NFL Highway, Week 2

Life is a highway. So is the NFL. We won’t ride it all night long, but it is time for another trip down the NFL highway for Week 2. From the branch office in Windsor, Connecticut….

The Romo Empire continues to be built. The Miami Dolphins are the latest conquest of Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys, as Dallas won on Sunday, 37-20. Romo threw for 185 yards and two touchdown passes. The Cowboys next travel to Chicago for the Sunday night extravaganza against the Bears.

Break up the Texans! The Houston Texans overcame an early 14-0 deficit to thump the Carolina Panthers, 34-21. Matt (My Name Is Not Earl) Schaub and Andre Johnson connected on two first half touchdown passes to help the Texans to the win. The Texans are 2-0 for the first time in team history. Next week, the Indianapolis Colts visit Houston.

This blog has been ruthless in its criticism of the Cleveland Browns. Someone in Cleveland was listening, as the Browns came out of hiding to hang half a hundred on Cincinnati in a 51-45 win. Derek Anderson threw five touchdown passes for CLE, while holding Brady Quinn off for the starting job. Carson Palmer threw for six touchdowns in a losing effort for Cincinnati, making many fantasy owners happy.

The New York Giants stunk up the field yesterday, losing to Green Bay at home 35-13. The Giants are melting down as we speak. It’s going to be a long year in the Big Apple.

The other New York team came up a bit short, as the Jets narrowly lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 20-13. Notable in New York is the fact that Chad Pennington was apparently ready to play for the Jets, but did not play, as the Jets started Kellen Clemens at QB.

The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to roll. The Steelers rode four field goals and two touchdowns to a workmanlike 26-3 thumping of Buffalo. The Steelers are 2-0, and neither win has been close. The Mike Tomlin era is off to an impressive start.

The St. Louis Rams have been a big disappointment over the first two weeks of the season. Star punt returner Dante Hall fumbled a punt late in the 4th quarter, setting up the winning field goal for the Niners. San Francisco moves to 2-0 in what is turning into a renaissance for the 49ers.

In the battle of Swampland and Peanuts, the Jacksonville Jaguars outuglied the Atlanta Falcons, 13-7. This game had a fraction of the atmosphere of the other Georgia-Florida matchup that takes place every year at Alltel Stadium. Georgia and Florida might be able to beat the Falcons, as well. I wouldn’t quite put a good college team up against a bad NFL team yet, but the Gators would give the Falcons all they want. That’s a rambling way to say that the Falcons aren’t very good.

The team laying the biggest egg in the first two weeks has to be the New Orleans Saints. The Saints were picked by many to go to the Super Bowl, but are instead a bad 0-2, after being whipped 31-14 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are not great at all, but made the Saints look really bad.

The Indianapolis Colts escaped Music City with a 22-20 win over the Tennessee Titans. The Colts’ defense came through, stopping a Vince Young-led comeback at the end of the game. The Colts are not giving up their title without a fight.

Sunday’s late games saw three contests decided by a field goal. One was in Arizona, where the Cardinals got a big win over the Seattle Seahawks, 23-20. Edgerrin James rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown for the Cardinals.

In Detroit, the Lions are 2-0 after beating Minnesota 20-17 in overtime. The Lions may or may not be that great, but they no longer suck. That is progress in the Motor City. Baby steps, baby steps.

The Denver Broncos were nearly embarrassed, as they needed overtime to beat the awful Oakland Raiders at home, 23-20. In the NFL, anything can happen, and usually does. That includes bad teams beating teams that are supposed to be good. That nearly happened in Denver on Sunday.

The Chicago Bears are now 2-0, after doubling up the Kansas City Chiefs, 20-10. The Chiefs are struggling. The Bears are good, once again.

In the Sunday night extravaganza, the New England Patriots scored their second 38-14 win in a row, this time over the San Diego Chargers. It is not known if there were illegal cameras in the stadium. Cameras or no cameras, someone is going to have to get past the Pats to get to the Super Bowl. This team is on a mission, and has improved greatly over last year.

The Monday night game features NFC East rivals Washington and Philadelphia, or a battle of the fight songs Hail to the Redskins and Fly, Eagles, Fly.