It was a points-feast for fantasy football fanatics on Week 2, as both studs and wild cards showed off their stuff on Sunday.
Indianapolis Colts' QB Peyton Manning added another non-Super Bowl trophy to his list of accomplishments as he passed Johnny Unitas' franchise completions record with his 26-of-38 passing for 400 yards. Peyton's Colts stomped all over the Houston Texans 43-24, but it was the Chicago Bears' quarterback, Rex Grossman, turning heads on Sunday.
Grossman posted career numbers, throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns. These numbers come only a week after Grossman's dazzling 262-yard performance in Week 1. The Bears face another divisional rival in Week 3 when they take on the Minnesota Vikings, who managed a 16-13 overtime win against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The Vikings defense looked decent against the Panthers, and will surely test Grossman and his Bears next weekend.
Despite a convincing 34-17 win over the Cleveland Browns, the Cincinnati Bengals did not walk away from their game unscathed. During the first half, the team lost three starters to injury: linebacker David Pollack, center Rich Braham and safety Dexter Jackson. The Bengals have cruised to a 2-0 record, but next week's game at the Pittsburgh Steelers will certainly be a challenge.
With 10 teams at the 2-0 mark, two have already begun to show their dominance in divisional play. The Atlanta Falcons broke out in one of the most impressive showings so far this year, first with a 20-6 thrashing of the Carolina Panthers in their opener, followed by a 14-3 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a more impressive style than the score showed. Michael Vick and Warren Dunn combined for 261 rushing yards, just short of the franchise-high 306 rushing yards. If their play can continue, the Falcons could lock up the NFC South before the rest of the division knows what hits them.
The other 2-0 team already playing like a divisional champ is the New England Patriots. Despite trading wide receiver Deion Branch to the Seattle Seahawks for a draft pick last week, Tom Brady and his squad showed no signs of missing their former star receiver. Brady spread the ball around well and was backed by another impressive showing by the rookie running back Lawrence Maroney, who, along with Corey Dillon, rushed for 145 yards and two scores. The Patriots managed to hold onto a 24-17 victory over the New York Jets after Tedy Bruschi, who returned to the starting lineup after missing Week 1, intercepted a pass from the Jets' Chad Pennington to seal the win.
With the Miami Dolphins falling to 0-2 in their 16-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots look like they can take an early lead in the divisional race, but with Troy Brown, Reche Caldwell and Chad Jackson as Brady's top three wide receivers, the team will have to make a move to bolster Brady's options and continue their dominance.
It looked like while Payton Manning headed to a 2-0 record, brother Eli and his New York Giants would fall to 0-2. But late-quarter blunders by the Philadelphia Eagles gave Manning the second chance he needed. Even after scoring 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, the Giants looked like they would be heading home with the loss. But a personal-foul call on the Eagles changed a 50-yard field goal attempt into a 35-yard attempt for Giants kicker Jay Feely, who sent the game into overtime. In OT, Manning connected with Plaxico Burress to give the Giants a 30-24 victory and their first win of the season.
