FOOTBALL

It was Week 2 action in the NFL:

First up, Brett Favre and the Vikings looked to rebound from an opening loss against the Miami Dolphins. It would be a battle of two of two solid defenses. However, the Vikings just couldn’t get in a rhythm. Receivers couldn’t get open, and Favre would have to force balls into crowded zones. That means… interceptions, as the Dolphins held them in check. But, in the end, the Vikings did have a chance to win the game. Unfortunately, they couldn’t convert after 4 downs, and now, Brett Favre and Vikes are 0-2, which the Dolphins suddenly find themselves 2-0 and in first place in the AFC East. Miami 14, Minnesota 10.

And in Tennessee, it would be a battle between two of the toughest defenses in the league — The Titans and The Steelers. The Titans were absolutely dominant in Week 1, and a win against the Steelers would prove that running back Chris Johnson and their high-powered offense could play against anybody. Well, yesterday, the Titans offense was horrendous. They couldn’t do jack. Troy Polamalu and the Pittsburgh defense held Chris Johnson, the best running back in the league, to only 34 yards. The Titans offense was so bad, that they pulled Vince Young out of the game after a few fumbles and interceptions, and replaced him with old man Kerry Collins (who actually led the Titans to home field advantage in 2008). That didn’t help though, and Pittsburgh continued to roll. The Steelers are now 2-0 and ready for anybody. Although they lost their back-up QB Dennis Dixon to an injury. Charlie Batch finished the game. The Steelers want their normal QB, Big Ben, back badly. Pittsburgh 19, Tennessee 11.

Then it was a match-up that sports fans everywhere dubbed, “The Hate Game” — The New England Patriots vs. The New York Jets. And that’s exactly correct — these teams hate each other. They both have reputations for being media prima donnas, and they’ve had bad blood ever since the Jets accused Bill Bellicheck of spying on them with cameras. Needless to say, both teams were looking forward to this game. Going into the game, many wondered whether the Jets offense would show up at all. They were dormant against the Ravens last week. Well, the game started out all Patriots. For their second touchdown, Brady hit Randy moss for a beautiful TD, which Randy Moss rubbed in by catching it with one hand. But then, in the second half, it was all Jets. They just caught fire. Mark Sanchez finished the game with 220 yards passing, 3 touchdowns, and NO interceptions. And their defense smothered the Pats in the second half. Ladies and gentleman, the New York Jets are for real this season. NY Jets 28, New England 14.

Finally, in Washington, the Redskins were looking to go 2-0. That’s a very big deal for Redskins fans. And the Texans were also looking to go 2-0 — a very big deal for Texans fans. Basically, both franchises were trying to ignite their fan bases. The Redskins started off super hot, jumping out to a 20-7 lead. But the Texans came surging back in the second half behind a brilliant passing performance by Matt Schaub. They even blocked a field goal to give themselves a chance to win the game. They couldn’t win in regulation, but in overtime, the Texans Neil Rackers booted a game-winning field goal. Matt Schaub finished the day with an AMAZING 497 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. And it looks like Houston’s week 1 win against Indianapolis wasn’t a fluke. Houston 30, Washington 27.