Week number two has come and gone in the National Football League, and with it came questions about virtually everything we thought we may have learned in week one. Offense is down, some teams are winning despite it, others like the New Orleans Saints are doing enough to make up for the league-wide shortage themselves, and parody is at an all-time high.

The margin between winning and losing any given game is razor thin right now, and the general facade around September football and how all these teams are getting out of the gate is in full effect. Week 3 will see at least two undefeated teams fall as the Steelers and Chargers meet at 2-0 as do the Texans and Vikings. The 0-2 Giants, Colts, Titans, Broncos, Panthers, Ravens, Rams, Jaguars and Bengals will all be looking for their first wins, with only Indy, Tennessee, LAR, and Cincy having the advantage of trying to do so from home.

Before week 3 gets underway from the swamps of Jersey with Thursday Night Football featuring the Patriots at the Jets, here is a run through our four downs for week two.

First Down

No Offense to No Offense in Steel City: The Pittsburgh Steelers will always be a team that just finds a way to win games under Mike Tomlin, but leading the vaunted NFC North at 2-0 scoring just one offensive touchdown this season may be his best work yet. The Steelers beat the Falcons on six field goals in week one, then went on the road to Denver and took an early 7-0 lead they’d never give up to rookie Bo Nix’s Broncos squad.

With the Ravens and Bengals at 0-2 and Browns looking like a disaster, the Steelers could ride this style of play for quite a while as T.J. Watt wrecks game like so few can from the defensive end position and Justin Fields makes just enough throws to win right now. A lot of teams around the league are learning how to win without their offense finding it’s timing yet right now, but none better than a Pittsburgh team that’s parlayed it into an early division lead.

While the rest of the league spends every September searching for an identity that will shift and change through the weeks, the Steelers know this identity is lining up ready to win in all three phases, and they’re showing that so far.

Second Down

We Were Brave, We Were Crazy, We Were Mostly Young: The first QB benching of the season has already come down and it’s last year’s number one overall pick Bryce Young being sat by the Carolina Panthers in place of Andy Dalton. The Panthers have scored just 13 points this season, and unfortunately unlike our first team the Steelers, these low point totals have not been nearly good enough to win.

The Panthers have been a masterclass in how not to break in a young QB ever since drafting Young. The offensive line has not improved, skill positions remain weak, and now the entire direction of the franchise is completely up in the air as Dave Canales’ team seemingly has no plan for what Young’s return to play would even look like. With many of this year’s first round picks at QB also struggling, it’s no secret that finding some time for Young to not be on the field could be a good move for the Panthers, but it comes after the QB has already taken so many hits and now the time to upgrade any personnel on offense has come and gone.

It just isn’t often we see a team with this little direction and sense of purpose in the NFL, and it’s only week 2 for a team that finished with two wins a year ago. Current and former players have been publicly supporting that Young still has good football left ahead of him, having to find it on the arduous path of being benched early in year two, but with all three other teams in the division looking much stronger it’s anyone’s guess when or if the time makes sense to see Bryce Young and Carolina try this again.

Third Down

Dynamic in the Desert: Coming into Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals had lost 13 of their last 15 games to the division rival Los Angeles Rams. Folks, this isn’t the same Rams teams anymore though, and it certainly isn’t the same Cardinals team thanks to dynamic rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

After nearly upsetting the Bills on the road in week 1, the Cardinals demolished the Rams 42-10 behind two first quarter touchdowns from Harrison Jr. of 23 and 60 yards. The Rams defense was coming off an overtime loss at the Lions where they made stands at times, but mostly looked a step behind against yet another fast and athletic offense, and the Cardinals took full advantage with Murray spreading the ball to seven different receivers, completing 81% of his passes, and running for 59 yards himself.

The NFC West may suddenly be anyone’s division as the Seahawks lead at 2-0 under new HC Mike Macdonald, Cardinals and 49ers are tied at 1-1, and Rams are 0-2. There haven’t been long enough stretches of great play from Murray and the Cardinals offense in the desert for the average fan to give this team much attention, but now the pieces are in place to change that and give this team staying power in year two under Jonathan Gannon.

Fourth Down

Defeat from the Beak of Victory: As mentioned, the margin between winning and losing right now in the NFL is so incredibly small, so anytime a head coaching decision parlayed with a star player not making a routine play costs a team a game at home in primetime, it is extra noteworthy. The Philadelphia Eagles found themselves in a dogfight with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night, but had a chance to put the game away late with a third down and three attempt. With the Falcons out of timeouts, the Eagles opted to risk not taking any more time off the clock before being able to kick a field goal and threw for the first down. Giving Jalen Hurts an opportunity to keep the ball and stay in bounds would have been prudent as this was much of the team’s best offense all night, but instead the pass rush forced it out of his hands towards new star running back Saquon Barkley. Coming off a three touchdown debut in Brazil for the Eagles, Barkley dropped the ball in the flat to stop the clock and give the Falcons over 1:40 to go down the field and take the lead.

Kirk Cousins, never known for his ability to lead a late game winning drive or win in primetime, made quick work of new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s umbrella defense and put his team ahead for their first win with a six play, 70 yard drive. Drake London made the winning score with a great route at the goal line, and the Falcons defense promptly intercepted Hurts to escape Philadelphia with a one point win 22-21.

The Eagles had to answer questions all offseason about what they were going to do about an epic collapse down the stretch of last season where the offense lacked identity, the defense had little composure, and the team as a whole generally lost their winning edge. Their response so far early in 2024 is that even with Barkley in the lineup, a lot of these issues persist, and though a 1-1 start hardly puts them out of NFC East contention, Monday isn’t a loss any Eagles fan is going to easily forget anytime soon.

You can find Nick on Twitter @YNWA9623, Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our fall of podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. The store is live and Little Ed has been in the lab cooking up some can’t miss items for you fans. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!