• The Saints' offense dominates Dallas: The New Orleans Saints dismantled the Dallas Cowboys, 44-19, with Alvin Kamara scoring four touchdowns.
• The Raiders shock the Ravens: The Raiders leaned on their stars to defeat the Ravens, 26-23.
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Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
We’re now two weeks into the 2024 NFL season and learning more each week. We’ll go through the important data points from the weekend's action and dissect what went right, or what went wrong.
Buffalo Bills 31, Miami Dolphins 10
Why the Bills won: The Bills reinforced their desire to run the ball more, and they did it with great success. James Cook stole the show, rushing for 78 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries while earning an 85.7 PFF rushing grade. Buffalo leaned into gap-scheme rushes, attacking the Dolphins up the middle, which allowed Cook to break off a 49-yard rush.
Highest-Graded Running Backs | 2024 NFL Season
Why the Dolphins lost: The Dolphins' usually rhythmic and on-time passing game never quite clicked, even before Tua Tagovailoa’s exit in the third quarter. Tagovailoa was held to just 5.8 yards per attempt, his lowest in the regular season since a Week 9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last season, and threw three interceptions. His 42.2 PFF passing grade was emblematic of his struggles on top of two turnover-worthy plays in the game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, Detroit Lions 16
Why the Buccaneers won: The Baker Mayfield and Chris Godwin connection was wholly on time for the second straight week. Godwin caught seven of his eight targets for 117 yards and a touchdown and effectively moved the chains, with five of his catches resulting in first downs. Godwin leads all receivers in PFF receiving grade through two weeks (91.1).
Why the Lions lost: The Lions nearly doubled the Buccaneers' number of offensive plays (83-47) and naturally racked up offensive yards, but they couldn’t make their opportunities count. Jared Goff threw two interceptions, while the offense scored just one touchdown on seven red-zone trips. The usually effective offense was highly inefficient when it mattered most.
Green Bay Packers 16, Indianapolis Colts 10
Why the Packers won: The Packers leaned into the ground game without Jordan Love under center and churned up the Colts. Josh Jacobs recorded 32 carries for 151 yards, and Green Bay recorded well over 200 rushing yards as a team. The Packers averaged just -0.172 expected points added per rush, but they ripped off 10 explosive runs and tallied 158 yards on those explosive runs.
Why the Colts lost: Anthony Richardson struggled in his second start of the season, going 17-of-34 for 204 yards while throwing three interceptions and earning a 45.6 PFF passing grade. He wasn’t helped by three drops from his receivers, but the Packers' defense stifled the passing game and those mistakes cost the Colts in a tight game.
Las Vegas Raiders 26, Baltimore Ravens 23
Why the Raiders won: The Raiders deserved their victory, and it stemmed from Minshew’s ability to get the ball to his best targets. Davante Adams and Brock Bowers combined for 18 catches, 208 yards and a touchdown, as well as 10 first-down receptions. Bowers, the rookie tight end, earned an 84.6 PFF receiving grade and flashed his ability after the catch, racking up 46 yards.
Why the Ravens lost: Mistakes cost the Ravens, who surprisingly fell to 0-2. Baltimore committed 11 penalties, costing them 109 yards, and struggled to convert on third down, doing so on just three of their 11 opportunities.
Los Angeles Chargers 26, Carolina Panthers 3
Why the Chargers won: The rushing revolution continues under Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles. The Chargers carved up the Panthers' defense on the ground, rushing for 219 yards on 44 attempts and averaging 5.0 per carry as a team. J.K. Dobbins continued his excellent start to the season, too, leading the team with 131 yards and a 64.5 PFF rushing grade.
Why the Panthers lost: 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young continues to look lost. He completed 69.2% of his pass attempts but averaged just 3.2 yards per attempt and earned a 39.4 PFF passing grade. Young just isn’t seeing the field in the way the Panthers would hope, and he attempted zero passes of 20-plus air yards and just three passes between 10-19 air yards.
Washington Commanders 21, New York Giants 18
Why the Commanders won: The Commanders tacked on 425 offensive yards, but their win came down to the performance of their kicker, Austin Seibert. Seibert knocked down all seven of his field goal attempts, earning a 74.2 field goal grade. Four of his kicks were from short range, but Seibert still had to be on the money when it mattered most.
Why the Giants lost: The Giants were gashed in the run game by the Commanders, with Washington racking up 215 yards at 6.1 yards per attempt. Running back Brian Robinson took 17 carries for 133 yards and earned a 70.5 PFF rushing grade.
Cleveland Browns 18, Jacksonville Jaguars 13
Why the Browns won: The Browns' pass rush was electric against the Jaguars, generating 17 pressures and sacking Trevor Lawrence four times. Myles Garrett earned an 89.8 PFF pass-rush grade while adding three pressures and a strip-sack midway through the third quarter.
Highest-Graded Pass-Rushers | 2024 NFL Season
Why the Jaguars lost: The Jaguars' passing game didn’t fully function, as Trevor Lawrence completed 46.7% of his passes for 220 yards. Three drops contributed to a lackluster offensive day, as did a poor red-zone performance, where the offense finished 1-for-4.
Seattle Seahawks 23, New England Patriots 20
Why the Seahawks won: The Seahawks' passing game was at full capacity in the win over New England. Geno Smith completed 33 of his 44 pass attempts for 327 yards and a touchdown while accessing all levels of the field and earning an 83.1 PFF overall grade. Smith was positively dialed in against the consistent Patriots blitz, too, completing 17 of his 21 attempts for 203 yards and a touchdown while earning an 85.1 PFF overall grade.
Why the Patriots lost: The defense struggled to contain the Seahawks' passing game and allowed six explosive passes. Those throws accounted for 146 yards, with D.K. Metcalf capitalizing and catching a 56-yard touchdown.
New Orleans Saints 44, Dallas Cowboys 19
Why the Saints won: The Saints' offense continues to look efficient and explosive. Derek Carr attempted only 16 passes but threw two touchdown passes, earning a 91.0 PFF overall grade and averaging 15.2 yards per attempt. It was running back Alvin Kamara who stole the show, though, carrying the ball 20 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns — and catching a fourth.
Why the Cowboys lost: The Cowboys were playing from behind early and had to chase the game. The team's 34.9 run-defense grade represented what we saw on the field, as the defense missed six tackles in the run game and their average depth of tackle was 5.13 yards — two yards more than the Saints' defense.
New York Jets 24, Tennessee Titans 17
Why the Jets won: The new-look Jets offensive line was excellent against the Titans' stout defensive front in pass protection. The starting unit played 100% of the team’s offensive snaps and allowed just one pressure, and Alijah Vera-Tucker, Morgan Moses and John Simpson all earned 80.0-plus pass-blocking grades.
Why the Titans lost: The Titans are 0-2 after losing another one-score game, and turnovers killed the team once again in big spots. Will Levis’ unwillingness to give up on a play is admirable, but a lost fumble in the red zone, while the Titans led 7-0, was costly, as was a later interception. His 65.9 PFF overall grade is acceptable, but the Titans could be 2-0 if not for self-sabotage.
Minnesota Vikings 23, San Francisco 49ers 17
Why the Vikings won: The Vikings created big plays off play action in Week 2. Sam Darnold completed four of his seven pass attempts out of play action for 138 yards and two touchdowns. A chunk of those yards came on a 97-yard Justin Jefferson touchdown, but the Vikings knew when to show their hand. Darnold earned an 89.4 PFF passing grade on play-action dropbacks, with all four completions resulting in first downs.
Why the 49ers lost: The 49ers struggled to hold off an excellent Vikings defense that racked up 24 pressures in the game. Right tackle Colton McKivitz allowed a team-high five pressures on true pass sets and earned a 59.8 PFF pass-blocking grade, while right guard Dominick Puni earned a 55.3 pass-blocking grade.
Arizona Cardinals 41, Los Angeles Rams 10
Why the Cardinals won: The Cardinals' offense was humming from the first whistle, and quarterback Kyler Murray was electric. Murray earned a 96.9 PFF overall grade while going 17-of-21 passing for 266 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 59 rushing yards. The Cardinals quarterback was excellent on 10-plus-yard throws, completing seven of his nine attempts for 192 yards and three touchdowns.
Why the Rams lost: The Rams had avenues back into the game, but the offensive line isn’t operating at a functional level right now. Matthew Stafford was sacked five times and was pressured on 34.4% of his dropbacks, earning a 33.8 PFF grade when pressured. The injuries are mounting up for Los Angeles, too, with Cooper Kupp now set to miss time.
Kansas City Chiefs 26, Cincinnati Bengals 25
Why the Chiefs won: This wasn’t Patrick Mahomes‘ best game, as he earned just a 58.7 PFF overall grade, but the Chiefs' offensive line kept him virtually clean all game. The unit allowed just six total pressures, and Mahomes was kept clean on 75% of his dropbacks. Kansas City dominated on the ground, too, racking up 149 rushing yards.
Why the Bengals lost: The Bengals were up to the task of taking on the Chiefs, but it wasn’t to be. A lack of efficiency on the ground meant that a struggling passing offense without Tee Higgins had to shoulder even more of the load. The Bengals' offense averaged just 3.4 yards per carry on the ground, and starting running back Zack Moss averaged 2.8 yards per carry while earning a 58.6 PFF rushing grade.
Pittsburgh Steelers 13, Denver Broncos 6
Why the Steelers won: The Steelers' defense led the charge again, racking up 20 quarterback pressures, including two sacks. Defensive stars T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Alex Highsmith combined for 13 total pressures and made life hell for Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.
Why the Broncos lost: The Denver offense remains a work in progress. Nix was more willing to push the ball downfield but still earned a 47.8 PFF passing grade after throwing two interceptions. He was also pressured on 43.6% of his dropbacks.
Houston Texans 19, Chicago Bears 13
Why the Texans won: C.J. Stroud’s connection with Nico Collins is blossoming into one of the best in the NFL. Collins caught eight of his 10 targets on Sunday Night Football for 135 yards and a touchdown, earning an 88.1 PFF receiving grade. He also hauled in five of a possible six targets on passes of 10-plus yards.
Why the Bears lost: Growing pains are evident for Caleb Williams, who threw two interceptions and had another turnover-worthy play. The No. 1 pick averaged just 4.7 yards per passing attempt but wasn’t afforded much help up front, as he was pressured on 42.6% of his dropbacks.
Atlanta Falcons 22, Philadelphia Eagles 21
Why the Falcons won: We saw a much more clinical version of Kirk Cousins compared to his Week 1 performance, as the Falcons quarterback rebounded with a 74.7 PFF passing grade while going 20-of-29 passing for 242 yards and two touchdowns and navigating a game-winning drive. Cousins was pressured on 45.2% of his dropbacks but was calm and collected, earning a 69.4 PFF passing grade when pressured.
Why the Eagles lost: The Eagles’ passing game was already affected by the loss of A.J. Brown, who could miss a few weeks due to injury, and yards were hard to come by for quarterback Jalen Hurts, who averaged just 6.1 yards per attempt. Hurts’ 67.1 PFF passing grade was considerably better than his 33.3 PFF grade in Week 1, but a third interception in two weeks, and a drop by Saquon Barkley late in the game, hurt the Eagles' momentum.
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