Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs offense didn’t look much better against Jacksonville than in Week 1. The Chiefs struggled to get to 17 points but could do enough to get in the win column for the first time this season. Kansas City’s victory was much needed for the AFC West Division’s mental psyche.
The Chargers lost another heart-breaking, one-score game in overtime to Tennessee. Denver made a furious rally in the final two minutes but came up two points short of the visiting Commanders. While Las Vegas got an early jump on the Buffalo Bills on the road, the Raiders would quickly collapse before taking a 28-point beatdown.
| Place | Team | W | L | T | Week 2 Result |
| 1. | Kansas City Chiefs | 1 | 1 | 0 | W, 17-9 at Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 1. | Las Vegas Raiders | 1 | 1 | 0 | L, 38-10 at Buffalo Bills |
| 3. | Denver Broncos | 0 | 2 | 0 | L, 35-33 vs. Washington Commanders |
| 3. | Los Angeles Chargers | 0 | 2 | 0 | L, 27-24 OT at Tennessee Titans |
Kelce Brings Spark to Kansas City Passing Game
While Kansas City will hope for more of a spark on offense moving forward, the Chiefs were glad to have starting tight end Travis Kelce back from an injury. Kelce wouldn’t put up huge numbers but hauled in four passes for 26 yards and a touchdown for Kansas City.
The Kansas City Chiefs saw their passing game open up after the team dropped eight passes in Week 1. Second-year wide receiver Skyy Moore caught three passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. Moore’s most important catch came on a third down late in the game when Kansas City tried to run out the clock. Moore broke free, and Mahomes found him on a 54-yard strike that allowed them to run out the clock.
Jacobs Having Difficult Start to 2023
Raiders running back Josh Jacobs made it clear in the offseason that he was unhappy with his contract. With the Raiders’ offensive line struggling, Jacobs was right to try and pursue a deal before the season started. During Las Vegas’ 38-10 loss to Buffalo Sunday, Jacobs finished with negative-2 rushing yards.
He is the first player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to lead the league in rushing yards and finish a game with a negative total the following year. Jacobs finished last season with 1,653 rushing yards but never had a chance against Buffalo. The Bills held him to minus-6 yards in the first half, and Las Vegas had no incentive to run later in the game because they were trailing.
Denver’s Hail Mary Answered, but Broncos Still Lose
With less than 3 minutes remaining, the Broncos were down 11 points to the Washington Commanders and heading toward their second straight home loss. Denver added a field goal to cut the lead to eight and stopped Washington’s offense for one more chance. A late desperation drive appeared to have stalled at the 50-yard line.
With 3 seconds left, Denver quarterback Russell Wilson threw up a wild Hail Mary pass that deflected several times before being caught by Broncos receiver Brandon Johnson in the endzone for a touchdown. On the ensuing two-point conversion attempt, Wilson’s pass to Courtland Sutton fell incomplete.
Denver players appealed for a pass interference penalty on Commanders defensive back Benjamin St-Juste, but no relief was provided.
Missing Ekeler Hurts the Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers appear to once again be in a team that can’t get out of their way. Missing running back Austin Ekeler made life difficult for the Chargers this weekend. Ekeler, who led the Chargers with 117 yards in Week 1 against Miami, was ruled out with an ankle injury.
Without Ekeler, the Chargers’ rushing attack folded up quickly. Joshua Kelley had the bulk of the workload for Los Angeles but was limited to 39 yards on 13 carries.
Jones Shows That He Is Worth Every Penny
Kansas City defensive tackle Chris Jones is likely auditioning for the rest of the NFL for a big contract following this season. Salary cap issues will make it difficult to keep Jones. Kansas City was able to lure Jones back to the field by reworking his deal so he could make more in incentives and recoup some of the money he made from sitting out training camp and the first game of the NFL season.
Jones provided plenty of strong work against Jacksonville. He ended up recording 1.5 sacks and pressured Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence throughout the game. Jones also batted down a pass during the Kansas City victory.
Adams Has Strong Performance Spoiled
The Las Vegas Raiders had a lot of things go wrong Sunday in Buffalo. One of the bright spots was that star receiver Davante Adams finished with six catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. Adams was hit hard late in the game and sent to the tent to be evaluated for a possible concussion.
Las Vegas quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had thrown the pass into triple coverage, so there were a lot of bodies around the play. Buffalo safety Taylor Rapp was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play.
Jackson Won’t Enjoy Hearing From the League
Broncos safety Kareem Jackson will likely be hearing from the league about a fine for the second straight week. Jackson was fined during Denver’s season-opening loss to a nasty hit. This time around, Jackson may end up getting a suspension as well.
Jackson left his feet with 1:47 left in the first half and launched into Washington tight end Logan Thomas and made contact with his helmet as he caught a four-yard touchdown pass. Thomas would remain down on the field for several minutes and was later ruled out with a concussion. Jackson was fined $14,891 for a hit on Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers during the season opener. Jackson is in his 14th season in the NFL.
