10 Things That Defied Logic in Week 2 of the 2011 NFL Season

No matter how much we pick winners and predict outcomes, the result is always the same: We are wrong many more times than we are right.  The NFL is unpredictable and it is proven week in and week out that nothing happens according to how we think it will.

Week 2 of the 2011 NFL season was no different.  Players, coaches and preseason pundits were all cast aside by the chaos that is NFL football.

Week 2 proved once again that the NFL will always have us on the edge of our seats, wondering what will happen next.

10. The Redskins Put Up 455 Yards and Only Win by One

In the Missed Opportunities game of the week, the Washington Redskins amassed 455 yards of total offense but found themselves trailing a Cardinals team they had dominated, 21-13.  The Redskins escaped with a 22-21 win by converting a 4th-and-3 play with an 18-yard touchdown pass, but the game never should have been that close.

The Redskins controlled play the entire game, but turnovers and bad red-zone play cost them.  It just goes to show that no matter what the stats are, all that matters is getting into the end zone.

9. The Minnesota Vikings Blow a 17-0 Halftime Lead

Those poor Vikings just can't catch a break.  Up 17-7 at halftime against the San Diego Chargers in Week 1, they squandered the lead and lost 24-17.  In Week 2, they held a 17-0 halftime lead before inexplicably falling 24-20 against a Buccaneers team that badly needed the win.

This speaks to a huge problem the Vikings have—the inability to close games despite having a dominant run game.  If you have a great running game, you should be able to win close games and be able to win games in which you have a lead of more than 10 points.  The Vikings defense couldn't keep up.

8. The Bears Still Can't Protect Jay Cutler

In a dominant Week 1 beat down of the Atlanta Falcons, people were led to think that the porous Bears offensive line was improved from a season ago.

Well, we were wrong.

The Bears offensive line was nothing short of horrendous against a hungry Saints defense that blitzed and pressured and kept Jay Cutler in their sights all day.  The pressure led to six sacks, which means that right now, Cutler is on pace to be put on the ground 88 times in 2011.

My question is: How can one team's offensive line be so bad for such a long time?  It seems as if the Bears have had offensive line issues for years now.

7. Are the Lions Really This Good?

Sports Illustrated's Peter King made this excellent point in his Monday Morning Quarterback story on SI.com: The Lions haven't experienced losing in a while now.  

Take this into account: Counting their 4-0 2011 preseason, the Lions have won their last 10 games.  They finished off with four consecutive victories to end the season in 2010, swept this year's preseason and have won their first two games of 2011.  And they absolutely won by every measure this weekend in a 48-3 dismantling of Kansas City.

Maybe the Lions can live up to the hype.  All I know is that Matthew Stafford is the key; he's thrown seven touchdowns already this season and looks to be on track with all of his receivers.

6. Are the Chiefs Really This Bad?

Remember when the Chiefs were good last year?

Me neither.

The Chiefs have gotten off to the roughest start for a division winner in recent memory, suffering two blowout losses to open the season.  They've been outscored to the tune of 89-10 and have looked listless while losing star safety Eric Berry, tight end Tony Moeaki and star running back Jamaal Charles for the season.

And, um, check this out: In their last four games (including the playoff loss to the Ravens), the Chiefs have gone 0-4 and have been outscored 150-27.  Yikes.

Have we found Andrew Luck's new team?

5. Baltimore Lost to Tennessee

Wait, what?  The Ravens lost to the Titans?  This wasn't supposed to happen.

But it did.  The Ravens, they of the 35-7 blowout of the AFC champion Steelers in Week 1, looked utterly hopeless against a Tennessee Titans team that was tabbed as a team sure to lose this week.

The Ravens had the ultimate letdown, letting Matt Hasselbeck throw for 358 yards and failing to get anything going on offense.  Looks like the Ravens may not be ready to take that big step forward.

4. Jesse Holley Owns the 49ers

How about this guy Jesse Holley—he's on the Cowboys' roster because he won a reality show hosted by former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, and he goes ahead and has a 77-yard catch-and-run to set up a game-winning field goal in overtime against San Francisco.  Who saw this coming?

Holley is an amazing story, as is the fact that the pass was thrown to him by Tony Romo, who had broken a rib earlier in the game.

As much as I hate the Cowboys, I have to say it: They came through with a gutsy win and look like they're ready to get back on track.

3. Luke McCown's Stat Line Against the Jets

If you thought Donovan McNabb's 39-yard performance last week was bad, enter Luke McCown.

The Jaguars were expected to lose this game by a lot—they are a clearly inferior team to the New York Jets.  But for McCown to post these numbers—6-of-19, 59 yards, zero TD, four INT, 1.8 QB rating—well that's just unacceptable no matter what defense you're playing.

Looks like McCown's played himself out of a starting job already.

2. Buffalo Somehow Beats the Raiders

The Bills won 41-7 against the Chiefs in Week 1.  In Week 2, they were losing 21-3 at halftime against the Raiders.  

Then something happened.  The Bills flipped on a switch and scored 35 points in the second half (21 in the fourth quarter) en route to a stunning 38-35 victory over the Raiders, who thought they had won.  Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a touchdown with 14 seconds left in the game and the Bills are off to a 2-0 start.

It looks as if football is watchable in Buffalo again.  After a shocking comeback and showing that they have an offense as dangerous as any in the NFL, are the Bills primed for an unexpected playoff run?

1. Cam Newton Does It Again

Cam Newton didn't necessarily play as well against the Packers as he did in Week 1, but my goodness—he threw for even more yards.

Who would have thought that this rookie quarterback, a quarterback who was expected to be primarily run-first, could throw for over 400 yards in each of his first two games?  It's unbelievable what Newton's been able to do.  His arm strength is phenomenal—see his jump pass to Steve Smith in the fourth quarter that traveled 70 yards through the air—and his decision-making has been better than expected.

The Carolina Panthers are 0-2, but they have a lot to be happy about.  Cam Newton has been the ultimate silver lining thus far.