The second day of action of the 2021 NFL regular season was full of great performances in several important positions. Unlike Week 1, the passers as a group were more discreet, but there was no shortage of line-up among the highlights of our weekly list.
Here they are, the best players of Week 2, headed by the MVP of the past Super Bowl:
Serious questions:
After years, and years, and years of predicting that, “Now the inevitable collapse of Tom Brady is coming,” is it possible that it will never come?
Are we going to see him say goodbye to the league without ever suffering a decrease in his level of play?
Brady is playing better than when he already had three Super Bowl rings, and that’s just unheard of. The Bucs quarterback threw five touchown passes to match the four he threw on Game 1, and Tampa Bay clearly outplayed the Atlanta Falcons on Game 2.
Sure, Brady has one of the best passing arsenals in the league, and being supplemented by the best running defense in the NFL will always help.
But with a 24-of-36 outing for 276 yards, all five scoring connections and zero interceptions, it’s hard for any opponent, not just the Falcons, to keep up. Two of the touchdown passes went to his longtime partner Rob Gronkowski, another two to Mike Evans, and the last to Chris Godwin. The possibilities are numerous for Brady, who as a good conductor always knows where to go.
Brady is the main reason the Bucs are one of the favorite teams to win Super Bowl LVI and, for now, we will have to keep waiting for that announced “colpaso.”
Honorable mentions
Kirk Cousins, quarterback, Minnesota Vikings Passers dominated this list last week. This Sunday, we only have two. Cousins completed 22 of 32 passes for 244 yards with three touchdowns, all to a different receiver, and was not intercepted, in addition to adding 35 rushing yards on two carries. It wasn’t enough to prevent the Vikings from stumbling 34-33 against the Arizona Cardinals, but it’s hard to argue that Cousins didn’t put his team in position to win.
Mike Edwards, safety, Buccaneers Almost as valuable as Brady’s effort for the Bucs was backup safety Edwards, who typically only participates in Tampa Bay’s “big nickel” packages as third safety. This day, however, he became close contact with Matt Ryan, intercepting two passes and returning both to the end zone within four minutes, to seal the Buccaneers’ 48-25 victory.
Derrick Henry, running back, Tennessee Titans Yes, you can still win by running in the NFL. Even coming from behind. Henry led the charge for Tennessee – who didn’t get a single touchdown pass on the day from his quarterback – with 35 carries for 182 yards and three touchdowns, including the tie in regulation time to send the game into overtime. In overtime,
Cooper Kupp, wide receiver, Los Angeles Rams The most important goal in the Rams ‘passing game today was nine receptions for 163 yards with two touchdowns in Los Angeles’ 27-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. With this Sunday’s victory on the road, the Rams went 2-0, and they remain with the tag of the team to beat in the NFC, at least in the first half of the season with a passing game deeper than it. shown in recent seasons.
Tyler Lockett, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks I will never fail to be impressed by the deep connections between Russell Wilson and Lockett. In Week 2, the Seattle wide receiver caught eight passes for 178 yards with a touchdown, and was confirmed as the most important man on offense, outside of the quarterback. The Seahawks also benefited from Chris Carson’s two rushing touchdowns on the day, but it was insufficient late in their loss to Tennessee.
Tyrann Mathieu, safety, Kansas City Chiefs It is difficult to think of a better start to the game for a defensive back than two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and another practically in the end zone, but that was precisely the advantage with which the Chiefs began their duel against the Baltimore Ravens, one that unfortunately for them they ended up losing largely thanks to the next name on our list.
Odafe Oweh, linebacker, Baltimore Ravens Welcome to the NFL, rookie. The young Baltimore linebacker had a key performance in the Ravens’ home win over Kansas City, 36-35, with two plays that altered the course of history. First, pressing Mahomes forced a broken pass that culminated in an interception in the second half, a delivery of the ball that was capitalized with a touchdown by Baltimore when it came from behind in the second half. Later, when the Chiefs were driving the ball in search of the winning field goal, Oweh slipped the ball out of the hands of Clyde Edwards-Helaire and it was the same who recovered it, to return possession to Baltimore, which then only remained With the assignment of running out of the clock. It was two high-impact plays that helped pave the way to victory in one of the most exciting games of the day.
Tony Pollard, running back, Dallas Cowboys With 13 carries compared to Ezekiel Elliott’s 16 on the day, Pollard is confirmed to have more and more confidence from coaches, especially in the game situations in which he is used. This afternoon, the Cowboys backup running back accumulated 109 yards through the air with a touchdown, and added 31 more in three receptions, to assist in the first victory of the season for Dallas, 20-17, which found a good line level offense against the Los Angeles Chargers. Pollard is still not that close to Elliott in other aspects of the game, primarily his ability to read charges and block them, where the starter might be the best running back in the league, but Pollard’s explosiveness in finding yards out will continue to beat him. opportunities on offense.
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