Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season was another wild week, capped off by an amazing back-and-forth shootout between two former MVPs.
Here's a quick look at the best (and worst) that Sunday had to offer:
Overachieving Team: Carolina Panthers
Carolina's Week 1 win was considered more of a product of the Jets' incompetence than the Panthers' proficiency, but the good times in Charlotte kept rolling on Sunday.
Entering the game as a 3.5-point home underdog, the Panthers shellacked the New Orleans Saints, holding Jameis Winston and company to just 128 yards of offense on 43 plays and containing Alvin Kamara to just five yards on eight carries.
Offensively, Sam Darnold took advantage of his entire arsenal of weapons, completing passes to seven different receivers in his fifth-career 300-yard performance.
The Panthers dominated the time of possession battle too, holding the ball for over 38 minutes, their highest total in a winning performance since September of 2017.
Carolina is now 2-0 against the spread in 2021 and 6-2 ATS since Week 11 of 2020. Up next is a Thursday-night matchup against Houston, followed by a trip to Dallas to face the Cowboys in a pair of winnable games, especially the former, should Davis Mills III make his first NFL start. In fact, the next 2-0 team on the Panthers schedule is Arizona, who they won't play until Week 9.
Underachieving team: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers occupied the other spot in this column last week, but their nine-point home loss to the Raiders was their fourth-straight outright loss in a game they were favored in, dating back to last season.
Once again, Pittsburgh's offense stalled early in the game, scoring just once through three quarters before a touchdown and a field goal cut the deficit to single digits in the fourth quarter. It's also worth pointing out the Raiders have a history of early-season success, starting 6-3 a season ago and 6-4 in 2019 before falling apart down the stretch.
Ben Roethlisberger did complete two passes over 20 yards downfield after not even attempting one in Week 1, so that is a step in the right direction, but his success rate of just 35.7 percent ranked dead last among quarterbacks in Week 2.
The Steelers pass defense remains elite enough to keep them in games, but Roethlisberger and the offense will hamstring the team unless something changes.
Overachieving Player: Titans RB Derrick Henry
It's hard to overstate just how impressive Henry's performance on Sunday was, especially after a lackluster first half. After 30 minutes, Henry had just 35 yards on 13 rushing attempts and the Seahawks were in control, leading by 15.
And in the second half, Henry looked as good as ever, amassing 160 yards and three touchdowns on 21 touches before gaining another 27 yards in overtime. That's 187 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 24-6 comeback victory.
Even for Henry, Sunday was a Herculean effort, setting a career-high with 41 touches, the most in an NFL game since Le'Veon Bell got 42 touches in 2016 and seven more than Henry has ever had as a Titan.
In his late 20's, coming off a pair of seasons where he led the league in carries and adjusting to a new offensive coordinator, Henry still hasn't lost a step and remains one of the most impactful offensive weapons in the NFL.
Underachieving Player: Bears QB Justin Fields
When Andy Dalton went down with an ankle injury, it seemed like a blessing in disguise for Bears fans who would finally get to see Fields under center for extended snaps.
Unfortunately, it quickly became a nightmare as Fields completed just six of his 13 attempts for 60 yards, was sacked twice and intercepted on his way to the worst QBR of Week 2. While the book shouldn't be closed on Fields after just one relief appearance, the Bears scored just six points under Fields's guidance, despite starting three drives in field goal range.
It was a rough week for the 2021 rookie QBs as a whole, with Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson both taking losses as well. Trey Lance's 49ers beat the Eagles, but he wasn't a factor, never even touching the ball.
A week of practice with the first-team offense will do Fields some good, but his first start will come in Cleveland against a Browns' defense that was diced up by Patrick Mahomes and Tyrod Taylor in Weeks 1 and 2.
Bad beat of the week: Los Angeles Rams (-3.5)
The Rams and Colts played a wild game on Sunday in Indianapolis with 34 second-half points scored and the lead changing hands three times in the fourth quarter.
That first lead change came early in the fourth when a Rams punt attempt was thwarted by an errant snap which was bounced off a personal protector and was recovered in the end zone.
The Colts regained the lead a few minutes late, going up three and re-establishing that three-point lead later in the quarter after the two teams traded field goals.
However, after Carson Wentz was injured and replaced by Jacob Eason, the Rams intercepted the backup's second pass and started a drive at the edge of field goal range with just 2:13 to go.
Sony Michel ran the ball three times, gaining just five yards and Sean McVay called on Johnny Hekker to just punt the ball away, confident in his defense's ability to stifle the young QB. Eason did eventually complete a 10-yard pass to Zach Pascal, but McVay's conservative play paid off for everyone, except those holding the Rams -3.5.
While it may be a bit of a stretch to conceive points on that final Rams drive–a first down would've led to kneel-downs–it is more plausible to expect Los Angeles to not snap a ball off its own player and protect a touchdown lead late in the fourth quarter to a team playing with its backup quarterback.
