Michael McQuaid of Pro Football Ireland looks at some of the key storylines ahead of the second week of the 2024 NFL season, which gets underway tonight (1.15am Irish time) with the visit of the Buffalo Bills to Miami.
A marquee Thursday night matchup
The first game of week 2 will see the Buffalo Bills travel to the Miami Dolphins for Thursday Night Football. Both teams faced significant challenges in the first week of the season but both outfits dug deep to get a win.
Former quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick played for both teams and will be part of the Amazon commentary team (also Sky Sports in Ireland) that covers this game.
Speaking with Pro Football Ireland this week, Fitzpatrick expressed his desire to see a potential NFL game in Ireland in the future.
“I think its got to happen”, he said. “We’re taking the necessary steps. We just saw the game in Brazil… I think it’s time. Dublin would be an awesome place to play an NFL game.”
Burrowhead
As far as matchups go, the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs this weekend is box-office. Imagine a packed Croke Park for Kerry-Dublin in July. The atmosphere in Arrowhead Stadium will be off the charts.
In early 2023, after the Bengals defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game, Bengals slot corner Mike Hilton pointed at the television cameras and said, “We’ll see y’all in Burrowhead,” referring to the Chiefs’ home. Cue a rivalry like never before.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is coming back after a torn ligament in his right wrist, which he suffered around halfway through last season. He and his team did not look right in a very surprising loss at home to the New England Patriots in the first week of the season.
On the flip side, the Chiefs got off to a winning start against the Ravens at home. When it’s Patrick Mahomes going up against Joe Burrow, it is usually a joy to watch. Get the popcorn out for this one, folks.
Packers sans Love
The first ever game in Brazil took place last weekend and for the Green Bay Packers, it almost ended in a monumental disaster. With five seconds left, their quarterback Jordan Love (getting treatment above) hobbled off. Cue mass hysteria from Packers fans around the world.
A friend in the stadium who happened to be in the locker room at the end of the game described the atmosphere postgame as “like a wake”, with a “genuine concern that this is a serious injury – potentially season ending”. Around 16 hours later, the Packers returned to Wisconsin and it was confirmed that Jordan Love had suffered an injury to his MCL, but a sprain rather than a tear.
At the time of writing, he has not been ruled out for their game against the Colts, but former Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis is expected to start ahead of Love for at least this weekend – with a likely return for the No 1 QB later in the month or early October.
One of the major points this weekend will be how Willis can balance a new offensive scheme and embed himself into a team that expects to have Love under centre. They are going up against an Indianapolis Colts side that put up a significant fight against a side many fancy to make a run this season in the Houston Texans.
Green Bay’s Enniskerry man Daniel Whelan had a solid start to the year in Brazil, kicking two punts for 74 yards in total, with a long of 41. When we asked Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur in São Paulo about Whelan’s improvement, he said: “The guy is dropping bombs out there, it is spectacular to see.
“As I tell him all the time, although he’s a great kicker, I hope to use him just as a [place] holder. But knowing that, if we have to punt, he gives the opportunity for us to flip the field.”
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys
Last week, a man by the name of Dak Prescott in Dallas agreed to a deal which made him him the NFL’s first $60 million–per-year player, his $240 million four-year contract, the highest the league has ever seen.
Yes, this is a crazy amount of money, but this is ‘America’s team’ – and the Cowboys put a marker down in the first week when they defeated the Cleveland Browns.
The Cowboys and quarterback Prescott looked calm, cool and collected. Star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who sat out training all summer, looked as fresh as any other offensive player on the field in his season debut. The team is deep in certain positions and could be a real threat down the stretch.
Both sides of the ball look polished. This is often the case, however, and the Arlington outfit usually impress or go on a run, but falter when it matters. It has been nearly 30 years since Dallas won it all. Could this be the year? Prescott and the Cowboys welcome the high-scoring New Orleans Saints to their home this weekend.
Toothless Carolina Panthers
Where on earth do we start here? If you are a fan of the Carolina Panthers, look away now.
In the first game of the season, the team travelled to take on Charlie Smyth’s New Orleans Saints in a divisional matchup.
The final score was 47-10 (the equivalent of winning by nearly seven goals in a GAA match) as things have gone from bad to worse for the Carolina outfit. Quarterback Bryce Young looks like a bust only one year after being selected first in the NFL Draft. Defensive tackle Derrick Brown is sidelined with a potential season-ending injury.
Add to that, an owner in David Tepper, who does not exactly have the best record in regards to patience. Could head coach Dave Canales be in serious trouble already? He has already had to meet the owner following the awful defeat.
Up next, they welcome a Los Angeles Chargers team which is re-energised through new HC Jim Harbaugh. It could be a long Sunday for the Panthers – and a very long season.
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