With just one game left for Monday Night Football matchup - the New Orleans Saints facing off against the Las Vegas Raiders - here’s a quick roundup of everything that happened on Sunday in Week 2 of the NFL season including the top player performances, the biggest storylines, the best moments and more.
If you missed all the action this week, be sure to find out how to get NFL RedZone for free in Week 3 by checking out our streaming guide, including tips and tricks for watching football without buying a cable subscription for the 2020 season.
THE STARS WHO SHINED BRIGHTEST
Top Quarterback Performances
— Dak Prescott, Cowboys, was 34 for 47 for 450 yards and a touchdown and had three touchdowns rushing in Dallas' 40-39 win over Atlanta. Prescott is the first player in NFL history to throw for at least 400 yards and run for three touchdowns.
— Josh Allen, Bills, finished 24 for 35 for 417 yards and four touchdowns in Buffalo’s 31-28 win over Miami. The only other Bills player to throw for at least 415 yards and four scores was Joe Ferguson in 1983.
— Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dolphins, was 31 for 47 for 328 yards and two touchdowns in Miami’s 31-28 loss to Buffalo.
— Matt Ryan, Falcons, was 24 for 36 for 273 yards and four touchdowns in Atlanta’s 40-39 loss to Dallas.
— Ryan Tannehill, Titans, finished 18 for 24 for 239 yards and four touchdowns in Tennessee’s 33-30 win over Jacksonville. It was his ninth straight game with at least two TDs, breaking the team mark held with Marcus Mariota, who set the record in 2016. This also was Tannehill’s third career game with four TD passes and first since Oct. 25, 2015, in a win for Miami over Houston.
— Jared Goff, Rams, was 20 for 27 for 267 yards and three touchdowns in Los Angeles' 37-19 win over Philadelphia.
— Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs, was 27 for 47 for 302 yards and two touchdowns in Kansas City’s 23-20 overtime win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
— Cam Newton, Patriots, was 30 for 44 for 397 yards and one touchdown, and rushed for 47 yards and two touchdowns, in New England’s 35-30 loss to Seattle.
— Russell Wilson, Seahawks, was 21 for 28 for 288 yards and five touchdowns in Seattle’s win over New England.
Top Rushing Performances
— Aaron Jones, Packers, had 18 carries for a career-high 168 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard TD run, and added four receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay’s 42-21 win over Detroit.
— Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers, had 12 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s 31-17 win over Carolina.
— Jonathan Taylor, Colts, had 26 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown in Indianapolis' 28-11 win over Minnesota.
— James Robinson, Jaguars, had 16 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown in Jacksonville’s 33-30 loss to Tennessee.
— James Conner, Steelers, had 16 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s 26-21 win over Denver.
— Raheem Mostert, 49ers, had eight rushes for 92 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown, before leaving with a knee injury in San Francisco’s 31-13 win over the New York Jets.
Top Receiving Performances
— Tyler Higbee, Rams, had five catches for 54 yards and three touchdowns in Los Angeles' 37-19 win over Philadelphia.
— Jonnu Smith, Titans, had four catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns in Tennessee’s 33-30 win over Jacksonville.
— CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper, Cowboys. Lamb had six catches for 106 yards and Cooper had six catches for 100 yards in Dallas' 40-39 win over Atlanta.
— Stefon Diggs, Bills, had eight catches for 153 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo’s 31-28 win over Miami.
— DJ Moore and Robby Anderson, Panthers, Moore had eight catches for 120 yards, Anderson had nine receptions for 109 yards in Carolina’s 31-17 loss to Tampa Bay.
— Terry McLaurin, Washington, had seven catches for 125 yards and a touchdown in a 30-15 loss to Arizona.
— Mike Evans, Buccaneers, had seven catches for 104 yards and a touchdown in Tampa Bay’s 31-17 win over Carolina.
— Calvin Ridley, Falcons, had seven catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns in Atlanta’s 40-39 loss to Dallas.
— Mo Alie-Cox, Colts, had five catches for 111 yards in Indianapolis' 28-11 win over Minnesota.
— Mike Gesicki, Dolphins, had eight catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in Miami’s 31-28 loss to Buffalo.
— Julian Edelman, Patriots, had eight catches for 179 yards in New England’s 35-30 loss to Seattle.
Special Teams Stars
— Harrison Butker, Chiefs, made two 58-yard field goals, including the overtime winner, in Kansas City’s 23-20 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
— Greg Zuerlein, Cowboys, kicked a 46-yard field goal as time expired as Dallas overcame a 20-point deficit to beat Atlanta 40-39.
— Stephen Gostkowski, Titans, made a 49-yard field goal with 1:36 remaining to send Tennessee to a 33-30 win over Jacksonville.
— Rodrigo Blankenship, Colts, was 4 for 4 on field goals, in Indianapolis' 28-11 win over Minnesota.
Top Defensive Performances
— L.J. Fort, Ravens, returned a fumble 22 yards for a touchdown in Baltimore’s 33-16 win over Houston.
— Foyesade Oluokun, Falcons, had three forced fumbles in Atlanta’s 40-39 loss to Dallas.
— DeForest Buckner, Colts, sacked Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins in the end zone for a safety in a 28-11 win over the Vikings. Excluding the playoffs, the Vikings have stunningly allowed a safety in three straight regular-season games since Chicago picked one up by tackling running back Mike Boone in the end zone on Dec. 29, 2019.
— T.J. Watt, Steelers, had 2 1/2 of Pittsburgh’s seven sacks in a 26-21 win over Denver.
— Quinnen Williams, Jets, had two sacks in New York’s 31-13 loss to San Francisco.
— J.J. Watt, Texans, had two sacks in Houston’s 33-16 loss to Baltimore. That gives Watt 26 multi-sack games in his career, most in the NFL since 2011.
COWBOYS MAKE A WILD COMEBACK
The Dallas Cowboys, who trailed by nine points at the two-minute warning of the fourth quarter, defeated Atlanta, 40-39, in Week 2 on a 46-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein as time expired. The Cowboys are the third team in the past 15 regular seasons to overcome a two-score deficit in the final two minutes and win in regulation, joining the New England Patriots (Dec. 8, 2013 vs. Cleveland) and San Diego Chargers (Dec. 14, 2008 at Kansas City).
CANADA STAND UP
Pittsburgh rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool, a native of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, had an 84-yard touchdown reception in the Steelers' 26-21 victory over Denver in Week 2. It marked the longest touchdown from scrimmage by a Canadian-born player in NFL history.
MILESTONES
Making his first career NFL start, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, the No. 6 overall selection in the draft, passed for 311 yards with one touchdown and rushed for a touchdown in a 23-20 overtime loss to Kansas City. Herbert joins Hall of Famer Otto Graham (1950) and Cam Newton (2011) as the only players with at least 300 passing yards and a rushing touchdown in their first career game in NFL history. ... Philip Rivers picked up his first win with the Colts by going 19 of 25 with 214 yards, one touchdown — No. 399 overall — and one interception. He tied Hall of Famer and former Vikings great Fran Tarkenton for eighth all-time with career win No. 124.
STREAKS & STATS
Ten teams — Arizona, Buffalo, Baltimore, Chicago, Green Bay, Kansas City, the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Seattle — each improved to 2-0 on Sunday. ... Baltimore’s 33-16 win over Houston is its 14th straight in the regular season, the longest streak in the NFL since Carolina won 18 in a row in 2014-15. ... This is the Titans' first 2-0 start since 2008, the most recent season this franchise won the AFC South. The Titans also won their seventh straight against division rival Jacksonville in Nashville after nearly blowing a 24-10 halftime lead. ... The Packers won their home opener for an eighth consecutive year and improved to 8-0 against NFC North foes during coach Matt LaFleur’s tenure. The Lions blew an early 14-3 lead in the 42-21 loss to Green Bay. They are the first team in NFL history to blow double-digit leads to lose four straight games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They’ve lost 11 straight overall for their longest skid since dropping 19 from 2007-09. ... After a 28-11 loss to the Indianapolis, Minnesota is 0-2 for the first time since 2013 and has lost five of its past six games, including last season’s playoff defeat. ... The Panthers have allowed six TDs rushing in two games this season. They’ve allowed 38 over the past 18 games, including a NFL-leading 32 last season.
SIDELINED | INJURIES THAT HAVE ROCKED THE LEAGUE
Giants star running back Saquon Barkley is believed to have torn the ACL in his right knee early in their loss at Chicago.
All-Pro standout Christian McCaffrey left Carolina’s loss to the Buccaneers with a right ankle injury and could be out “weeks” as a result.
49ers running back Raheem Mostert left with a knee injury
LA Rams' Cam Akers hurt his ribs.
Plenty of wide receivers went down, too: The Packers' Davante Adams hurt his hamstring in a win over the Lions; the Colts' Parris Campbell was carted off with a leg injury against Minnesota; the Giants' Sterling Shepard sustained a toe injury; and the Broncos' Courtland Sutton left their loss in Pittsburgh with a knee injury.
As for the quarterbacks, Tyrod Taylor didn’t start the Chargers' game against Kansas City after sustaining a chest injury before kickoff, giving way to rookie Justin Herbert. The Broncos' Drew Lock hurt his shoulder. The 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo tried to play through a right ankle injury before Nick Mullens took over for the second half.
JUSTIN HERBERT SPARKLES IN DEBUT
Former Oregon Ducks star and current rookie LA Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert nearly led the Chargers to an upset win over Kansas City on Sunday, but head coach Anthony Lynn shut down any talk of handing the reins to Herbert who will return to the sidelines when Tyrod Taylor is healthy. As long as Taylor is healthy, he’ll remain the starter in Los Angeles.
SPEAKING
“I don’t know if I’ve been in many games like this thing. But to be able to get the win, and in front of those fans that were there, stayed the whole game, they didn’t give up on us. That was a huge difference.” — Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on the more than 20,000 fans at AT&T Stadium who booed the team off the field at halftime when the Cowboys trailed 29-10. Dallas rallied in the final minutes for an improbable 40-39 win.
“Like, 2-0 is not a bad situation. I don’t care how you get it. Two-and-oh is delicious. I’ll eat that every day of the week.” — Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks on his team’s unbeaten start after a 17-13 win over the New York Giants.
COMING UP ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
New Orleans at Las Vegas, 8:15 p.m. EDT. The Raiders will debut their $2 billion stadium near the Las Vegas Strip on “Monday Night Football.” Raiders owner Mark Davis has dubbed it the “Death Star” from the “Star Wars” movies. Both teams opened the season with wins in Week 1. The Raiders won at Carolina and Drew Brees and the Saints topped Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this story
Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Where to find coronavirus face masks, facial coverings and more about how to watch sports live online:
- What is ESPN Plus? How to watch it UFC fights, Major League Baseball games, live soccer and more on the new streaming service
- Where to buy cheap coronavirus face masks for kids
- Top-selling Under Armour Sportsmask now available for preorder, adidas also selling coronavirus face masks for athletes