Around the NFL: Thoughts And Observations From Week Two

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Week Two of the NFL season has all but been wrapped up and it's time to take a look around at the big stories from Sunday's games.

Michael Vick Needs to be a Starter in the NFL

Andy Reid has a lot of thinking to do when Kevin Kolb makes his return to the lineup next week.  Michael Vick has come in and not only looked like the Vick of old, but a better version of said Mike Vick.

After tearing up the Packers' defense last weekend, people wondered if the Lions would be able to contain the man who can get yards through the air or on the ground. 

The short answer was no, no they couldn't.

Vick backed up his Packers game by completing 21 of 34 passes for 284 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, putting him at three touchdowns and no interceptions on the season.  He also added 37 yards on the ground along with some plays where he used his feet to keep plays alive.

While Vick has never been known as an accurate passer, he is still 37 of 58, which means 63.7 percent of his passes have been completed, a higher rate than any other year of his career.

The problem is that while he is putting up these numbers, Kolb was everything short of impressive in his time as a starter, going five of 10 for 24 yards and fumbling once.  Vick came in and gave a team that was stuck in the mud hope, and that is something that might be lost when he finds himself back on the bench for most of the game.

Philadelphia is not a very forgiving town, and if Kolb comes in and isn't as good as Vick has been, then there will be a lot of angry Eagles fans when they return to town in Week Four against the Redskins.

The Eagles sent away Donovan McNabb for Kolb to take over the reigns and lead this team, but if somebody else can do so better, it would be foolish for Andy Reid to stick to his original plan when he drafted Kolb in the second round of the 2007 Draft.

Are the Minnesota Vikings Not as Good as Advertised?

When Brett Favre decided not to retire, it was thought that the NFC North was going to be a two-horse race between the Vikings and Green Bay Packers and that the victor was going to be favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Now, that thinking may have changed as the Vikings were unable to get anything going offensively en route to a 14-10 loss at the hands of the Miami Dolphins.

Now, the man who was thought to be the savior of the Vikings is the one coming under fire after a lackluster Week One and downright awful Week Two.

Against the Dolphins, Favre completed 22 of 35 passes for 225 yards.  Not too bad right?  Then you factor in the zero touchdowns to three interceptions and you get a completely different portrait of the game Favre had.

Favre is clearly being hindered by the loss of Sidney Rice, and the Vikings are attempting to ease the problem by trading for suspended San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson.

Although adding Jackson would give the Vikings a legitimate weapon, that wouldn't be until Week 5, as the NFL has said that they would reduce Jackson's suspension from six games to four if he were to be traded.

This, however, leaves the Vikings without a real number one receiver for the next two weeks, and by then, it may be too late to get back into the race in the NFC North.

The Chicago Bears Run Defense may be the Best in the NFL

The Chicago Bears were able to hold their opponent under two yards per rush for the second time in two games this season, both times against teams with seemingly outstanding running games.

In Week One, they held Jahvid Best to just 20 yards on 14 carries.  While it may have seemed that Best just wasn't all he was hyped up to be, he went off against the Eagles for 78 yards on the ground and 154 yards through the air, totaling 232 yards and three touchdowns on the day.

In Week Two, they held the trio of Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice to 36 yards on 20 carries.

Next week, the Bears will be playing a Packers team that is without it's starting running back.  Although they likely won't be able to hold a third team under 40 yards rushing, it is likely that they will do a great job against the run again.

For a full recap of the Bears-Cowboys Game, click here.

San Diego Chargers Don't Let Chiefs Hold Them Down

After being on the wrong end of a 21-14 letdown last weekend against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs, the Chargers were on a mission to prove that they weren't stuck in a rut against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

They did so in a big way by making Pro Bowler David Garrard look like a rookie, intercepting four of his passes and forcing two more fumbles.

Although it was a sloppy game all around (the Chargers had their fair share of turnovers as well), the Chargers went home with a decisive 38-13 victory.

Joe Flacco Continues His Struggles Against Top Defenses

Joe Flacco went from facing the team that finished first in defense last season, to facing the team that finished fourth.  It showed again, with Flacco throwing four interceptions to one touchdown and only throwing for 154 yards.

The acquisitions of Anquan Boldin and T.J Who's-Your-Mama were supposed to create more weapons for Flacco to throw to as improves for his third season in the NFL.

Instead, Flacco has just one touchdown in two games compared to five interceptions.  If the Ravens expect to be at the top of the AFC and make it to the Super Bowl, they need Flacco to get out of his funk and get back to using all of his weapons to lead the Ravens to victories.

Are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers For Real?

The Chicago Bears aren't the NFL's only surprise 2-0 team, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have jumped on an easy early schedule with two wins in the first two games.

Josh Freeman has been the breakout star of this Bucs team, throwing four touchdowns to just one interception through the first two games.

This early start, however, has been helped by playing two of teams expected to be at the bottom of the league in the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers.

But nobody can take away the 2-0 start from this young Buccaneers team and even though it wasn't against the most stellar competition, it is still more than anybody expected.

I'm going to try to break down some of the biggest stories from around the NFL every week, so make sure to check back next week to see what happened on Sunday.

I'm Joe W.