2026 NFL season, Week 2: What We Learned from Sunday's games

Bobby Kownack's takeaways:

Lloyd leads Panthers’ defensive resurgence. Thoroughly embarrassed by the Bears after allowing 59 points to Chicago in Week 1, Carolina’s defense said no more. And nobody took on the burden of correcting the season-opening dud more than Devin Lloyd, who delivered the performance of a lifetime. The Pro Bowl linebacker lit up the stat sheet with a team-high nine tackles, a sack, three passes defensed, two tackles for loss and two interceptions. On his first deflection, Lloyd read Cooper Rush like a book on a throw to Bijan Robinson, getting there just in time to deflect the ball into Bobby Okereke’s hands. He blew up a Drake London end-around on fourth-and-1 two drives later, and in the third quarter caught the interception that got Rush benched. Jack Strand promptly entered the game and threw an interception to -- guess who – Lloyd, who took that one back for a touchdown. It was an otherworldly outing as he contributed to four changes of possession, but the entire Panthers defense can be proud of Sunday’s result. It was a much different challenge than Ben Johnson’s Bears, but Carolina completely shut down its NFC South rival.

Falcons’ QB situation is dire. Kevin Stefanski dealt with many a quarterback carousel in Cleveland to varying degrees of success. Two games into his gig with Atlanta, he’s stuck dealing with another one, and it’s not going well. Cooper Rush making two starts by default as Michael Penix continues to get back to 100% from his knee injury and Tua Tagovailoa deals with an oblique issue has stopped the Falcons offense in its tracks. Rush turned the ball over twice in his first five snaps, fumbling on a scramble as he dove forward and then tossing a third-down pick to end Atlanta’s second possession. Those mistakes set the tone for the game and set the Falcons back. His need to keep most throws short, attempting only two passes over 9 air yards, hung a low ceiling on Atlanta’s explosiveness, and he wasn’t safe with the ball even while playing conservatively. He was 10 of 17 for 86 yards and two picks when he was benched midway through the third quarter. Undrafted rookie Jack Strand entered the game and didn’t fare much better, throwing a pick-six on his first career throw. He finished out the loss with 59 yards on 8-of-15 passing. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter did, however, report Sunday morning that Penix could potentially return for the team’s upcoming Thursday night game against the Packers. The Falcons will be hoping so, because the output under center has been bleak.

Young continues stellar start to 2026. Is this the season of Bryce Young? He was in complete control against Atlanta, throwing for 287 yards, three touchdowns and a 116.3 passer rating. He torched the Falcons by spreading the ball around, hitting Tetairoa McMillan five times for a game-high 101 yards, Jalen Coker for 66 yards on eight receptions, and Darren Waller for two TDs. Young even got Xavier Legette involved, hitting him deep for a 55-yard field-flipper with under a minute before halftime to key another a scoring drive. Beyond the stats, Young evaded pressure well and dropped more than a few dimes to a pass-catching corps that looks to be the best he’s had. Young now has 648 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception through his first two games, joining Jake Delhomme (2007) as the only other Panthers quarterback to throw a trio of touchdowns in back-to-back games to start a season, per NFL Research. That’s how you go about earning your first extension, which will come sooner rather than later if he continues to play this way.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Panthers-Falcons (via NFL Pro): Tetairoa McMillan had three receptions for 81 yards on deep and vertical routes, with each of his five catches coming while aligned outside.

NFL Research: Devin Lloyd joined Charles Woodson (2009) and Zach Brown (2012) as the only players in the last 20 seasons with a sack, multiple interceptions and a pick-six in a single game.

Nick Shook's takeaways:

‎Saints battle back again. For a second straight week, the Saints found their offensive mojo in the second half of a road contest. Unlike Week 1, they finished the job and can thank their ascending quarterback for leading them to victory. Tyler Shough's final stat line included just one touchdown pass and wasn't nearly as prolific as his 410-yard output against Detroit, but the second-year passer consistently made clutch plays to keep the Saints moving. He spread the ball well all afternoon, connecting with Devaughn Vele seven times and once again leaning on Juwan Johnson in crunch time. Most importantly -- and most impressively -- Shough put his own body on the line late in the fourth, sneaking it twice and getting bent back awkwardly on his fourth-down rushing score, holding on to the ball just long enough to break the plane despite being contorted by a crowd of Ravens defenders. If we've learned anything about these Saints in two weeks, it's that they're scrappy, remarkably tough and refuse to give up. Their quarterback is the embodiment of it and the reason they won Sunday.

Ravens let one slip away. All of the buzz regarding Declan Doyle's offense was justified after a Week 1 explosion, and for a half of football Sunday, it remained true. Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson keyed an impressive, balanced touchdown drive that ended with a Henry rushing score out of the wildcat formation, and Jackson's composure in an end-of-half touchdown drive (which he capped with a pretty scoring toss to Rashod Bateman) had the Ravens in the driver's seat entering the intermission. The second half didn't follow the same script, though, and Baltimore can question its offensive approach when reviewing what went wrong. The Ravens handed the ball to Henry just five more times in the second half (for 17 yards) and seemed to lose their offensive identity, leaving Jackson as their best remaining hope to keep the offense moving forward. New Orleans sensed the opportunity, generating pressure on Jackson and undercutting Baltimore's offensive momentum, opening the door for their second half comeback that theoretically could have been slowed by a couple of long possessions. The ending -- a Jackson interception on a pass to an area Bateman never reached -- only capped a frustrating and disappointing finish for a team that will need to learn from this defeat.

Shough, Olave have something special. Chris Olave was the star of New Orleans' Week 1 comeback and proved to be Tyler Shough's favorite target in Week 2, making timely catches throughout Sunday's contest on his way to an eight-catch, 86-yard finish. In just two weeks, it seems as though Shough knows where to turn when he needs a completion most, and Olave is consistently making difficult catches all over the field while earning extra yards with his footwork and willingness to fight through contact. Olave's emergence was much needed in Kellen Moore's offense and has fostered one of the most entertaining and productive QB-WR connections in the NFL through two weeks. Naturally, when Shough dropped to pass with the Saints needing a touchdown in the fourth, it was Olave who sifted through the defense, found open space and caught a perfectly placed rope from Shough for the score. Jordyn Tyson's injury dampened the spirits of the Saints' passing potential entering 2026, but Olave has unquestionably made up for it through two weeks.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Saints-Ravens (via NFL Pro): Tyler Shough completed 10 of his 13 attempts against the blitz for 113 yards, a career-high mark, while also going 17 for 21 for 139 yards and a touchdown when facing four or fewer rushers.

NFL Research: The Ravens led the NFL with 14 losses when leading by 10-plus points at any point in a game under John Harbaugh from 2020-2025, and now pick up their first such loss under head coach Jesse Minter.

Dan Parr's takeaways:

Vikings defense delivers again. The steady rain undoubtedly played a large role in the sloppiness of the game, but so did the Minnesota defense. The Vikings have allowed just six points in the team’s last six quarters after shutting down the Packers in the second half of the opener before quieting the Bears on Sunday. A week after scoring 59 points, the Bears were held to three – a lone field goal – by Brian Flores’ relentless attack. The Vikings took the ball away twice, including Jalen Redmond’s forced fumble to stop a Chicago drive on the goal line. They were credited with four sacks – none more crucial than Dallas Turner's takedown of Tyson Bagent on the game’s final play – 10 QB hits and seven pass breakups. There was a lot of intrigue about the defensive genius Flores renewing acquaintances with the offensive mastermind Ben Johnson leading up to Sunday, and the matchup had a clear victor. The Bears’ three points on Sunday were the second-fewest scored by an offense coordinated or coached by Johnson dating back to 2022.

Williams’ injury casts pall over Bears. A horrible day for the Chicago offense took a nightmarish turn midway through the fourth quarter when Caleb Williams exited the game with a right hamstring injury. He was running to his left on the rain-soaked Soldier Field turf when he pulled up and fell to his knees before sliding to a stop. He was helped to the sideline by Bears staff after the play and was later carted to the locker room. After the game, head coach Ben Johnson said the team would know more about the severity of the hamstring ailment on Monday. Williams was seen walking under his own power in the locker room after the game, per CHGO Sports’ Adam Jahns. Obviously, losing Williams for any time is a blow to the Bears and a lengthy absence would be a massive setback. His departure was a gut punch to a squad with such high hopes after last season’s division title and a 59-point outburst in Week 1. The team has a lot of confidence in backup QB Tyson Bagent, who signed a contract extension a little over a year ago. Bagent led the offense down the field before coming up short on the final drive of the game. There’s no easy way to replace Williams, one of the best young talents in the league and a player who seemed to be coming into his own in his second season working with Johnson.

Wentz plays clean game on ugly day. It wasn’t pretty, but Carson Wentz did enough to put the Vikings alone at the top of the NFC North in his first start of the season. With Kyler Murray sidelined by a concussion, Wentz completed 11 of 20 passes for 143 yards. Six of Minnesota’s nine drives went for five plays or fewer, but the team’s final drive was its longest – 11 plays for 62 yards – and set up a game-clinching field goal. In rough weather conditions, Wentz didn’t turn the ball over. The Vikings' nine points are tied for their fifth-fewest in a win in franchise history and the second-fewest in the Kevin O'Connell era (since 2022), per NFL Research. After all the hand-wringing over the team’s QB situation leading up to the season, the Vikings are 2-0 with manageable games against the Buccaneers, Dolphins and Saints up next before a Week 6 bye.

NFL Research: After scoring 59 points in Week 1, the Bears posted just three points in the loss to the Vikings. The 56-point dropoff is the second-largest by any team from Week 1 to Week 2 in NFL history. The only team with a larger dropoff is the 1973 Falcons, who were shut out in Week 2 following a 62-7 win in Week 1.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Vikings-Bears (via NFL Pro): The Vikings blitzed Caleb Williams on 27 of his 33 dropbacks before he exited the game late in the fourth quarter (81.8%), resulting in a blitz rate that would have ranked as the third-highest mark in game by a defense since at least 2018.

Kevin Patra's takeaways:

Bengals D continues its ascent. Week 1 wasn’t a mirage for Cincinnati’s revamped defense. After forcing a host of fumbles a week ago, Al Golden’s crew again produced difference-making plays, holding Houston out of the end zone. Led by a revamped front, the Bengals controlled the line of scrimmage, completely shutting down the Texans' rushing attack. David Montgomery and Woody Marks generated 18 rushing yards on 14 rushes (1.3 YPC). With no ground game, the Bengals could tee off on C.J. Stroud, gobbling up four sacks. Cincy allowed the Texans to move the ball between the 20s, but bowed up on key plays, holding Houston to 5 of 17 on third downs and 0 of 4 on fourth downs (including a botched field goal snap). The interior duo of Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen were dominant, combining for six tackles, four TFLs, a sack and two QB hits. The two imports have completely changed how Cincy can play D.

Texans can’t get out of their own way. DeMeco Ryans’ defense got back on track, making life difficult for Joe Burrow, sacking the QB five times, holding the Bengals to 267 yards and 12 first downs. It took a miraculous catch from Ja'Marr Chase and an excellent escape from Burrow for Cincy to find pay dirt. Unfortunately, for Houston, this game felt a lot like 2025, with the offense unable to get the job done. Stroud played solidly, avoiding big mistakes and peppered the middle of the field. However, the lack of a rushing attack put the offense in bad spots. The retooled offensive line looked a lot like last year, opening few holes on the ground and not giving Stroud much time. The Texans offense missed Nico Collins badly, with none of the young wide receivers stepping up. Tight end Dalton Schultz (12 receptions for 140 yards) generated 103 yards more than any other Texans pass catcher on Sunday. Houston missed several opportunities to make it a game, with an early flubbed field-goal attempt, a stuffed fourth-down, and a missed 58-yard field goal all coming in the first three quarters. The Texans got into the red zone four times. However, they scored zero TDs and accounted for just three points on those drives. That won’t get it done.

Burrow hooks up with Chase for two TDs in road win. There weren’t gaudy numbers, but Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase showed why they are a premier duo. Burrow came out insistent on getting Chase involved early. The WR paid him off with a ridiculous twisting, toe-tap 32-yard TD in the second quarter. The duo hooked up again on a scramble drill to put up Cincy by two scores in the third quarter. The offensive line was an issue on Sunday. Burrow was sacked five times, and the Texans generated 10 QB hits. Orlando Brown (five QB pressures, two sacks), Dalton Risner (six QB pressures, sack) and Dylan Fairchild (five QB pressures, sack) all struggled. The good news is that when the Bengals put up fewer than 300 yards in years past, they usually took an L. In 2026, they’re 2-0 while the offense irons things out.

NFL Research: The Bengals did not allow a single touchdown in Week 2 at the Texans, their first game allowing no touchdowns since Week 3, 2022, at the Jets. Cincinnati broke a franchise-long and NFL-long streak of 65 consecutive games allowing at least one touchdown. The Bills now own the longest active streak in the NFL, having allowed at least one touchdown in 47 consecutive games.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Bengals-Texans (via NFL Pro): The Bengals generated 27 pressures on 62 dropbacks (43.5%), the most pressures generated in a single game by the Bengals since Al Golden took over as the Bengals defensive coordinator last season. Five Bengals recorded four or more pressures in Week 2, including Jonathan Allen (seven), Boye Mafe (seven), Cedric Johnson (six), Cashius Howell (five), and Dexter Lawrence (four). Allen recorded his most pressures in a game in the last four seasons, while Mafe tied his most pressures generated in a game in his career.

Kevin Patra's takeaways:

Patriots splash big plays to run away from Pittsburgh. Drake Maye didn’t author a particularly pretty game, but the quarterback threw a trove of big plays to move the ball against an experienced Steelers defense. Maye connected on passes of 29, 29, 30 and 63 yards. The Pats also generated big runs, starting with TreVeyon Henderson's 39-yard TD sprint, and Rhamondre Stevenson added a 24-yarder early in the second half. The Pats had several miscues that kept the game closer than it could have been. Stevenson fumbled in plus territory on the opening drive, and Maye later threw an interception in scoring range. Coming off a disappointing Week 1, Maye didn’t fully bounce back, missing several plays he made a year ago, and he wasn’t comfortable in the pocket behind an offensive line that struggled, especially as injuries struck. However, the splash plays – highlighted by a 63-yarder to Romeo Doubs after Maye escaped the pocket – were a welcomed sight after last week. In Week 1, the QB didn’t have a pass play of 20-plus yards. On Sunday, he generated four. The offense still has strides to make, but it’s much easier after a win that avoids an 0-2 start.

Pats D gets in on the big plays. It wasn’t just the offense that sprayed big plays on the Foxborough turf. The New England defensive line dominated Steelers blockers, blasting Aaron Rodgers repeatedly. The Pats' biggest plays came when they destroyed the 42-year-old QB. With the Steelers in field goal range on third-and-7, Christian Elliss walloped Rodgers for a sack and forced fumble. The ball bounced around for an eventual loss of 36 yards, forcing a punt. Then, early in the fourth quarter, Christian Barmore hit Rodgers, forcing another fumble that Elijah Ponder scooped up for a touchdown, effectively putting the game away. For good measure, rookie Gabe Jacas grabbed a flubbed catch for an interception that ensured the Steelers wouldn’t find paydirt on Sunday. The Pats allowed just 235 yards and 2 of 12 on third downs.

Ugly day for Steelers offense. Every aspect was bad for Pittsburgh’s offense. The O-line got walloped. Troy Fautanu had a forgettable afternoon, and guard Spencer Anderson was destroyed, allowing seven QB pressures and a sack, per Next Gen Stats. Rodgers was never comfortable, struggled to maneuver muddy pockets, and looked every bit of 42 on Sunday before sitting for the final drive. He completed 23 of 39 attempts for 187 yards, threw an INT, and took four sacks. The passing attack couldn’t get out of its own way, with drops and off-the-mark passes being the most memorable plays. DK Metcalf continued his atrocious start to the season, catching four passes on nine targets for 27 yards with several miscues. Christian Gonzalez usually locks up WR1s, but right now Metcalf is barely playing like a WR3. The run game was absent from start to finish, putting the offense in bad down-and-distance situations. Mike McCarthy has a lot to figure out after two uninspiring offensive performances to open the season.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Patriots-Steelers (via NFL Pro): The Patriots' defense blitzed the Steelers on 18 total dropbacks, their most in a game since Week 10 of 2024. When sending extra pass rushers, they held the Steelers to 43 passing yards (2.7 yards per attempt) and a 22.2% success rate while also recording eight pressures, two sacks and one interception.

NFL Research: The Steelers scored just three points against the Patriots, tied for the second-fewest by any team in which Aaron Rodgers was the starting quarterback. Rodgers finished with 187 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception — his fifth straight start with one passing touchdown or fewer, tied for the second-longest such streak of his career.

Bobby Kownack's takeaways:

Hurts comes in clutch after tough outing. It wasn’t the best day at the office for Jalen Hurts, but when met with a deadline -- needing to lead a game-winning drive with 1:56 remaining -- the Super Bowl LIX Most Valuable Player delivered. Hurts, who threw a bad interception in the end zone during his first possession and another pick during the drive immediately preceding his last, led Philly on a nine-play, 65-yard drive to take the lead and the win from the Titans. He did so by becoming laser focused on DeVonta Smith, throwing to the Eagles’ No. 1 wide receiver on four of eight passes, including a pretty 19-yard gain on third-and-6 to set up Philadelphia at the goal line. On the next play, he hit Darius Cooper for the wideout’s first career touchdown to propel the Eagles to a surprisingly difficult win. He wasn’t nearly perfect Sunday, going 26 of 37 for 264 yards, two touchdowns and the two picks, but he was clutch as ever when called upon to leave Titans fans with some achy, breaky hearts.

Titans defense finally runs out of gas. Tennessee couldn’t end drives quickly in the first half against Philly, allowing the Eagles to dominate the time of possession with three drives that all took 11 or more plays and over 6 minutes 30 seconds. Although the Titans did allow touchdowns on the second and third drives, they made a massive early stop, setting themselves up to take a 7-0 lead after Amani Hooker intercepted Jalen Hurts and returned it 92 yards to Philadelphia’s 10-yard line. Robert Saleh’s crew buckled down after halftime, finally gaining some momentum with a pair of three-and-outs in the third quarter. To no one’s surprise, Jeffery Simmons led the way making life difficult for Hurts, racking up seven pressures. Jacob Martin had six and Jermaine Johnson II had four as Hurts seemed to regularly be running for his life and forced into poor or difficult throws. It was Simmons wrapping his arms around Hurts as the QB threw his second pick of the day, which eventually set the Titans up for a go-ahead Joey Slye field goal with just under two minutes remaining. Unfortunately, a gassed Tennessee defense that was on the field for over 13 minutes more than its offense couldn’t hold up against Philly’s last-second heroics after that.

Eagles winning by skin of their teeth. Philadelphia found itself shorthanded right off the bat against the Titans. Saquon Barkley suffered a stinger on his first carry of the game after being stuffed at the line of scrimmage and having multiple big bodies land on him. Tight end Dallas Goedert then injured his knee on the second play of the second quarter. Barkley came back for the second half but only handled three more carries as he was clearly affected. Perhaps those setbacks disrupted Philly’s game plan, but the offense fell into a deep sleep in the second half before miraculously waking up for some last-drive magic. That left Philly’s defense to keep it close enough for a win, and Vic Fangio’s crew luckily abided. The Eagles will certainly want some plays back, especially after a few woeful missed tackles while allowing Tennessee to go 84 yards to take the lead toward the end of the fourth quarter, but the Eagles ultimately held the Titans to a field goal late -- just as they stumbled last week but recovered to stop a Commanders two-point conversion toward game’s end to preserve a win. It’s been a high-wire act thus far as the Eagles try to find their groove, but 2-0 is 2-0.

NFL Research: Jalen Hurts led his eighth fourth-quarter comeback since 2023, tied for most in the league.

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