Final NFL 2023 Week 2 Observations ... With Dolphins Angles

Checking out the biggest storylines around the league

The Miami Dolphins were left as one of only two AFC teams with a 2-0 record after the first two weeks of the 2023 NFL season, following the Cleveland Browns' Monday night loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The big story of that game was the brutal injury sustained by Browns running back Nick Chubb, whose already reconstructed left knee severely bent the wrong way after a hit from former Dolphins first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Chubb became the latest front-line player from an AFC team with playoff aspirations to be sidelined, following Aaron Rodgers and J.K. Dobbins in Week 1.

The Browns ended up losing that Monday night game, 26-22, despite holding Pittsburgh to minus-1 yard in the fourth quarter because the Steelers scored two defensive touchdowns and sacked Deshaun Watson six times.

Cleveland simply isn't the same team without Chubb, whose running ability was a major component of its offense. The offensive line badly struggled after he left the game and made life difficult for Watson, who also still doesn't look like the Houston version of himself — bad news for the Browns considering his (ridiculous) fully guaranteed contract has them pretty much chained to him for the next few years.

BILLS BOUNCE BACK

Sure, they were facing the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that's not expected to contend for a playoff spot in 2023, but what the Buffalo Bills did to them Sunday should have served as a warning sign to anyone ready to dismiss them after Josh Allen's poor performance in the Week 1 Monday night game.

Allen was outstanding in the Bills' 38-10 victory against the Raiders at Highmark Stadium, making tough plays with defenders around him but not taking unnecessary chances the way he did against the New York Jets.

Just as impressive, the Bills defense held the Raiders to 240 total yards, 75 of them coming on the first drive of the game, and shut down Josh Jacobs to the tune of minus-2 yards on nine rushing attempts.

The Dolphins should be prepared to face that Buffalo when they travel to Highmark Stadium in Week 4, not the one we saw against the Jets.

EAGLES NOT SOARING AS MUCH?

Before the season started, we pegged the Week 7 Sunday night matchup at Lincoln Financial Field as the most challenging game on the Dolphins schedule, but we just might have to revisit that — yes, even though the Eagles are among the nine 2-0 teams around the NFL.

After surviving a late scare against New England in their opener, the Eagles outlasted the Minnesota Vikings last Thursday thanks in large part to four takeaways, including a Justin Jefferson fumble through the end zone that turned a Minnesota scoring threat into a touchback.

Maybe it's partly because former offensive coordinator Shane Steichen is now the head coach with the Colts, but QB Jalen Hurts doesn't look quite as sharp as he did in his best moments last season, particularly the Super Bowl.

This, however, is still a team with as good an O-line/D-line combo as there is in the NFL (Dallas and San Francisco are in the conversation as well), and the Eagles will be a tough out until that changes.

MAJOR INJURIES FOR UPCOMING OPPONENTS

After the Broncos and Bills the next two weeks, the Dolphins will be facing NFC opponents the following two games with the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers both coming to Hard Rock Stadium. And it's likely each of those teams will be missing a key player for the matchup.

Not that long before Chubb sustained his gruesome injury against Pittsburgh, Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson sustained an ankle injury when a teammate threw Saints tackle Trevor Penning onto the back of his right ankle as he was getting up after making a tackle. Carolina coach Frank Reich said after the game Thompson was expected to miss "extended time."

Thompson, a 2015 first-round pick who has been a starter his entire career, led Carolina in tackles last season with 135, his fourth consecutive triple-digit season. More importantly, he's considered the heart and soul of the Carolina defense.

And then there's the ankle injury suffered by Saquon Barkley late in the Giants' remarkable comeback victory against the Arizona Cardinals.

While the Giants appear to have avoided the worst-case scenario with that injury, Barkley still is expected to miss about three weeks. If that's the case, that third week is Week 5, which is when the Dolphins will face the Giants.

QUICK HITTERS

-- In Chargers Chargering news: their 27-24 overtime loss against the Tennessee Titans made them the first team in NFL history to start 0-2 despite scoring at least 50 points without committing a turnover. Of course, it doesn't help they've given up 63 pionts, including 36 to the Dolphins in Week 1.

-- In that Tennessee game, it was a good bounce-back effort by former Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill after his brutal performance in the Titans' season-opening loss at New Orleans. Tannehill was 20-for-24 in that game, his performance highlighted by two beautiful bombs to Treylon Burks and Chris Moore.

-- Speaking of strong passing performances, Lamar Jackson was on point in Baltimore's impressive road victory against the Cincinnat Bengals and rookie Zay Flowers from South Florida continued to shine.

-- It didn't take long for Chris Jones to show just how important he is to the Kansas City Chiefs. After his strange holdout (based on the contract he ultimately signed), Jones dominated the Jacksonville Jaguars with 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss. He'll be a handful for the Dolphins offensive line come Nov. 5.

-- Things obviously will change between now and Dec. 24, but the matchup between the Dolphins offense and the Dallas defense has the potential to be some fascinating football to watch. The Cowboys never gave Zach Wilson, a chance Sunday, and that's before we acknowledge that Wilson probably still is not the answer for the Jets as a replacement for Rodgers.

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