Another great week of NFL action has just played out, and Week Two is officially in the books. If you were following along with our coverage last week, you know that we provide our full review on all the action. So we have another one on tap for you to enjoy as you endure the long wait until Week Three kicks off on Friday.
Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Week
Offensive – Tetairoa McMillan | Wide Receiver | Carolina Panthers
We have another first-round rookie wide receiver taking the spotlight this week, and instead of Emeka Egbuka, it is top-10 pick Tetairoa McMillan. The Panthers made him their franchise receiver this past April, even with some concerns about his lack of top-end speed and refined route running during his college career. However, what kept McMillan high on draft boards was his rare combination of size and ball skills at the position.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 212 pounds, Tet has the prototypical build of an X receiver at the pro level. Early in his career, the former consensus All-American has used every bit of his physical advantage to dominate opposing defensive backs.
That was on full display this past weekend against the Arizona Cardinals and their standout rookie corner Will Johnson. McMillan recorded 100 receiving yards on 6 catches, leading the team with 10 targets. He showed off his elite ball skills with a few highlight grabs, had zero drops, and was dangerous after the catch with 48 yards gained after the catch.
This performance was a clear statement of intent from the Panthers, who look determined to feature McMillan heavily throughout the season. It is also encouraging to see the coaching staff designing opportunities that play to his strengths and help him thrive early in his NFL journey.
Defensive – Billy Bowman Jr | Defensive Back | Atlanta Falcons
Coming out of Oklahoma, Billy Bowman was seen as an undersized defensive back with high-level competitiveness and solid athleticism. Despite those strengths, he fell into the later rounds of the draft, where the Falcons picked him with a clear plan to use him as a versatile defender who could line up at safety or in the slot.
In the Sunday Night Football matchup against J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings, Bowman was all over the field. He made an impact in the run game with four total tackles, including two that were recorded as stops. This showed that he is not just a coverage specialist but also someone willing to come downhill and get involved in the physical side of the game.
In coverage, while he was not locking receivers down on every snap, he still made several big plays. He opened the night with an interception on McCarthy, showing excellent ball skills by diving to pick off an out route and somehow staying in bounds after rolling over the receiver. Later in the game, he nearly came up with a second interception after reacting quickly to jump another route, but he was unable to hold on as he hit the ground.
This performance was a major statement for Bowman. Much of the spotlight had been on fellow rookie Xavier Watts as the Falcons’ next standout defensive back. But with Bowman showing real playmaking ability, he could turn out to be one of the best value picks in the later rounds for Atlanta.
Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week
Offensive – Malik Nabers | Wide Receiver | NY Giants
In Week 2 of the NFL season, we saw one of the league’s brightest young stars shine in what was the best game of the weekend. That name, of course, is second-year wide receiver out of LSU, Malik Nabers, who made sure everyone remembered him after a superb rookie season.
After Week 1, many people had already written off the Giants and were calling for Jaxon Dart to become the starter for Big Blue. However, head coach Brian Daboll stuck with the savvy veteran Russell Wilson, who exploded for 450 yards and three passing touchdowns. On the day, his favorite target was the second-year former first-round pick, who put up 167 yards and two touchdowns.
However, outside of the numbers what really stood out about Nabers is his versatility. He was just as efficient in the slot as he was on the outside and made plays at every level of the field. That was on full display, as he generated plenty of yards after the catch and showed off his ball skills on a touchdown grab where his visor was completely covered by the cornerback’s hand on a moon ball from Russ.
With that said the performance felt like a statement to the rest of the league that Nabers is no longer just a promising wide receiver in the NFL, but he is in the class of the top names as well.
Defensive – Byron Young | Edge | LA Rams
The Rams boast one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, featuring legitimate stars and elite athletes they’ve developed from the ground up after losing Aaron Donald. One key addition has been third-round pick Byron Young, who has quickly become one of the most proficient pass rushers in the league.
In their 33–19 win over the Tennessee Titans this weekend, Young was a dominant force and a constant problem for Cam Ward throughout the game. According to advanced analytics, he posted an impressive 25 percent pass rush win rate, which skyrocketed to 41.7 percent on true pass sets. These underlying numbers translated into real production, as he pressured Ward six times and brought him down for two sacks.
It’s also worth highlighting his impact in the run game. Whenever the Titans ran in his direction, Young was there making plays. His presence on the edge helped him record four run stops, according to PFF.
Young’s performance is a testament to how dominant the Rams’ defensive line truly is. With so much attention paid to standouts like Braden Fiske and Jared Verse, one-on-one opportunities open up for players like Young.
Game of the Week
What an outstanding game we witnessed on Monday morning, as two big rivals clashed at the incredible AT&T Stadium, with the Cowboys hosting the Giants. Now, we already covered this game in the Malik Nabers section, but it deserves another mention because it turned out to be an instant classic.
It seemed like the kind of game the Giants could keep close, but many expected the Cowboys to eventually pull away. That moment never really came. Both sides went blow for blow, entering halftime with the Giants up 13 to 10. Then, after the break, the Cowboys completed the double dip, and it looked like they might finally put their foot down and take control. However, Wilson and the Giants refused to go away, continuing to fight as the fourth quarter exploded for 41 total points and five touchdowns. One of those was a 48-yard bomb from Russ to Nabers that gave the Giants the lead with just 30 seconds left. That moment was almost instantly answered by a game-tying 64-yard field goal from kicking extraordinaire Brandon Aubrey.
Heading into overtime, there were five total possessions, with the first three being sustained drives that ended in nothing. That left the ball in Wilson’s hands with two minutes and 49 seconds remaining. Only needing a field goal to win, Wilson undid all of his hard work by throwing a head-scratching interception while trying to connect on another moon ball.
That turnover set the stage for the Cowboys to drive down the field and set up a chip shot field goal, which ended one of the best games you will ever see.