A brutal Sunday in Chicago may have been the day the Bears’ season started slipping through their fingers.
What began as a stunning follow-up to the highest-scoring Week 1 game ever ended with a 9-3 loss to the Vikings and, even worse, what looked like a devastating lower-leg injury to Caleb Williams in the fourth quarter. That’s the kind of swing that changes everything in a hurry. The Bears went from flying high after a 59-37 win to looking completely stuck in the mud seven days later, and now the bigger question is whether Williams’ injury is serious enough to wipe out any real hope of the team being a contender.
The offensive mess in Chicago is hard to pin on just one thing. Minnesota’s Brian Flores-led defense deserves credit, the rainy conditions didn’t help, and the Bears’ offense may simply not be good enough. Whatever the exact mix, the result was ugly, and it came at the worst possible time.
Elsewhere in the NFC South, the early shape of the race is starting to get interesting.
A year ago, no team in the division finished above .500, and Carolina still managed to sneak into the playoffs at 8-9 on a tiebreaker. This season feels different.
The Panthers put up 37 points in a Week 1 loss, then came back with 34 in a rout of the Falcons. Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan, Darren Waller, and the rest of the offense have been rolling, and the defense looked far sturdier in Week 2 after getting pushed around by the Bears last week.
Devin Lloyd, who signed a $45-million deal with Carolina in the offseason, turned in a huge day with a sack, two interceptions, and a pick-6.
Carolina would look like the clear team to beat if not for New Orleans. The Saints were one two-point conversion away from upsetting the Lions on the road in Week 1, and then they followed that by outscoring the Ravens 18-3 in the second half to steal a win. Second-year quarterback Tyler Shough, who led the league in passing in Week 1, added 252 yards and a touchdown Sunday.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is running out of excuses on offense.
It’s easy to blame Aaron Rodgers, now 42 and well past the peak that brought him four MVP awards in Green Bay, for the Steelers’ scoring problems. But the issues go beyond the quarterback.
The protection broke down in New England, where Rodgers was sacked four times and lost two fumbles, including one that was returned for a Patriots touchdown. The run game never got going, and DK Metcalf had a rough afternoon, dropping two passes while Christian Gonzalez kept him under wraps most of the day.
T.J. Watt rescued Pittsburgh a week earlier with an athletic pick-6, but the Steelers can’t keep leaning on the defense to carry the load. If they want to stack wins, the offense has to start doing its part.
Cincinnati’s defense also delivered a statement.
After last week’s signs of a turnaround, the Bengals looked even sharper in Week 2. Texans running backs David Montgomery and Woody Marks were held to 18 yards on 14 carries, leaving C.J.
Stroud to shoulder almost everything for Houston. That didn’t end well.
The Texans never reached the end zone, while Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase did enough to keep Cincinnati in control.
New York’s day ended in familiar frustration.
For three quarters, the Jets had Green Bay bottled up, holding the Packers to 101 yards and seven points. New York’s offense wasn’t exactly explosive, but it had built a double-digit lead with less than 12 minutes left.
Then the whole thing unraveled. Green Bay answered with a 73-yard touchdown drive, got the ball back quickly, and tied it with a late field goal.
In overtime, the Jets’ offense went backward, and the defense couldn’t stop the bleeding. Green Bay escaped, and the Jets were left with the same old story.
Tennessee, at least, found something to build on.
The Titans lost to the Eagles, but the game gave them reasons to feel better about where they’re headed. Cam Ward scored two rushing touchdowns and helped drive Tennessee on a pair of 69-yard marches that turned a 17-10 deficit into a 20-17 lead with less than two minutes to play.
The lead didn’t last, though. Jalen Hurts found Darius Cooper for the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds left.
For a Titans team still trying to figure itself out, that’s part of the process. The bigger questions remain the same: Is Ward a real starter?
And if he is, what kind of help does he need around him? Sunday offered at least one encouraging answer.
In Other News...
Panthers May Have Found The Defensive Difference-Maker They Paid For
A week after looking like he was still finding his footing, Devin Lloyd delivered the kind of game the Panthers had in mind when they brought him in. Against the Falcons in Week 2, the linebacker was everywhere, piling up tackles, disrupting plays in the backfield, getting home for a sack and finishing with a pair of interceptions, one of them going back for a touchdown.
It was the kind of all-around defensive impact that can reshape how a game feels in real time, and it came with a historical nod attached to it, too, drawing comparisons to Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams. For Carolina, the bigger question now is whether this was the start of something bigger or just the rare peak of a player who has already shown he can swing a game in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Face A Tough Defensive Test With Week 2 Inactives Set
The Panthers head into their Week 2 matchup with Atlanta already having to sort through a familiar kind of early-season roster shuffle. Bobby Brown III and Pat Jones are among the inactive players, joining Ja'Tavion Sanders, Haynes King, Chau Smith-Wade, Tyrel Dodson and Albert Reese on the sideline as Carolina trims down to its game-day group.
There is some good news in the mix, though, with Jalen Coker cleared to play after working back from an ankle injury. In a game that will put Carolinas defense under an immediate test, the availability of key depth pieces could matter just as much as the names missing from the list, especially with a divisional opponent waiting and no shortage of pressure on the Panthers to hold up on that side of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Fast Start Against Falcons Has Fans Watching One Big Thing
The Panthers came out of their Week 2 meeting with the Falcons looking much sharper than they did in the opener, and the kind of early burst fans have been waiting for finally showed up. Darren Waller finding the end zone for his first Carolina touchdown gave the offense a lift, while the defense added pressure with sacks and turnovers to help set the tone in a game that already felt more lively and connected than last weeks effort.
What makes it interesting from here is whether that start can turn into something the Panthers can actually build on once the game settles in. The broadcast gave fans a clear look at the improvement, and with the schedule moving quickly into the next stretch, this is the sort of performance Carolina needs to see repeat itself before anyone starts trusting the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]