Dan Sanford

Sports Editor

das6267@psu.edu

Week 2 has come and gone in the 2021 NFL season. Clutch performances, disappointments, blowouts, and close games were all had, but a few stood out among the rest. Washington, the Raiders, 49ers, Browns, Broncos, Panthers, Rams, Bills, Patriots, Bears, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Titans, Cowboys, Ravens, and Packers won their games this past week.

Perhaps the most exciting affair involved the Baltimore Ravens, who defeated the Kansas City Chiefs by a final score of 36-35. Although the Chiefs led 35-24 at the end of the third quarter, the Ravens scored 12 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Kansas City was finally gaining traction on a last minute bid to regain the lead, but Baltimore forced a fumble from Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire with 80 seconds remaining in the game. The Ravens recovered the ball from Edwards-Helaire’s first career fumble, and sealed the game.

Patrick Mahomes was brilliant once again, throwing for 24 completions in 31 throws and totaling 343 yards and three touchdowns Sunday. This was marred, however, by a careless interception thrown near the end of the third quarter as he was being sacked by the Ravens’ defense. Mahomes described it as “one of the worst interceptions I’ve probably ever had,” despite his excellent performance otherwise. His intended receiver on that play, Travis Kelce, also had a great day. With 7 receptions, he had a 109-yard day for the Chiefs. On defense, Anthony Hitchens, Nick Bolton, and Daniel Sorensen registered seven or more tackles. Sorensen additionally landed a sack on Lamar Jackson, and Tyrann Mathieu caught two interceptions from Jackson.

As is common with Lamar Jackson’s style of play, he contributed 107 yards on the rush as well as 239 more when passing; he completed 18 of 26 throws. He also scored a total of three of the Ravens’ touchdowns. Alongside him on the rush was Ty’Son Williams with 77 yards on the day. Sammy Watkins, Mark Andrews, and Marquise Brown led the receiving corps; Brown had an especially strong game, recording 113 yards on 6 catches. Patrick Queen led the defense with nine tackles that game, and Tavon Young was the recipient of Mahomes’ lone interception.

The Tennessee Titans’ bout with the Seattle Seahawks also had an exciting end. The Titans scored the equalizing touchdown with minutes to go in the game, and the game was tied at 30. The Seahawks’ last drive stalled, and the game was forced to go to overtime. Although both teams had chances in overtime, the game nearly ended in the Titans’ favor when Russell Wilson was forced to get rid of the football on the verge of being sacked by the Titans’ pass rush. Wilson was close to the end zone when he went down, and some could think the play constituted intentional grounding from Wilson. This would have resulted in a game-winning safety for the Titans. Instead, the call was that Wilson was down at his own one-yard-line. The Titans would win the game anyway with a field goal on their ensuing drive.

Both quarterbacks recorded stellar yardage numbers, each nearing 350 when passing. Derrick Henry once again was a dominant running force, showing his MVP-caliber skill with 182 rushing yards and recording all three of the Titans’ touchdowns. Julio Jones had a game reminiscent of his better days with the Atlanta Falcons, registering 128 yards in only six catches. For the Seahawks, Tyler Lockett carried the receiving corps with 178 yards from eight catches, though Freddie Swain also created a notable impact with 95 yards from five receptions. The Seahawks struggled to run the football on Sunday, and combined for 77 yards on 18 carries. This number is inflated by three rushes from Wilson and a single 25-yard run from Alex Collins. On defense, Bobby Wagner registered an impressive 16 tackles in addition to a sack on Ryan Tannehill that afternoon. 

Both of these bouts were among the most exciting of the NFL’s second week, and may end up becoming some of the best of the season.. In week three, fans are bound to gain some perspective on the direction that their team will be headed in. With the season fully underway, spectators are surely in for more great action in the weeks ahead.