Now that week 2 of the 2022 NFL season has come and gone, we are starting to learn about what this season will have in store for us. From teams solidifying themselves as Super Bowl frontrunners, all the way to players who are starting to struggle to make an impact. These are the biggest storylines going forward in the NFL.
The Buffalo Bills are dominant and looking like AFC champs already.
The Buffalo Bills have been flat out destroying teams to start the season, and while we knew Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, and company would be able to hold it down on offense, I do not think anyone could have predicted just how incredible their defense would look through the first two weeks. That is not to say that I thought their defense would be bad by any means but to hold the defending champion Los Angeles Rams to only 10 points to open the season, and then to keep the Tennessee Titans (while not nearly as good) to only one touchdown is quite impressive. I would not be surprised in the slightest if at this time next year, we are looking back on this season and talking about one of the best teams in NFL history. They match up with the Miami Dolphins in a game that will truly test just how good this Buffalo Bills defense is. Even before the Bills play the Dolphins, I can confidently say I think the Bills are the best team in the AFC and will most likely be making a Super Bowl appearance come February 2023.
Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles are the real deal.
Coming off a very solid year last year, Jalen Hurts was able to silence a vast majority of his critics with the way he played, and with how he and the Philadelphia Eagles have played so far this year, it is going to be very difficult to find any critics of Jalen or the Eagles this year. The biggest question mark that the Philadelphia Eagles had after week 1 of this season was would their defense be able to play at the same caliber as their offense can. While I still do not think that is the case, I can confidently say that the Eagles defense is a very strong unit with great cornerback play that will make it hard for any team to have much success through the air against them. Even if a team can have success passing on the Eagles, they then have to stop Jalen Hurts. Jalen Hurts has made it very clear that he is coming for that MVP trophy this year after racking up two straight very impressive performances. What might be the most impressive part of his game how he is able feel when the pocket is collapsing and take off for huge gains on the ground. Through two games Jalen has 147 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns to go along with that, and if this kind of play continues, expect to see the Philadelphia Eagles make a deep push in the playoffs.
Tua Tagovailoa has finally found his grove.
After his 6-touchdown performance vs the Baltimore Ravens in week 2, Tua Tagovailoa is finally starting to live up to those lofty expectations that he had when he came out of Alabama. Whether you think the high expectations placed on Tua were fair or not, there is no doubt that he has not had the most promising start to his NFL career. However, times have changed in Miami, a new head coach that actually wants Tua to succeed and the addition of Tyreke Hill have made it to where all the Dolphins need is good quarterback play to be a real contender, and they got it. After being down 35-14 going into the fourth quarter this past Sunday, Tua and the Dolphins outscored the Ravens 28-3 in the fourth quarter, propelling them to 2-0 for the first time in four years. This came after their solid week 1 win against the Mac Jones led New England Patriots, in which the Miami Dolphins looked like the better team throughout a majority of the game. As I previously mentioned, the Dolphins have to play the Buffalo Bills next week, and this is the perfect opportunity for Tua to once and for all silence any doubters that he may have. Whether he can do that or not, we will have to wait till Sunday to find out.
Something is wrong in Tompa Bay.
To call Tom Brady’s current situation strange would be one of the biggest understatements in recent years. Not even including the fact that he literally retired this past offseason and then decided to come back only 40 days later. Tom has had multiple off the field issues so far this season, so much so in fact that he has a new agreement worked out with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he gets every Wednesday off so he can have an extra rest day. Now I am not a professional football player by any means, but I would imagine that being one of his teammates you would have to feel like you been treated as you were not equals. However, to be fair to the Buccaneers, Tom Brady is the best quarterback of all time so whatever he asks for you should give him. Even with the win this weekend over the New Orleans Saints, Tom Brady still seemed as though he was checked out and frustrated for most of the game. It has always seemed like that no matter what was going on with Tom Brady he was still going to be the best player on the field on any given Sunday, but honestly it just does not feel that way anymore when you have younger guys like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes running around. Regardless, this season really feels as though it is actually Tom Brady’s last, and my hope for him is that he is able to leave the game without any regrets or due to anything going on off the field, because the GOAT deserves at least that.
