NFL 2011 Season – Week Two Recap
Several last-minute, game-winning scores highlighted the week two NFL action as Washington, Buffalo, Detroit and Houston unexpectedly joined Green Bay, New England and the N.Y. Jets as the NFL’s remaining undefeated teams.
Here is a recap of all the games:
Detroit 48 – Kansas City 3
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 294 yards and four touchdowns as the Lions (2-0) romped over the Chiefs 48-3 in Detroit. Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson caught two of the TD scores as Detroit set a franchise record for its largest margin of victory. The Chiefs (0-2) also lost running back Jamaal Charles, the NFL’s second leading rusher in 2010, to a left knee injury. Opponents have now outscored Kansas City 89-10 in the first two games of the 2011 season.
Buffalo 38 – Oakland 35
Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with receiver David Nelson on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left to lead Buffalo past the Oakland Raiders 38-35 in what may have been the most exciting game NFL game of week two. After trailing the Raiders 21-3 at halftime, Buffalo rallied as the teams traded the lead five times in the fourth quarter. Bills running back Fred Jackson had 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Bills, who improved to a surprising 2-0 on the young season.
Tennessee 26 – Baltimore 13
Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had 358 passing yards and one touchdown as Tennessee upset Baltimore 26-13. The Titans defense sacked Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco three times and forced three Ravens turnovers, while the Tennessee offense used a controlled passing attack to keep the ball for more than 35 minutes of the game. Each team now has a win and a loss in 2011.
N.Y. Jets 32 – Jacksonville 3
The Jets defense nabbed four interceptions, including two by cornerback Antonio Cromartie, as New York dominated Jacksonville 32-3. Despite 88 yards rushing by running back Maurice Jones-Drew, the Jaguars (1-1) never put together a sustained offensive attack and eventually replaced starting quarterback Luke McCown with rookie Blaine Gabbert. New York quarterback Mark Sanchez tossed touchdown passes to receiver Santonio Holmes and tight end Dustin Keller to help the Jets go to 2-0 for the second time in the last three years under charismatic coach Rex Ryan.
Cleveland 27 – Indianapolis 19
Cleveland power back Peyton Hillis ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns against the Colts defense as Indianapolis fell 27-19 to the Browns. The Colts, who fell to 0-2 for the first time since 1998, were once again without star quarterback Peyton Manning. They did not score a touchdown until backup QB Kerry Collins tossed a scoring pass to tight end Dallas Clark with under a minute left in the game. Cleveland improved to 1-1.
New Orleans 30 – Chicago 13
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns, including a 79-yard bomb to Devery Henderson, as the Saints evened their record at 1-1 with a 30-13 victory over the Bears in New Orleans. The Saints defense harassed Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler, sacking him six times and forcing him to complete just 42 percent of his 45 pass attempts. Bears running back Matt Forte had 117 yards receiving for Chicago (1-1), but it wasn’t enough to offset the Saints offensive output.
Pittsburgh 24 – Seattle 0
Pittsburgh dominated the Seahawks in every facet of the game in a 24-0 shutout win. The Steelers ninth consecutive home opening win helped Pittsburgh erase last week’s big defeat in Baltimore and even their record at 1-1. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 298 yards, and wide receiver Mike Wallace caught eight passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Seattle (0-2) was only able to gain 164 yards total on offense.
Tampa Bay 24 – Minnesota 20
Running back LeGarrette Blount ran for his second touchdown of the day with 31 seconds left in the game to cap Tampa Bay’s rally over the Vikings, 24-20. Despite 120 yards rushing from running back Adrian Peterson, Minnesota (0-2) couldn’t add to its 17-0 halftime lead as the Buccaneers moved to 1-1. The win marked the eighth, fourth quarter or overtime comeback victory for Tampa quarterback Josh Freeman.
Green Bay 30 – Carolina 23
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton set an NFL rookie record for passing yardage in a game with 432 yards, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers (2-0) from topping the Panthers 30-23 and dropping Carolina to 0-2. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns and the Green Bay defense intercepted Newton three times before allowing him to score on a 4-yard-run with under a minute left left to bring Carolina within a touchdown.
Washington 22 – Arizona 21
Washington rallied from an eight point fourth quarter defect to top the Cardinals 22-21 behind 291 yards passing and two touchdowns from quarterback Rex Grossman. The Redskins, who moved to 2-0 on the season, outgained the Cardinals 253-85 in the first half, but only led 10-7 before falling behind 21-13 after Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb hit receiver Larry Fitzgerald with a 73-yard touchdown strike. After pulling within one on an 18-yard Grossman TD pass to Santana Moss late in the fourth quarter, Washington got a 34-yard field goal from Graham Gano with under two minutes left to drop the Cardinals to 1-1.
Dallas 27 – San Francisco 24
Dallas quarterback Tony Romo overcame a fractured rib to pass for 345 yards and lead the Cowboys to a 27-24 overtime win over the 49ers in San Francisco. Romo, who was replaced by backup Jon Kitna earlier in the game, connected with receiver Jesse Holley on a 77-yard pass on the Cowboys’ first play of the extra session. The long gain set up kicker Dan Bailey’s game-winning 19-yard field goal that dropped the 49ers to 1-1. The Cowboys, who evened their record at 1-1, got 143 yards receiving and three touchdowns from wide receiver Miles Austin.
New England 35 – San Diego 21
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw for 423 yards passing and three touchdowns as New England moved to 2-0 with a 35-21 win over the Chargers. The Patriots scored on all of their first-half possessions, while San Diego’s offense made three costly turnovers in Patriots territory as the Chargers fell to 1-1. San Diego receiver Vincent Jackson had 10 receptions for 172 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Charger offense.
Houston 23 – Miami 13
Houston receiver Andre Johnson caught a 23-yard touchdown from quarterback Matt Schaub with 10 minutes left in the game to cement the Texans 23-13 win at Miami. The Dolphins, who fell to 0-2 for the fifth time in six years, committed two turnovers and had a field-goal both blocked and missed. Houston (2-0) played turnover-free football and got 103 rushing yards from second-string running back Ben Tate. The Texans held Miami quarterback Chad Henne to 170 yards passing after he threw for 416 against New England last week.
Denver 24 – Cincinnati 22
Denver used the passing of quarterback Kyle Orton and the running of Willis McGahee to topple Cincinnati and even the record of both teams at 1-1. The Broncos used McGahee’s 101 yards rushing and Orton’s two scoring passes to Eric Decker to overcome 10 injuries, including six to players at starting positions. Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 332 yards passing, including 124 to A.J. Green and 126 yards to Jerome Simpson, but Cincinnati’s potential game-winning drive stalled at its own 43 yard-line with 23 seconds left.
Atlanta 35 – Philadelphia 31
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw four touchdown passes, including two to tight end Tony Gonzalez, to rally Atlanta (1-1) from a 10-point, fourth quarter deficit in a 35-31 victory over the Eagles. Philadelphia finished the game with backup quarterback Mike Kafka playing for star QB Michael Vick, who suffered a concussion late in the third quarter. Falcons running back Michael Turner, who finished with 114 yards rushing, had a 61-yard run to help set up the go-ahead score. Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin finished with 171 yards receiving and two scores, but dropped a pass that ended the potential go-ahead drive for Philadelphia (1-1).
Story filed by Joe Student. Follow Joe on Twitter.