Editor's note: The game recaps below are transcripts from the Harris Football Week 2 film review podcasts. We would encourage you to listen to the full episodes right here. Chris has bravely accepted the burden of watching every game each week, capturing details and context not available via box scores. Here's a taste of this week's review...
Chicago 21, Detroit 52
Thank heavens for how Week 2 went for the Lions, because it lets us look back on Week 1 and think: Oh, so that Packers defense is good.
The Lions fed at the zoo over the Bears, an entire fourth quarter of basura time. And yeah, I know what the coaches said after the fact, but all I know is: up 24 in the fourth quarter, Detroit is still throwing. They get a fourth down inside the 10 and they go for it and they throw it, and that’s Amon-Ra St. Brown’s third touchdown of the game — just in case you wonder if there’s any bad feeling for Ben Johnson leaving and for everybody doubting the assistants that he left behind.
The first play of the game, a play-action dig route to ARSB and you immediately know everything’s fine. Three straight Jahmyr Gibbs runs in the red zone, he scores, that was easy — and it stayed easy all day.
This just in: Jared Goff likes to throw crossing routes against man coverage and the Bears let him do it. Five touchdown passes for Goff, a rushing touchdown apiece for Gibbs and Montgomery, Amon-Ra set the fantasy world aflutter by “hilariously” question mark question mark question mark faking a hamstring injury after his second touchdown. Jameson Williams looked, like, okay, maybe he’ll be annoyed with how this turns out. On Detroit’s second drive, Goff missed him wide open on a deep out. Frst play of the second quarter, Goff had Williams streaking alone behind two defenders and overthrew it. But in the second half, you’ll never believe it, another crosser from Goff, this one thrown behind Williams, he reached back to get it and streaked for 64 yards inside the 10. And then late third quarter, a completely blown coverage, Williams out of the slot, no safety in the middle of the field, easiest deep touchdown of his or Goff’s life.
Sam LaPorta can feel pretty hard done by. He was on the field for Brock Wright’s red-zone touchdown but it, y’know, went to Brock Wright. But this is a relief. We know this is still who they are, at least when they’re not on the road against the Packers.
For the Bears… they got blown out. I think you’d say probably Caleb Williams was better, the Bears went right down the field on their first drive, too. A couple direct snaps to D’Andre Swift on the first two series, Swift got a big lane and ran one 20 yards, then had a gain on a screen. And then a delayed crosser from Williams to Odunze for Odunze’s first touchdown. Swift had a good first half, before it became impossible to run because of the score. There was a lot of room to run, but combined with a strong physical rush he had Week 1 against the Vikings, it feels like they’re coaching him to be more direct, which is a good thing.
Things were going really well for him, but 30 seconds left in the first quarter, he takes a big hit, fumbles, Lions recover, that was the beginning of the end. Williams had a great throw on a deep out all the way across the field on a third-and-long to hit Odunze and convert a first down. But Williams would get stuffed trying to sneak a 3rd and 1 and a 4th and 1… and then on a 2nd and 32, Williams’s only really horrible throw of the day. He was better here, fewer times where he seemed to just lose his mind and forget how to throw, but this 2nd and very long, he scrambles away from pressure impressively, he’s running toward the sidelines. In real time I assumed he must be throwing it away, but no, he was throwing it…apparently directly to a defender, Kerby Joseph, who picked it off.
Odunze had some down moments, he had a fumble in the second quarter but it was recovered by one of his o-linemen, and then he had back-to-back drops late in the third quarter, but certainly those moments are overpowered by the good stuff. He had a tough catch in traffic taking a hit late in the second quarter, which led to a red-zone fake-toss bootleg and sidearm throw for Odunze’s second touchdown. The Little Badass D.J. Moore was involved early on, they wanted him to have touches — that was obviously part of the script. But Odunze made the one big play for a long score, got a red-zoner, too…we’ll see if that becomes anything like the regular pecking order going forward. Swift’s touchdown was basura time, you’ll take it, and he played well, I can’t tell you I entirely trust him. Week 3 the Lions are playing Monday night against the Ravens, while the Bears are home Cowboys.
Cleveland 17, Baltimore 41
The Ravens win big over the Browns, it looks like a blowout. It really wasn’t for most of the game, and I think the Browns defense acquitted itself really well. Myles Garrett gave Ronnie Stanley so much trouble. But the Cleveland offense just kept making mistakes.
Baltimore is easier to cover here, a lot of “other guys” score touchdowns. You had Tylan Wallace with a red-zone score on a great throw from Lamar Jackson. In the second half, Dez Walker scoring on a fourth down scramble drill by Lamar, after O.P.I. on Mark Andrews about whom more in a moment. Walker catches a lofted pass in the end zone, and then when they were rubbing it in, it was already 34-10, a second deep ball of the game to Nuk Hopkins — second brilliant catch on those deep balls, the first he was ruled barely down before the end zone, second he scored. At this point, the only receiver you should be starting outside a really desperation situation is Zay Flowers. He gets it all over the field, screens and shallow crossers, the game’s biggest play came on a 3rd and 13 late in the third quarter while it was still close. Lamar extends-extends-extends, Flowers comes back and catches a low-thrown ball. That was a great catch. Frustrating for Flowers that he doesn’t score one of the touchdowns, but it is until further notice Flowers and the Florets.
Andrews, apparently he does still work here — he made his first and only catch with two minutes left in the first half, though Jackson’s instinct still appears to be look for him in the end zone. After Hopkins’s first big catch in the third quarter, down at the 1, the Ravens false start, so they’re from the 6, he throws it to Andrews. It’s in his hands, it gets yoinked away by a defender and leads to a field goal.
This game was 10-3 at the half, basically the Browns gifted field position every time Baltimore scored. The defense did not get run over, which I can prove by showing you Derrick Henry’s stat line; a week after he torched the Bills early and often, Henry got stuffed. His longest run was 8 yards, they tried him in the red zone on pitchouts, mostly got stuffed. After Baltimore blocked a punt to get field position, Henry got a little bit loose, but then as he was tackled in the red zone, he fumbled. Baltimore recovered, certainly just one of those things you chalk up to a tough matchup and a bad day.
I am very tired of Justice Hill give-up screens and draw handoffs on 3rd and 14 that get 3 yards. I sure would love to see Keaton Mitchell get a chance. Alas, not yet.
The Browns say they aren’t changing quarterbacks yet, I get it, Joe Flacco was okay Week 1. But he was dreadful in this game — not the kind of effort that’s gonna keep any of his pass catchers worthwhile. True, he didn’t have a lot of time against the Ravens pass rush but he also wasn’t in synch with his receivers. We got the gamut from Jerry Jeudy, probably the first good play for Cleveland all day was a third and long conversion in the second quarter down the left sideline where he made a good leaping grab. And then same possession, third and 8…he drops it.
But as I say, 10-3 at the half. Joe Flacco third quarter, running like wounded mammoth toward the sideline, flings one across his body into double coverage, it’s intercepted, and the comedy of errors commenced. Flacco had a fourth-down fumble-six, there was the blocked punt — not many signs of life here, Harold Fannin the rookie, it’s 5 for 48 while David Njoku does 4 for 40, but Fannin’s biggest play came with Dillon Gabriel in the game in garbage time. Fannin had a wonderful high leaping grab in the third quarter, but yeah, 3-for-36 while the game was competitive.
As for the running backs ... well, we were told Quinshon Judkins would only play a backup’s snaps, but that turned out to be a lie. At least in terms of what the beginning of the game looked like: Judkins was the starter, he got the first carry. He got an early carry on the second series, too. They gave him three straight carries to start the second quarter, his best run before basura time was a bounce-out where he outran Marlon Humphrey to turn nothing into something.
Don’t be fooled by the snap count: it says 35 Jerome Ford, 19 Judkins, 17 Dylan Sampson. Ford first of all had a red-zone drop on a screen right before halftime which wasn’t great, and also six of those Ford snaps were garbage time. Judkins was the first choice, Sampson was the second choice — though Sampson’s touchdown catch was down 41-10, we’re not getting carried away on that one. What did Judkins’s first action look like? Well, his longest run, also in garbage time, but he looked like a properly-running-back-sized player who, as I said, outran a cornerback around the edge on one play, so pretty good speed. Not attached to a good offense and the other two guys probably won’t disappear, but based on how this all played out, I will be ranking Judkins highest of the three for Week 3.
Jacksonville 27, Cincinnati 31
Let's talk Jaguars/Bengals, and the Toe Heard Round The World. What a bummer, Joe Burrow, coming off after the first drive, I could see Burrow muttering “that’s horrible” about his offensive line. Then on the second drive he and Ja’Marr Chase get it going, they get down inside the 5 and Chase runs a slant and it’s unguardable and he scores to tie it 7-7. Then on a pretty innocuous-looking sack at 9 minutes left in the half, Burrow’s jumping around inside the pocket trying to keep it alive, a defender falls on his foot — obviously it’s a serious toe injury. We’re told he needs surgery, it’s a three-month recovery, and that’s really too bad. The first major domino certainly at quarterback has fallen
As happened at the end of 2023 when Burrow had the wrist problem, Jake Browning is once again the man and our Bengals players will only go as far as Browning can take them. The fact that Browning was an interception machine on Sunday isn’t a shock, thinking about how he ended the season two years ago. But he did also rely heavily on Chase for the winning drive on Sunday, so it gives us some hope…. but we have to be honest about expectations. You play your backup quarterback, your offense gets worse, maybe not in each five-minute chunk, but over the sweep of history. Certainly, everybody has a narrower path: you don’t have a superstar quarterback, in any given week you can definitely get the shaft, and the further down on the target depth chart you are, the rockier it might be.
I’ve been doing this a long time, I remember how often some dumdum would say, “Well, the backup QB is friends with the backup receiver, look for that guy to do well.” I think we’re past that point, but suffice it to say: does Ja’Marr Chase go No. 1 overall to start the year with Jake Browning at quarterback? I have my doubts. Chase Brown, that becomes a harder road for the running game, the whole operation gets a little downtick, and I don’t know that you can do much about it if you’ve got these guys. I guess you could bail on Chase or Tee Higgins immediately. They both scored touchdowns Sunday; if you’re convinced they’ll be worthless, you can sell them at a slight discount as long as someone’s willing to buy and give you real players.
But mostly it’s just one of those curveballs that might have to have you thinking about taking some risks elsewhere in your lineup. Certainly, there were terrific plays for the Bengals when Browning was in. A screen where Chase outruns half the Jags defense down the sideline. A deep out in the third quarter, great timing, toe-tap to Chase. Higgins getting a nice release, making a catch in traffic, and the Jags safety comes over and tries to pop him one, but misses and hits the corner, leaving Higgins to run into the end zone. But all three picks by Browning were rough, and the Jags had multiple opportunities to put this away, and then we don’t get the heroic drive at the end.
Somebody whose name I literally (literally) put in quote marks as I was making notes watching this game, “Mitchell Tinsley” quote-unquote — he scored a touchdown from Browning. Pretty sure that’s the guy one of my old ESPN colleagues would be recommending this week: “Hey he’s a backup!”
But that’s not what we’re doing. The Bengals comeback and Browning’s QB sneak to win the thing at the end doesn’t happen except on a 4th and 5 on the last drive, Browning threw a pretty hopeless ball to Andrei Iosivas and Travis Hunter — yes, that Travis Hunter — got called for pass interference to keep the drive alive. Pretty brutal stuff. We’ll begin to see what the post-Joe-Burrow universe looks like Week 3 at the Vikings, in a battle of backup quarterbacks. J.J. McCarthy will be out for that one, Carson Wentz will be the starter for Minnesota.
As for Jacksonville….the Saluki Trevor Lawrence, not great…also three touchdowns, none to the guy we really want. More about him in a moment. The Jags seem to be priding themselves in coming at you in waves. Parker Washington only ran 10 routes all day and yet had 5 catches. That’s a hard way to live, a catch every 2 routes. Lawrence threw six passes into the end zone….the first one came on the first drive, Dyami Brown appeared to be the main read on that one. He’s kind of clearly out there running as Jacksonville’s No. 2 receiver. It’s him and Brian Thomas, and then everyone else rotating in. You also got an end-zone target to Tim Patrick which was close and an okay throw, but not quite complete. And then Lawrence looked for Hunter on the next play in the end zone, intercepted, smelly throw.
There was a fourth-quarter end-zone target to Dyami Brown again, and he dropped that one. Early fourth quarter, first and goal, both first and third down were thrown in the end zone to Brian Thomas. The first was a good defensive play knocked away, the second he caught but the defender shoved him before he could get his feet in bounds. And then on a 4th and 5 where Jacksonville doesn’t want to kick a field goal to make it 6 points, they go for it. The throw goes to Thomas, he absolutely biffs it at the Bengals 2-yard line.
Lawrence wasn’t terrible, and one of his interceptions was absolutely Thomas’s fault, but the other was the sixth end zone throw, an awful one looking for Hunter which never should’ve been thrown. It’s incredible how often the Jags were down in close to quote-unquote “only” score 3 touchdowns.
To rip off the Brian Thomas Band-Aid…it’s an ugly-looking day when you do 4 catches on 12 targets, and two of those catches came on the first drive. The pick that was Thomas’s fault was kind of a cowardly little slant where he didn’t wanna take a hit and stopped and the ball flew past him to the safety behind for a pick…but I thought Thomas made up for that early in the fourth quarter, taking a hit to make a catch. I don’t know anything for sure, the Jags wanna spread the ball around, yeah, but I think Thomas is still the main guy. If you have a panic-seller in your league, I don’t hate the inquiry.
As for Jacksonville’s backfield, the snaps go 46 Travis Etienne, 18 Bhayshul Tuten, 11 LeQuint Allen. Ten of Allen’s 11 snaps were third downs. He is the third-down back, but that only led to 2 carries. Can’t think about using him. Etienne caught a red-zone misdirection screen to score a touchdown and mostly still looked pretty dynamic. He had a 30-yard run around the left edge early second quarter that was super-well-blocked.
I wanted to specifically mention Tuten, his touchdown reception. That was a pretty awesome play — here’s this rocked up 5-foot-9 210-pound guy, he caught it in the flat, and put his foot in the ground and just stopped and let the defender fall past him, scoring easily, that was pretty good. And Tuten looks strong, too. There’s a third-quarter carry where he’s pretty much stuffed, a guy basically climbs Tuten’s back in the backfield, and he shrugs the guy off for a five-yard gain. I don’t think he’s really usable in too many leagues yet, but that was a positive performance.