NFL Week 2 Recap

When you live out west as I do and the Pittsburgh Steelers finish their game most weeks by 1:00 pm, you have to resist the temptation to write and post all day about their performance. If you do, you may just find yourself in a bind in the middle of the week. So, I'll take a step back from commenting on the Steelers 19-11 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday and instead take a quick tour around the NFL to see what else transpired in Week 2.

* Maybe it is the Houston Texans year? Matt Schaub orchestrated a furious comeback against the Washington Redskins back in the second half to lead the Texans' to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2007. Quarterback Matt Schaub threw for nearly 500 hundreds yards, and unlike in years past, the Texans finished off a close game late.  I have yet to see them in action extensively this year, so I'll hold off on making too grandiose a statement about their prospects, but it does seem like this is exactly the type of start that particular group needed to turn themselves into believers.

* Nice turnaround for the Atlanta Falcons. A week after being stymied by the Steelers defense, Matt Ryan and the Falcons' offense took their frustrations out on a punchless Arizona Cardinals squad, 41-7. Is Arizona that bad? Or is the Steelers defense that good? Perhaps a little bit of both. Derek Anderson's job maybe in jeopardy if he doesn't perform much better next week at home against the Oakland Raiders.

* Speaking of the Raiders, who knew that all they were missing was a little Bruce Gradkowski? All the talk all summer was about how the Raiders were ready to take a big step forward now that they had a solid, if not spectacular, signal caller in Jason Campbell. Well, the Raiders' offense was stagnant yet again on Sunday until Gradkowski, a Pittsburgh native, was inserted in the second half. The stat Raiders fans are most pleased with though? 30 carries for Darren McFadden.

* Another week, another disappointing loss for the Cleveland Browns. In Week 1, Jake Delhomme crippled Cleveland's chances with costly mistakes. In Week 2, Seneca Wallace turned the game in Kansas City's favor when he threw an ill-advised pass that was taken to the house by Brandon Flowers. Cleveland could very easily be 2-0 and feeling good about themselves. Instead, they're 0-2 and in a familiar place: in the cellar of the AFC North standings.

* Impressive win for the Cincinnati Bengals against the Baltimore Ravens. It wasn't pretty, but five field goals were enough to get past the Ravens on a day when Joe Flacco threw a career high four interceptions. The Bengals pass defense was outstanding on Sunday after being dismantled by Tom Brady the previous week. Something tells me they're going to be a tough out again for the Steelers this year. The Bengals have now won eight straight division games. Nothing to sneeze at, to say the least.

* Bigtime win for the New York Jets against the rival New England Patriots. I would have personally loved to see the media circus surrounding the Jets continue for another week, but the Jets' 28-14 victory silences their critics for the time being. Mark Sanchez turned in the best outing of his young career on Sunday, throwing for 3 TDs and 0 INTs. Next week's trip to Miami should tell us something about both squads, as Miami's defense looked pretty darn stout itself on Sunday during their road defeat of the Minnesota Vikings.

* How many more interception littered performances by Brett Favre until the countdown begins to his mid-season retirement? A home date with the Lions may be just what the doctor ordered for Favre and the Vikings, but a loss next week before their BYE Week would be devastating.

* I missed the draft of the one fantasy football pay-league that I'm in - thanks Continental Airlines. When I logged on to my computer to see I had Tony Romo as my quarterback, I resigned myself to the fact that I was out $50. Oh well. I'm still pleased to see the Cowboys sitting at 0-2 with Houston, Tennessee, and Minnesota on tap.

* Wow, what a difference a week makes. David Garrard looked flawless in Week 1, throwing for 3 TDs and 0 INTs in their opening week win over the Broncos. A week later, the Jacksonville Jaguars stood no chance at beating the San Diego Chargers thanks to four picks from Garrard. Yikes. Don't dismiss San Diego's chances just yet by the way. They still can get the ball up and down the field in a hurry.

* Best win: NYJ. Got to hand it to them for winning after having played the previous Monday night in a bloodbath against the Ravens.

* Runner-up: PIT. Anytime you win on the road with your fourth string quarterback, that's impressive.

* Worst loss: DAL. Teams with Super Bowl aspirations don't stumble at home against the Chicago Bears.

* Runner-up: Tie between MIN and CAR. Miami may be tougher than people realize, so it's hard to say just how bad the Vikings' loss was at home. As for CAR, well, nobody thought too much of them heading into the season, but losing at home to the Buccaneers and starting the year 0-2 puts John Fox squarely on the hot seat. If the Panthers don't win two of their next three before the BYE (CIN, @ NO, CHI) Fox may finally be shown the door in a rare mid-season coaching change.

That'll do it for now. More on the Steelers' Week 2 win over the Titans coming up, as well as an early look at their Week 3 opponent, the 2-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.