The Cowboys outlasted the Giants, 40-37, in a game with a record-tying six lead changes in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Lions poured 52 points on old friend Ben Johnson and the Bears. The Ravens became the 13th team to score 40 points in each of their first two games, but the first to be 1-1. Six other teams cracked 30 points. The "over" hit on 10 of the 12 games in the 1 and 4 p.m. windows.

⋅ Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is hurt again, this time out for most, if not all, of the season with a bad case of turf toe suffered in Sunday's win over the Jaguars. This marks the third significant injury in six seasons for Burrow, who tore his ACL in his rookie year and a ligament in his wrist in 2023. The Bengals' offensive line and front office are getting most of the blame for Burrow's battered body, but perhaps he also needs to learn how to get himself out of harm's way.

Backup Jake Browning led the Bengals to victory with a 92-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. He went 4-3 as a starter in 2023 with decent numbers, but the Bengals have averaged 25.3 points per game with Burrow in his career, and 19.9 without him. Browning is likely better in small doses than as the weekly starter. Burrow's injury changes the complexion of the Patriots' Week 12 game at Cincinnati.

The Bengals need a veteran reinforcement, with Kirk Cousins, Jameis Winston, Anthony Richardson, Sam Howell, Marcus Mariota, Case Keenum, Andy Dalton, Drew Lock, and Bailey Zappe potential trade targets.

⋅ I really want to like the Colts, who are 2-0 for the first time since 2009. Daniel Jones has the potential to be a great comeback story, and the Colts have had an exciting start, becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era not to punt over its first two games.

But talk about a game they didn't deserve to win, a 29-28 victory over the Broncos. Coach Shane Steichen inexplicably called three runs up the middle when the Colts reached the 40-yard line, and saddled his kicker with a 60-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the game, which missed well short.

Steichen got bailed out by a 15-yard leverage penalty on the Broncos, which gave the Colts a re-kick from 45 yards. He should send the Broncos a bottle of wine and try to get 10 more yards next time.

⋅ The Chiefs are 0-2 for the first time in Patrick Mahomes's career after Sunday's home loss to the Eagles, and despite an offseason of draft picks and free agent additions, they look like the same broken team that got blown out in the Super Bowl.

Travis Kelce is old, years of bad drafts at wide receiver have caught up to them -- sounds familiar here in New England -- and the Chiefs' only offense is Mahomes running around and improvising.

Mahomes remained upbeat after Sunday's loss, saying, "It's not like we're missing by much." The Chiefs will get Rashee Rice back after Week 6, but other than one bomb per game to Tyquan Thornton, the offense is stuck in neutral with no help on the horizon. They need to just bite their lip and trade back for Tyreek Hill already.

Tracking former Patriots

⋅ 49ers QB Mac Jones: Shook off a sluggish start and a lost fumble to throw for 279 yards and three touchdowns (all on third down) in a 26-21 win over the Saints, as the 49ers improved to 2-0. Brock Purdy might be ready to play Sunday against the Cardinals, but Jones's performance could allow the 49ers to be more cautious.

⋅ 49ers WR Kendrick Bourne: Released by the Patriots at the end of training camp, Bourne, a 49er from 2017-20, re-signed last week and jumped right into the lineup with three catches for 32 yards.

⋅ Chiefs WR Tyquan Thornton: Had two catches for 59 yards and a touchdown (a career-long 49 yarder), and has four catches for 100 yards this season.

⋅ Falcons K Parker Romo: Cut by the Patriots at the end of training camp even though he was arguably better than Andres Borregales, Romo signed with the Falcons last week and went 5 for 5 on field goals in Sunday's 22-6 win over the Vikings, including one from 54 yards. Borregales, who won the Patriots' job mostly because he was a sixth-round pick, missed a 40-yard field goal in Week 1 and two extra points in Week 2, though he connected on a clutch 53-yarder in the fourth quarter on Sunday.

⋅ Titans K Joey Slye: Last year's Patriots kicker, who was allowed to walk in free agency, is 7 for 7 on field goals this season, and hit from 55 and 57 yards in Sunday's loss to the Rams.

⋅ Jets K Nick Folk: The Patriots' kicker from 2019-22, he's 3 for 3 this season, including from 50 and 51 yards.

⋅ Cardinals K Chad Ryland: Went 2 for 2 on Sunday and is 4 for 5 this season, with a long of 50. Isn't it amazing how many former Patriots kickers are kicking better than the current one?

⋅ UNC coach Bill Belichick: His team beat up on Charlotte and Richmond in consecutive weeks to improve to 2-1. A real test this Saturday at Central Florida.

⋅ Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia: His team allowed 181 yards in a 37-9 win over Ohio.

Quick hits

⋅ The NFL hit a home run with its new kickoff rules. After two weeks (before Monday night), 77 percent of kickoffs have been returned, with only 15.9 percent touchbacks. In 2023, the last season before the new rules, those numbers were flipped: 15 percent returns, 82 percent touchbacks.

⋅ Not impressed with Mike Tomlin's leadership Sunday when asked about the Seahawks recovering a kickoff in the end zone for a touchdown. Tomlin blamed it on "poor judgment by a young player" for not fielding the kick, and said the Steelers practice it "every day of our lives." Sorry, but if the player doesn't know the rule, the head coach is just as much, if not more, responsible.

⋅ A dose of reality for the Jets against Buffalo, gaining just 154 yards in a 30-10 loss and going 0 for 11 on third down. "Apparently, I didn't have the guys ready to play," first-year coach Aaron Glenn said. It's not a great sign for Glenn, a former defensive coordinator, that the Jets are 30th in points allowed (32 per game) and haven't forced a turnover.

⋅ Not only did the Lions want to prove that their offense isn't broken, but hanging 52 on Johnson was also personal. "We felt like we've been, you know, betrayed, from the staff to the players," safety Brian Branch said of Johnson joining the Lions' rival.

⋅ Russell Wilson saved his job for at least a few weeks with his 450-yard performance in the Giants' loss. The Giants are 0-2 for the seventh time in nine seasons.

⋅ The Chiefs blitzed Jalen Hurts on 64 percent of his dropbacks, their highest rate in seven years under Steve Spagnuolo. Hurts finished with 101 passing yards.

⋅ Bryce Young still stinks. The Panthers will be looking for a new quarterback next year.

⋅ J.J. McCarthy stinks, too, with one good quarter out of eight to start the season. The Vikings have a great roster outside of their quarterback and should consider trading for Cousins.

⋅ Brandon Aubrey of the Cowboys became the first kicker to make field goals on the last plays of regulation and overtime. Aubrey's 64-yarder at the end of the fourth quarter was the third-longest field goal in NFL history, but behind his own 65 yarder in 2024.

⋅ The Patriots-Dolphins game marked the first time since 2008 (Patriots-Raiders) that teams scored kick return touchdowns on consecutive plays, and just the second time (Falcons-Redskins in 1992) that it went punt return-kickoff return for scores.

After a quiet start, NFL offenses explode, and other Week 2 takeaways - The Boston Globe