Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season had the usual mix of chaos: a few ugly offenses, some surprise results and a handful of injuries that immediately changed the conversation. But the postgame sound was just as loud as the action, with coaches and players across the league reacting to the kind of plays and comments that linger long after the final whistle.
The sharpest moment came after the Commanders’ loss to the Cowboys, when Jayden Daniels left with a dislocated left elbow. Dan Quinn said he was “bummed” and “disheartened” for his third-year quarterback, whose injury came in the closing seconds of the first half. Washington had opted to go for a touchdown instead of settling for a field goal, and the gamble ended with Daniels carted off the field.
Even with that outcome, Quinn stood by the decision.
“Looking back on it, at the one-yard line, we need touchdowns. I don’t regret the call,” Quinn said.
“Anytime someone’s injured, you play the what-if game. I don’t think this is one of those times for me.
I hate that it happened. … I wasn’t hesitant about going into that spot; I thought we were going to be aggressive in this game, against their offense.
Obviously the outcome sucks, but it wasn’t a what-if, or wish I had done something differently.”
In Green Bay, the Packers finally snapped their six-game skid with a 20-17 overtime win over the Jets, but the relief came with a warning label. Tucker Kraft made it clear that one comeback victory doesn’t erase the bigger issues.
“We can’t let a win mask our problems,” Kraft said. “We have to get back to the chalkboard and we have to be aggressive. We have to look in the mirror, and set a standard for ourselves as a team and each individual.”
The Eagles also got a little extra edge from the week’s pregame chatter. Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons had said Philadelphia needed to make Jalen Hurts be a quarterback, and Hurts answered after the game with a line that fit the moment perfectly: “You started that s-, I had to finish it.”
Hurts then capped a 24-20 win over Tennessee with a game-winning drive and a touchdown pass to Darius Cooper, pushing the Eagles to 2-0.
Simmons later said his comments were not meant as a shot.
“He’s a Super Bowl MVP. That wasn’t a shot at Jalen,” Simmons said.
“The thing was, if we can keep him in the pocket and eliminate him from scrambling and running … we could be successful. … That was my point: making Jalen Hurts stay in the pocket and just be a quarterback, it wasn’t, ‘Oh, he can’t be a quarterback in the pocket.’”
The Browns added another upset to the week by hanging on for a 23-19 win over the Buccaneers, and Todd Monken made sure the postgame message was as blunt as it gets.
“Browns are gonna Browns, f--- that,” Monken said. “The guys took that to heart.”
Baker Mayfield, meanwhile, said Tampa Bay’s 0-2 start has left him “pretty shocked.”
“It’s shooting ourselves in the foot, not making the plays when we need them,” Mayfield said. “Knowing that these are fixable things, but that also makes it more frustrating.
Just got to get it corrected. We’ve got to be hard on ourselves, watch tape, get those things fixed, flush it and move on to the next.”
And in Baltimore, a comment meant as praise turned into fuel for New Orleans. Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver had called Tyler Shough a “poor man’s Josh Allen” earlier in the week, and the Saints quarterback used it to his advantage in a 24-17 upset over the Ravens.
Weaver also praised Shough’s arm talent and athleticism, but the wording gave the Saints plenty to work with.
“A bunch of the coaches were telling me about it the whole time, calling me ‘poor man.’ I loved it,” Shough said. “I knew what he meant by it; obviously he’s an elite player, but it fires me up.”
In Other News...
Commanders Face Early NFC East Test With Extra Attention On Sunday
The Commanders head to AT&T Stadium on Sunday for an early NFC East measuring stick against the Cowboys, and it comes with the kind of spotlight that tends to follow this rivalry. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX, with Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady on the call and Shawn Hochuli working the game. Dallas enters as a 3.5-point favorite, which only adds a little more edge to a matchup that already carries more weight than a typical September game.
For Washington, it is the sort of Week 2 test that can start to shape how the division race is viewed before it really settles in. Road games in Dallas rarely feel routine, and the combination of the stage, the opponent and the early-season stakes gives this one an immediate sense of importance. Even in September, NFC East games tend to linger, and Sunday offers the Commanders a chance to make a statement before the season gets any older. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Gave Commanders Fans Another Reason To Circle Sunday
The Week 2 meeting between the Commanders and Cowboys was already going to carry its usual edge, but Dallas added another layer of fuel with a social media post that quickly became its own talking point. The Cowboys shared a photo of linebacker Shemar James celebrating after a sack of Jayden Daniels, and the image showed the Washington quarterback injured on the play and out for the rest of that game.
The reaction came fast, with plenty of debate over whether the post crossed a line, and Dallas eventually deleted it. For Washington fans, it was one more reminder that this rivalry does not need much help getting personal, and Sunday now comes with a little extra bite beyond the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels Injury Scare Just Changed Everything For Washington
Jayden Daniels night against the Dallas Cowboys took a sharp turn on the final play of the first half, when the Commanders quarterback went down with a left arm injury that immediately changed the feel of the game. Daniels was carted off the field after the play, and the sideline quickly shifted into damage-control mode as Marcus Mariota prepared to take over for the second half.
For Washington, the concern goes beyond one game. Daniels had been the centerpiece of the offense, and any injury that affects his throwing arm carries obvious weight for a team trying to build momentum early in the season. The look of the injury, and the fact that it resembled one he had dealt with before, only made the moment more unsettling as the Commanders waited for more clarity. [Read more 🡒]