SAN FRANCISCO 49ers @ New York Jets
NEW JERSEY - A week after dropping their opener the San Francisco 49ers bounced back in a big way with a 24-7 win over the New York Jets. The 49ers (1-1) used a ground and pound attack to keep the Jets (1-1) offense off the field. Alvin Kamara was a workhorse all afternoon to the tune of 148 yards on 30 carries with one touchdown.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was efficient as well going 18 of 26 for 229 yards and a TD of his own. "Felt good to get that first W. Offense felt pretty good. Have to keep things going man. Can't let off the gas." Bridgewater said in his post game press conference.
The score could have been even more one sided, but the Jets defense had some key stops on the day. "Sloppy. Too many misses on 3rd and 4th down conversions. We are going to have to play better if we expect to hang with our division." Coach Kyle Shanahan stated after the game.
San Francisco stays in the Garden State next week as they take on the New York Giants.
Baltimore Ravens @ HOUSTON TEXANS
HOUSTON - The Houston Texans (1-1) sent shock waves through the NFL Sunday afternoon with their surprising 13-6 upset of Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (1-1).
Houston's defense was dynamic causing Jackson to feel uncomfortable all afternoon and coming up with multiple 3rd down stops. Defensive captain Zach Cunningham said, "Nobody said we could win this game. We believed in ourselves and our game plan. Lamar is a heck of a quarterback, but guys just stepped up on this D. So proud of this unit."
Jackson struggled to get things going, only passing for 168 yards on the afternoon.
The Texans offense did just enough to give themselves a chance by committing no turnovers and using a late touchdown rush by Leonard Fournette to give them the lead for good.
Cam Newton was dynamic on the ground rushing 15 times for 90 yards and picking up multiple first downs when his team needed it the most. "Gotta give them credit for their coverage today, not much was there. I just saw daylight and ran."
After a complete rebuild with an expansion roster, the Texans have their first signature win and will look to continue things next week in Pittsburgh against a solid Steelers team.
Detroit Lions @ GREEN BAY PACKERS
GREEN BAY - In what was the most exciting of the 10 morning NFL games, the Green Bay Packers (1-1, 1-1 NFC North) used a late touchdown drive from Aaron Rodgers to beat the Detroit Lions (0-2, 0-2) by a score of 31-27.
Trailing 27-24 after the Lions scored right outside the two-minute warning, Rodgers took the Packers offense 79 yards down the field and capped the drive with a 20 yard touchdown to Robert Foster in the back of the end zone.
Rodgers put up massive numbers on the day throwing for 459 yards and 3 touchdowns on 47 attempts. However, he also put his team in a bind with two key interceptions including a pick six right before the half. "I have to be better. I just got a little too aggressive trying to fit the ball in tight windows. Glad we came out on top of this one."
When asked about his teams 47 pass attempts to 13 rush attempts, Coach Eric Bieniemy blamed himself for the imbalance. "We have to establish the run. I got away from it too early in the game and I think it put a lot of pressure on our defense to be on the field for so many minutes. You can expect us to be more balanced next week."
Green Bay faces their toughest challenge yet as they head down to New Orleans to take on the 2-0 Saints in the Superdome.
