What we learned in NFL Week 2: Chiefs face uphill climb, Bengals hold their breath

Is it time to panic in Kansas City? Not even close. But the Chiefs are suddenly somewhere they’ve never been in the Patrick Mahomes era: winless two weeks into the season. And Mahomes, dating back to February’s Super Bowl, has now dropped three straight games for the first time since he was a junior at Texas Tech.

The Philadelphia Eagles gutted out a 20-17 win in Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch, sealing the victory late with a slew of Tush Pushes, including a touchdown from Jalen Hurts midway through the fourth quarter. But Philly, now 2-0, can largely thank its defense for this one: The Chiefs converted just four third-downs all game and Mahomes managed only 187 passing yards. The result also continued the NFL’s trend surrounding Super Bowl rematches the following season: Of the six times it’s happened this century, five have gone to the reigning world champs.

Same as Week 1, late-game drama ruled the second week of the 2025 NFL season. The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants staged a 77-point overtime thriller. The Denver Broncos cost themselves a win with a penalty on what would’ve been the game’s final snap. The New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins exchanged kick return touchdowns on consecutive plays.

But the biggest news came out of Cincinnati, where the Bengals lost quarterback Joe Burrow for what could be a while.

In Indianapolis, the Broncos’ elation dissolved into disbelief after what appeared to be a last-second win over the Colts — thanks to Indy kicker Spencer Shrader pushing a 60-yard field goal wide right as time expired — instead became a cruel lesson in the intricacies of the NFL rulebook.

While some Broncos celebrated Shrader’s miss, Denver coach Sean Payton learned why there was a flag on the field: His team was being called for a leverage penalty after linebacker Dondrea Tillman used his left hand to jump off the back of Colts lineman Dalton Tucker. The league’s rulebook defines leverage as “a defensive player jumping or standing on a teammate or an opponent to block or attempt to block an opponent’s kick.” The violation was called just four times last season. On Sunday, it cost the Broncos a victory.

Because, given another opportunity from 15 yards closer, Shrader nailed it. Colts 29, Broncos 28.

“We did a lot of things late in that game to keep us from winning,” Payton said. “It will be painful to watch that film.”

The Colts are now 2-0 for the first time since 2009, the last time they reached the Super Bowl. More impressively, Indy is now is the only team of the Super Bowl era — which dates back to 1967 —to not punt in either of its first two games of a season.

In Miami, the Dolphins slumped to 0-2 after dropping a wild back-and-forth contest with the Patriots that featured four second-half lead changes. How chaotic was this one? Weigh this sequence, midway through the fourth quarter: Miami return man Malik Washington took a punt 74 yards to the house to give the Dolphins the lead, only to watch Patriots returner Antonio Gibson answer with a 90-yard kickoff return of his own that put New England back in front. It was the first time since 2008 that a game featured a punt or kick return for a touchdown on consecutive plays.

In the end, it was Milton Williams, the Patriots’ new $104-million defensive tackle, who sealed the 33-27 victory with a sack of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Sunday’s win — the first for Mike Vrabel in New England — was also the first time the Patriots scored more than 30 points in a game since October 2022.

In Tennessee, the Los Angeles Rams’ Davante Adams had a vintage day for his new team — six catches for 106 yards and a touchdown — in a 33-19 victory over the Titans. Top pick Cam Ward had his moments, including a wild scramble that preceded an incredible against-his-body touchdown throw to Elic Ayomanor in the second quarter, but the Los Angeles defense proved too much in the second half. Ward was sacked five times as the Titans fell to 0-2. The Rams are now 2-0 for the first time since their Super Bowl year of 2021.

In Baltimore, the Ravens shook off last week’s stunning loss to the Bills by stomping the Cleveland Browns 41-17. The defense responded, limiting Joe Flacco to a 25-for-45, two-turnover stat line in his Baltimore homecoming. By the fourth quarter, Flacco was out and rookie Dillon Gabriel was getting his first NFL snaps.

In New Orleans, the 49ers led from start to finish in a 26-21 win over the Saints that pushed San Francisco to 2-0. In Brock Purdy’s stead, Mac Jones stepped in and threw three touchdowns, and Christian McCaffrey — the recipient of one of those touchdowns — became just the third player in NFL history with 50 rushing scores and 30 receiving scores, joining Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Lenny Moore.

At MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the reigning MVP overcame a nasty shot to the nose that left him bleeding and sidelined for a few snaps. No matter, Josh Allen and the Bills dominated the Jets, 30-10, to move to 2-0. Buffalo’s defense was stifling, holding the Jets to just 87 yards through three quarters. A week after an encouraging offensive performance, New York (now 0-2) regressed in a big way — Justin Fields was 3-for-11 for 27 yards before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion.

In Seattle, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Kaleb Johnson learned a valuable lesson: If you muff a kickoff, don’t assume the ball is going to bounce out of bounds. Johnson’s gaffe — which came with 12:46 left in the game and the Steelers down three — cost his team dearly. The ball hung in the back of the end zone before Seattle’s George Holani recovered it for a touchdown, pushing the Seahawks’ lead to double digits. It was a momentum swing the Steelers never recovered from in a 31-17 loss to the Seahawks.

“Poor judgment by a young player,” was how coach Mike Tomlin put it.

Aaron Rodgers, fresh off a four-touchdown game in his Steelers debut, finished 18-for-33 for 203 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Both teams are now 1-1.

In Arizona, the Cardinals improved to 2-0 with a 27-22 win over the Panthers. Arizona dominated this one early, then used a sack from the ageless Calais Campbell — he’s in his 18th season — to seal it late. For the first time in the Jonathan Gannon era, the Cardinals are undefeated after two weeks, and for the fourth straight year, the Panthers are 0-2.

Here’s what stood out from Week 2 of the NFL season:

These aren’t the Chiefs we know

Some hard truths about this version of the Chiefs:

They can’t run the football. Kansas City running backs combined for 57 yards in a Week 1 loss to the Chargers, then just 55 on Sunday. The leading rusher in each game? Mahomes.

They can’t protect the quarterback, especially on the right side. Mahomes was hit eight times in the opener and 10 times Sunday.

Their offense, outside their all-world quarterback, doesn’t scare anybody, not without Rashee Rice (suspension) and Xavier Worthy (injury), and with Travis Kelce in Year 13. The tight end could’ve made the play of the game early in the fourth quarter, but he badly bobbled Mahomes’ pass on the goal line, leading to an interception and 41-yard return for Eagles rookie Drew Mukuba.

So, instead of surging to a 17-13 lead, the Chiefs’ offense watched Jalen Hurts and the Eagles Tush Push their way to victory.

It’s the middle of September, and the Chiefs are not your typical 0-2 team. They’ve played in the last three Super Bowls. They won two of them. Mahomes is still under center. Andy Reid is still coaching. The defense responded well Sunday after last week’s ugly loss to the Chargers.

In all likelihood, this team will right the ship soon.

But the road back is getting bumpier, and the AFC West might be the deepest division in football. Until KC unlocks something on offense, this season might more of a grind than this team’s used to.

For now, the odds are against them: since the playoffs expanded in 2020, teams that start 0-2 qualified for the postseason just 12 percent of the time (5 of 41). And only two Super Bowl champs since 2000 — the 2001 Patriots and 2007 Giants — opened the season with consecutive losses.

Bengals win, now they wait

It’s the image Bengals fans most fear: Joe Burrow limping off the field in pain.

It arrived again Sunday, in the second quarter of a 31-27 victory over the Jaguars. Cincinnati’s franchise quarterback remained on the ground after a sack by Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead, then pointed at his left foot as members of the Bengals medical staff attended to him.

The likely diagnosis: turf toe. The impact: yet to be determined. The Bengals go as Burrow goes, and a looming absence — if surgery is required, Burrow could be out multiple months — would reshape Cincinnati’s aim of returning to the playoffs.

But all was not lost. Burrow’s backup, Jake Browning, proved his mettle, overcoming three interceptions to lead a 92-yard game-winning drive late in the fourth. The Jaguars were hurt late by a bold fourth-down call from first-year coach Liam Coen, a drop from Brian Thomas Jr. and a pass interference penalty from Travis Hunter. Cincinnati won the game despite not leading until 18 seconds remained.

“Today I saw the most resilient team I’ve ever seen,” an ebullient Bengals coach Zac Taylor told his players in the locker room.

At least Browning has experience in this spot: he went 4-3 as the team’s starter in 2023 while Burrow was sidelined with a wrist injury. And he won’t be digging the Bengals out of a hole. Cincinnati started 0-2 or worse in five of Taylor’s first six seasons. This year, the Bengals are 2-0.

McCarthy can’t replicate Week 1 heroics

This wasn’t exactly the Sunday nighter of a week ago, an all-time Bills comeback over the Ravens.

And it wasn’t anything close to how the Minnesota Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy closed the first start of his NFL career, with a fourth-quarter comeback over the Chicago Bears that included three touchdowns across the final 12 minutes.

Sunday night’s 22-6 Falcons victory leaves both teams 1-1. Credit Atlanta, which leaned on five field goals from new kicker Parker Romo before scoring the game’s first touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Bijan Robinson, with 143 yards, was the best offensive player on the field. The Falcons’ defense was excellent, finishing with six sacks, two interceptions and three forced fumbles.

McCarthy struggled throughout, missing too many throws, including some big chances in the second half. He’s now played eight quarters in the NFL. One has been terrific. Seven have been lousy. The Vikings’ offense finished with just 198 yards. McCarthy finished with a passer rating of 37.5. That’s life for a young quarterback in the NFL.

Campbell, Lions make their statement

All week, the chatter in Detroit centered on what the Lions were missing — specifically who the Lions were missing. The offense didn’t look right in their season-opening loss in Green Bay, Detroit’s first game without Ben Johnson calling the plays in three years. Coach Dan Campbell fielded questions about why the scheme didn’t look the same and why it didn’t perform the same. Were the Lions still the Lions without their star offensive coordinator? Or was Johnson really the driving force behind 27 regular-season wins over the last two years and back-to-back NFC North titles?

Even one week into the season, the pressure seemed real. Especially on Campbell, who was facing Johnson — the new head coach of the Bears — for the first time.

“We’re going to win this game,” Campbell predicted. “We have to.”

They did in resounding fashion, bullying Johnson and the Bears all afternoon and pouring it on in a 52-21 rout.

“It’s like they forgot that we’re fighters,” Campbell told his team in the locker room.

Jared Goff threw five touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught three of them. Jameson Williams had another. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 151 rushing yards and two scores. This was Detroit at its best — and Campbell’s team offering a reminder that it’s not going anywhere.

Cowboys, Giants stage a thriller

A week after that Sunday night classic in Buffalo, we have another nominee for Game of the Year: Sunday’s Cowboys-Giants game was utterly absurd. The two teams combined for 41 fourth-quarter points, including 17 in the final 52 seconds of regulation. They exchanged leads six times in the final quarter and overtime — the most in NFL history. Quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott threw for 811 passing yards. And the Cowboys somehow found a way to eke out a 40-37 overtime victory to avoid an 0-2 start to the season.

Prescott was asked afterwards the difference between 1-1 and 0-2.

“Sh—, I don’t want to know,” he laughed.

Wilson, after a dismal season-opener last week in which he threw for just 168 yards in a loss to the Commanders, erupted for 450 on Sunday, his most in a game since 2017. But a costly interception in overtime set up the fourth field goal of the day from Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, who was good from 46 to win it. Aubrey — one of the very best in the league — had drilled a 64-yarder as regulation expired to force overtime.

“We’re thankful for that guy,” Prescott said of his kicker.

All of which secured Brian Schottenheimer’s first win as Cowboys coach and Prescott’s 14th straight victory over the Giants. New York — after looking lifeless a week ago in Washington — showed plenty of fight Sunday, which makes the defeat all the more gutting. The Giants are now 0-2 for the seventh time in the last nine seasons.

(Photo: David Eulitt / Getty Images)

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