Russell Wilson having MVP start, Chargers sticking with Tyrod Taylor over Justin Herbert, and more from NFL Week 2
Wilson is completing 82.5% of his passes through two games, which is unheard of. He threw five TD passes Sunday night vs. New England.
Russell Wilson’s resume is better than most quarterbacks' in the NFL. He’s led the Seahawks to eight consecutive winning seasons to start his career while never missing a game, and he’s 1-1 in the Super Bowl.
His 2020 start might be the best of his career.
Not only is Wilson 2-0, but he’s playing as close to flawless as a quarterback can. He has completed 52 of 63 passes through two games. That’s 82.5 percent, which is absurd.
The first game was against the Falcons. After seeing Dak Prescott’s performance against them, maybe that game was more about Atlanta being horrendous than Wilson being elite, but Sunday night, he carved up a Bill Belichick-led defense like few have.
Wilson finished 21-for-28 for 288 yards and threw five touchdowns. It’s only two games, but the MVP talk is heating up for Seattle’s quarterback.
The appropriate way to react to an NFL team’s success or failures through two weeks is to not get too high or too low, but rarely does that happen.
Wilson will have several opportunities to make a strong case for MVP. He’ll play the Dallas Cowboys next week, plus the NFC West looks like the strongest division in football. The Rams have Jalen Ramsey, the Cardinals have Patrick Peterson, and the 49ers have Richard Sherman. Those are three of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.
If Wilson balls like this against the tough NFC West secondaries, he’ll have his first MVP.
Chargers impressed by Herbert, not enough to unseat Tyrod Taylor
Justin Herbert’s performance Sunday had a deja vu feeling. Two seasons ago, Tyrod Taylor was the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns before then-rookie Baker Mayfield replaced him after three games.
Taylor was a late scratch for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs because of a chest injury, and Herbert showed Chargers fans why they have their quarterback of the future. In the 23-20 loss, Herbert went 22-for-33 and threw for 311 yards and one touchdown, with an interception.
It appeared that Herbert might be ready to take the reins, but Chargers coach Anthony Lynn isn’t ready to let him yet.
Lynn says he’s sticking with Taylor when he’s healthy, and it’s a confusing move. The Chargers defense contained one of the NFL’s most potent offenses. Combine that with the potential for growth with Herbert, and Lynn’s statement is a head-scratcher.
Charles Barkley clowns Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have lived with hearing 28-3 jokes, referencing their blown Super Bowl lead to the Patriots three years ago. Their blown lead against the Cowboys added another one, as Dallas rallied late for a 40-39 victory Sunday.
The Falcons were the laughingstock of the NFL yesterday, and even NBA TNT analyst Charles Barkley joined in.
“They outdid [themselves] today,” Barkley said. “That was the biggest choke job.”
Barkley said blowing this game was even bigger than the 2017 Super Bowl loss. While the magnitude of this game wasn’t as big, it’s hard to argue with his point. The Falcons had a 99.9% chance to win when they led by nine with 2:33 remaining in the fourth, according to ESPN’s win probability.
It’s hard to imagine things being worse than a 99.9% win probability, but when you throw in the fact the Falcons made history, it’s going to be a long week in Atlanta.