NEW YORK, United States, September 21, 2026: Two weeks into the NFL season, the standings are beginning to acquire shape, but Sunday revealed something more useful than a collection of 2-0 and 0-2 records.
Kansas City found another way to win when Patrick Mahomes needed overtime. Seattle produced its most convincing performance since winning the Super Bowl. San Francisco scored touchdowns on its first five possessions. Dak Prescott broke the Dallas Cowboys’ career passing-touchdown record. Philadelphia survived another tight finish. Las Vegas moved to 2-0 behind Kirk Cousins.
Elsewhere, Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow, Caleb Williams left Chicago’s loss with a hamstring injury, Baltimore surrendered another late game, and Atlanta, Houston, Tennessee, Tampa Bay and the Chargers all fell to 0-2.
The 14-game Sunday schedule followed Buffalo’s 41-31 Thursday night victory over Detroit, where Josh Allen produced five total touchdowns and opened the new Highmark Stadium with another early MVP-level performance.
Taken together, Week 2 has begun separating teams whose offseason plans already function under pressure from those discovering that September problems can become structural very quickly.
NFL Week 2 Sunday Results at a Glance
| Game | Final Score | Defining Story |
|---|---|---|
| Panthers at Falcons | Carolina 34, Atlanta 3 | Bryce Young throws three TDs; Carolina defense dominates |
| Saints at Ravens | New Orleans 24, Baltimore 17 | Tyler Shough leads late comeback and decisive fourth-down sneak |
| Vikings at Bears | Minnesota 9, Chicago 3 | Caleb Williams exits with hamstring injury in defensive struggle |
| Bengals at Texans | Cincinnati 20, Houston 6 | Ja’Marr Chase scores twice; Houston fails to reach end zone |
| Steelers at Patriots | New England 20, Pittsburgh 3 | Patriots record franchise milestone with 600th victory |
| Packers at Jets | Green Bay 20, New York 17 OT | Packers erase 10-point fourth-quarter deficit |
| Browns at Buccaneers | Cleveland 23, Tampa Bay 19 | Cleveland survives long lightning delay and late Tampa drive |
| Eagles at Titans | Philadelphia 24, Tennessee 20 | Jalen Hurts engineers late game-winning touchdown drive |
| Jaguars at Broncos | Denver 20, Jacksonville 13 | Broncos respond to Week 1 rout as Jacksonville loses late control |
| Raiders at Chargers | Las Vegas 26, Los Angeles 14 | Kirk Cousins throws three touchdowns; Raiders move to 2-0 |
| Seahawks at Cardinals | Seattle 31, Arizona 7 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba catches three TDs; Seattle wins 12th straight |
| Dolphins at 49ers | San Francisco 35, Miami 13 | Brock Purdy nearly perfect; Christian McCaffrey reaches 100 TDs |
| Commanders at Cowboys | Dallas 37, Washington 20 | Dak Prescott breaks franchise TD record; Daniels injured |
| Colts at Chiefs | Kansas City 33, Indianapolis 30 OT | Mahomes throws for 382 yards before Butker wins it |
The NFL’s official Week 2 schedule contains the complete results and confirms that the New York Giants-Los Angeles Rams Monday night matchup remains before the week closes.
Chiefs 33-30 Colts: Mahomes Gets the Kind of Test Kansas City Needed
Kansas City’s opening win over Denver was emphatic.
Week 2 asked something completely different.
The Chiefs needed overtime to beat Indianapolis 33-30 at Arrowhead, with Harrison Butker kicking two field goals during the extra period and converting the decisive 40-yarder as time expired.
Mahomes threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns. Kenneth Walker III followed his spectacular Kansas City debut with 117 rushing yards, while Travis Kelce produced nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.
The statistics are significant because the Chiefs have spent the early season trying to prove that Mahomes’ return from major knee surgery would not require the offense to become cautious.
TSE’s preview of Mahomes’ comeback focused heavily on whether Kansas City could give its quarterback more help. A week later, our Week 1 analysis showed Walker changing the shape of that offense immediately.
Indianapolis forced Kansas City away from the comfortable version of that formula.
The Chiefs still survived.
For a team trying to return to championship contention after missing the playoffs last season, winning a game that does not follow the preferred script is arguably more revealing than another blowout.
Seahawks 31-7 Cardinals: Seattle Look More Dangerous Without Their Starting Quarterback
The defending champions have now won 12 consecutive games including the postseason, the longest winning streak in franchise history.
Sunday’s 31-7 victory in Arizona may be the strongest evidence yet that Seattle’s championship structure travels beyond the quarterback position.
Sam Darnold remained unavailable after being injured in the season opener, so Drew Lock made his first Seahawks start since 2023.
He completed 19 of 26 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns.
All three went to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year caught nine passes for 155 yards, beginning with an 82-yard touchdown on Seattle’s second offensive play. It was the longest touchdown reception of his career and the start of his first three-touchdown NFL game.
Through two weeks, Smith-Njigba has 17 receptions, 277 yards and four touchdowns.
The other side of the performance may be even more concerning for Seattle’s rivals.
Arizona managed only seven points.
The Seahawks had already shown their ability to survive without Darnold when Lock replaced him in the 13-10 comeback over New England. Against the Cardinals, Seattle did not merely survive.
It controlled the game.
That evolution strengthens the case TSE made in its NFL 2026 championship-race curtain-raiser: the Seahawks lost important pieces after the Super Bowl, but the defensive identity and situational discipline remained intact.
Cowboys 37-20 Commanders: Dak Prescott’s Record Day Is Overshadowed by Jayden Daniels Injury
Dallas desperately needed a response after losing to the Giants in Week 1.
Prescott provided one of the finest regular-season performances of his career.
He completed 26 of 31 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns, finishing with a 143.8 passer rating as Dallas beat Washington 37-20.
His fourth touchdown pass, a 24-yard strike to CeeDee Lamb, was the 249th of his career and moved him beyond Tony Romo for the most touchdown passes in Cowboys history.
Lamb finished with 153 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Dallas also received a major contribution from rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham, whose forced fumble in the third quarter helped turn a 20-13 contest into a two-touchdown lead.
The larger league story, however, concerns Daniels.
The Washington quarterback injured his left elbow on the final play of the first half and did not return. Commanders coach Dan Quinn later confirmed that Daniels suffered a dislocation. Initial X-rays showed no fracture, with additional imaging scheduled.
The NFL’s official Daniels injury update confirms the dislocation and the absence of an initial fracture.
For Washington, an 0-2 start is already difficult.
The availability of its franchise quarterback now matters considerably more than the record.
Dallas, meanwhile, has at least stabilized the competitive side of a franchise TSE recently examined from another angle in our feature on why the Cowboys remain the NFL’s most valuable team despite their long Super Bowl drought.
49ers 35-13 Dolphins: San Francisco’s Australia Win Was No One-Off
San Francisco returned from Melbourne facing an obvious question.
Would the long travel, shortened preparation and emotional weight of the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia leave anything behind?
The answer against Miami was decisive.
The 49ers scored touchdowns on their first five possessions and won 35-13.
Brock Purdy completed 20 of 22 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He added 30 rushing yards and another score.
Christian McCaffrey ran for two touchdowns, bringing his career total to 100.
George Kittle, playing only his second game after returning from an Achilles injury, caught four passes for 80 yards and a touchdown while recording the 600th reception of his career.
San Francisco is now 2-0 after beating the Rams 27-7 in Melbourne and Miami 35-13 at Levi’s Stadium.
The 49ers’ historic win over the Rams in Australia raised the possibility that Kyle Shanahan had found an efficient offensive formula built around Purdy’s decision-making rather than forcing spectacular throws on every possession.
Week 2 strengthened that argument.
San Francisco has now won its first two games by a combined 42 points.
Raiders 26-14 Chargers: Kirk Cousins Is Making the Mendoza Question Easier to Delay
Las Vegas drafted Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall knowing he represented the future.
Kirk Cousins is ensuring the present cannot be ignored.
Cousins threw three touchdown passes as the Raiders won 26-14 in Los Angeles, improving to 2-0 and earning their first road victory against the Chargers in Los Angeles since 2020.
The Raiders defense forced three turnovers, giving Cousins enough short-field and possession advantages to maintain control.
The veteran has now thrown three touchdown passes in consecutive games.
That changes the quarterback conversation.
Mendoza’s development remains one of the most important long-term stories in Las Vegas, but a 2-0 start removes any urgency to accelerate his timeline purely because of his draft position.
TSE had already followed that dynamic during the preseason, when Mendoza threw his first NFL touchdown while competing behind Cousins.
For the Chargers, the problem is more immediate.
They are 0-2 after scoring exactly 14 points in consecutive games.
Panthers 34-3 Falcons: One Week Changes Everything in Carolina
Carolina opened the season by conceding 59 points to Chicago.
Seven days later, the Panthers allowed three.
Bryce Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Darren Waller, while Devin Lloyd intercepted Atlanta twice and returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown.
The 31-point margin is striking because the Panthers did not simply improve from Week 1.
They flipped the entire nature of their football.
Atlanta entered the game already dealing with major quarterback uncertainty and fell to 0-2 after producing only three points.
The Falcons’ problems are becoming difficult to separate into offense, injuries and quarterback instability because all three are beginning to reinforce each other.
Vikings 9-3 Bears: From 59 Points to Three and a New Caleb Williams Concern
Chicago scored 59 points in Week 1.
Against Minnesota, it managed three.
The rainy game at Soldier Field became a defensive battle before the bigger concern emerged in the fourth quarter.
Williams injured his hamstring while scrambling inside the red zone and had to leave the game. He had completed 15 of 26 passes for 138 yards with an interception before the injury.
Backup Tyson Bagent nearly rescued Chicago, but Minnesota blocked a potential game-tying field goal and Dallas Turner later sacked Bagent on fourth down to end the Bears’ final threat.
The Vikings are now 2-0.
Chicago is 1-1 and waiting for the medical assessment of the player around whom Ben Johnson’s offense is built.
The injury is another reminder of the volatility TSE examined in its early-season NFL injury analysis, where quarterback availability had already started changing playoff-caliber teams before September was half over.
Saints 24-17 Ravens: Baltimore Lets Another Fourth Quarter Become the Story
Baltimore looked overwhelming in Week 1.
New Orleans made the Ravens look vulnerable a week later.
Tyler Shough scored on a fourth-down quarterback sneak with 1:28 remaining to break a 17-17 tie, completing a 24-17 Saints victory in Baltimore.
The scoring play created controversy because Baltimore believed Shough had been stopped before crossing the goal line.
The result remained.
For New Orleans, the larger point is that Shough led the offense when the game demanded a closing drive.
For Baltimore, a 1-1 record itself is hardly alarming. The manner of defeat is more relevant.
The Ravens had opened the season by scoring 41 against Indianapolis. Against New Orleans, the offense did not create the separation expected from a unit featuring Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers.
Packers 20-17 Jets: Green Bay Finds a Comeback It Badly Needed
Green Bay entered the fourth quarter down 17-7 and facing an 0-2 start.
Jordan Love and the Packers found the final 13 points instead.
The game reached overtime, where Green Bay drove 58 yards before Trey Smack kicked the winning 26-yard field goal.
Love threw two touchdown passes during the comeback.
The victory also ended a six-game Packers losing streak stretching into last season.
For a Green Bay team beaten badly by Minnesota in Week 1, the value extends beyond reaching 1-1.
The Packers finally played their best football after the game had moved against them.
Patriots 20-3 Steelers: New England Reaches 600 Wins
The Patriots’ first victory of the season came with a franchise milestone attached.
New England beat Pittsburgh 20-3 to record the 600th victory in franchise history, becoming the first of the original AFL teams to reach the mark.
TreVeyon Henderson opened the scoring with a 39-yard touchdown run, while Drake Maye repeatedly created explosive completions even though the offense still left opportunities unused.
Pittsburgh’s larger concern is obvious.
Three points.
An offense that struggled in Week 1 against Atlanta produced even less at Gillette Stadium, leaving Mike McCarthy with substantial work before Week 3.
Bengals 20-6 Texans: Cincinnati Is 2-0 Because the Defense Has Joined the Conversation
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase supplied the familiar connection.
Chase caught two touchdown passes as Cincinnati beat Houston 20-6.
The more encouraging development came from the other side of the ball.
Houston did not score a touchdown.
Cincinnati is now 2-0 after beating Tampa Bay 33-27 in Week 1 and handling a very different type of game in Houston.
The Texans are 0-2 for the second consecutive season and have scored only 37 points across their opening two games.
For a team expected to compete deep into the AFC postseason picture, September is already demanding a response.
Eagles 24-20 Titans: Philadelphia Remains Perfect Without Playing Perfect Football
Philadelphia is 2-0.
The route has been uncomfortable both times.
After surviving Washington 24-22 in Week 1, the Eagles needed another late response in Tennessee.
Jalen Hurts directed the deciding two-minute drive and found Darius Cooper for the game-winning three-yard touchdown in a 24-20 victory.
Cam Ward gave Tennessee a genuine opportunity, completing 13 of 20 passes for 183 yards and rushing for two touchdowns.
The Titans are 0-2, but the rookie quarterback’s performance made the defeat more interesting than the record suggests.
Philadelphia’s larger question is almost the reverse.
The Eagles keep winning close games.
At some point, they will want to stop needing the final possession to prove they are the better team.
Browns 23-19 Buccaneers: Cleveland Wins Twice, Once Against Tampa and Once Against the Weather
The strangest game of Sunday lasted far longer than the scoreboard suggests.
Lightning suspended Browns-Buccaneers for more than two hours with Tampa Bay attempting to complete a late comeback.
When play finally resumed, Cleveland’s defense finished the job.
The Browns won 23-19 after Deshaun Watson led two second-half touchdown drives.
The result moves Cleveland to 1-1 and drops Tampa Bay to 0-2.
For the Buccaneers, losing twice by six points or fewer creates a particularly frustrating start. They have been competitive enough to win both games and have finished neither.
Broncos 20-13 Jaguars: Denver Gets the Response Week 1 Demanded
Denver spent the week absorbing criticism after Kansas City beat the reigning AFC West champions 31-10.
The Broncos responded by beating Jacksonville 20-13.
The Jaguars entered the second half with an opportunity to take greater control but could not sustain their offense, allowing Denver to turn a competitive home game into its first victory.
The result puts both teams at 1-1.
Denver still has questions after the Week 1 defeat, but the difference between 1-1 and 0-2 inside the AFC West is already meaningful with Kansas City and Las Vegas both unbeaten.
What NFL Week 2 Is Telling Us About the 2026 Season
There are several early patterns worth taking seriously without pretending two games determine a season.
Seattle and San Francisco Have Immediately Raised the NFC Standard
The defending champion Seahawks are 2-0 despite losing their starting quarterback during the opener.
The 49ers are 2-0 after beating divisional rival Los Angeles in Melbourne and dismantling Miami at home.
Both teams are winning through complete structures rather than one superstar carrying every possession.
That makes the NFC West considerably more interesting ahead of Monday night’s Giants-Rams game.
Kansas City Has More Ways to Help Mahomes
Mahomes remains the center of the Chiefs.
Walker has changed the burden around him.
Kelce still looks capable of dominating important downs.
When the Colts forced Kansas City into a shootout, Mahomes threw for 382 yards.
When Denver allowed the Chiefs to control the ground game in Week 1, Walker ran for 173.
Those are very different paths to 2-0.
Several 0-2 Teams Already Have Problems Bigger Than Their Record
Atlanta has quarterback uncertainty.
Washington has a Daniels injury.
Houston has offensive problems.
Tennessee has not yet converted a competitive rookie-quarterback performance into a win.
Tampa Bay has lost two close games.
The Chargers have scored 28 points in two weeks.
The standings can change quickly.
The underlying problems require more than one lucky bounce.
Which NFL Teams Are 2-0 After Week 2 Sunday?
Through Sunday night, the unbeaten teams include Buffalo, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco and Kansas City.
Buffalo opened Week 2 with the performance TSE analyzed in Josh Allen’s five-touchdown victory over Detroit.
The variety among those teams is striking.
Seattle has won with two quarterbacks.
Kansas City has won a blowout and an overtime game.
Philadelphia has survived two one-score finishes.
Cincinnati has won once through offense and once through defense.
San Francisco has not yet played a close game.
That is why the broader Week 1 picture TSE established after the opening Sunday already looks different seven days later.
What Comes Next in NFL Week 2?
One game remains.
The New York Giants travel to SoFi Stadium to face the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.
New York is trying to build on its 28-20 Week 1 victory over Dallas.
Los Angeles needs a response after San Francisco held the Rams to seven points in Melbourne.
Once that game is complete, Week 2 will have given us a clearer early hierarchy.
Seattle, San Francisco, Kansas City, Buffalo and Philadelphia already look capable of surviving very different kinds of games.
Dallas rediscovered its offense.
Las Vegas may have found a veteran bridge stronger than expected.
Chicago and Washington are waiting for medical answers.
Several winless teams are already discovering how unforgiving an NFL season becomes once September begins demanding urgency.
The wider interest surrounding these games remains enormous. TSE’s analysis of the NFL’s opening-week television numbers showed that even a year-over-year decline still left the league commanding more than 25 million viewers for its season opener and record interest around the Melbourne game.
Week 2 supplied plenty of reasons for those viewers to return.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the NFL Week 2 Sunday results?
Carolina beat Atlanta 34-3, New Orleans beat Baltimore 24-17, Minnesota beat Chicago 9-3, Cincinnati beat Houston 20-6, New England beat Pittsburgh 20-3, Green Bay beat the Jets 20-17 in overtime, Cleveland beat Tampa Bay 23-19, Philadelphia beat Tennessee 24-20, Denver beat Jacksonville 20-13, Las Vegas beat the Chargers 26-14, Seattle beat Arizona 31-7, San Francisco beat Miami 35-13, Dallas beat Washington 37-20 and Kansas City beat Indianapolis 33-30 in overtime.
Who won Chiefs vs Colts?
Kansas City won 33-30 in overtime after Harrison Butker kicked the decisive 40-yard field goal as time expired.
How did Patrick Mahomes perform in Week 2?
Mahomes threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns in Kansas City’s overtime victory over Indianapolis.
What record did Dak Prescott break?
Prescott passed Tony Romo to become the Dallas Cowboys’ all-time leader in touchdown passes, reaching 249 career TD throws.
What happened to Jayden Daniels?
Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow against Dallas. Initial X-rays showed no fracture, and Washington planned additional imaging.
How many touchdowns did Jaxon Smith-Njigba score?
Smith-Njigba caught three touchdown passes from Drew Lock and finished with nine receptions for 155 yards.
How many consecutive games have the Seahawks won?
Seattle has won 12 consecutive games including the postseason, the longest winning streak in franchise history.
What milestone did Christian McCaffrey reach?
McCaffrey scored twice against Miami to reach 100 career NFL touchdowns.
What happened to Caleb Williams?
Williams left Chicago’s 9-3 loss to Minnesota with a hamstring injury and was scheduled for further evaluation.
Which NFL Week 2 game is still left?
The New York Giants visit the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football to complete Week 2.