NFL Week 2

Sunday

Redskins 29, Saints 24 -- Recap | Box
Panthers 20, Bears 17 -- Recap | Box
Giants 41, Rams 13 -- Recap |

It was pretty obvious to everyone except Hochuli that Cutler fumbled the ball. Replays showed that the ball had slipped out of his hand before he brought his hand forward to pass. It's called an empty hand. But the ref's whistle, based on the rules, negated any chance to use instant replay. San Diego recovered the loose ball and probably would have iced the game. Hochuli's whistle blew the play dead. Instead, Denver got the ball back and scored and then went for two points to win the game, running the same play for both scores. Now, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan's decision to go for two points with 24 seconds left was the gutsiest call I've witnessed in a long time. Every coach I know plays for overtime, especially at home. But Shanny knew one important thing. He knew his defense couldn't stop the Chargers and he was probably right. Heck, they couldn't catch Darren Sproles, who could be facing a heavy load in San Diego next Sunday against the visiting Jets.

Cassel validates Belichick's instincts

Bill Belichick has to love what happened in the Meadowlands. He beat Brett Favre, who is starting his 277th consecutive game, with Matt Cassel, who was making his first start in nine years, or since he was a high school star. I don't know if this makes Belichick a genius again, but it's obvious that he has the right personnel instincts. Cassel caught Scott Pioli's eye when his arm was used extensively to try out several USC receivers at the end of his senior season. Scouts were impressed with his arm and footwork. The Patriots, who already had Tom Brady, selected Cassel and the rest is history. Granted, future teams now know what Cassel can and can't do with New England's offense. There is finally meaningful video to watch. But what New England's win over New York and the Jets proved to me is that New England remains the better overall team, New York's offensive line couldn't deal with the Patriots' pressure on Favre, and that the Buffalo Bills figure to be the team to worry about in the AFC East.

Cardinals emerging as NFC West favorites

Yes, we've only played two weeks of the season, but the Arizona Cardinals are primed to replace the Seattle Seahawks as champs in the NFC West. Seattle may get receivers Deion Branch and Bobby Engram back in another week or two, but right now the Seahawks are 0-2 and the offense is depleted of proven receivers. Yes, they hung in there against visiting San Francisco before losing at home in overtime, but the 49ers aren't that good. For some reason, Kurt Warner looks like he's back in St. Louis with the vaunted Greatest Show on Turf. Warner was a two-time MVP when the Rams were the NFL's most explosive outfit and he's putting up points and touchdowns again. He has four touchdown passes in two games and Matt Leinart is left with mop-up duties. Both Warner and the Cardinals gambled because Kurt is in the last year of a contract. Two games don't make a season, but Warner looks like he's not heading into retirement anytime soon. The guy has been a winner for a long time — on and off the field — and he seems to have figured out his past turnover (mostly fumbling) problems. This is a weird story in Arizona because receiver Anquan Boldin, who is earning about half as much as Larry Fitzgerald, caught three touchdowns against the Dolphins, supposedly the team he wants to be playing for, according to his agent Drew Rosenhaus. Personally, Boldin is better off in Arizona if he wants to win now and in the future. The Cardinals have a better offense and they definitely have better quarterbacks.

I have a sneaky feeling that Peyton Manning has lost a little confidence in Marvin Harrison. The future Hall of Famer had a critical lost fumble in the season-opening loss to the Bears and then against the Vikings, Harrison caught only one pass. Anthony Gonzales was Peyton's favorite target with nine catches for 137 yards, following by always reliable Reggie Wayne with five catches. This was a gutty performance by Manning, who has three new interior blockers on the offensive line, plus coach Howard Mudd is out following knee surgery. One thing about Peyton, he's going to do whatever it takes to win and not play favorites. The Colts are 1-1 and they do look beatable, especially minus tight end Dallas Clark. After being shut out in the first half, Peyton had the juice and found his rhythm to pull out the victory. Adam Vinatieri nailed his 22nd game-winning field goal and the Colts had a well-deserved road win. The Vikings played well, but they are going to struggle because Tarvaris Jackson simply can't produce enough points to beat the league's top teams.

No room for cheap shots

Finally, there were a few things I didn't like seeing on Sunday. I really hated watching Bucs rookie safety Elbert Mack taking a cheap shot at Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan following a turnover. Mack was penalized and he should be fined this week, too. There's nothing wrong with taking on a quarterback who is trying to make a tackle, but it's ridiculous to come high on anyone when he's simply standing around, watching. Also, I thought 49ers safety Dashon Goldson took a totally unnecessary shot at Seattle receiver Logan Payne's left knee, knocking him from the game. Goldson appeared to deliberately go low on Payne, who had his back turned to the defender and really was defenseless. I also hated Chicago's decision to run fullback Jason McKie in a critical short-yardage play late in their loss to the Panthers. McKie should have been blocking for rookie runner Matt Forte, who has earned the right to run the ball in such a critical situation. If not Forte, then throw a short pass. And, finally, I really thought the officials blew a critical pass interference penalty in the Seattle game. San Francisco WR Ike Bruce was out of bounds and the pass was uncatchable for him when he was interfered with. Seattle intercepted the ball in the end zone, but the penalty gave the ball back to San Francisco. It was a huge swing for Mike Nolan's team.