NFL Week 2 overreaction: Will Bengals' Zach Taylor survive the 2024 season? Seahawks' Geno Smith most clutch QB?

What a wild week the NFL delivered for Week 2. There were 10 games that were decided by one score (eight points or less) – including four that featured game-winning scores in the final minutes of regulation or overtime. The four teams are evenly matched in the league, starting the season 2-0 after missing the playoffs the previous season.

Thanks to an unexpected week 2, there's plenty of extra feedback to go around. Deserves no overreaction after Sunday afternoon's game. Is any overreaction actually real?

Jack Taylor will not be the Bengals coach this season

Additional reactions or realities: the reality

Another 0-2 start for the Bengals, which has become the norm under Taylor. The Bengals lost seven straight games in Weeks 1 and 2, yet overcame slow starts and finished with winning records in each of the past two seasons. Taylor and the Bengals are playing with fire, and eventually they will get burned.

If Cincinnati misses the playoffs this season, will Taylor survive? After going to the AFC Championship Game in 2021 and 2022, missing the playoffs in consecutive years would be a huge blow for the franchise. Barrow has had a relatively healthy camp and is healthy enough to make an impact in games. The mistakes the Bengals make to survive in the loaded AFC North and tough AFC are costly.

If the Bengals can't turn it around this year, Taylor won't be around much longer.

The Rams will finish in the NFC West

Additional reactions or realities: the reality

It wasn't on the bingo card for the NFL season. After two weeks, the Rams are the worst team in the division — and completely stoked to boot. Puca Nacua is out for multiple weeks and Cooper Kupp has been in a walking boot since the blowout loss to the Cardinals.

In addition to Matthew Stafford's top two playmakers being out, the Rams' Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom were injured on the offensive line (both on injured reserve). This comes a week after Kevin Dotson and Jonah Jackson were the only offensive linemen to finish the game. Tight end Tyler Higbee is still on the PUP list while rehabbing from a torn ACL.

These early season injuries have been too much for the Rams to overcome, and the Cardinals and Seahawks have improved significantly from last year. Someone has to finish in this category.

The Ravens will miss the playoffs

Additional reactions or realities: overreaction

The Ravens suffered their first 0-2 start since 2015, uncharted territory under John Harbaugh. Under the previous 0-2 start in franchise history, the Ravens failed to finish with a winning record or make the playoffs. Is there any reason to panic with this slow start, especially after a bad loss to the Raiders?

Baltimore has the fourth-best total yard differential (+222) by an 0-2 team in the Super Bowl era, a good sign that the Ravens are moving the ball. They also blew a 7+ point fourth-quarter lead, their 10th in the last four seasons. Baltimore overcame those losses against inferior opponents. The two losses are by 10 points combined.

The Ravens have a gauntlet with the Cowboys, Bills and Bengals — but the schedule gets a lot easier after that. Harbaugh and Jackson deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Geno Smith is the NFL's most clutch quarterback

Additional reactions or realities: overreaction

Patrick Mahomes exists, but that's not a knock on Smith. It's actually an endorsement of Smith and his ability to get the Seahawks back into games. He threw seven touchdown passes last season to give the Seahawks a lead in the fourth quarter/overtime and picked up where he left off in Sunday's win over the Patriots.

Smith led the Seahawks on a game-tying field goal drive in the final minute of regulation and the game-winning drive in overtime. Smith was 11 of 14 for 103 yards in the fourth quarter/overtime (97.0 rating) and has thrown 10 touchdown passes to just one interception in the fourth quarter/overtime since the start of last season (105.1 rating second in the NFL).

Smith deserves his flowers for playing late, but Mahomes still owns that title.

The Saints have the best offense in the NFC

Additional reactions or realities: the reality

It's easy to dismiss the NFL's worst team with 47 points. The Saints went on an offensive barrage in consecutive weeks, scoring touchdowns on their first six possessions en route to putting up 44 points against the Cowboys. The offense slowed down when the game got out of hand, but the first-team offense started the season scoring on each of its first 15 possessions.

The Saints scored on 16 of their 20 possessions (not counting the end of the game). They averaged 32.5 points per game in the first half and 45.5 on the year. New Orleans has 91 points this season, the fourth most by any team in NFL history through two games, and the fifth team in NFL history to score 44 or more points in three straight games (dating to last year).

Not only is Derek Carr playing well, but the Saints have playmakers like Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shahid, and Kris Olav. They have one of the league's most explosive offenses with offensive coordinator Clint Kubiak calling plays.

This offense is the best in the NFC until proven otherwise.

Trevor Lawrence is not a franchise quarterback

Additional reactions or realities: overreaction

That's a fair statement after Lawrence struggled again in another loss for the Jaguars. Lawrence has lost seven straight starts, the second-longest active streak in the NFL (Sam Howell's eight) as the Jaguars lost 7 of their last 8 games last season. That lone win came in Week 17 last season against the Panthers (who have won 2 of their last 19 games) and Lawrence missed the game.

In Lawrence's last seven starts, the Jaguars are 0-7 and their starting quarterback has completed just 60% of his passes for 16 touchdowns to just 15 interceptions and an average of 6.7 yards per attempt. Those aren't encouraging numbers for a quarterback a team paid $55 million a year this offseason.

Lawrence was just 14 of 30 in the week for 220 yards to the Browns, as the Jaguars scored just 13 points. Jacksonville has scored more than 20 points once in their last six games, franchise quarterbacks should be able to do just that.

If Lawrence doesn't improve this season or the Jaguars continue to lose games, this discussion will escalate. It's too soon to announce Lawrence as the franchise quarterback, so let's see if he can pull it off.

Marvin Harrison Jr. will get 1,000 yards in his rookie year

Additional reactions or realities: the reality

After making a catch in Week 1, Harrison showed why he is the best player in the 2024 draft. Harrison finished with four catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the Cardinals' blowout win over the Rams. He had a 23-yard touchdown and a 60-yard touchdown in a 2:16 stretch early in the first quarter, showing how he can change a game in an instant. He had 130 yards in the opening quarter.

Harrison is on pace for 1,139 yards this season after his breakout performance — challenging Anquan Boldin's rookie franchise record of 1,377 yards. 1,000 yards is a strong possibility, but it remains to be seen if Harrison will challenge Boldin.

Regardless, Harrison has shown just how good he is already in his NFL career.