Dolphins drop two in a row at home

By Lisa Johnson // @LJ1303

For the second week in a row, the Miami Dolphins have been outscored by double digits. After a complete thrashing by the Baltimore Ravens in week 1, the Dolphins looked to rebound against their AFC East rival New England Patriots.

After last week’s defensive break-downs, the Dolphins improved defensively, although the score might not reflect this. The defense held the Patriots to just 13 points in the first half. The second half is when the defense finally broke.

This week the offense can shoulder the blame. Only one stat I need to give you: Total yards per team. The Patriots had 381, whereas the Dolphins offense only complied 184 yards. Let’s be honest, most of these yards came after the game was out of reach.

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AFC South: Week 2 Review

By Lisa Johnson // @LJ1303

Week 2 of the AFC South schedule saw all 4 teams battling each other for control of the South.

While the Texans and Colts have won 9 out of 10 seasons, the Jaguars and Titans are pushing to end that reign.

Both teams failed to gain any ground within the division, but it’s still early and there is a lot of football to go. This division could come down to the final games late in December.

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I got the power: NFC East power rankings

Sonja Greenfield, Senior NFL Reporter NFC North, NFC East

By Sonja Greenfield //@Mom23RN

Like I said last week, I’ve never really been a huge fan of power rankings. They’re meaningless, to be honest. It’s essentially who’s hot and who’s not.

But when I do them, I love to have fun with it, and not take them too seriously. For the most part. I think a mixup of funny and serious is good.

Without further ado, I present the NFC East Power Rankings going into week 2.

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The Saints go marching to LA

By Lucy Rendler-Kaplan // @LucyRK78

The New Orleans Saints are marching into Los Angeles Sunday, for a game fans many Saints fans have been breathlessly awaiting.

The Saints and Los Angeles Rams will meet for the first time since maybe the most controversial playoff games the league has ever seen, with the outcome leading to a change in NFL rules.

Fans are still fired up and even recently, still trying to sue the Rams or Rams players for the Saints losing their chance to go to the Super Bowl.

On Wednesday, Saints quarterback Drew Brees was asked how long it will take him to forget the non-call and the loss it caused.

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Looking ahead to Green Bay’s home opener

Lucy Rendler-Kaplan
Green Bay Packers Reporter

By Lucy Rendler-Kaplan // @LucyRK78

The Packers face a tough schedule right off the bat. For the second week in a row, they’re facing a divisional opponent, and while we do love home-field advantage, the Vikings have shown us that doesn’t always help.

Going into Sunday’s game, both teams are 1-0, but while Green Bay was fighting a battle in Chicago, the Vikings had a much easier game in Atlanta. This is going to be another tough game for the Packers.

And while I always have all the confidence in my team, there are a few teams I still get nervous about facing. The Vikings are near the top of that list. If you’ve been reading my articles for a while, you know how much I hate tense and close games. So, yup! I’m already stressing Sunday.

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Who Will Win in Week 2: NFC West

By Wanda Wiedman // @WandaW63

There was a ton of excitement from these division teams last week including one team ended with a tie to break in the season. But even though the underdogs of this division lost, they proved that they can give the opposing team a run for their money.

Each of the NFC West games this week may not be so concrete as who will win their matchup.

LA Rams vs Saints/Sunday, 4:25pm ET

Why not start Week 2 with an exciting game as it will be a rematch of the controversial game from last season’s playoffs. Remember, it was the bad pass interference call that cost the Saints the game and sent the Rams to the Super Bowl. But now with the new rule change of reviewing pass interference calls, let’s see if the game can stay clean with these two teams.

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Bears preview week 2: It’s Fangio verses his former team

By Wanda Wiedman // @WandaW63

Week one of the regular season is over. It’s time to move on to week 2.

Especially those Bears fans who have spent every single day dissecting every decision, throw and play call made or didn’t make against Green Bay. The Chicago Bears have chosen to learn from it and move on to Week 2…and so should we.

And despite several blowout games throughout the NFL, Bears fans will not let the loss to the Packers die. So now it’s on to Denver and a matchup with former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio as head coach.

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Grading the NFC North, Week 1

By Sonja Greenfield // @Mom23RN

Alright, alright alright! (In my Matthew McConaughey voice)

Week 1 has come to a close and it’s time to hand out grades for the team’s performances! I’m a pretty easy grader, and I do grade on a curve. Mostly because a curve helped me out of some classes (Looking at you AP Chem.), so it’s only fair.

After coaching changes, key free agent signings, and some great defenses, it was time to get the show on the road. The oldest rival in the NFL came from the NFC North and it was only right that they kicked off the NFL’s 100th season.

Chicago Bears: C. Last years defense was back in full force. Linebacker Roquan Smith was letting his presence be known early on in the game. But in the end, the offense just stalled. In fact, the only offense that the Bears could muster was a 38-yard field goal from recently signed kicker Eddy Pineiro. Irony. Despite the struggles on offense, the defense was really the bright spot.

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AFC NORTH – Week 1 Review

By Kate Arhar // @ClvlndK8

The Baltimore Ravens sit alone atop the AFC North after one week due to surprising losses by the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cincinnati Bengals loss to the Seattle Seahawks was only surprising in that the game was so very much closer than anyone predicted.

The Ravens looked amazing, but is that because the Miami Dolphins are worse than advertised? And after all the pre-season hype, are the Browns really this bad?

No one was surprised to see the New England Patriots man-handle the Steelers, yet the complete beat-down was unexpected. And quarterback Andy Dalton put up better numbers than Russell Wilson!!!! How did that happen?

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Grading the NFC East, Week 1

By Sonja Greenfield //@Mom23RN

Week 1 is in the books! And that means school is back in session… which makes this post pretty much a gimme! The NFC East teams all faced each other opening week, so that makes it easy to grade. Oh, and I grade on a curve in case you’re wondering. Curves saved my grades a few times, so I’m returning the favor.

It was an eventful offseason for all teams in the division. Signings, hold outs, quarterback controversies, and more. But finally getting to play always makes it that much better.

Philadelphia Eagles: I’ll give them an A-. After a very, very slow start and the defense looking not great, the Eagles came alive. Quarterback Carson Wentz went on to have a day, along with returning wide receiver DeSean Jackson, and WR Alshon Jeffrey. The Eagles came back from being down 17-0 to get the win. I guess the best way to put it is that sometimes you just need to get back into the flow of regular season games.

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