Five fateful fracases could determine some of the biggest Week 2 matchups in the NFL.
Seven days and 791 points later, the NFL is back in its usual Sunday dwelling.
The league put up jaw-dropping numbers in its first Sunday excursion, setting a stunning, scintillating tone for the 2026 season. This is, technically speaking, the first standard Sunday on the league docket after an unusual Wednesday kickoff.
This time around, 28 of the 32 teams will be in action at the top of the week in addition to the standard prime time slots on Thursday and Monday. In the former posting, the Buffalo Bills tamed the Detroit Lions in their maiden voyage at the new Highmark Stadium and things will conclude with a cross-coast clash between the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants.
Five Individual Matchups To Watch In Week 2 Across The NFL
A fateful five matchups linger among that 14 and more, ones that could yield gridiron victories both now and later …
Lamar Jackson on Rashod Bateman:
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbytrosset) September 16, 2026
“We have a great relationship. My guy’s actually gonna get a lot more targets, I believe, with guys going down just because our offense is so explosive. … Bate played great, besides him not getting the ball. … Sometimes in certain games, you… pic.twitter.com/bCrvzyZlHP
Rashod Bateman vs. Kool-Aid McKinstry
New Orleans Saints at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Ravens’ return to form on offense was offset by some tough injury news: with the hours to their home opener dwindling, Baltimore downgraded Zay Flowers to out due to hamstring woes. The team is 11-6 when Flowers puts up at least 75 receiving yards, which included a career-best 150 in last week’s Indianapolis insurrection.
With Flowers ailing alongside Ja’Kobi Lane and Devontez Walker, the latest Rashod Bateman opportunity opens amidst a chance for the Ravens to gain early separation in the cutthroat AFC North. Top receiver duties in that quest temporarily turn to Bateman, whose quest to find some form of purple consistency continues. He made little headway in that regard last Sunday, as he was targeted just once in the 41-23 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Bateman’s promotion sets up a battle of embattled high picks seeking firmer control of their respective career’s narrative: the Saints seem to be the class of the overmatched NFC South (the NFL’s de facto version of a Group of Six conference) and seem pleased where they stand offensively with Tyler Shough living up to last year’s potential in Week 1.
But struggles to down Detroit’s offensive weaponry did not spare them from the 0-1 fate they share with their divisional brother. If New Orleans truly wants to be taken seriously among the conference contenders, it could go shopping for secondary help on the trade block, which may result in change of addresses for Tyson Campbell and/or Joey Porter Jr. Kool-Aid McKinstry can soothe defensive concerns in The Big Easy with a good day against Bateman.
Who started Jaylen Waddle in fantasy tonight? 😭 pic.twitter.com/1ll6ad1m15
— ESPN Fantasy Sports (@ESPNFantasy) September 15, 2026
Jourdan Lewis vs. Jaylen Waddle
Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS
No one in the Rockies was more grateful for the Monday maladies of Bo Nix than Jaylen Waddle: the former Miami Dolphin and newly-anointed $85 million man endured a dreary Denver debut, amassing just two yards on a single reception in the 31-10 defeat in Kansas City.
Waddle at least got his cardio in through pre-snap motion, primarily setting in Jourdan Lewis‘ regular patrol in the slot. Like Nix, Lewis needed a bit of a grace period to get over an early winter injury that marred his employer’s playoff trip but that was easily buried by an otherwise collaborative clobbering of the Cleveland Browns. This time around, Lewis probably won’t have anywhere to hide.
With a win that looks good on paper but likely wouldn’t impress a hypothetical NFL playoff selection committee, Jacksonville has a prime opportunity to firmly re-establish its AFC penthouse residency with a rout in the Rockies.
A good bit of that burden of contention will likely be turned over to Lewis, who could well be targeted if Nix and Co. try to force the issue. Lewis also has a chance to work with perhaps the purest form of Waddle intel, as Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile dealt with Waddle’s initial rise to power during their shared time in South Beach.
This was such a good rush from Donovan Ezeiruaku. Attacks down Andrew Thomas’ centerline to draw out a strike before executing a little euro-cross chop to parry, corner and accelerate to the QB.
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) September 16, 2026
Very impressive win against a very good LT, but the ball is out quickly. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/6X6jNou8tE
Brandon Coleman vs. Donovan Ezeiruaku
Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
Meet the new D … same as the old D. The Giants and ‘Boys lived up to their respective monikers in the Sunday night game as Dallas’ defense got pushed off the ball by its resurrected rivals.
That kept the Cowboys’ high-octane offense off the field to the tune of two (admittedly successful) drives in the entire second half, kicking off a trend that’s obviously hardly sustainable for the contenders they want to be. Donovan Ezeiruaku was a welcome exception to the trend with a respectable pressure rate but that was far from enough to combat the metropolitan melee.
Washington is also making adjustments on the front seven, albeit those of the less intentional kind: life after Laremy Tunsil continues to be a struggle, as Brandon Coleman and recent first-round choice Josh Conerly forced Jayden Daniels to go on the run. He was fortunately able to make the most out of the day and take the Philadelphia Eagles to the brink but if moral victories counted, everyone would be undefeated.
Two teams looking to climb out of the funk of narrow Week 1 losses will have to be at their best in the uncomfortable areas of the game. A mobile pass rusher like Ezeiruaku should be the perfect remedy in containing a quarterback like Daniels but Coleman and Co. need to stop reminding the capitol faithful that Tunsil isn’t walking through that door.
Some good moments of run defense from Akeem Davis-Gaither last year. Excellent run and chase linebacker with good lateral movement and the ability to dodge blockers.
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) March 18, 2026
Gotta keep him clean but he flies to the football. Average depth of tackle was 3.1 yards (19th among 59 LBs) pic.twitter.com/cC8A7VahWz
Akeem Davis-Gathier vs. Kenneth Walker III
Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs: Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
Kenneth Walker III proved to be trouble when he walked in and then some upon his red entry: the newly-crowned Super Bowl MVP had the best day at the end of Week 1 thanks to a 191-yard output that the wild horses of Denver simply couldn’t shake off.
The antics of Walker and more were enough to convince many that the Chiefs were ready to reprise their role atop the AFC charts after last year’s injury-marred aberration. Yet another primetime opportunity awaits at Arrowhead on Sunday night, as they’ll face another embattled equestrian-themed squad … one that hasn’t won a game on American soil in nearly eleven full months.
Having taken in the 500 and 400 at the Brickyard over the summer, Indianapolis was forced to endure the 200 last Sunday: the Colts were one of three teams to give up two fields’ worth of rushing yards in Week 1, with Ravens rusher Derrick Henry serving as the primary perpetrator. The defensive disjointedness led the Colts to transfer the primary saddle … in this case the green dot that points out the defensive communicator … from Camryn Byrum to middle linebacker and veteran newcomer Akeem Davis-Gaither.
The former Arizona Cardinal’s run defender has been respectable, even if he’s more of a post-snap mover than any form of clogger. The battle between an offensive reboot director like Walker and experienced, promoted defensive mind like Davis-Gaither should make for a good bit of theater in a Sunday night closer where each side has a chance to make a sizable statement.
#Giants rookie G Francis Mauigoa in his NFL debut:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 14, 2026
• 36 pass-blocking snaps
• 0 pressures allowed
• 0 QB hits
He’s the first rookie since 2018 to record 35+ pass-blocking snaps in Week 1 without allowing a pressure.
(via @NextGenStats) https://t.co/9XK0FvQyFn pic.twitter.com/ecOvTFs5GE
Aaron Donald vs. Francis “Sisi” Mauigoa
NY Giants at LA Rams: Monday, 8:15 p.m ET, ABC/ESPN
New York’s players were quite ready for primetime to close out the first Sunday: first-round pick Francis Mauigoa was part of a bullying effort for the resurgent Giants, who battered the new-look Dallas Cowboys defense to the tune of 4.5 rushing yards a carry in a 28-20 victory. Next Gen Stats further backed Mauigoa’s debut to the tune of a perfect pocket, charging him with no quarterback pressures allowed on over 30 Jaxson Dart dropbacks.
The football gods are rewarding the newly-minted Giant with an opportunity to meet one of the legends of the game … but Mauigoa shouldn’t expect a meet-and-greet.
Like many a Hollywood headliner, Aaron Donald simply couldn’t keep himself from joining another blockbuster, ending a two-year retirement when the Rams’ ensemble project came calling. Donald inked a $30 million deal for this season, putting his name on paper shortly after the Rams wrapped training camp.
But Donald was one of the many worried watchers that took in LA’s blunder Down Under toward the top of Week 1 and is set to make his phase two debut with the Rams seeking to avoid an 0-2 start against the Giants. He’ll return to action without fellow arrival and current injured reserve dweller Myles Garrett, whose acquisition was viewed as one of the driving forces behind his re-emergence.
The anticipated trench meetings between Donald and Cam Skattebo are expected to create reverberations that would make J. Robert Oppenheimer blush. It’ll be up to Mauigoa to ensure that Skattebo avoids such confrontations, which seems like a strong first step in keeping up the Giants’ newfound offensive momentum.
While there’s probably no perfect time for a date with Donald, the Rams learned about the potential value of the preseason the hard way in Melbourne when their rested starters were soundly swatted by San Francisco. Mauigoa has a prime opportunity to grant Donald, who took in pretty much all of the Rams’ offseason works a spectator, a similar education.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
