Week Two NFL Recaps

Baltimore Ravens 26 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 6 (TNF on CBS)

Joe Flacco completed 21 of 29 passes for 166-yards and two touchdown passes, both of which went to tight end Owen Daniels. On the other side, Ben Roethlisberger’s streak of 30 games with a touchdown pass was snapped against the Ravens. Pittsburgh was held to just a pair of field goals and they turned the ball over three times. Kicker Justin Tucker accounted for 14 of Baltimore’s 26 points.

Buffalo Bills 29 vs. Miami Dolphins 10

Buffalo’s offense was led by running back C.J. Spiller, who racked up 200 all-purpose yards, including a 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. E.J. Manuel completed 16 of 26 passes for 202-yards and a touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Watkins racked up 117-yards on eight receptions. The Bills defense sacked Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill four times and held Miami to a single touchdown.

Washington Redskins 41 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 10

Robert Griffin III left this game in the first quarter with a dislocated ankle. Luckily for the Redskins, Kirk Cousins came in to the game and took charge. Cousins completed 22 of 33 passes for 250-yards and two touchdowns. Running Back Alfred Morris churned out 85-yards on 22 carries and scored twice. Washington’s offense gained a total of 449-yards. The Redskins defense recorded ten sacks of Chad Henne, including four by defensive end Ryan Kerrigan. Jacksonville managed just eight first downs and 148-yards of total offense.

Dallas Cowboys 26 @ Tennessee Titans 10

Tony Romo rebounded from a three-interception performance against the 49ers to defeat the Titans in Tennessee. Romo completed 19 of 29 passes for 179-yards and a touchdown pass to Dez Bryant. Bryant added ten receptions for 103-yards. DeMarco Murray carried 29 times and gained 167 of Dallas’ 220 rushing yards and added a touchdown. Kicker Dan Bailey made all four of his field goal attempts, including a 51-yarder going into halftime.

Arizona Cardinals 25 @ New York Giants 14

With Carson Palmer injured, Drew Stanton made his first NFL start since 2010. Stanton completed 14 of 29 passes for 167-yards, but the running game was what bolstered Arizona’s offense. Andre Ellington rushed for 91-yards on 19 carries while Jonathan Dwyer scored the Cardinals only offensive touchdown. Eli Manning’s two touchdown passes gave the Giants a 14-10 lead, but Arizona scored a string of 15 unanswered points which included a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown by Ted Ginn Jr.

New England Patriots 30 @ Minnesota Vikings 7

The Vikings played their first home game at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium, but the Patriots stole the show. After Matt Cassel gave Minnesota a 7-0 lead on a 25-yard touchdown pass to running back Matt Asiata, New England erupted for 30 unanswered points. Tom Brady completed 15 of 22 passes for 149-yards and a touchdown pass to Julian Edelman. Stevan Ridley rushed for 101-yards on 25 carries and scored once. The Patriots defense registered six sacks and four interceptions. The carnage was complete when the special teams blocked a field goal that Chandler Jones returned for a 58-yard touchdown.

Cleveland Browns 26 vs. New Orleans 24

Brian Hoyer completed 24 of 40 passes for 204-yards and a touchdown pass to Miles Austin. Cleveland increased their lead to 16-3 when safety Tashaun Gipson returned a Drew Brees interception for a 62-yard score. Brees would rebound by throwing a pair of touchdown passes to Jimmy Graham, who made ten catches for 118-yards. Trailing by a point, Cleveland got the ball with 2:46 remaining. Hoyer put together a 14 play, 85-yard drive which ended when Billy Cundiff kicked the game winning 29-yard field goal with three seconds left.

Cincinnati Bengals 24 vs. Atlanta Falcons 10

Cincinnati’s running game was led by Giovani Bernard, who gained 90-yards on 25 carries while scoring a touchdown. Rookie running back Jeremy Hill chipped in 74-yards on 15 carries and scored his first professional touchdown. Andy Dalton completed 15 of 23 passes for 252-yards, which included a 76-yard touchdown pass to Mohamed Sanu. The Bengals defense intercepted Matt Ryan three times and held the Falcons to a single touchdown

Carolina Panthers 24 vs. Detroit Lions 7

Making his first start of the season after sitting out week one with cracked ribs, Cam Newton completed 22 of 34 passes for 281-yards and a touchdown pass to Jason Avant. Running back Jonathan Stewart added a two-yard score and kicker Graham Gano made all three of his field goal attempts. Despite the deactivation of defensive end Greg Hardy, Carolina’s defense racked up four sacks, including two and a half by Mario Addison. Detroit was held to a single touchdown.

St. Louis Rams 19 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17

Despite not having Sam Bradford, Austin Davis flourished against the Buccaneers. Davis completed 22 of 29 passes for 235-yards without an interception. St. Louis’ only touchdown came courtesy of Zac Stacy, who scored from two-yards out to cap off a ten play, 80-yard drive. Josh McCown completed 16 of 21 passes for 179-yards and scored a pair of rushing touchdowns. Bobby Rainey also contributed by gaining 144-yards on 22 carries. However, Davis spoiled Tampa’s efforts with a 12 play, 71-yard drive that resulted in a game winning 38-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein with 38 seconds left.

San Diego Chargers 30 vs. Seattle Seahawks 21

Philip Rivers completed 28 of 37 passes for 284-yards and three touchdown passes. All three scoring strikes went to tight end Antonio Gates, who racked up 96-yards on seven receptions. Russell Wilson completed 17 of 25 passes for 202-yards and a pair of touchdown passes, including one to Marshawn Lynch. Leading by six with time running out, Chargers kicker Nick Novak made a 28-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining to ice the game for San Diego.

Houston Texans 30 @ Oakland Raiders 14

Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 14 of 19 passes for 139-yards and a pair of touchdown passes. One of the touchdowns went to an unlikely receiver, defensive end J.J. Watt. Arian Foster rushed for 138-yards on 28 carries and scored a touchdown. At one point of the game, Houston scored 27 unanswered points. Meanwhile, the Texans defense committed four turnovers, including a pair of interceptions off the arm of Derek Carr.

Green Bay Packers 31 vs. New York Jets 24

Geno Smith threw for a touchdown and ran for one as the Jets jumped out to a 21-3 lead. Aaron Rodgers brought the Packers back by overcoming four sacks to pass for 346-yards and three touchdown passes. Two of the scores went to Randall Cobb and the other went to Jordy Nelson, who caught nine passes for 209-yards. With the score tied at 24 in the third quarter, Rodgers threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Nelson

Denver Broncos 24 vs. Kansas City Chiefs 17

Peyton Manning completed 21 of 26 passes for 242-yards and three scores. Manning’s leading receiver was Emmanuel Sanders, who caught eight passes for 108-yards. Alex Smith completed 26 of 42 passes for 255-yards without an interception. Filling in for an injured Jamaal Charles, Knile Davis gained 79-yards on 22 carries and scored both of Kansas City’s touchdowns.

Chicago Bears 28 @ San Francisco 49ers 20 (SNF on NBC)

Chicago erased a 13-point third quarter deficit to spoil the 49ers first regular season game at Levi’s Stadium. Jay Cutler completed 23 of 34 passes for 176-yards and four touchdown passes, including three to Brandon Marshall. Colin Kaepernick completed 21 of 34 passes for 248-yards and had a touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree. He also threw three interceptions and was sacked four times. San Francisco had one final chance to tie the game on fourth and nine, but from the Bears 17-yard line, Kaepernick’s pass to Crabtree fell incomplete and Chicago hung on for the win.

Philadelphia Eagles 30 @ Indianapolis Colts 27 (MNF on ESPN)

Andrew Luck threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half as Indianapolis built an eleven point lead. But Philadelphia came back to outscore the Colts, 24-10, during the second half. Darren Sproles racked up 203 all-purpose yards and a touchdown run. LeSean McCoy rushed for 79-yards and scored his first touchdown of the season. Nick Foles passed for 331-yards and a touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin. Foles also got Cody Parkey in position for a game winning 36-yard field goal, which he made as time expired.