The Sportsletter - Best of Week 2 ✌️

BY JEFF YODER

SEPT. 18, 2023 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Welcome Back 👋

We don’t make Super Bowl picks in September, but the Dolphins and Cowboys look pretty dynamic after two weeks. It’s a 17-game season, so we'll give it time. Plus, MLB teams are celebrating playoff bids and much more from a fun sports weekend.

Letter Rip!

NFL

Week 2: Tua & Oh!

Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images

Dolphins, Cowboys & Some Surprise Teams Off to Blistering 2-0 Starts

If you had questions after Week 1 season-opening performances, Week 2 may have provided answers. Yes, the Cowboys defense is that good. Yes, the Dolphins offense is that explosive. And yes, the Bengals are in trouble. Week 2 saw some teams begin to shake the rust off, but two more games tonight will help us answer some more questions (see below). For the moment, eight teams are 2-0 and eight teams are 0-2. It’s a long season, but not long enough to waste time with a slow start. Here’s our recap of Week 2 and the top performances from Sunday.

Week 2 Recap

Dolphins Start Tua-&-Oh: After hanging on to beat the Patriots on Sunday Night Football (24-17), Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins are the only undefeated team in the AFC East. Miami has put up 70 points combined in two straight road wins to start the season.

Undefeated NFC East: After all four NFC East teams won in Week 2 (Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, Commanders), the division is now 6-0 in inter-divisional play and 7-1 including Cowboys-Giants divisional Week 1 matchup. Dallas beat the Jets in a blowout (30-10), and the Cowboys have now outscored opponents by a margin of 70-10 through two games.

Bills Bounce Back: After a struggling Week 1 for the Bills on MNF, Buffalo and Josh Allen bounced back with a 38-10 rout against the Raiders. Josh Allen (31/37, 274 yards, 3 TDs) looked like his usual self.

Bijan is a Problem: The Falcons gave rookie RB Bijan Robinson 23 touches and he racked up the second-most yards (172) of any ballcarrier in Week 2. The Falcons (2-0) beat the Packers (25-24), and Atlanta seems to have a surprisingly good offense.

Hail Mary Finish: Russell Wilson and the Broncos completed a wild Hail Mary in the final seconds against the Commanders, but they didn’t get the 2-point conversion to force overtime (35-33). Washington, behind QB Sam Howell and new OC Eric Bienemy, are 2-0. The Broncos and new HC Sean Payton are 0-2.

Week 2 Top Performers

Quarterbacks

K. Cousins (MIN): 31/44, 364 yards, 4 TDs

R. Wilson (DEN): 18/32, 364 total yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT

G. Smith (SEA): 32/41, 348 total yards, 2 TDs

J. Allen (BUF): 31/37, 281 total yards, 3 TDs

L. Jackson (BAL): 24/33, 291 total yards, 2 TDs

Running Backs

D. Swift (PHI): 31 touches, 181 yards, 1 TD

B. Robinson (ATL): 23 touches, 172 yards

J. Cook (BUF): 21 touches, 159 yards

C. McCaffrey (SF): 23 touches, 135 yards, 1 TD

R. Mostert (MIA): 19 touches, 127 yards, 2 TDs

S. Barkley (NYG): 23 touches, 92 yards, 2 TDs

K. Williams (LAR): 20 touches, 100 yards, 2 TDs

Pass-Catchers

K. Allen (LAC): 8 catches, 111 yards, 2 TDs

T. Higgins (CIN): 8 catches, 89 yards, 2 TDs

M. Evans (TB): 6 catches, 171 yards, 1 TD

J. Jefferson (MIN): 11 catches, 159 yards

P. Nacua (LAR): 15 catches, 147 yards

C. Lamb (DAL): 11 catches, 143 yards

Week 2 Scoreboard & Highlights

Eagles def. Vikings (34-28)

Falcons def. Packers (25-24)

Bills def. Raiders (38-10)

Ravens def. Bengals (27-24)

Seahawks def. Lions (37-31, OT)

Titans def. Chargers (27-24, OT)

Buccaneers def. Bears (27-17)

Chiefs def. Jaguars (17-9)

Colts def. Texans (31-20)

49ers def. Rams (30-23)

Giants def. Cardinals (31-28)

Cowboys def. Jets (30-10)

Commanders def. Broncos (35-33)

Dolphins def. Patriots (24-17)

Early Winners & Losers

8 Undefeated (2-0): 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Commanders, Ravens, Buccaneers, Falcons, Dolphins

8 Winless (0-2): Vikings, Broncos, Cardinals, Texans, Bears, Chargers, Bengals, Patriots

*Not Including MNF Games TBD

Monday Night Football

Saints at Panthers (7:15 pm ET)

Browns at Steelers (8:15 pm ET)

USA Today: 32 Things We Learned in Week 2

ESPN: Giants’ 21-Point Comeback Marred by Saquon Barkley Ankle Injury

B/R: Fans Question Refs on Broncos’ Failed 2-Point Following Hail Mary

Yahoo! Sports: Colts Win After QB Anthony Richardson Knocked Out With Concussion

CFB

New Poll, New Heights

Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images

Top 9 Teams Remain the Same in New CFB Poll, But Texas Reaches Highest-Ranking Since 2009

In a week void of top-10 upsets, it was another show from Prime Time in Colorado that took over college football. The Buffaloes survived in-state rival Colorado State in a double-overtime thriller (43-35, 2OT), but they actually fell one spot in the rankings. Oregon thrashed Hawaii and put up 55 points to move into the top-10 ahead of Alabama. Meanwhile, Texas and Florida State flipped spots at 3-4 after the Seminoles narrowly escaped Boston College. Un-ranked Florida also makes a reappearance in the top-25 after an upset of #11 Tennessee. Week 3 had a few fun matchups, but the biggest game in the September schedule is coming this Saturday when #6 Ohio State visits #9 Notre Dame (7:00 pm ET).

Week 3 Notable Highlights

#1 Georgia def. South Carolina (24-14)

#3 Florida State def. Boston College (31-29)

Florida def. #11 Tennessee (29-16)

#18 Colorado def. Colorado State (43-25, 2OT)

New AP Top-25

1. Georgia (3-0) | —

2. Michigan (3-0) | —

3. Texas (3-0) | ↑1

4. Florida State (3-0) | ↓1

5. USC (3-0) | —

6. Ohio State (3-0) | —

7. Penn State (3-0) | —

8. Washington (3-0) | —

9. Notre Dame (4-0) | —

10. Oregon (3-0) | ↑3

Yahoo! Sports: No. 3 Texas Highest Ranking Since 2009, Alabama Drops Out of Top-10 for First Time Since 2015

MLB

Clinch Season: Postseason O's

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Orioles & Rays Both Clinch After Facing Each Other in Weekend Series; Dodgers Clinch NL West

The top two AL East teams both clinched postseason berths on Sunday in the middle of a game at Camden Yards, but the finish was still mesmerizing. The Rangers’ loss on Sunday made it official for both Baltimore and Tampa Bay prior to the Orioles’ win (5-4, 11 innings). And while the division title is still up for grabs, they’ll join the Braves and Dodgers as the first four teams with playoff tickets in hand. Both the O’s and Rays won two games apiece as they split a four-game series that did little to decide the division. Baltimore still holds a two-game lead with a dozen to play. We’ll likely have to wait until next weekend before seeing another team clinch, but we’ll break down playoff scenarios as the week continues. For now, it's the Orioles' first trip to the postseason since 2016.

Watch: Orioles Beat Rays (5-4) on Night When Both Clinch Playoffs

Clinched Playoffs

Braves (96-53)*

Dodgers (91-57)*

Orioles (93-56)

Rays (92-59)

*Clinched Division

MLB Quick-Hitters

Dodgers Clinch West Again: For the 10th time in 11 years, the Dodgers are kings of the NL West. Los Angeles clinched the division on Saturday with a win over the Mariners (6-1). L.A. still has a shot at the NL’s No. 1 seed after the Braves lost three straight.

Marlins Deliver Blowout Sweep: Miami is still on the playoff bubble, but a three-game sweep of the Braves certainly helped. The Marlins completed the sweep against the NL’s top team thanks to a season-high 16 runs and four homers in a 16-2 victory.

Padres Too Late?: San Diego swept the A’s over the weekend, and they’ve outscored opponents 29-7 over a four-game win streak. They get the Rockies and Cardinals this week — two beatable opponents — but is it too late? They’re six games back of the wild card.

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

🏀 WNBA Playoffs

Gm 1: Liberty def. Mystics (90-75) | NYL Leads Series (1-0)

*Sabrina Ionescu (29 points) hits seven 3s

Gm 1: Wings def. Dream (94-82) | DAL Leads Series (1-0)

*Satou Sabally (32 points) powers Dallas

Gm 2: Lynx def. Sun (82-75) | Series Tied (1-1)

*Kayla McBride leads the way with 28 points, 8 rebounds

Gm 2: Aces def. Sky (92-70) | LV Wins Series (2-0)

*A’ja Wilson has 38 points, 16 rebounds, 3 blocks

⚽️ Soccer

EPL: Man-U’s Struggles Continue With 3-1 Loss to Brighton