NFL Sunday Week Two: Tua and Kyler lead a stunning comeback weekend
It was a breathtaking weekend for NFL fans.
Call it comeback Sunday, Week Two provided underdog entertainment that the league hasn’t seen in years.
Dolphins and Cardinals make history
The Dolphins and Cardinals overcame 20-point halftime deficits to big victories over the Ravens and Raiders respectively. It’s the first time in history that two NFL teams have won after trailing by that margin at the interval.
In Miami’s win over the Ravens, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa stood out with a career-high game of six touchdown passes and 469 passing yards, with Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill once again impressing.
It’s the first time since 2006 that a team has come back from 21 points behind in the fourth quarterback to win.
For the Cardinals, Kyler Murray showed the team why he deserved his new offseason contract with a stellar late performance against the Raiders.
20-0 down at halftime, Murray inspired Arizona with a touchdown on the last play of the game to force overtime, before cornerback Bryon Murphy recovered a fumble to seal the victory in Las Vegas.
Elsewhere, the Jets went on to win despite trailing by 13 points with two minutes to go. Corey Davis scored with just under 90 seconds to play, before an incredible onside kick recovery led to rookie receiver Garrett Wilson finding the endzone for the second time in the game.
Stand-in quarterback Joe Flacco finished with four touchdown passes for 307 yards, his best performance for Gang Green to date.
The Almost club
Some came agonizingly close to joining the comeback club as well. The Falcons fought back from being 28-3 down against the Rams (not that score-line again) to within a play of beating the Super Bowl champions in their own back yard.
Jalen Ramsey’s late interception helped LA to a 31-27 victory, despite the late scare.
Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals fell short against the Cowboys in overtime, after being down 17-3 at the break. They struggled on their offensive line once again, with Dallas sacking Burrow six times in 20-17 defeat. Cincinnati, the reigning AFC Champions, slip to 0-2.
Russell Wilson struggled again for the Broncos as Denver ran in an unconvincing victory over the Texans.
Houston lead 9-6 going into the final quarter and were still in the game until the last play, but Davis Mills couldn’t lead his team to the win.
More to come
It has been an electrifying start to the 2022 NFL season already. Just two weeks in, there have already been 12 games decided by three points or fewer. That’s the the most through this stage of a season in NFL history.
Eight teams have overcome a deficit of at least 10 points to win or tie, the second-most through Week Two. Only the 1987 season has seen more, when nine teams achieved that feat.
In the other games, things continue to get worse for the Indianapolis Colts as they were thrashed 24-0 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Matt Ryan struggled once again, as the Jags made it eight straight home wins over their AFC South rivals.
The Detroit Lions scored at least 35 points in three straight games for the first time since 1953 as they defeated the Washington Commanders 36-27. Second overall pick from this year Aidan Hutchinson was the star of the show, recording three sacks.
It was a difficult day for the San Francisco 49ers, despite a victory over the Seattle Seahawks, with young QB Trey Lance broke his ankle in the game. Backup Jimmy Garoppolo came in to lead the team to a 27-7 triumph.
Full results of Sunday 18th September games:
Pittsburgh Steelers 14 – 17 New England Patriots
New York Giants 19 – 16 Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns 30 – 31 New York Jets
Jacksonville Jaguars 24 – 0 Indianapolis Colts
Baltimore Ravens 38 – 42 Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Satins 10 – 20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Detroit Lions 36 – 27 Washington Commanders
San Francisco 27 – 7 Seattle Seahawks
Los Angeles Rams 31 – 27 Atlanta Falcons
Las Vegas Raiders 23 – 29 Arizona Cardinals
Denver Broncos 16 – 9 Houston Texans
Dallas Cowboys 20 – 17 Cincinnati Bengals
Green Bay Packers 27 – 10 Chicago Bears
