The Packers are a service academy, the Cowboys are a fraud and 12 things we learned in the NFL's Week 2

Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season gave us another classic Cincinnati Bengals - Kansas City Chiefs tilt. It also gave us the Green Bay Packers cosplaying as the Naval Academy, just without the flashiness of the triple option.

The second Sunday of the year delivered some of the upsets we'd been missing in a chalky Week 1. The Las Vegas Raiders woke up after a sleepy debut to drop the Baltimore Ravens to 0-2. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a banged-up squad north to Michigan and held on to beat the Detroit Lions. But the most shocking result either stemmed from the Dallas Cowboys' absolute inability to stop the New Orleans Saints or Sam Darnold's proficiency to make his Minnesota Vikings 2-0 against the reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers over the last 365 days.

Let's talk about those last two points -- and 10 others -- with our partial Week 2 recap.

1. The Packers' Jordan Love contingency plan is to grind you into dust

Through the first quarter of Week 2, Green Bay led the visiting Indianapolis Colts 10-0 thanks to two long scoring drives. Malik Willis, the focus of the Packers offense with Love injured, turned out to not be the nexus. He'd thrown just two passes at that point.

The Green Bay ground attack, however, gave him plenty of room to operate when he did throw.

The Packers, aware of their newfound limitations at quarterback with a backup who'd yet to find the end zone in two-plus seasons as a pro, made Willis' lift as light as possible. Most of his day was spent handing off to Josh Jacobs or throwing backward passes and end-arounds to his wideouts to sprint to the sideline. In the game's first 15 minutes, Willis had thrown two official passes. Green Bay had run 22 total offensive plays.

Jacobs, the high profile free agent signing who started slowly in Week 1's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, had more than 100 rushing yards before the halfway point of the second quarter. Green Bay ran 67 plays on the afternoon; only 14 ended with Willis throwing the ball. In fairness, those 14 passes worked out very well, with Willis good for 0.41 expected points added (EPA) each dropback. Of course, he got some help from the Packers' rising young receiving corps.

The Colts are not a great arbiter of whether this can be a regular winning strategy for Green Bay while Jordan Love is out. They've allowed a single running back to chalk up at least 150 yards every game this season, which is only two but still not a great sign. But the Packers' defense rose up and its offense killed more than 40 minutes of game time to help that unit come together. It has yet to be seen whether Willis can keep Green Bay airworthy while its QB1 rehabilitates, but Week 2 was a sign head coach Matt LaFleur has a solid plan to get by.

2. Aidan Hutchinson is demanding Defensive Player of the Year consideration

Aidan Hutchinson had 21 sacks in his first two seasons in the league, which is very good. He had 4.5 in four quarters Sunday, which is remarkable.

He's been every bit the monster Detroit hoped he could be, and then some. Hutchinson's constant presence in the pocket forced Baker Mayfield into a -7.9 completion percentage over expected (CPOE), creating the rushed throws that kept a sputtering offense in this game.

It wasn't enough, thanks in part to an extended series of Jared Goff brain farts, but it sent a message to the rest of the NFC. Game planning against the Lions begins with mitigating the kind of pass rush that can sack your quarterback three times in a quarter.

Elsewhere, Travon Walker -- the pass rusher then Jacksonville Jaguars failed to select with the top overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft -- had two tackles and a quarterback hit against a Cleveland Browns offensive line missing two of its top blockers. He's still a pretty good player. He's just not Aidan Hutchinson.

3. Bryce Young may somehow be worse in 2024

After one half of football, the Los Angeles Chargers led the Carolina Panthers 20-6. This in and of itself wasn't terribly surprising. The Chargers looked better than expected in their season opener while Carolina had shrunk back to 2023 form despite some mild offseason hype involving new head coach Dave Canales.

The surprise was just how inept the Panthers' passing offense looked while doing so.

At the very least, Young's decision to look downfield was a welcome change from the rest of his early play. Through the first two quarters, he'd only attempted three passes that traveled more that two yards downfield. Only one was caught, and that was by Chargers defensive back Elijah Molden.

Things got better in the second half, but only because there was precious little room to get worse. Carolina trailed by 20 points in the second quarter. Despite this, Young didn't attempt a single pass all afternoon that went at least 12 yards downfield. His passer rating on throws over the middle -- a fatal flaw his rookie season -- was 29.7. Spiking the ball seven times would have earned him a 39.6.

Hiring Canales, who'd revived Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith's careers as an assistant coach, was supposed to return Young to franchise quarterback status. Instead, it's leaned in to all the criticism that followed him into 2024; that he can't stretch the field and can't throw over the middle.

That said, he was only sacked twice and hit twice more in 28 dropbacks. So, small miracles, eh?

4. The Cowboys defense is a straight up problem

Here's how the New Orleans Saints' first six drives unfolded vs. the Dallas Cowboys, a game in which they closed as a 6.5-point underdog:

• seven plays, 80 yards, touchdown

• one play, 70 yards, touchdown

• four plays, 70 yards, touchdown

• 11 plays, 70 yards, touchdown

• three plays, 20 yards, touchdown

• 13 plays, 70 yards, touchdown

By halftime -- HALFTIME! -- Dallas trailed 35-16. The Cowboys hadn't produced a single stop. They'd only forced three third downs while giving up 310 yards. Derek Carr had thrown for 222 yards and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. New Orleans' running backs were averaging 6.5 yards per carry. The Saints weren't stopped until an interception with only 12 minutes left in the game.

Even after taking its foot off the gas, New Orleans averaged 0.42 expected points added (EPA) per play in Dallas. Last year's top ranked offense, the San Francisco 49ers, rose significantly above the rest of the NFL and still averaged just 0.179 EPA per play. That meant Carr, an aging Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed were about 250 percent more efficient than last season's best team. The Cowboys' offense, for reference, clocked in at -0.16 EPA/play Sunday.

What's the culprit here? The Saints were able to use unique formations to create space, motioning Carr out wide to free up wildcat snaps or utilizing speedster Shaheed out of the backfield or doing standard Taysom Hill shenanigans. But the bigger concern than gadget plays were the big plays that left the Cowboys looking completely out of sorts. You guys and gals want to see some truly grim tackling angles?

Excluding kneeldowns, opponents have rushed for 286 yards in two games on 55 carries -- a 5.2 yard per carry mark that goes a long way in explaining why the rest of the defense plays like it just dropped a bucket of superballs on a concrete floor. The lack of DaRon Bland in the secondary is part of the puzzle as well, but that unit has been left to play on its heels early in 2024.

There's time to fix this. Week 2's immolation wasn't necessarily a talent deficiency but a strategic one. The Cowboys played sloppy and gave up a stupidly crooked number as a result. Still, it's just one game and the NFC remains wide open.

Fix these problems -- address the tackling issues, keep guys on assignment and basically play less like there's a bushel of Roman candles firing behind you at all times -- and Dallas can get back on track. Which, with Mike McCarthy on the sideline, means a terrible mismanaged playoff appearance.

5. Will Levis remains bottled chaos (derogatory)

When things go well for Tennessee Titans' starting quarterback Levis, it's electricity. He's a man who plays with reckless abandon, launching his body into difficult situations and reacting to adversity with an attitude equal parts "never say die" and "never think things through."

When it's good, it's low-stakes John Elway cosplay or turning his own interception into an (overturned) Titans touchdown run:

When it's bad (/sucks air over teeth, shakes head):

Instead of taking an early 10-point lead, Levis's worst instincts birthed a red zone turnover that had his own coach asking him "what the [expletive]?". While that didn't lead to any New York Jets points, it put the impetus on the young quarterback to go out and fix things. He accomplished this by throwing deep the next next play... into double coverage.

Still, Levis was able to play well enough to keep his team in the game in the second half, which was a welcome turnaround from his Week 1 late-game bedwetting against the Chicago Bears. His 40-yard touchdown strike to Calvin Ridley was more of a Ridley highlight than display of pinpoint accuracy:

Still, the second-year QB stayed composed in the pocket and kept the ball just outside the reach of New York's safety help.

But after tying the game, Tennessee's offense went three-and-out twice with Levis throwing three passes for three yards. He took a sack on third-and-goal in the waning seconds of a 24-17 game and threw his fourth-and-goal pass short of the end zone (where it was dropped by Tyler Boyd).

Levis is in his second season as a pro. He's got a big arm and genuine fearlessness that could be an asset if it were tempered by even an elementary understanding of risk management. But that's not the game Will Levis is playing in 2024. If he can't figure it out by this winter, the Titans may spend the spring looking for his replacement.

6. Marvin Harrison Jr. wouldn't be ignored

In Week 1, Marvin Harrison Jr. broke free for what could have been a game-winning touchdown against the Buffalo Bills. Instead, pressure pushed Kyler Murray to his left and he never had a chance to throw to his rookie wideout.

Harrison was held to one catch and four yards on three targets in his NFL debut. Murray made sure his new teammate wouldn't be stifled in Week 2.

Arizona made its intention to feature the rookie clear from the start. Sunday's showdown with the Los Angeles Rams featured a handful of three-tight end sets that left Harrison Jr. as the only wideout on the field. With Harrison angled away from safety help, he's got plenty of room to operate. Before the Rams knew it, he had four catches for 130 yards and the Cardinals led 24-3 at halftime.

With Harrison Jr. dropped into gear and a dominant run game (6.1 yards per carry from players not named Clayton Tune), Murray responded with the finest game of his career. Three touchdowns, zero turnovers and a perfect passer rating. And, my friends, just look at this nonsense:

That's enormous for the Cardinals, since Week 1's collapse against Buffalo suggested they'd need all the firepower they could get to make a surprise playoff run. But Harrison Jr.'s emergence wasn't the only positive outcome in Week 2. Arizona bullied Matthew Stafford, sacking him five times, hitting him nine more and forcing quick throws that took his average target distance down to 5.9 yards downfield despite a huge deficit. That's down 1.7 yards from his 2023 average (but up slightly from his Week 1 average).

7. Quentin Johnston has begun his revenge tour

Quentin Johnston was the second wide receiver drafted in 2023, ahead of standouts like Zay Flowers, Jordan Addison, Rashee Rice, Tank Dell and, eventually, Puka Nacua. But through one season-plus, his 469 receiving yards ranked 15th among all that year's draftees. If you heard his name brought up in conversation or on talk radio, it was probably with bad intentions.

But Johnston looked good Sunday, and not only because he was playing the Carolina Panthers. His five catches tied a career high. His two touchdowns set another.

That's the kind of get-to-the-ball playmaking that made Johnston a standout at TCU. His separation skills still aren't great -- Jaycee Horn sticks with him through a simple go route -- but he adjusts to cut back to Herbert's inside shoulder throw. This shields Horn from the ball and creates the space needed for six points.

Johnston's second touchdown, uh, wasn't as dramatic.

That's more the kind of awareness we'd expect from the 2024 Carolina Panthers. Still, in a game where Los Angeles rarely had to throw the ball its 2023 Day 1 pick showed up to provide nearly 40 percent of Justin Herbert's passing offense. A good chunk of that output came against a legitimately good corner in Horn, as well. It's a small sample size, but at the very least the second-year wideout has swung a little optimism back to his side.

8. Anthony Richardson isn't there yet

Richardson, at the peak of his potential, can be a younger Josh Allen. But like Allen's early days, he's more promise than production.

Last week, we saw him uncork one of the prettiest deep balls we'll see in 2024, an on the run rainbow that floated roughly 65 yards in the air before landing in Alec Pierce's outstretched arms for a touchdown. His first deep ball of Week 2, however, wasn't as impressive.

Richardson was the high-risk, high-reward variant we'd seen in limited action in his year-plus in the league. 11 of his 34 pass attempts traveled at least 15 yards downfield. When he made the right reads, his Colts moved the ball. But sometimes, Richardson didn't even acknowledge his right reads.

There were moments where Richardson didn't seem to know where Green Bay's coverage was coming from.

Of those 11 deep-ish balls, Richardson threw as many completions to Packers as his own guys -- though the last came on a hail Mary that fell shy of the end zone. This passing game was a mess. But at the same time, his offensive game plan wasn't inspiring.

Richardson's 64 percent success rate as a runner last season was second-best in the NFL to only Allen. Despite playing a team that gave up the third-most rushing yards to quarterbacks in the league last year, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter didn't call a designed QB run until more than midway through the third quarter. Richardson finished the game with 37 rushing yards, but the majority of those came on a 21-yard scamper against a defense locked in prevent mode and happy to give up a modest gain on the ground.

There's obviously a great reason for Cooter to limit his quarterback's liability for big hits on the run. Richardson's rookie season was cut short by a pair of injuries that ended his season at four games. But the utility of Richardson's runs is creating the third-and-manageable situations suggested by that awesome success rate. Instead, the Colts had a bunch of third-and-intermediate/long situations and only converted two of nine.

Figuring out the balance between Richardson's runs and passes will be endemic to Indianapolis' success. Same with parsing out the blind spots and "[expletive] it, I'm throwing deep" instincts that occasionally lead to beauty but too often end in disaster. The second-year quarterback still has the tools to be a franchise cornerstone. That's just not the guy we saw in Green Bay.

9. Sam Darnold can do the dang thing, part II

As we all predicted, the Minnesota Vikings, led by a quarterback on his third team in three years, are 2-0. In two games, Sam Darnold has thrown for four touchdowns, completed 72 percent of his passes, recorded a 111.8 passer rating and, most importantly, led his team to convincing wins over the New York Giants (whatever) and San Francisco 49ers (whoa).

This isn't entirely unusual. Darnold started off the 2021 season with three 300-plus yard performances in four games as the Carolina Panthers roared out to a 3-1 start. In 2022 he lost a quarterback battle to Baker Mayfield. But once Mayfield cemented his place as that season's worst starting quarterback, Darnold stepped into the void with some of the most efficient football of his career to earn a job as Brock Purdy's backup.

Here's how Darnold's 2024 small sample size stacks up to those previous small sample sizes:

Weeks 1 through 4, 2021: 3-1 record, 95.4 passer rating, 0.187 expected points added (EPA) per play, 3.0 completion percentage over expected (CPOE)

Weeks 12 through 17, 2022: 3-2 record, 105.4 rating, 0.240 EPA/play, 7.6 CPOE

Weeks 1 and 2, 2024: 2-0 record, 111.8 rating, 0.21 EPA/play, 8.6 CPOE

This is, arguably, the best Darnold has ever been. While he's doing it with the league's top wideout (or, at least, one of) the supporting cast around him has been lacking. T.J. Hockenson may not be back in the lineup until November. Jordan Addison has only played 28 snaps in the first two games of the season due to injury. While his blocking and run game have been sound, Minnesota's receiving game has gotten limited returns from the non-Justin Jefferson members of the roster.

That unit keeps chugging along because Darnold has been composed in big situations. He's completed 11 of 15 passes on third or fourth down for 106 yards and a touchdown. He's added three more first downs with his legs. In the moments where he'd previously seen ghosts, he's calmly reading through his progressions and putting his playmakers in position to advance the ball and move the chains.

He'll likely cool down as teams build their tape library of his work as a Viking. After all, Joshua Dobbs took over in the Twin Cities and lived up to his status as a borderline astronaut before coming down to earth. Darnold was twice usurped as a starter for mediocre Panthers teams after all.

But his floor is higher than Dobbs's was, and the uneven surface of the NFC North -- the division Minnesota currently leads -- suggests the Vikings playoff chances aren't nearly as far fetched as they seemed this offseason when veteran talent like Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter left town.

10. Bo Nix looks a lot like Denver fans feared

The criticism that stung Nix harshest coming off a brilliant finish at the University of Oregon was a conservative playbook that rarely asked him to throw downfield. The Ducks crushed opponents with screens and playmakers, using their veteran quarterback's accuracy in the short range to wear down defenses with big runs after the catch.

On Sunday, Denver head coach Sean Payton tried to expand his kingdom with a menu of intermediate and deep shots. It led to zero touchdowns.

14 of Nix's 19 completions came within four yards of the line of scrimmage. After that? Five completions on 18 attempts, zero touchdowns and an interception. His passer rating on throws five-plus yards downfield? 32.6

The silver lining is that when these plays worked, they did numbers. Those five completions made up 124 of Nix's 246 passing yards. But a 27 percent completion rate is untenable at any distance, and it wasn't as if he looked great on those short-ish range throws in the first place.

This is not a lasting judgment on Nix. He's two games into his NFL career. But the lack of dynamic downfield success that seemed nitpicky when he was a great Ducks quarterback is now an issue when he's a below average Broncos one. Denver has given him little help in terms of receiving talent, his running backs just averaged 2.6 yards per carry and his offensive line allowed him to get hit or sacked nine times in 37 dropbacks.

Still, this hasn't been the encouraging start for which Payton hoped from his young quarterback. Denver is 0-2 to start the season with those losses coming against teams that looked like borderline playoff contenders during the preseason. Nix has plenty of time to course correct, and in that regard letting him launch deep balls and hoping he'll figure it out isn't the worst strategy. It's just probably not going to lead to many wins in 2024.

11. BEEFQUAKE TOUCHDOWN

I don't have any stoic breakdown of this play or witty commentary. I just like it when big meaty men find the end zone, especially when it's by design.

12. Fantasy team you absolutely didn't want to field in Week 2

• QB: Matthew Stafford (216 passing yards, zero rushing yards, five sacks, 7.94 fantasy points)

• RB: Rachaad White (10 carries, 18 rushing yards, one catch, five yards, 3.3 fantasy points)

• RB: Ezekiel Elliott (six carries, 16 yards, two catches, 16 yards, 5.2 fantasy points)

• WR: Amari Cooper (three catches, 11 yards, 4.1 fantasy points)

• WR: Tyreek Hill (three catches, 24 yards, one carry, 12 yards, 6.6 fantasy points)

• WR: Mike Evans (three catches, 42 yards, 7.2 fantasy points)

• TE: Travis Kelce (one catch, five yards, one rush, one yard, 1.6 fantasy points)

• D/ST: Dallas Cowboys (one sack, one interception, one blocked kick, 44 points allowed, -3.0 fantasy points)

Total: 32.94 points

This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Packers are a service academy, the Cowboys are a fraud and 12 things we learned in the NFL's Week 2