there could be hope because the damage was later deemed to be to his hamstring, with additional testing to come back. Whatever the prognosis, it places Chicago’s season in jeopardy nearly proper out of the gates. 

While the Washington Commanders entered the 2026 season with totally different expectations than the Bears, they discover themselves in the same boat as they, too, needed to watch their very own QB1 carted off in Week 2. Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow halfway via Washington’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys. (A phrase of warning, the video replay isn’t for the faint of coronary heart — simply ask Tom Brady, who set free an expletive on stay TV upon seeing it.)

Daniels missed greater than half of final season with varied illnesses, together with a dislocated left elbow, making Sunday’s misplay an all-too-familiar scene for Commanders followers and instantly placing Washington in a déjà vu scenario with Marcus Mariota again on the helm of what may very well be one other misplaced season with out their franchise man. 

Patriots bounce again, however did Maye?

After the way in which his season-opener ended towards Seattle, Drake Maye wanted a bounce again in Week 2. And whereas his crew secured a convincing 20-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday… Maye’s efficiency nonetheless left one thing to be desired. Maye accomplished 14 of twenty-two passes towards a tricky Steelers defence, however was sacked 3 times and threw an interception that uncovered the identical form of points he had towards Seattle in Week 1. Early within the third quarter, Maye underthrew Hunter Henry and was simply picked off by Patrick Queen. It was the form of reckless play we hardly ever noticed from Maye final season, however that has already proven up a lot in simply two weeks of play this 12 months. While Maye additionally confirmed off what made him a transparent MVP runner-up final 12 months, with a 63-yard bomb to Romeo Doubs, it’s the choose that stands out regardless of New England’s win. 

The Patriots’ defence stepped up, as did the run sport with TreVeyon Henderson again within the fold, however with a tricky slate arising — the Jaguars in Week 3, adopted by the Bills — Maye’s decision-making can be below a lot scrutiny within the weeks to come back.