3 NFL Week 2 Storylines to Watch for: Bills, Jets Highlighted

by

Sep 15, 2023

Week 2 of the NFL regular season kicked off on a Thursday, and there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding the other games. SportsGrid looks into some storylines worth following. 

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1. Can the Bills Respond After Poor Performance vs. New York Jets?

On Monday night, it looked like the Buffalo Bills were given a gift when Aaron Rodgers left the game. The Bills could not take advantage of it and ultimately dropped the game on a walk-off kick return in overtime. When you have a team with Super Bowl aspirations like the Bills, a result like that is unacceptable, even with an “Any Given Sunday” mentality centered around the NFL. Josh Allen struggled against the Jets, but that’s been a theme over his last three appearances against them. If Allen can’t find his form against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, it may be time to start wondering about this Bills group and their capabilities. 

2. Will the Jets Stay Afloat Under Zach Wilson?

After Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury just four snaps into his New York Jets tenure, the team is now forced to lean on Zach Wilson. There were highs and lows with how Wilson performed in Week 1 against the Bills, but there are still plenty of question marks about whether he can keep the Jets competitive. The Jets will head to Dallas for a matchup with the Cowboys in Week 2. The Cowboys have a ferocious defense, making life extremely difficult on Daniel Jones and the New York Giants in Week 1. The Jets’ defense will keep them in many football games, but it’s a lofty goal to expect Wilson to have much production against this Dallas defense on Sunday. 

3. Can the Steelers Bounce Back in the AFC North Clash? 

With a lot of hype surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers heading into Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, it’s fair to say they underdelivered. Much can change weekly in the NFL, especially when you factor in an AFC North matchup. Kenny Pickett didn’t show much growth in his first start of his sophomore campaign. How much of that blame should go toward his play-caller, Matt Canada? It’s been a significant struggle for Canada to lead the Steelers to breakout offensive performances, and it’s not for a lack of talent on that side of the football. With Cam Heyward now sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Steelers’ defense must step up against the Cleveland Browns. We know what we’ll get out of T.J. Watt, but the rest of the defense will need to figure out how to stop a run-heavy Browns squad. 

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Thumbnail photo via Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK

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