NFL – 2024 WEEK 2 – STATS THAT STICK OUT
PASSING – GENO SMITH (QB – SEAHAWKS) SEA 23 at NE 20
There may be no better underdog story in the NFL than that of the 33-year-old QB for Seattle, Eugene Cyril “Geno” Smith III. After having a successful college career at the University of West Virginia, Smith was drafted by the Jets in 2013 as the 39th pick overall. He was then named the starting QB his first two years with NY, but he would eventually be benched for performance and injury issues. From 2015-2018, he would start just two games with the Jets, Giants and Chargers. In 2019, Smith agreed to a one-year minimum deal with the Seahawks and became the third QB behind Russell Wilson, the Seahawks starter at the time. Smith would continue to play journeyman backup for the next couple years until 2022 when Wilson got traded to the Broncos and Smith won the starting job. This is when his Cinderella story would really begin… In 2022, Smith started 17 games and finished the season completing 399 of 572 passes for 4,282 yards with a 69.8 CMP% (the NFL’s best). He also became a Pro Bowler for the first time and won the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award. In 2023, Smith re-signed with the Seahawks on a three-year, $75 million deal and in 15 games would finish the season completing 323 passes in 499 attempts, 64.7% CMP and 3,624 yards. In addition to making his second consecutive Pro Bowl in 2023, Smith would also throw an NFL record 7 go-ahead TDs in the 4Q/overtime and have the league’s best Total QBR over the final six weeks. Now, as the 2024 season gets underway, Smith continues to prove how much of a vital asset he can be. In Week 2 he was the passing leader with 327 yards, he went 33-44, had 1 TD, 0 interceptions, a 103.1 QB rate and led his team to an overtime victory, all while getting sacked 3 times and experiencing at least four drops by Seattle pass catchers. Through it all, there is legit debate as to whether Smith should even be seen as an “underdog” any longer, especially if he continues to play like an elite QB.
RUSHING – JOSH JACOBS (RB – PACKERS) IND 10 at GB 16
It makes sense that Green Bay would rely heavily on its rushing attack while waiting for their starting QB (Jordan Love) to return from injury after going out of Week 1’s game with a left knee sprain. In fact, while Love was nursing his knee in Week 2, out of 67 offensive plays, the Packers would run the football 53 times for 261 yards. The person doing the bulk of the rushing work was 26-year-old running back Josh Jacobs who would carry the football 32 times and gain 151 yards on the ground for an average of 4.7 yards per carry while also being targeted 3 times as a receiver with 2 receptions for 20 yards. In Week 3’s game, it is likely the Packers will continue to run the ball heavily against Tennessee as Love is listed as questionable for the contest. And the Titans have already put the Packers on notice. This week Titans DT Jeff Simmons indicated that they are well aware of what Green Bay’s game plan will be without Love and that “nobody runs the ball on the Tennessee Titans”. It remains to be seen if Simmons’ premonition for the Packers comes true. But the Titans have been a top 10 defensive team so far this season holding opponents to an average of 272 yards/game and their rushing defense has held opponents to 135 yards/game. As for Jacobs, he responded appropriately to Simmons comment, “Me personally, I heard the comment. A lot of people sent it to me. I don’t really feel no type of way about it. If I was on defense, I’d be saying the same thing. Running the ball or offensively, I feel like can’t no defense stop us, so I would say the same thing. Obviously, they’ve got a good defensive front. The back guys have played a lot of football. They’re a physical team, so we’re going to see.”
RECEIVING – NICO COLLINS (WR – TEXANS) CHI 13 at HOU 19
The receiving leader in Week 2 was four-year NFL WR Dominique Stephon “Nico” Collins who caught 8 of his 10 targets for 135 yards, 16.9 average, and had 1 TD. All told through the first two games of the season, the number one wideout for the Texans has racked up 252 yards and is averaging 126 yards per game, both league-leading stats. He’s also caught all 6 of his late-down targets and has gained an impressive 12 first downs overall (acc to PFF). But what may be most impressive about Collins so far this season is his top seed of 21.89 miles per hour on a 55-yard reception in Week 1 which tops all other NFL players through Week 2. Considering his size of 6’4, 230 pounds and the fact that he recorded a 4.45 sec 40-yard dash in 2021, this is a remarkable feat. It will be fun to compare Collins’ cheetah-like quickness with that of WR Justin Jefferson during Week 3 when Houston takes on the Vikings at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Jefferson officially ran the 40-yard dash at the 2020 combine in 4.43 seconds.
TACKLES – GERMAINE PRATT (LB – BENGALS) CIN 25 at KC 26
The former NC State Wolfpack LB Germain Pratt shined in Kansas City during Week 2 despite his team’s hole shot loss to the Chiefs. Pratt bested his career number of game day tackles (16) and had 7 solo tackles while also forcing a fumble right before the end of the first half to help Cincinnati get a field goal and early lead. If not for a couple of Bengals penalties in the fourth quarter to set the Chiefs up for a game winning field goal, Cincinnati would have escaped with a win and more confidence instead of heading to Washington 0-2. But the team should take solace in knowing that along with Pratt and fellow Bengals LB Logan Wilson (who are both tied for second place in the league in total tackles through Week 2) these veteran linebackers are showing how good they are, and they know it too. Pratt has said outright, “we are the best linebackers in the league”. Indeed, having these two solid mainstays for the Bengals on defense should help Cincinnati stay relevant while the team tries to dig itself out of an early season hole.
FIELD GOALS – KA’IMI FAIRBAIRN (K – TEXANS) CHI 13 at HOU 19
Ka’imi Fairbairn is a native Hawaiian playing in his eighth career season for the Houston Texans and he is having one of the most historic starts of an NFL kicker, ever. In Week 1, he successfully kicked 3 field goals at 51, 50 and 51 yards and Week 2 saw him convert 4 field goals at 56, 47, 59 and 53 yards. These stats make Fairbairn the first kicker in NFL history to make at least five 50+ yard field goals in a two-game span. He is also the first kicker to make three 50-yard field goals in multiple games throughout his career. As for the Texans, it’s clear to see that Fairbairn has been instrumental in the team’s early season successes, scoring 11 points for the team in Week 1 and 13 in Week 2, both also close games. Heach Coach DeMeco Ryans is well aware of his kicker’s importance. He said on Sunday, “Nobody talks about it enough. ‘Imi’ [Ka’imi Fairbairn] is the reason why we won these two games. That’s been the player of the game. For him to hit, I don’t know how many, six 50-yard field goals, I don’t think that’s been done before. It’s very special for ‘Imi’. He’s been consistent. He’s on it. He’s the reason why we’re standing here. We talk a lot about offense and defense. The kicking game is the reason why we won this game today.”
FIRST-RATE FEAT – THE HIGH SCORING NEW ORLEANS SAINTS NO 44 at DAL 19
It’s hard to fathom how incredibly good the New Orleans Saints offense has been through the first two weeks of the 2024 season. In Week 1, the Saints routed the Panthers 47-10 and then took out the Cowboys 44-19 in Week 2. That’s an average of 45.5 points per game, 11 more than any other team’s totals (34.5 by ARI is next closest) so far this year. To put that in perspective, that combined 91 points sits only behind the Saints’ 2009 team for most points scored after the first two games of the season (since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger). New Orleans also scored on their first 16 possessions of the season, has scored a league-leading 11 total touchdowns (6 Rush, 5 Rec) and has a 100% Red Zone Scoring at home. What’s been working so well for them is obviously the influence of new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak and his 51% league-high “play-action” chops, but also the elite performances of QB Derek Carr (30-39, 442 yards, 5 TDs, 1 interception, league-leading 96.2 QBR and 142.4 passer rating, 2 sacks) and his playmakers. Running back Alvin Kamara has been particularly stellar becoming the only player in New Orleans history to score at least 4 TDs in the first two games of the season (Kamara has 5). In Week 2, Kamara also secured the second highest scoring day of his career with 4 TDs and 180 yards from scrimmage. This included 3 rushing TDs for 115 yards and 20 carries plus 1 TD via 2 passes and 65 yards. Meanwhile, contributions from WR Rashid Shaheed, WR Chris Olave and TE Taysom Hill and Jamaal Williams have been instrumental in this team’s amazing early season success. On the other side of the football, the Saints defense has only allowed 14.5 points per game (4th best) and are holding opponents to an average of 273 yards per game (7th best). It will be interesting to see if New Orleans will continue to carve up opponents on both sides of the football as the 2024 season progresses. But, next up the Philadelphia Eagles come to town and they have performed as one of the worst defenses in the league this year (per total yards allowed and points per game).
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