Week 2 of the NFL season has been one of the most weeks in league history and only one game has been played. This is largely due to the off-the-field issues with Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, which have consumed ESPN’s coverage of the NFL.
Safe to say the actually football side of this week has been underplayed. For a mix of the two, here’s the Top 10 storylines heading into Sunday’s games.
1. How will the Minnesota Vikings fare without Adrian Peterson?
Peterson has been the heart and soul of the Vikings offense for eight years now, and the team needs him on the field to be successful. With the 0-1 New England Patriots coming to town, that fact looms even larger.
Matt Cassel and the Vikings offense was efficient last week in a 33-6 win over the St. Louis Rams. Cordarrelle Patterson is showing that he can be a star in this league, but he’ll need to step it up even more in Peterson’s absence.
2. The battle of the surprise 1-0 teams: Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills
Yes, you are reading this correctly. The Dolphins upset the Patriots and the Bills got by the Chicago Bears in Week 1. Both defenses seemed to step up at the right time in these crucial games, and now the teams stand a chance at going 2-0.
Ryan Tannehill and his improved run game have the advantage on the offensive side of the ball, but the Bills held a high-powered Bears offense to 20 points in Chicago last week. Expect a close one here.
3. Can Matt Ryan get the Atlanta Falcons to 2-0?
The Falcons’ disappointing 2013 season is in the past, and they proved that with a 37-34 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 1. Ryan threw for 448 yards in the win, a number that is more accompanied with the quarterback whom he beat, Drew Brees.
The Falcons are up against a strong Cincinnati Bengals defense that held the Baltimore Ravens scoreless through the first half last week. It will be a tightly contested game and one that the Falcons would love to win.
4. Will Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins get back on track?
The Redskins struggled mightily against J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans defense, putting up just six points. It wasn’t the start that Griffin III wanted in his return from a miserable 2013 season.
However, the Jacksonville Jaguars come into town as a much less formidable defense. They allowed 34 unanswered points to the Philadelphia Eagles last week and do not have Watt on their defensive line.
5. Can the Seattle Seahawks defense shut down another high-powered offense?
The Seahawks should the country that they could repeat when they held the Packers to 16 points in primetime almost 10 days ago. The defense held Aaron Rodgers to 189 yards and picked him off once.
The next challenge comes in the form of Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers, a team that almost came out of Arizona with a win on Monday. When Rivers gets hot, there’s not much that can stop him, but a Seahawks defense could be just that.
6. How will Derek Carr fare against the Texans defense?
Carr is the only rookie starting at this point, but that title doesn’t mean much when J.J. Watt is running at him at full speed. Carr was relatively strong in his debut, throwing for two touchdowns against the New York Jets.
However, the Texans are a different obstacle. Carr will pressured much of the day and could make mistakes. If he doesn’t, though, it could be promising for the future for Raiders fans.
7. Will Cam Newton be enough to jolt the Carolina Panthers offense?
The Panthers lost an entire receiving corps and their running game has been suspect recently, but they do have one of the most electrifying quarterbacks in the game in Newton. In Week 1, Derek Anderson led the team to the win, but they only managed 20 points.
This week, the Detroit Lions won’t be stopped. This means that Newton, back from injury, will need to keep up. It remains to be seen whether he has enough to do so.
8. Will the Saints start 0-2?
Just two weeks ago, the Saints were a trendy pick to win it all this year. After a loss to the Falcons in Week 1, Drew Brees and his team are in a tense spot.
Facing a Cleveland Browns team that lost to Pittsburgh last week, Brees will have a tough time putting up his normal numbers. However, if he wants to keep pace with the division, he may need to rely on his defense against Brian Hoyer.
10. Andrew Luck vs. Chip Kelly
Luck remembers playing Oregon in some of the most anticipated matchups in all of college football. Now, he’ll get the chance to face Kelly in the NFL, and the buzz is much the same.
Luck needs a win after being dominated by the Broncos in Week 1, and Kelly wants to show that a 17-0 hole to the Jaguars was a fluke. Rest assured, Lucas Oil Stadium will be rocking.