Football 301 Playbook: Can these surprising 2-0 NFL teams sustain their success?

Nine NFL teams are 2-0 as we enter Week 3. A mix of favorites (Chiefs, Bills), returning division winners (Buccaneers) and trendy preseason picks (Texans) have stormed and clawed their way to grabbing that coveted 2-0 playoff graphic on Sunday.

I wanted to take a look at five of the other 2-0 teams. From everything feeling weirdly right in Pittsburgh to the Seahawks’ new play-callers revamping both sides of the ball, and whether these teams’ trajectory through two weeks is sustainable for the near term.

All data and statistics from Next Gen Stats unless otherwise noted.

What’s going right?

This defense is HITTING. From the stars like T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick, to grizzled veteran Cam Heyward, to second-year player Keeanu Benton, to new additions like Donte Jackson, everyone seems to be taking turns at impacting any given play.

This defense is looking like a strong unit because of its physicality, speed and ability to rush the passer, especially Watt, who still is at the top of his game and getting the respect as a game-wrecker who can take over if not properly accounted for. In Week 1, the Falcons ran the ball 12 times (two-thirds of their total rush attempts) to the outside left, i.e. opposite of Watt’s typical alignment on the offense’s right, and finished with 55 yards and a 50% success rate on those runs. They ran the ball three times to the outside right and gained a scorching 2 total yards on those excursions.

The offensive line seems to have really found themselves in Week 2, with rookie first-round selection Troy Fautanu starting at right tackle (the plan was to rotate with 2023 first-round selection Broderick Jones, but Jones was penalized several times during his stint at the beginning of the second quarter and was swapped for Fautanu for the rest of the game). Rookie center Zach Frazier is already playing like one of the best centers in the NFL. He has a calming presence on the rest of the offensive line and quarterback Justin Fields with his…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/football-301-playbook-can-these-surprising-2-0-nfl-teams-sustain-their-success-130049313.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-19 14:00:03

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.