Week 2 in the NFL was full of heartbreak. Eight of the 15 games on Thursday and Sunday were decided by fewer than seven points, and many had dramatic finishes, including last-second wins by the Cowboys, Cardinals, Titans and Ravens.
In a sport in which we might only get a handful of data points to see how a team handles itself in tight situations each year, Week 2 was valuable insight into what might happen over the remainder of the season.
Let's run through three of those narrow losses and one victory and get into what I took away and what we might be able to glean from each matchup for the future. Some of the stories might be familiar, including the one we saw in Thursday night's NFC East matchup:
Jump to a team:
Chiefs | Giants
Titans | Vikings
New York Giants
Week 2 result: Lost 30-29 to Washington
"We will play fundamentally sound, we will not beat ourselves."
That's what Joe Judge said in 2020 in his initial news conference as Giants coach. In his 18th game, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence jumped offside as Washington attempted a game-winning field goal. Dustin Hopkins missed that kick, but he hit his second attempt after being given another try, turning what looked to be a dramatic road victory into a crushing defeat. The Giants have now started 0-2 for the fifth consecutive season. At 18-48, they're tied with the Jets for the NFL's worst record since the start of the 2017 season.
