Biggest Stories and Best Highlights from NFL Week 2

Fifteen games, including the season debuts of two teams impacted by hurricanes in Week 1, make up the NFL's Week 2 slate Sunday and Monday.

The Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals got the week started on Thursday Night Football, a 13-9 victory for the former, with the latter reacting by firing offensive coordinator Ken Zampese.

Here's a look at the biggest storylines and the most notable highlights from Week 2.

Brady Sets Personal Record in Pats' 1st Win

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady wasted little time regrouping Sunday after a Week 1 disaster, throwing three first-quarter touchdown passes against the New Orleans Saints.

According to NFL Research, it was the first time he tossed a trio of scores in the first quarter in his 273-game career. His 447 passing yards were the third-most of his career and most ever for a quarterback his age (40), according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.

Naturally, the Saints couldn't match the pace, even in front of a home crowd. Drew Brees threw for 356 yards and two touchdowns, but his defense's inability to get Brady off the field meant New Orleans lost the time-of-possession battle by more than 10 minutes.

Brady's monster day away from home came a week after he mustered a 16-of-36 line in a season-opening 42-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

NFL Legends Reach Historic Milestones

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Antonio Gates made history Sunday.

In the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins, Gates caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Philip Rivers—the 112th score of Gates' career, an NFL record for a tight end:

The touchdown reception helped the Chargers take a 17-10 lead in their first home game since moving from San Diego.

In Baltimore, Cleveland left tackle Joe Thomas notched an ironman achievement while his team played the Ravens, participating in his 10,000th consecutive snap.

The Browns and even LeBron James of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers congratulated Thomas on the feat:

Thomas has never missed a play since entering the league in 2007. Though no official records are kept on snaps counts, according to ESPN.com's Pat McManamon, Thomas' streak is believed to be an NFL record.

Notable Teams Starting 2-0 or 0-2

The Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs each improved to 2-0 and have the AFC West looking like the best division in football.

Led by quarterback Trevor Siemian's four touchdown passes, the Broncos pulled off one of the most impressive victories of the day, taking down the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 42-17.

Oakland also cruised to a 45-20 victory over the New York Jets with help from Marshawn Lynch, who scored his first touchdown since coming out of retirement.

Meanwhile in Kansas City, rookie running back Kareem Hunt's two touchdowns helped the Chiefs hold off the Eagles, 27-20.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the 0-2 teams, most notably the Colts and Chargers.

The Colts, playing without star quarterback Andrew Luck due to a shoulder injury, lost in overtime to the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 16-13. Luck's status has been week-to-week so far this season, but the Colts will need him to return quickly to help climb out of this early-season hole.

Elsewhere, the Chargers, playing their first game in Los Angeles, suffered a heartbreaking loss after missing a field goal in the final moments. 

Offenses Continue to Struggle in Week 2

Other than the fireworks in Denver, New Orleans and Oakland, most offenses struggled to put points on the board this weekend.

The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers played three full quarters before the Seahawks finally scored the first touchdown of the game midway through the fourth. Russell Wilson's touchdown pass to receiver Paul Richardson was Seattle's first touchdown of the season and would help them eek out a 12-9 victory over the 49ers.

In the early afternoon action, the Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers combined for just four field goals in a 9-3 Panthers win, with Cam Newton sacked six times in the process. The Jacksonville Jaguars scored only three points before the fourth quarter in a 37-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans. The Chicago Bears didn't score until 1:43 remained in a 29-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Minnesota Vikings also joined the Under 10 Club with a 26-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Cleveland Browns squeaked out of that group with a 24 -10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

These struggles followed a season-opening slate in which 14 of 30 teams didn't score 20 points.

Best Plays of the Day So Far

Brady and Co. started the day's scoring in emphatic fashion. After hooking up with Rex Burkhead for his first passing touchdown, Brady found tight end Rob Gronkowski for one of the day's top highlights:

The second score helped the Patriots to a 13-3 advantage against the Saints as both teams looked to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole.

Browns running back Duke Johnson Jr. had one of the day's best catches, reeling in a one-handed grab while spinning and extending in midair:

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley added to his ever-growing highlight reel when he took flight in the second quarter against the Washington Redskins:

Gurley had scored on a rushing touchdown earlier in the game, and later added another score on a reception from quarterback Jared Goff in the third quarter.

NFL Stars Injured

Panthers tight end Greg Olsen suffered a foot injury against the Bills and did not return, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He had caught one of two targets for 10 yards. He later told reporters he broke his foot.

After recording one of the day's top highlights, Gronkowski left the game in New Orleans with a groin injury, according to NESN's Doug Kyed. At the time of his exit, Gronk led all New England pass-catchers with 116 yards and a touchdown on six receptions.

The Steelers lost first-round pick T.J. Watt—whose older brother is J.J. Watt of the Texans—to a groin injury, according to Schefter's colleague Jeremy Fowler.

Still To Come

Sunday's finale boasts a showdown between Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan in a potential shootout when the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons collide at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The Super Bowl runners-up's new stadium is a fitting host for a rematch of last year's NFC Championship Game, a 44-21 Falcons triumph in which Ryan bested Rodgers with four touchdown passes.