NFL Week 2 Report: Saints Achieve 'A' for Stunning Ravens, Steelers Receive Low Grade

Welcome to the Week 2 grades!

The second week of the season is always a big one, especially for all the teams with an 0-1 record. If there's one thing you don't want ever want to do in the NFL, it's start the season at 0-2. Since the playoffs expanded to 14 teams in 2020, only eight out of 51 teams have bounced back from an 0-2 start to make the postseason. Basically, the odds are NOT in your favor.

That's not great news for the Texans, Titans, and Falcons, all teams that are now 0-2 after losing on Sunday. Of course, we did see three teams make the playoffs last season after starting 0-2, so getting to the postseason isn't impossible, but all of the teams above have dug themselves into a big hole that won't be easy to get out of.

With that in mind, let's get to the grades, starting with a Saints team that avoided an 0-2 start by stunning the Ravens in Baltimore.

(Note: The Buccaneers and Browns had a weather delay, so those grades will be available at some point after that game has concluded.)

New Orleans 24-17 over Baltimore

A Saints The Saints' defense did the impossible: Went into Baltimore and shut down Lamar Jackson. The Saints were able to pull off this stunner thanks in large part to a defense that held the Ravens to just 84 yards in the second half. Chase Young looked like a man possessed on a day where he sacked Jackson 1.5 times. For the second straight week, the Saints' offense didn't show up until the second half, but once Tyler Shough got the unit going, New Orleans was unstoppable. Shough played at an MVP level during a fourth quarter where he went 12 of 14 for 119 yards and a TD. One reason the offense has been so successful is because no one has been able to cover Chris Olave. The receiver had 86 yards after going for 182 in the opener. The Saints feel like they could be a surprise team this season.  C Ravens The Ravens' new offense looked unstoppable in Week 1, but it came crashing back to earth on Sunday. The Ravens had multiple chances to put this game away, but the offense was only able to muster a total of 32 yards on Baltimore's final three possessions of the game combined. The Ravens also seemed to forget that Derrick Henry existed. Their star running back had just five carries in the second half, including just one in the fourth quarter. With the Ravens leading 14-3 at halftime, it's surprising that they didn't lean on Henry more in the second half. One reason the Ravens got rid of John Harbaugh is because of the blown leads in the second half. Well, in his second game on the job, Jesse Minter now has a blown fourth-quarter lead on his resume.

New England 20-3 over Pittsburgh

D Steelers Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers have a long history together, but you wouldn't know that based on how the Steelers' offense moved the ball on Sunday. The Steelers couldn't get out of their own way. Their offensive line couldn't protect Rodgers, who got sacked four times. The offensive struggles included some dropped passes and Pittsburgh's running game was basically nonexistent. The Steelers' defense deserves some credit for keeping this game close, but couldn't overcome two turnovers from Rodgers in the fourth quarter, including a fumble by the QB that got returned for a touchdown. McCarthy and Rodgers might want to go back to the drawing board on offense.  A- Patriots Through two weeks, the Patriots' defense has looked like one of the best in the NFL. After holding the Seahawks to just 13 points in Week 1, the Pats were even better in Week 2. One of the worries with this defense before the season was that it wouldn't be able to generate any pass rush, but that wasn't an issue against the Steelers. The Patriots' front seven beat up on Aaron Rodgers with four different players recording at least one sack, including Elijah Ponder, who also returned a fumble for a touchdown. If the first two weeks have proven one thing, it's that this defense is going to be causing problems for opposing offenses all season long.

Cincinnati 20-6 over Houston

A- Bengals After making a statement in Week 1 by forcing four turnovers, the Bengals' revamped defense made another statement in Houston by outplaying the Texans. The defense didn't force four turnovers this time, but the Bengals did rack up four sacks while also holding the Texans to just 60 yards rushing, which is a wildly impressive performance for a defense that gave up the MOST rushing yards in the NFL last year. Dexter Lawrence stuffed David Montgomery on a fourth-and-1 in the first half and that seemed to change the momentum of the game. Offensively, Joe Burrow did what he does best: He got the ball to his playmakers. Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase combined for 170 of the Bengals' 207 receiving yards, and that included a 32-yard TD reception by Chase that might end up being the catch of the year. If you didn't think the Bengals were for real yet, you might believe it now.  C+ Texans The Texans outgained the Bengals by more than 100 yards (374-267), but it seems like they lost this game due to poor execution and questionable coaching. There was a failed fourth-and-1 in the second quarter on a play where David Montgomery got stuffed and that seemed to scare DeMeco Ryans, who decided to try a 58-yard field goal instead of going for it on a fourth-and-1 in the second half. Not only did the field goal miss, but it was the second time in the game that the Texans missed out on three points (They also had a botched snap on what would have been a 34-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter). The Texans' defense did beat up on Joe Burrow to the tune of five sacks, but couldn't stop Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Houston is now 0-2 for the second straight season, but the silver lining for the Texans is that they did bounce back to make the playoffs last year.

Minnesota 9-3 over Chicago

B Vikings When bad weather hits in the NFL, the best way to win a game is with a tough defense and a strong running game and that's what the Vikings did on Sunday. With a torrential downpour falling in Chicago, the Vikings turned to Aaron Jones, who rushed for 105 yards to carry the offense. After that, the defense and special teams did the rest. The Vikings' pass rush had Caleb Williams on the run for most of the game before he went out with an injury. Dallas Turner came up big with two sacks, including one that sealed the win on the final play of the game. Will Reichard deserves a lot of credit for drilling three field goals in the rain, including a 49-yarder. The Vikings proved last year that you don't need great QB play to win games and they've once again proved that this season. The Vikings are now 2-0 with two division wins.  C+ Bears The only thing that matters in Chicago right now is the health of Caleb Williams. The Bears quarterback left the game after suffering a non-contact injury in the fourth quarter. If Williams, who suffered a hamstring injury ( details here ), is out for an extended period of time, the Bears' defense will have to carry the load, and if the unit plays like it did in this game, it might be up to the task.

Green Bay 20-17 over New York (OT)

B- Packers For the first time since Dec. 7, the Packers have won a football game, but it took an extra quarter of football for them to pull it off. The Packers' defense has struggled since losing Micah Parsons last December, but the unit came to play in New York. The defense shut down the Jets on New York's final three possessions by forcing two punts to go along with a fourth-down stop. Nothing was sexy about the Packers' offense in this game, but Jordan Love was perfect in overtime. Sometimes, you just need your clutch players to come up big in the clutch and that's what the Packers got here.   B- Jets This was a game the Jets let slip through their fingers. They held the Packers to under 200 yards of offense and only allowed Green Bay to convert 1 of 10 attempts on third and fourth downs, but the offense couldn't put the game away when they had the chance. After going up 17-7, the Jets totaled just 35 yards on their final three possessions of the game, which allowed the Packers to creep back into it and eventually win in overtime. If you want to win big games, your offense can't disappear in clutch moments. There are no moral victories in the NFL, but the Jets probably feel better about their chances of competing with any team in the NFL after going toe to toe with the Packers.

Philadelphia 24-20 over Tennessee

B Eagles This was a gut check game for the Eagles and they passed the test. With an on-field temperature that shot up well over 100 degrees, this was all about survival for Philadelphia. Jalen Hurts threw a fourth-quarter interception that almost cost his team the game, but he redeemed himself by throwing for 68 yards and a TD on Philadelphia's game-winning scoring drive that culminated with Hurts throwing a touchdown to Darius Cooper with just nine seconds left. The heat didn't slow down DeVonta Smith, who went off for 117 yards. Sometimes you have to win ugly in the NFL and that's what the Eagles did here.  B- Titans The Titans' defense did everything in this game, except stop the Eagles on their final drive. The Titans picked off Jalen Hurts twice, including a first-quarter interception that Amani Hooker returned 92 yards to set up an early touchdown. The defense also sacked Hurts three times. The problem for the defense is that it simply gave up too many big plays, including five catches by the Eagles that went for at least 19 yards. Offensively, there were plenty of encouraging moments, but it seems like new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is still trying to figure out the team's identity on that side of the ball. The Titans were definitely better this week than they were last week, but in the end, it was just another loss.

Carolina 34-3 Atlanta

A+ Panthers After giving up 59 points in Week 1, this was the kind of rebound game that the Panthers needed. They were nearly flawless in all three phases of the game. The defense took advantage of a struggling Falcons offense by forcing four turnovers, including a pick six from Devin Lloyd. The player of the game was Bryce Young (287 passing yards and three touchdowns), who looked like a star for the second straight week. Right now, it's hard to tell if Young has truly taken the next step or if he's taken advantage of two bad defenses, but whatever the case, he's been playing at a high level and if this is how he's going to play all season, then the Panthers will have a good shot of repeating as NFC South champs.  F Falcons Cooper Rush was bad in Week 1 and he might have been even worse this week. Rush turned the ball over three times, including a fumble and an interception on Atlanta's first two possessions, and Atlanta's QB nightmare continued. To make matters worse, after Rush got benched, Jack Strand came in and threw a pick six with his first pass of the game. Nothing is going to be fixed in Atlanta until the Falcons get their QB situation figured out.

Buffalo 41-31 over Detroit (Thursday)

C Lions The Lions' defense might officially be a problem in Detroit. After surrendering 30 points to the Saints in Week 1, things got even uglier on Thursday night. The beleaguered unit couldn't stop Josh Allen, couldn't stop James Cook, couldn't stop Dal

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-2-grades-saints-ravens-steelers/)._