NFL week two dominated by upsets

Perhaps football fans found week one in the NFL predictable and boring. But if anyone thought that would be the pattern for this season ,they were proved wrong in week two, as numerous upsets and surprises made football fans across the country rethink their pre-season predictions.

Early in the season, NFL analysts predicted that the road to the Superbowl would be through Pittsburgh in the AFC and St. Louis in the NFC. While it's too early in the season to count either of these teams out, both the St. Louis Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers are currently 0-2.

After losing the Superbowl to the Patriots last year, the Rams have been on a decline. Dropping their season opener to the Denver Broncos, the Rams dug a deeper hole for themselves this weekend in their 21-26 loss to the New York Giants. The "greatest show on turf" seems to have displaced its offensive prowess, as Kurt Warner and company were unable to control the offensive tempo of the game.

Down early to a 17-point Giants lead, the Rams made an attempt at a comeback, but time ran out before they could overcome their opposition. The last time St. Louis started off 0-2 was in 1998, when the team went 4-12 on the season. The Rams won't have an easy time preventing history from repeating itself either. Their next opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, look strong after their 25-0 thrashing of the Baltimore Ravens.

The other Superbowl favorite, Pittsburgh suffered a fate similar to the Rams. After losing their season opener to the New England Patriots, the Steelers were not able to turn their play around this week, and they dropped their season's home opener to the Oakland Raiders. Heralded in the preseason for their defense, the Steelers predicted strength has become their weakness so far this season. Oakland blew past Pittsburgh's defense to put 30 points up on the Steelers board.

Nearly as great a surprise as the 0-2 teams this week is the pack of teams who now stand at 2-0. After winning only one game last season, no body expected to see the Carolina Panthers at 2-0. After beating the Ravens to open their season, the Panthers beat up the Detroit Lions Sunday 31-7.

Although the Panthers haven't proved themselves as Superbowl contenders, as they beat the washed up Ravens and the incessantly bad Lions, quarterback Rodney Pete looked strong for the Panthers as he passed for 310 yards. Though it's unlikely that we'll see a Superbowl parade in Carolina anytime soon, the Panthers won't be an easy victory this season. The true test to the Panthers strength will come on Sunday as the face the Minnesota Vikings.

The loudest statement made this week by 2-0 teams comes from the New England Patriots. Once again the defending Champions entered into Giants Stadium as the underdog against the New York Jets. By holding the Jets to only nine first downs, the Patriots dismantled the Jets' game plan and ran past them to a 44-7 win. Once again Tom Brady looked flawless, passing for 269 yards, while the Patriots defense held Vinny Testaverde to 150. Perhaps after their second decisive victory of the season, the Pats will be favored to win against the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend. But we're not holding our breath.

By upsetting the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the New Orleans Saints showed that they will also be a true contender this season. Despite losing Ricky Williams to the Miami Dolphins in the off season, the New Orleans offense looked alive and well in week 2. Quarterback Aaron Brooks may have finally come into his own as he fired two touchdown passes as the Saints passed the Packers 35-20.

Others on the list of unexpected contenders this year are the Chicago Bears. Sitting at 2-0 for the first time in over a decade _ 11 years to be exact _ the Bears defense is back in full form. Defensive linebacker Brian Urlacher was dominant throughout the game as he sacked Atlanta's Michael Vick twice while also recovering a fumble and finishing the day with a game-high 12 tackles.

Rounding out the Sunday of surprises was the Dallas Cowboy's victory over the Tennessee Titans. After beating the Philadelphia Eagles in their season opener the Titans re-established themselves as a bona fide threat in the NFL. With the return of Eddie George, the team felt this was the season they could return to their AFC Glory Days. On came the Cowboys, licking their wounds after a season opening loss to the expansion Houston Texans. Somehow the Cowboys found enough strength in their shallow talent pool to overcome the Titans though and pull off the week's greatest upset.



The Good

After dropping their season opener to the Titans, the Eagles rebounded to rout the Washington Redskins in a Monday Night football debacle. Beating Washington 37-7, McNabb passed for 292 yards, while the Eagles defense held the opposing offense scoreless. Washington's only points were scored when Jaquez Green returned a 90-yard punt for a touchdown.



The Bad

As the Redskins continued to get stomped on by the Eagles, fans became impatient and started a fight in the stands that required the police to use pepper spray to break it up. The scent of the pepper spray traveled down to the Eagles bench and delayed the game in the fourth quarter as the Eagles waited for the odor to subside before returning to their side of the field.



The Ugly

Once again the Detroit Lions and the Cincinnati Bengals are in this category, and they'll stay here until one of them wins