MNF Matchups to Watch + Stats that Stuck Out in NFL Week 2

In today’s newsletter…

• Leading Off: Week 2 in the NFL

• NFL: Dallas Goedert ranked second on Eagles last season with 10 red-zone targets inside the 20

• MLB: Twins’ Pablo Lopez has a 1.12 ERA and a 5-0 record since August 12

• Overtime: Texas moves to No. 1 in AP Poll

The Chiefs beat the Bengals on a field goal as time expired, the Saints blew out the Cowboys and the Ravens fell to 0-2 after a home loss to Raiders. Here are some Week 2 highlights, courtesy of NFL Next Gen Stats:

• Joe Burrow faced man coverage on 42% of his dropbacks, completing just 8 of 15 passes for 84 yards. Without Tee Higgins in the lineup to start the season, Burrow has faced man coverage on 40% of his dropbacks, averaging a 33.3% success rate against man coverage compared to a 48.9% success rate against zone coverage.

• Brock Purdy was sacked 4 times and completed 10 of 15 passes for 91 yards and an interception against the Vikings blitz. The Vikings blitzed Purdy on 45.5% of his dropbacks after blitzing on just 22.4% of dropbacks in Week 1 against the Giants.

• Joey Porter Jr. lined up across from Courtland Sutton on 23 of his 35 routes (65.7%), holding Sutton to just 1 reception for 26 yards on a single target as the nearest defender in coverage. This was Porter’s 6th game of his career shadowing a receiver on 65% or more of their routes.

• James Conner totaled 122 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries (+27 rushing yards over expected) in the Cardinals win over the Rams. Conner’s +27 RYOE is his 5th-most in a game since joining the Cardinals in 2021.

• Trevor Lawrence struggled against the Browns defense in Week 2, generating his lowest CPOE (-11.2%) in a game since Week 2, 2023 against the Chiefs. Lawrence completed just 8 of 15 attempts for 49 yards (-24.2% CPOE). After finishing 2nd in the NFL with 1,922 passing yards on quick attempts in 2023, Lawrence has averaged just 4.4 yards per attempt on quick passes in 2024.

  

In today’s newsletter, Jack is covering Monday Night Football (Falcons vs. Eagles) and Craig has today’s MLB action.

- Abe Rakov