Week 2 wrapup

Once again the AFC East saw one team go home happy while the other three shuffled out with their playoff hopes in serious trouble. In Pittsburgh, Buffalo was buffaloed by the Steelers by a score of 26-3. Down in Miami the Dolphins were hammered by the Cowboys 37-20, while in Baltimore the Jets comeback came just a little too late to avoid a tough 20-13 loss to the Ravens.And in Foxboro the Patriots once again won by a 38-14 score, this time over the San Diego Chargers. So after 2 weeks of play we have the Patriots at 2-0 sitting atop the division while Bills, Dolphins and Jets are tied for second at 0-2.

It was tough to tell just what was uglier Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Steelers’ “throwback” uniformsor the play of the Bills. Granted, the team was shorthanded after injuries to 3 starters in Week 1 and it was facing a team that won a Super Bowl 2 seasons ago. But if Bills fans needed a reminder that the rebuilding process is a long one, they certainly got one on Sunday. The Steelers were able to move the ball at will while the Bills offense was about 2 steps below anemic. The lone bright spot for the Bills would have to be the play of the defense with their backs to the goal line, as they held the Steelers to FGs on their first 4 trips into the red zone. OK, so maybe its silver lining on a funnel cloud, but its all I got!

Down in Miami the Dolphins continued their tour of the NFC East with a disappointing loss to the Cowboys. Miami’s offense was their own worst enemy, with QB Trent Green being the worst offender of the bunch. Green did his best Dante Culpepper impersonation by throwing 4 interceptions and fumbling the ball twice, once on a routine “kill the clock” spike. Surprisingly, Dolphins fans were upset with this Oscar-worthy acting job. Credit the defense for hanging in there while playing against two different offenses (the Cowboys and their own), but in the end it was just too much as the Boys pulled away for a 37-20 rout.

The Jets went into Baltimore hoping their Week 1 performance was out of their system, but for 3 quarters it may have actually been worse. The Ravens were able to jump out to a 20-3 lead on New York before a fourth quarter rally brought the Jets back to within 7. But a last minute drive into the Ravens red zone ended with an interception that sealed the 20-13 final. After 2 games Jets fans have to be wondering which is the real Jets team, the one that showed up for the first 3 quarters or the one that finished the game? Also, this loss was tainted by accusations from Baltimore head coach Brian Billick that the Jets were illegally calling out snap counts on defense.

The “Football Night in America” spotlight was shining on Foxboro Sunday night and the Patriots did not show any signs of stage fright in a convincing 38-14 win over the not-ready-for-primetime Chargers. Much of the talk leading into this game was centered on the Chargers getting their revenge for the Pats’ post-win celebration in January. Perhaps San Diego should have focused a little more on their own game plan instead of worrying about revenge, as their effort in this one left a lot to be desired. “Motormouth” LaDanian Tomlinson was especially putrid, rushing for only 43 yards and facing the wrath of fans who mocked the running back with Darryl Strawberry-esque “L… T…” chants throughout the second half. For the Patriots, most of the postgame praise was given to the offense, which once again looked to be firing on all cylinders. But don’t overlook the play of the defense, which held the high-flying Chargers to just 201 total yards and forced 2 turnovers. Linebacker Adalius Thomas had the highlight play of the night with his 65-yard interception return for a touchdown.