Monday morning 2020 NFL recap week 2

Steelers - My MIL turns 90 on Tuesday, and to protect her on that big day, I skipped watching the game at my buddy's house, which meant I had to rely on my Redzone channel, Steelers radio, and free streaming when I could get it. Starting out well, had a lull, came back when needed. With less than two minutes to go, the ball in Denver's possession, my Apple Watch alerted me to breathe. Yeah, I did--after we won.

• The defense was on fire in the first half. Ten of the Steelers points came from turnovers made by their defense--five sacks, a fumble, and an interception. By the fourth quarter, they were wiped, but they rallied when it mattered. Kudos to Terrell Edmunds for ending Denver's comeback with the sack!

• In the first quarter, Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree hit Broncos quarterback Drew Lock as he was recovering from a stumble. Unsteady and off-balance, Lock injured his shoulder while fumbling the ball and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

• The longest play of the season (at that moment) went to the Steelers with an 84-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Chase Claypool. It was a vintage Big Ben throw.

• There is still work to do--ten penalties are unacceptable.

• It was great to see James Conner back, but even better to see him succeed. He finished with 106 yards, but his most impressive run was in the last possession when the Steelers needed a first down to run out the clock. Conner ran 59 yards on that carry to get that and more.

Other:

• You gotta love the broadcasts without fans in the stands. Not even the fake cheers can stop viewers from hearing the foul language on the field. The networks can't silence it quickly enough for the censors, but so far, I haven't heard much scuttlebutt or complaints. The favorite word of NFL players--rhymes with duck and begins with an F--no way to miss that in the Packers game against the Lions!

• But seriously, whoever is in charge of this fake audience really needs to make sure the appropriate cheers and boos are used for the right teams. Trust me, real Packers fan would not be cheering for an Aaron Rogers incomplete pass.

• Injuries galore in the first half of the one o'clock games - The 49ers lost two DE's Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas, and their quarterback Jimmy Garrapolo. The Giants RB Saquon Barkley was injured on two different plays, one on an extended arm, and the one that knocked him out, on his knee. Early rumor is he could be lost for the season with a torn ACL. Denver lost their quarterback Drew Lock, and the Bears lost running back David Montgomery. Other notable injuries were the Jets WR Breshad Perriman, Rams RB Cam Akers, Rams LB Anthony Barr, and Falcons DE Takk McKinley.

• The Jets defense on 3rd and 31 could not stop the 49ers, Jerick McKinnon. He grabbed the toss, shimmied through a hole, avoided a tackle, and ran 55 yards for the first down. That's going to be tough to watch come film day.

• Aaron Jones of the Packers ran a zillion yards for a touchdown, and despite zero fans in attendance, made the Lambeau Leap into the stands anyway.

• The Cowboys might have been the laughing stock this morning if they hadn't come back to win against the Atlanta Falcons. After fumbling the ball three times and opting to go for it on fourth down twice, and failing, the Cowboys attempted and recovered an onside kick to gain possession. From there, they got close enough for kicker Greg Zuerlein to make the 46-yard field goal.

• The other wild late minute win went to the Chicago Bears, who were ahead 17-14 but allowed the Giants to get into the red zone with an opportunity. Fortunately for them, Golden Tate was flagged for offensive pass interference, and the Bears are 2-0.

• But, really, why were the Falcon players just standing there during that onside kick? Word is they didn't think the spinning ball would go the required ten yards, but they just looked stupid in replays.

• In Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, a power outage cut CBS's broadcast of the Dolphins/Bills games. Of course, it being Florida, fun was made of it, but I think everyone needs to remember the tropical storms churning in the Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean, and that this is hurricane season. Sometimes Florida has real problems, so lets cut us a little slack, huh? 

• Yep, and not long after I typed the above, the Miami game was suspended for wicked lightning in the third quarter. Uh-huh, storm season, people.

• While we are on the subject of Florida and its ridiculousness, our governor sides with those who believe COVID is not severe, so Miami and Jacksonville are allowing spectators inside their stadiums for social distancing. But I'm crediting Tampa's Mayor Jane Castor for her steady abdicating of masks and no large gatherings for why the Tampa Buccaneers' Raymond James Stadium remained empty.

• The Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor somehow received some type of a chest injury during pregame warm-ups and was ruled out before kickoff in the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Instead rookie Justin Herbert started in Taylor's place, and the young quarterback had no trouble in the first half against the Super Bowl champs, scoring the first touchdown on a run, and making crazy good plays. Unfortunately, that didn't stick.

• I usually pick a team to keep an eye on each season (and who we will see in the Bowl) because I think they have something. My team this year is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With a slew of young weapons, their acquisition of Leonard Fournette, and Tom Brady at the helm, I think the NFC needs to watch their backs.