2024 NFL Week 2: Top Takeaways for Every Game

Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season features no shortage of big games.

The week began with a big AFC East showdown in Miami, where the Dolphins attempted to reverse their recent futility against the rival Buffalo Bills and send an early message in the AFC East. Instead, it was the Bills who sent the message in a blowout, while the Dolphins are reeling after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered yet another concussion.

Sunday’s slate isn’t short on drama, either. Can the New Orleans Saints build on last week’s blowout win against much stiffer competition in the Dallas Cowboys. Can the Detroit Lions win a second straight home game against a 2023 playoff team to open the season? Can the Cincinnati Bengals shake off a listless Week 1 effort and get untracked offensively in Kansas City against the two-time defending Super Bowl champions?

Just as was the case in Week 1, some of the week’s contests will follow the script. Others will contain surprises galore. And others still will fall somewhere in between. If there’s one thing you can always expect in the NFL, it’s the unexpected.

There was a lot of hand-wringing about the Buffalo Bills over the summer. Over how the passing game would look without Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. How the defense would look with longtime safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde gone.

There was more than a little speculation that maybe, jut maybe, the Bills weren’t the best team in the AFC East anymore.

Yeah. About that.

The New York Jets got pasted by the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1. Had Travis Etienne not fumbled away a Jaguars victory in Week 1, the Dolphins would likely be 0-2 after getting blown out by the Bills on Thursday night.

But Buffalo? Yes, the Bills had to come back to beat the Arizona Cardinals at home in Week 1. But they did. Thursday in Miami, they dominated every facet of the game to continue their complete and utter dominance of a Dolphins team some have labeled Buffalo’s biggest challengers.

The Bills are doing it differently this year—the offense is less explosive and more methodical, although Buffalo running back James Cook tied a franchise record with three first-half touchdowns in Week 2. The defense has been battered with injuries and lost its top remaining linebacker in Terrel Bernard to a pectoral injury Thursday.

But Buffalo looks the part of a three-time defending division champion. A well-coached team. A team that takes the field expecting to win.

Having a superstar quarterback in Josh Allen doesn’t hurt.

Tua Tagovailoa’s night against the Bills was catastrophic. The Miami Dolphins quarterback’s numbers were awful—145 passing yards and three interceptions, including a pick-six in the third quarter that never should have been thrown.

But no one will be talking about that putrid effort. Or the fact a Dolphins team with aspirations of a deep playoff run lost to the Buffalo Bills for the 12th time in 13 meetings.

The only topic in Miami is going to be Tagovailoa’s health after the young quarterback suffered yet another concussion while trying for extra yards on a fourth-down play.

It was a terrible decision—the first-down had been picked up. And given Tagovailoa’s history of concussions (three during the 2022 season alone), a massive dark cloud now hangs over the Dolphins.

Mind you, this is the quarterback the Dolphins just gave a four-year, $212 million contract. A quarterback who reportedly considered retirement due to the concussions he suffered two years ago.

Now, Tagovailoa is out indefinitely—and while Miami does have a “mini-bye” before its Week 3 trip to Seattle, given Tagovailoa’s injury history it’s not a reach to assume he’ll miss multiple games.

Oh, and left tackle Terron Armstead was also forced from Thursday’s loss.

Week 2 is awfully early to panic.

But the Dolphins are in real trouble.

Here’s a look at the rest of the Week 2 slate.

Sunday

Monday