NFL Week 2: Cardinals Shock Patriots, Panthers Surprise Saints

A slate of not quite premiere games saw NFL TV ratings drops across the board for all three of the football networks on Sunday.

Week 2 NFL Ratings

12:00 Fox NFL Sunday (Fox) - 3.4

12:00 The NFL Today (CBS) - 2.6

1:00/4:00 The NFL on Fox, singleheader (Tampa Bay-NY Giants, Minnesota-Indianapolis, Arizona-New England, New Orleans-Carolina, Dallas-Seattle, Washington-St. Louis) - 13.3

1:00 The NFL on CBS, Game 1 (Baltimore-Philadelphia, Houston-Jacksonville, Oakland-Miami, Cleveland-Cincinnati, Kansas City-Buffalo) - 11.6

4:25 The NFL on CBS, Game 2 (NY Jets-Pittsburgh, Tennessee-San Diego) - 14.4

7:00 Football Night in America - 6.4

Week 2 in the NFL belonged to the rookies, the rookie quarterbacks specifically. Five signal callers started Sunday’s games with no prior professional experience before Week 1 and Brandon Weeden’s short-lived baseball career.

Let’s compare and contrast the top two picks for Week 2.

For more Week 2 NFL action visit this storystream, and for more on the Aaron Hernandez injury, go visit Pats Pulpit.

Luck, the first overall draft pick this year out of Stanford, had a solid day, completing 20 of 31 pass attempts for 224 yards and two touchdowns.

Teams in the NFC West were without a couple of their key offensive playmakers in Week 2, although that did not stop the division from going a perfect 4-0. Here is a recap of which players missed time on Sunday afternoon and if any key players were forced to leave the game.

49ers:

In his post-game press conference head coach Mike Shanahan said Orakpo will see Dr. James Andrews, who performed the initial surgery during the offseason.

For more on the Redskins, head over to Hogs Haven and SB Nation DC. Don’t forget to check out SB Nation’s main NFL hub for news and analysis from around the league.

Jackson was benched after drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the first half. On a 3rd-and-1 play, he was tackled just shy of the end zone. After being called short of the goal line, Jackson spiked the football in frustration, drawing the foul. The Rams were backed up 15 yards and had to settle for a 33-yard field goal. Jackson missed the rest of the game.

At the time, the thought was that Jackson had been benched for his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. And while that may have played a role in head coach Jeff Fisher’s decision, it looks like it wasn’t the only factor.

Battle would then go onto chip in his two garbage-time touchdowns in the fourth quarter to inflate San Diego’s victory into the realm of the humiliating.

With the win, the Chargers move to 2-0 for the first time since 2006.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New York Jets on Sunday, in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the 27-10 final would have you believe. The game did manage to get Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin particularly riled up, however. He’s a pretty excitable fellow.

In the fourth quarter, the game seemed effectively put to bed, which prompted Tomlin to celebrate in a particularly vocal fashion:

Rams starting running back Steven Jackson was benched after receiving an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the first half. Jackson was stopped just short of the goal line and spiked the ball out of frustration, drawing the foul.

Fantasy Studs/Duds

An overall mediocre offensive game kept their from being any fantasy standouts, but Roethlisberger came the closest, with Mike Wallace’s 74 yards and a TD behind him.

Pittsburgh managed to cover the 6.5 pt spread with their 17 point victory, while the under of 40+ from all outlets was the way to go.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for further updates on the injuries. For more on the Redskins, be sure to visit Hogs Heaven and SB Nation DC.

This may end up being one of the pivotal plays of the game, as Redman has just run in for a touchdown in a score that looks to be the nail in New York’s coffin.

Lynch ran for over 100 yards in the second half after a slow start, recovering from an uninspiring performance in the Seahawks’ opener. Wilson, meanwhile, was 15-of-20 for 151 yards and a touchdown for Seattle (1-1). Most importantly, he made good decisions with the football, which was a big improvement after turning the ball over twice in Week 1.

Fantasy Studs and Duds

Jackson was benched after receiving an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. On a 3rd-and-1, he was stopped inches shy of the end zone. After being called short of the goal line, Jackson spiked the football in frustration and drew the penalty. The Rams were backed up 15 yards and forced to settle for a 33-yard field goal.

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In a hit that looks like it came straight out of a drivers ed movie, Lee was laid out with the hit of the day.

Mike Pereira is not amused

Gibson went down the field on a go route. Bradford connected with him on a perfect throw to put the Rams on top.

Flacco said that the replacements were “affecting the integrity of the game,” as reported by NFL.com. The Ravens’ quarterback even pointed out one of the highlight moments from the officials in his game against the Ravens.

He didn’t even throw a flag, he threw a blue beanie.

Y’all know what sound the real Big Ben makes, right? DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG

The happiness! The elation! The unbridled glee! Thanks, Chuck Norris!

For more on the Redskins, head over to Hogs Haven and SB Nation DC. For perspective on the Rams, visit Turf Show Times and SB Nation St. Louis. Don’t forget to check out SB Nation’s main NFL hub for news and analysis from around the league.

Should RG3 have picked up on Finnegan lurking? Sure. Should have he tried an off-balance pass while lunging away from the defender? No way, no how. However, if you’re a Skins fan looking for solace, you can at least see that the QB was a victim of over-confidence, not of being clueless.

The Redskins currently lead, 21-16, at halftime.