SI

NFL Week 2 Live Analysis: Packers and Aaron Jones Back in Stride Against Bears

NFL action returns for Week 2, and Sports Illustrated is tracking all of the plays and excitement with live analysis through Sunday’s games.

The MMQB Staff

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Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season did not disappoint. Between a tie (that meant not a single AFC South team won, despite two of them playing each other), missed kicks in overtime and a season-opening win from betting favorite the Bills, there was a lot for fans to keep up with as the weekend went on.  

And after Thursday night’s thriller between two AFC West competitors, Week 2 is shaping up to be no different. 

So go ahead, football fans, settle in for another Sunday on the couch—we’ve got an afternoon full of games, and SI will be here all day with live analysis and updates to take you through all the Week 2 action. 

8:25 p.m. window

Packers vs. Bears

(9:30): It’s the Aaron Jones Show in Green Bay. Jones is one of the best all-purpose running backs in the NFL, and he’s been a big part of the game plan against the Bears. Jones has two receptions, including one for a touchdown and has six carries for 40 yards and another score. The Packer offense is rolling and Aaron Rodgers is feeling good about it. After Jones’s TD reception, which gave the Packers a 17-7 lead, he turned to the sideline and mouthed the words, “nice call” to coach Matt LeFleur. The play also produced the 450th TD pass of Rodgers’ career.

(9:05): Green Bay’s offense continues to gel much better than it did in its season opener. Aaron Rodgers is throwing the ball quickly—and it’s working. Rodgers put together a series of short passes in a steady nine-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard throw to Aaron Jones for a touchdown, putting the Packers back on top at Lambeau.

(8:50): Maybe the Bears like being considered an underdog or an afterthought in the NFC North. Justin Fields led a seven-play, 71-yard drive and capped it with a one-yard touchdown run to put them in front 7-3 late in the first quarter. The Bears fooled the Packers on the drive with a 30-yard flea-flicker pass to Equanimeous St. Brown, a former Packer. The Bears parted ways with a number of veteran players over the offseason, slashing salary for future cap savings. But they have stayed competitive in the opening two games of the season, first against the 49ers and now the Packers.

(8:42): After a frustrating opening week in Minnesota against the Vikings, Aaron Rodgers and the Packer offense got off to a better start Sunday night against the Bears. The Packers drove 53 yards in 13 plays and grabbed an early 3-0 lead. Rodgers completed passes to Aaron Jones, Sammy Watkins and Allen Lazard on the drive. Rodgers attempted just one pass to a rookie receiver, Romeo Doubs, on the drive and it was incomplete.

4:25 p.m. window

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Cardinals vs. Raiders

(7:58): Hunter Renfro fumbled twice in overtime: The first time, the Raiders recovered the ball. But not the second time. Byron Murphy scooped up Renfro’s fumble and raced 62 yards for the touchdown to end the game. The Raiders are now 0-2 and history is not on their side. Since 2020, 18 teams have gone 0-2 to start the season and none have made the playoffs.

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(7:39): The end of this Cardinals game is so consequential from a narrative standpoint. On one hand, you have a somewhat fractured-looking relationship between Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray. On the other, you have Josh McDaniels in danger of going down 0-2 at a rough time for Bill Belichick and his assistants yet again. While it’s obviously far more complex than this on both ends, the NFL is a narrative league.

(7:10): Here’s some fun with stats: On a two-point conversion, Kyler Murray ran a total of 84.8 yards and had 21 seconds to finally run the ball into the end zone and cut the Raiders lead to 23-15 late in the fourth quarter. Who’s more dangerous with the ball in their hand: Kyler Murray or Lamar Jackson?

(6:15): We’re over five minutes into the third quarter, and Murray has yet to surpass 100 passing yards—just three months after he became the NFL’s second highest-paid quarterback. Derek Carr, on the other hand, has thrown for over 200 yards and two touchdowns.

(5:15): The Cardinals extended quarterback Kyler Murray, coach Kliff Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim all this offseason. One has to wonder now if it was the right move. The Cardinals were blown out in their opener at home against the Chiefs and trail the Raiders 10-0 midway through the second quarter. Arizona hasn’t been the same team since a 1-4 finish to the regular season last year and a blowout loss to the Rams in the playoffs. Can they still rebound? Maybe, but it’s not looking good right now.

Broncos vs. Texans

(6:45): As a side note, I wrote the note below before another fourth down situation that happened moments later, that just knocked the Broncos out of field goal range. This was difficult to explain. The Broncos waited far too long to decide on whether or not to kick a field goal and ended up having to punt.

(6:35): Strange happenings in the Broncos game yet again, where the team called another timeout before a fourth and short situation. This time, Russell Wilson threw a bullet on a stop route to convert, though it seems like he and new head coach Nathaniel Hackett just aren’t on the same page as of yet. Of course, every fourth down decision in Denver is going to be highly scrutinized from this point on after the field goal decision on Monday night, which we wrote about here.

Rams vs. Falcons

(5:23): And no need to worry about the Rams after they were blown out in Week 1 by the Super Bowl favorite Bills. Matthew Stafford has been nearly perfect (14-of-16 for 125 yards and two touchdowns), picking apart the Falcons secondary. Cooper Kupp is also off to another great start with four catches and a TD. Doesn’t look like a Super Bowl hangover in L.A.

Cowboys vs. Bengals

(5:03): Cooper Rush took apart the Vikings last year when he had to stand in for an injured Dak Prescott, and he appears to be heading toward another strong performance today against the Bengals. Rush has been outstanding, connecting on 7-of-9 attempts for 116 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter. Now we know why Jerry Jones and the Cowboys were reluctant to give up a draft asset last week to replace the injured Prescott.

49ers vs. Seahawks

(5:00): Why did the 49ers keep Jimmy Garoppolo? As sad as it was to see Trey Lance go out with what appeared to be a serious right leg injury, that’s why you keep a former Super Bowl quarterback on your roster. And Jimmy G has been nothing short of brilliant since replacing Lance: he’s 4-of-4 for 70 yards and a touchdown. Though the 49ers would have preferred to have the quarterback they gave up multiple No. 1 picks to acquire in the 2020 draft, Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch look brilliant right now for redoing Garoppolo’s contract to keep him on the roster.

1 p.m. window

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Jets vs. Browns

(4:07): Flacco to rookie Garrett Wilson. 31-30 J-E-T-S!! What a finish in Cleveland.

(2:18): A nice job by Mike LaFleur scheming up some confusion in the Browns’ secondary. Quietly, the Jets are tied at the half. Earlier this week, head coach Robert Saleh pawed back at the media a bit, noting that he was taking receipts on everyone who was talking trash about the Jets. It was the first time the typically stoic coach decided to wade into the choppy waters of New York media. The result, it seems, is a motivated roster (at least for one half) who feels like their coach is sticking up for them.

(1:17): Not sure what’s going to happen in this Jets game, but on Monday we should all rewind to the 8-minute mark of the first quarter and watch what a perfect tackle under impossible conditions looks like. The Jets were totally fooled on a toss sweep call by the Browns (that Nick Chubb should have scored on), but D.J. Reed covered a ton of ground and wrapped up the powerful back by his ankles. Cleveland is driving, but some of Robert Saleh’s guys are hanging on. 

Ravens vs. Dolphins

(4:00): Tua-Tyreek Time. That’s five touchdowns for Tua. What a play!

(3:52): And it’s Tua Time in Baltimore. Trailing 35-21, Tua just connected with Tyreek Hill for a 48-yard touchdown. Tagovailoa is having a massive day for the Dolphins with 367 yards passing, four touchdowns and also two interceptions with half of the fourth quarter still to be played.

(2:18): Lamar Jackson is having himself a day passing and running—and nobody should be surprised. Jackson hit Mark Andrews with a 25-yard laser to give the Ravens a first down at the Dolphins’s 1-yard line. And the QB went right back to Andrews for the touchdown and a 21-7 Ravens lead. Jackson is now 8-of-9 for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He also has another 33 yards rushing on five attempts.

(1:57): The Ravens should have had a 14-0 lead before fumbling on fourth down inside the 5-yard line to give the ball to the Dolphins, who capitalized and went 94 yards for a score. But the Ravens quickly responded to Miami, with Lamar Jackson throwing a perfect slant pass to Rashad Bateman for a 75-yard touchdown. This matchup has had a ton of fireworks and we’re only five minutes into the second quarter. 

(1:52): I think we all may have underestimated the power of someone such as Tyreek Hill in Mike McDaniels’ hands. Yes, Jaylen Waddle just scored a touchdown, but after Hill completely shifted the defense in the opposite direction. McDaniel comes from San Francisco, where they hammered home the idea that elite speed is the only thing defenses respect on a down-by-down basis consistently. Hill provides that wrinkle in their offense.

(1:41): Game-altering moment in Baltimore when a touchdown was overturned, and then Lamar Jackson fumbled on a fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak. The Ravens seem to have made a concerted effort to keep Jackson out of harm’s way this season: they used Mark Andrews on a QB sneak earlier in the drive; however, instead of a typical boot-action Ravens goal line play that allowed Jackson to freelance, they opted to send him up the gut and paid for it.

Commanders vs. Lions

(3:46): It’s the Amon-Ra St. Brown show in Detroit. Brown, one of only three players to have seven or more catches in eight consecutive games, has nine receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns to give the Lions a 36-21 lead. Brown put out a Washington rally with his 58-yard end-around rush that set up a touchdown earlier in the fourth quarter. Plus, his score now from Goff might have sealed the Lions’ first win of the season.

(3:20): D’Andre Swift. Catch. Falls down. Gets up. Touchdown. What a play!

(2:28): Aidan Hutchinson wasn’t the first pick in the draft, but he certainly is playing like it today against the Commanders. The former Wolverine has been unblockable in the first half with three of Detroit’s four sacks and six total tackles. The Lions have held the Commanders to under 100 total yards in the first half.

(1:39): In a matchup of the top two quarterbacks taken in the 2016 draft, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, it’s Goff with an early edge. The former Ram is 5-of-10 for 84 yards, including a terrific throw to Amon-Ra St. Brown to give the Lions an 11-0 lead. The weird 12-0 score is the result of the Commanders’s Carson Wentz fumbling out of the end zone after taking a sack. 

Saints vs. Buccaneers

(3:20): Nasty situation in New Orleans. Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans and Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore were both ejected. Evans laid out Lattimore, who was arguing with former Tampa coach Bruce Arians and then he got into it with Tom Brady. Play resumed with Jameis Winston getting intercepted in the Buccaneers end zone. It’s been a frustrating day for the Bucs and Brady, who have generated little to no offense. 

(1:22): Tom Brady is 0-4 in the regular season against the Saints since signing with the Buccaneers. And things aren’t going much better for Brady and Co. in today’s matchup at the Superdome: the Saints marched down the field on their opening drive to take a 3-0 lead, and Brady had the Buccaneers inside the Saints’ 30-yard line before fumbling the snap from center. Nonetheless, Brady does own a playoff win against the Saints, which propelled Tampa to a Super Bowl title a couple years ago.

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Jaguars vs. Colts

(3:10): There’s a bad odor coming from Jacksonville and it’s not the Jaguars. The Colts have been awful today and former quarterback Carson Wentz is nearly a thousand miles away in Detroit. There are no more excuses for the Colts, who have under 200 yards of offense, including only 51 yards rushing by Jonathan Taylor, who had visions of 2,000 yards coming into this season. Is Frank Reich in trouble in Indy? It certainly doesn’t look good for him or the Colts.

(1:33): One thing Albert Breer touched on his mailbag last week: “After having talked to coaches and scouts who worked against Trevor Lawrence last year, there was at least one very real concern I’d have, and that’s the feeling that maybe he doesn’t see the field as fast or well as we all would’ve expected. That concern would be compounded by the relatively simple Clemson offense he came from (the learning curve was steep enough coming out for Deshaun Watson that Bill O’Brien retrofitted his offense for him).” Well Lawrence definitely saw the field better in his opening series against the Colts: He was a perfect 7-of-7 for 55 yards and the touchdown to Kirk.

(1:29): All Christian Kirk has done is live up to this gargantuan contract (four years, $72 million) we all laughed at in the offseason (and wasn’t really all that gargantuan to begin with). In discussions with folks in Arizona this offseason, there was a real sense that they would miss his professionalism in the room. Kirk was also a master of pulling down difficult, contested catches. The Jaguars are rolling here.

(1:15 p.m.): The Colts had a nice opening drive against the Jaguars, but then Matt Ryan was intercepted. Ryan throwing interceptions at the wrong time won’t go over well with Indianapolis, which got used to too many of those with former QB Carson Wentz. 

Panthers vs. Giants

(2:55): And an ugly game suddenly got quite interesting. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones orchestrated an eight-play, 75-yard drive and connected with rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger for the touchdown to tie the score at 13-13. It’s a crucial year for Jones, who is trying to secure a new deal under coach Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen.

(2:45): In the ugliest game of the day, Baker Mayfield and the Panthers finally grabbed a 13-6 lead against the Giants. On play action, Mayfield rolled to his right and found a wide open D.J. Moore for the touchdown. The drive was classic Baker—who’s at his best when he’s on the run—and he also had a 17-yard scramble to set up the score.

Patriots vs. Steelers

(2:19) Wow! That’s the only way to describe the touchdown from the Patriots’ Mac Jones to Nelson Agholar, who climbed the ladder to haul in the 44-yard throw and give the Patriots a 10-3 lead. The Patriots are trying to avoid what could be the first 0-2 start under Belichick since 2001.

(1:20): The Patriots settle for a field goal, as we see more of the little moments of non-Tom Brady life. A third-and-8 becomes a third-and-13 following a delay of game penalty. The play before that? A perfect legal pick setup on the left side for Mac Jones, who throws it way ahead of his receiver instead of toward his back shoulder, putting the ball in serious danger. 

All times ET. Watch NFL live with fuboTV. 

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