ARLINGTON, Texas — Brian Schottenheimer was having a rough week.

The Dallas Cowboys’ first-year head coach had three extra days to sit with a tough season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles before coaching again Sunday against the New York Giants. Early last week,both of his dogs were bitten by snakes. On Friday, his 82-year-old mother broke her arm and was hospitalized.”So I was hoping things would turn around at some point,” Schottenheimer said after Sunday’s game.

They did, of course. Then they turned back the other way. Then back his way. Then back the other way. Then back his way when the Cowboys were able to pull out a 40-37 overtime victory over the Giants to give Schottenheimer his first win as an NFL head coach.

The cowboys’ offense is good enough to get them into the playoffs

It was an ugly start. The Giants committed six penalties on an opening drive that covered nearly nine minutes and kept the Cowboys’ offense on the sideline until deep into the first quarter. Dallas looked rusty when it finally did get out there, and the Cowboys trailed 13-10 at halftime and only led 17-16 at the start of the fourth quarter.

But when it was over, Prescott had thrown for 361 yards and run for 17 more. Wide receiver CeeDee lamb had 112 yards on nine catches. Pickens added five catches for 68 yards and a touchdown that put dallas up by four with 52 seconds left in regulation. Williams, the former Broncos running back the Cowboys signed this offseason for next to nothing, ended with 97 rushing yards, a touchdown and 33 more yards on six catches.

The line is playing well. The quarterback looks like he’s in fantastic shape coming off last season’s injury. (“Rehab went really well, guys,” Prescott said when asked about his 14-yard scramble that set up the game-winning field goal in overtime.) The addition of Pickens might have unlocked some things, especially if Williams is really having his own resurgence.

Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION

I’m not a fool. I recognize that Dallas’ defense is going to have to be better than this. And I think it will be. Dallas is very shorthanded right now in the secondary, with cornerback DaRon Bland having joined the

Verdict: OVERREACTION

Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery each ran for a touchdown. It was like old times.Must have looked quiet familiar to Johnson, who must have hated it.

[Video: Amon-Ra St. Brown hauls in his 3rd TD of the game]

Amon-Ra St. Brown hauls in his 3rd TD of the game. Jared Goff and Amon-Ra st. Brown connect for a 3rd time to pad the Lions lead.

We have one bad and one good, so let’s see some more good before we assume all is well, right? I’m not necessarily as worried about John Morton’s ability to replace Johnson as offensive coordinator as I am about the interior of the Lions’ offensive line following the surprise offseason retirement of longtime center Frank ragnow. It was the issues up front that were most worrisome in Week 1, and I think we need to see the reconfigured line in action for a few weeks before we decide whether it’s going to be able to hold up.

And remember, when we say “just fine” about the Lions, we’re talking about Super Bowl contender-fine. The standards are high in Detroit. The Lions could still be

But what if the defense isn’t great? What if this is the year it starts to show cracks? The names all sound good — T.J. Watt, Jalen Ramsey, Cameron Heyward, Patrick queen, Darius Slay, alex Highsmith etc. — but it’s one of the oldest units in the league and at some point some of these guys might not be as great as they used to be.

This is the first time as 2002 that the Steelers have allowed 30 or more points in each of thier first two games of the season. It’s the first time since 2021 that they’ve allowed 30 or more points in consecutive games at any point of a season. Could Mike Tomlin & co. get it turned around? Of course. But if they give up 30 more to Drake Maye and the New England Patriots next Sunday in Foxborough, it might be time to worry.

Neither the Chiefs nor the Eagles will return to the Super Bowl this

NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs, Eagles Still Top Tier Despite Early Issues

The NFL season is still young, but some teams are already making statements. Here’s a look at where teams stand as of Week 2, with a focus on those who have surprised (and those who haven’t).

1. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0)

the Chiefs aren’t playing their best football right now,but they’re still winning. That’s what champions do. Rashee Rice’s suspension is a blow, but Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid have proven they can overcome adversity. The Chiefs have a knack for improving as the season progresses,and they’ll likely be even more risky after Rice returns from his suspension after Week 6, and no team in the league has proven better at solving their problems in-season than Andy Reid’s Chiefs have. They aren’t out of this yet by any stretch.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (2-0)

The Eagles have played in two of the last three Super Bowls, so it’s almost as foolish to write them off. They’re 2-0 without having played particularly well, which is something Chiefs teams of the recent past can relate to. The Eagles are coming together around a new offensive coordinator, but with Hurts as their leader Philadelphia has what it takes to weather early-season struggles and still keep winning. I’m not telling you to expect a rematch of the Super Bowl, and it’s possible neither one of these teams makes it back. But it’s nuts to rule them both out at this early stage of the season.

3. Minnesota Vikings (2-0)

Darnold was one of the great stories of the 2024 season. A former top-10 pick who flopped with the Jets and bounced around for a couple of years before landing in Minnesota with head coach and QB guru Kevin O’Connell, Darnold led the Vikings to 14 wins last year in his seventh NFL season while throwing a career-high 35 touchdown passes.