Monday 18 September 2017 20:25, UK
It was another action-packed and busy Sunday in the Sky Sports NFL studios as we brought you another triple-bill of live games complete with amazing touchdowns, record-setting performances and a weather delay!
Here are six storylines that caught my eye in Week Two...
Tom is still terrific
No one in the American media wanted to fully write off Tom Brady, but there was plenty of discussion about his opening weekend performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, one which left a lot to be desired.
There was also talk of Brady now being 40 and of a potential decline in his skills.
Brady put those worries to rest during a 36-20 win over the defenceless New Orleans Saints.
The five-time Super Bowl winner hit on 30 of 39 passes for three touchdowns and his 447 passing yards were the most by a quarterback aged 40 or over in NFL history.
In shredding the New Orleans defence with surgeon-like precision, Brady reminded us that one game does not a season make.
That said, there were worrying signs for a Patriots team already without receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola to injury, as fellow wideouts Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett, as well as star tight end Rob Gronkowski, were all left limping at the end of the contest.
Beastly Baltimore
The Wembley-bound Baltimore Ravens are playing historically great in opening the season with wins over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week One and bettering the Cleveland Browns 24-10 on Sunday night.
In two games, the Ravens have forced 10 turnovers - that is the most in a two-game span in franchise history, which is impressive when you consider that this is a club that has long been built on defence.
Joe Flacco, his running game and Jeremy Maclin do just enough on offence, but make no mistake - the power of this team is on the defensive side of the ball.
It could be a tough outing for Blake Bortles and the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday afternoon.
Balanced Broncos look a complete team
One of the more impressive performances of Sunday evening came in Denver, where a 62-minute delay due to thunderstorms did little to slow the hometown Broncos as they romped to a 42-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Balance was a key to the Broncos on both sides of the ball. On defence, they ranked first in the NFL a year ago against the pass, but 28th against the run. On Sunday, they got production against the run and the pass, holding Ezekiel Elliott to a career-low eight yards on nine carries and intercepting Dak Prescott twice when he came in with just four picks in his entire career.
On offence, there was more balance as Trevor Siemian threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns, while C.J. Anderson rushed 25 times for 118 yards and a score. If they can produce like that on a consistent basis, Denver are going to surprise some teams in 2017 and have to be taken seriously.
Jacksonville's false dawn
The Jags were the talk of the NFL after recording 10 sacks in a season-opening win at Houston. But they were found wanting at home on Sunday as they were hammered 37-16 by the Tennessee Titans.
The Jags have plenty to fix as they head to London. Quarterback Blake Bortles ended the afternoon with 223 yards passing and a touchdown, but don't be fooled into thinking that was a respectable day at the office.
Bortles was 11 of 25 for 89 yards in the first three quarters and once the Titans were out of sight, he hit on all nine of his remaining passes for 134 yards and a score, proving that numbers alone can be deceptive.
As for the Titans, this kind of complete and dominant display never appears to be too far from their reach. But doing it on a consistent basis has been a problem in recent years.
Chiefs in the hunt
The Kansas City Chiefs are proving to be one of the more entertaining and successful teams in this young season. After an opening night demolition of the Patriots, Andy Reid's men held on for a hard-fought 27-20 victory over an improved Philadelphia Eagles squad.
Alex Smith continues to play very efficiently, hitting on 21 of 28 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown strike to tight end Travis Kelce, who leapt over defenders and flew a full five yards through the air to score.
And rookie third-rounder Kareem Hunt remains one of the players to watch in 2017. He added 109 yards from scrimmage, scoring on runs of 53 and two yards. The AFC West is going to be quite the battle in 2017 with the Chiefs, Broncos and the Oakland Raiders already off to 2-0 starts.
What Super Bowl hangover?
Credit for the Atlanta Falcons for how they have come out of the blocks in 2017, following up a narrow road win in Chicago with a 34-23 victory over the Green Bay Packers in their shiny new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Falcons are unlikely to hit the heady offensive heights of 2016, but they are clearly still going to be a force to be reckoned with as Matt Ryan works on offence with running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, as well as star receivers Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu. And Atlanta's defence is better this term under excellent head coach Dan Quinn.
As for the Packers, they just had too many injuries to overcome on Sunday night. They went into the big game without both offensive tackles in Bryan Bulaga and David Bakhtiari and then lost key men on both sides of the ball in wide receiver Jordy Nelson and defensive lineman Mike Daniels. Sometimes, you have to take your medicine and fight back on another day. And make no mistake, these Packers will still be in the mix during the end-of-season playoffs.
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