Ahead of the Monday night matchup between Philadelphia and Atlanta — which, based on last week’s performances, may not be as close — 11 of the weekend’s NFL games were decided by one score, including four that featured a game-winning score in the final minute of regulation or in overtime. One that wasn’t featured two of the highest scoring teams from the opening Sunday of the season, as New Orleans thrashed Dallas in embarrassing fashion.

To make matters worse for the Cowboys, the game not only took place at AT&T Stadium, but had nightmarish echoes of the Green Bay performance that removed the home team from last year’s playoffs, as Saints QB Derek Carr went long to wide-open receivers and RB Alvin Kamara bludgeoned his way to 180 scrimmage yards and four scores, three of them on the ground.

All manner of records were set or broken in the early windown game as Carr and the Saints moved to 2-0, while leaving Cowboys fans to wonder how much of their Week 1 win over Cleveland was a mirage. The 44-19 victory added to the Saints’ 47-point haul against hapless Carolina in Week 1, giving them 91 points so far this season, the most by a team in its first two appearances in 15 years, ironically tying New Orleans with the 1971 Cowboys for the fourth-highest total, lagging behind only the 1968 Oakland Raiders (95 points), 2009 New Orleans Saints (93) and 1920 Rock Island Independents (93). The latter-day Saints are also the third team since 1970 to score at least 44 points in three consecutive games, joining their 2018 counterparts and the 2007 New England Patriots. With 35 points in the first half, they also joined the 2001 Indianapolis Colts and 1968 Raiders as the only teams in NFL history with at least 30 points in the first half of each of their first two games of a season.

For all Dallas’ new-look defense under Mike Zimmer received plaudits for stifling the Browns a week prior, New Orleans appeared unstoppable on Sunday, as they extended their scoring run to the first 15 drives of the season, with touchdowns on their first six possessions. Between Kamara running amok, Carr found WR Rashid Shaheed for a 70-yard score, while other long-range darts from new OC Klint Kubiak’s playbook brought back eerie memories of the Green Bay gameplan that downed the Cowboys in January. The Saints’ new offensive gave Carr all the time he needed, and he responded by moving the sticks every couple of downs, while the D gave Dallas’ young equivalent all it could handle. Save for a 65-yard catch, duck and run touchdown from CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys were left to rely on the boot of Brandon Aubrey for points, allowing NOLA to disappear into the distance.

Kamara’s performance, especially for a player whose enduring longevity many questioned, saw him become only the fifth player in the Super Bowl era to have multiple games involving at least 150 scrimmage yards and four scores — adding to his 172-yard, six-touchdown showing on Christmas Day 2020 — alongside LaDainian Tomlinson (four games), Marshall Faulk (three), Jerry Rice and Clinton Portis (both two). Kamara now has 21 career games with at least 50 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards, tying Tomlinson and Le’Veon Bell for the third-most in his first eight seasons. Only Faulk (37) and current 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (30) have more.

The would-be ‘game of the week’, on paper at least, was the closest of them all, as the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals fought out another nailbiter, this time going in favour of the hometown Super Bowl champions. It was far from a good performance from the Chiefs, however, who again relied on a walkoff field goal from Harrison Butker to seal victory after a late penalty moved KC into the kicker’s scoring range.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 18 of 25 pass attempts that included two touchdown passes, but also threw in a couple of costly interceptions as the Chiefs scraped out a 26-25 win on a day when Cincy kept TE Travis Kelce quiet. Mahomes keeps racking up records, however, and now has 76 wins in 98 career starts, tied with Tom Brady and Roger Staubach for the most by a quarterback in his first 100 career starts, and his 222 touchdown passes in 98 career starts already equals Aaron Rodgers for the most by a player in a similar timespan, while 2,424 completions surpasses Rams QB Matthew Stafford’s 2,410 for top spot.

Opposite number Joe Burrow enjoyed a better afternoon than he had on opening weekend, when the Bengals lost to New England, going 23 of 36 for 258 yards and two touchdowns, both to Andrei Iosivas. The game’s defensive highlights included an OBJ-esque interception by Cam Taylor-Britt that broke up another KC drive as the Bengals looked better all-round than they had in the Patriots game.

Saints aside, the biggest shocks of the weekend — proving the old ‘any given Sunday’ adage — came in Baltimore, Minneapolis and Glendale, with victories going against expectation.

Visiting a Ravens team already looking to make up ground after going down to opening night defeat to Kansas City, the Las Vegas Raiders overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 26-23 on the road, with rookie tight end Brock Bowers starring with nine receptions and 98 yards as QB Gardner Minshew claimed his first win for Vegas. Bowers, who had six catches for 58 yards in his NFL debut, is the first tight end in NFL history with at least five receptions and 50 receiving yards in each of his first two career games, underlining just why the Raiders used their first-round pick on the Georgia prospect back in April.

Along with veteran wideout Davante Adams, Bowers heped carry the Raiders offense, with Minshew not attempting the heroics he is sometimes accused of. In particular, Bowers used his legs as much as his hands to pile up the yards, while Adams came on strong in the final quarter, hauling in two long receptions before getting on the end of the game-tying touchdown toss. Daniel Carlson then salted the game away with a 38-yard field goal with 31 seconds left on the clock. That Carlson got that chance was, in n o small part, down to the Raiders defense — notably Maxx Crosby (four TfL, five QB pressures and two sacks) and Robert Spillane (interception) — which ensured that Baltimore never got out of sight on the scoreboard before their Ravens counterparts softened down the stretch, allowing Vegas back into the game.

While one west coast team was pulling off the upset, another was the victim of one, as the San Francisco 49ers again went down to the Minnesota Vikings, as they had done last season. This time, the Vikes had former 49ers backup Sam Darnold under center, and his team never trailed as the former first-round QB went 17-of-26 for 268 yards and two touchdowns, including a half-pitch heave from his own endzone that WR Justin Jefferson turned into a scintillating 97-yard score (before later leaving the game with what is being reported as a quad contusion). Darnold, who did throw an interception to Fred Warner, also found Jalen Nailor in the Niners endzone as the Vikings went 2-0 on a 23-17 win.

Jefferson’s premature exit came after he had already put up 133 receiving yards, tying him with Randy Moss (30) for the most 100-yards+ games by a player in his first five seasons in NFL history. His 20 career games with at least 125 receiving yards is level with Lance Alworth in that category, while reaching 400 career receptions in 62 games puts him ahead of both Julio Jones and Jarvis Landry (both 64) and behind only Michael Thomas (56) and Odell Beckham Jr. (61) all-time. At 25 years and 91 days old, Jefferson is also the third-youngest player in NFL history to reach 400 career receptions, trailing only Jarvis Landry (25 years, 33 days old) and Larry Fitzgerald (25 years, 84 days). He is, however, the youngest player ever to reach 6,000 career receiving yards, surpassing Mike Evans (25 years, 131 days old), and his 6,091 receiving yards in 62 career games ties Alworth as the fastest to reach the landmark in terms of games played.

Already without RB Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco also saw George Kittle headed for the locker room, but not before the TE had snagged a touchdown in his team’s ultimately fruitless pursuit. McCaffrey’s replacement, Jordan Mason, also got on the scoresheet again, but Minnesota DC Brian Flores limited the home team to just four redzone appearances despite San Fran racking up 399 yards of total offense.

Before his own exit, Kittle — playing in his 100th career game — had seven receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown , and his 6,390 career receiving yards surpasses Kellen Winslow Sr. (6,330) for the third-most by a tight end in his first 100 games. Only contemporaries Rob Gronkowski (7,112) and Travis Kelce (6,762) had more. Kittle’s 471 career receptions passes Gronkowski’s 469 for the fifth-most in his first 100 career games, with only Kelce (531), Winslow Sr. (497), Jimmy Graham (485) and Zach Ertz (483) having had more.

The Arizona Cardinals, meanwhile, produced a blowout almost as spectacular as the Saints achieved in Dallas, with rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr doing everything possible to put the likes of Adams and Jefferson in the shade. After a damp squib of a debut, the much-ballyhoo’d son of Hall-of-Famer Marvin Sr produced four catches for 130+ yards and scores of 23 and 60 yards… by the end of the opening quarter. Both touchdowns came in the opening four minutes of the game and, once up, the Cardinals left the Rams in their dust, going on to win 41-10, with WR Elijah Higgins, RB James Conner and TE Trey McBride (recovering a Conner fumble in the endzone) also claiming touchdowns. Harrison Jr, by coincidence, is the first rookie with at least four catches and multiple touchdowns in the first quarter of a game since his dad achieved the same feat in Week 16 of the 1996 season, for the Indianapolis Colts against the Chiefs.

Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray completed 17 of 21 pass attempts for 266 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions for a perfect 158.3 passer rating, and added 59 rushing yards in the Cardinals’ win. Murray is the second player in NFL history with at least 250 passing yards, 50 rushing yards and a 158.3 passer rating in a game, joining Ken Anderson (Bengals, 1974). Already lamenting the loss of Puka Nacua in Week 1, Rams counterpart Matt Stafford saw veteran WR Cooper Kupp limp out of the contest in the second quarter, albeit when the game was getting out of hand.

There have already been 20 games this season decided by eight points or fewer, with only three previous seasons – 2013 (23 games), 2016 (22) and 2018 (21) – having had more in the first two weeks of a season. Four teams – the Vikings, Saints, Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks – have begun the season 2-0 after missing the playoffs last season. Chicago, who played at Houston on Sunday Night Football, could have joined that group, but succumbed in another single-score game.

In a game headlined as the first clash between last year’s standout rookie QB, C.J. Stroud, and this year’s first overall pick, Caleb Williams, it was defense that eventually won the game for the Texans, with the player selected immediately behind Stroud, at three overall, Will Anderson Jr, leading the way with 1.5 sacks, two QB hits, two tackles for loss and nine QB pressures as Williams found life tough behind a shaky Bears O-line for the second week in a row. Sacked seven times, the rookie constantly found Texans in his grille, with Henry To’To’o, Azeez Al-Shaair, Derek Barnett, Mario Edwards and Danielle Hunter all contributing to the total. Rookie Kamari Lassiter and sophomore Derek Stingley Jr both added interceptions to Williams’ misery, making the 19-13 margin of victory look a little lower than the defensive numbers would suggest. Nico Collins claimed Houston’s only touchdown, with Khalil Herbert doing likewise for the visitors.

Seattle, meanwhile, denied the New England Patriots the chance to go 2-0 by reaching the mark themselves, but required overtime to see off Jerod Mayo’s men 23-20. The Seahawks‘ win marked the fifth time in the past seven seasons that at least one game has gone to overtime in each of the first two weeks of the season. Although QB Geno Smith impressed under center, it was the players he threw to that stole the limelight, with D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba becoming the first Seattle WR pairing ever to record at least 10 catches and 100 yards apiece, as they racked up 246 yards and a Metcalf touchdown across 22 receptions. As a result of the win, Mike Macdonald became the first full-time HC in team history to start 2-0.

Conversely, it was the ground game that saw the Chargers remain unbeaten and 2-0 for the first time in twelve seasons, with running back J.K. Dobbins adding 131 yards to his Week 1 tally to lead the league 266 total across two games. The former Raven is just the fifth player since 1960 to rush for 130-plus yards and a touchdown in each of his team’s first two games in a season, joining an unlikely quartet comprising Garrison Hearst (49ers, 1998), Billy Sims (Lions, 1980) and the more expected O.J. Simpson (Bills, 1975) and Jim Brown (Browns, 1963). Erstwhile M.I.A. receiver Quentin Johnston also took advantage of the Chargers being pitted against the lacklustre Carolina Panthers to snag two TD passes from QB Justin Herbert in the 26-3 victory.

Of note in the remaining games were two QB performances that helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers to victory. Despite being locked in the sights of Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson (five sacks) all afternoon, Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield went 12/19 for 185 yards (117 to Chris Godwin alone) and a touchdown through the air (again to Godwin) before running in the game-winning score late in the third quarter. The fourth period remained scoreless as Jared Goff and Co failed to lift Detroit to a second win against 2023 playoff opposition in as many weeks.

Without the injured Jordan Love after his injury in Brazil, the Packers turned to backup Malik Willis, who had been with the team all of three weeks, to lead them to a league-leading 800^th win with victory over the visiting Indianapolis Colts. Willis duly went 12/14 for 122 yards and touchdown as the Pack leant heavily on their run game, where Josh Jacobs piled up 151 yards on 32 carries, but fumbled a scoring chance. Willis added 41 yards of his own on the ground, but his standout contribution proved to be the dime he dropped for Dontayvion Wicks to score from 14 yards out. QB Anthony Richardson and WR Alec Pierce again hooked up for the Colts main score, although over nothing like the distance of the Week 1 air show.

Having both lost in Week 1, the Browns and Jaguars were looking to get themselves on the board second time around and, while, it wasn’t pretty in a soggy Jacksonville, Cleveland were the ones to succeed as their vaunted defense returned to stifle Trevor Lawrence and the Jags offense to the tune of 81 total yards. Leading the charge, Myles Garrett drew level with J.J. Watt as the third-fastest player to 90 career sacks since officially tracking began 1982. The pair trail only Reggie White and Watt’s brother T.J. With both teams relying heavily on their respective kickers, the only Browns touchdown came courtesy of a one-yard run from QB Deshaun Watson, while RB Travis Etienne responded from four yards for the hosts.

Rookie QB Jayden Daniels claimed his first NFL win as the Washington Commanders prevailed over NFC East rivals New York, although the home team relied exclusively on recently-signed kicker Austin Seibert for their 21 total points as he successfully converted all seven of his field goal opportunities. The Giants, meanwhile, saw their chances of following suit ended almost as soon as the game began, when Graham Gano exited with an injury, leaving NYG to ‘go for two’ after touchdowns from rookie WR Malik Nabers and RB Devin Singletary. Daniels ended the game with 266 air yards (and only 44 toting the rock) with RB Brian Robinson doing the donkey work on the ground with 133 yards on 17 carries.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos reprised their low-scoring Week 1 appearances, with the visitors triumphing 13-9 in a dour game at Mile High. Again, it was the Steelers’ defense doing their best to win the game, with two interceptions and a similar number of sacks as rookie QB Bo Nix was denied a trip to the endzone. At the other end, Darnell Washington hauled in the game’s lone touchdown, on a five-yard pass from Justin Fields, who continued to start in place of the injured Justin Wilson.

Finally, there was some good news for both Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets, as they moved to 1-1 with a 24-17 win over Tennessee in Nashville. While opposite number Will Levis again failed to cover himself in glory, Rodgers and the offense built on the platforn afforded them by the Jets defense and special teams, with two touchdowns from Braelon Allen as the rookie RB, at 20 years and 239 days, became the youngest player to score an NFL touchdown since Arnie Herber in 1930. Calvin Ridley, on his third team in as many seasons, went some way to bailing Levis out with Titans touchdowns both running and receiving, but it wasn’t enough to stop the home team falling to 0-2.