Quick Hits: Week 2

Two weeks into the preseason and my projections are already looking stupid (thanks for nothing, Jacksonville). There is still plenty of time for teams to right their ship, but we are learning crucial information as the weeks progress. Certain teams are making statements and others have the appearance of being good but are they really? Not sure what I mean? Let's take a better look...

-       -  Jimmy Garoppolo is down with a shoulder injury for the Patriots and the quarterback situation is a question mark for the next two weeks before Tom Brady returns. There is a slight chance that Garoppolo plays Thursday night against the Texans, but he is listed as doubtful as of now. Rookie Jacoby Brissett is next in line to start and his back-up is none of than wide receiver Julian Edelman. While Edelman did play quarterback in college, this goes to show just how dire the Patriots quarterback situation is for the next two weeks.

-       -  The Ravens are off to a great start, opening the season 2-0, but are they for real? Based off what we’ve seen the answer is no. in fact, based off of their first six games, they could start the season 6-0 at best with @ JAX, vs OAK, vs WAS, and @NYG for their next four games. To do that, the Ravens offense needs to establish their ground game (ranked 23^rd in league via ESPN.com) and not get off to the slow starts they have had in their first two games. The defense seems sturdy, but if they want to be taken seriously, this offense needs to step up. With their final four games being @ NE, vs PHI, @ PIT, and @ CIN, the road to the post season will be brutal.

-       -  This news comes out today, Browns’ Corey Coleman broke his hand in practice and is out for some time. This news hurts a lot, especially with another report today regarding Josh Gordon having a warrant for his arrest. The Browns did invest heavily in wide receivers in the past draft. Guys like Ricardo Louis and Rishard Higgins need to step up for the Browns to have any real chance to compete this season.

-       -  Another fun fact for Browns’ fans! The Browns will likely roll out rookie Cody Kessler as their starting quarterback this week at Miami. Kessler would become the fifth starting quarterback for the Browns in their last five games… That’s not just bad, that’s awful. This franchise is plagued with bad quarterback play, and it doesn’t appear to be getting any better.

-       -  Throw me on the Carson Wentz hype-train. Wentz is off to a phenomenal rookie year, going 43/71 (60.6%) for 468 yards and three touchdowns through two games. He has yet to throw an interception and has the Eagles off to a 2-0 start. His play is bound to drop off, but if he can remain steady for the length of the season, the eagles could be a solid sleeper pick for the playoffs with Wentz’s solid passing game and a good defense to back him.

-       -  Speaking of good rookie quarterbacks, Dak Prescott has been impressive in his own right. Prescott has gone 47/75 (62.7%) for 519 yards with no interceptions and a rushing touchdown. While that is great, he doesn’t have a passing touchdown yet. If Prescott wants to remain the starter once Romo is healthy (a big if, but Romo would likely be the starter no matter what), he needs to take his passing game to the next level. You have Dez Bryant. Take some chances and lob it up to the league’s best red-zone threat.

-       -  Poor Vikings fans… An offseason full of Super Bowl expectations has been decimated by injuries, yet they still stand tall at 2-0. By all means, I am truly impressed by how resilient they’ve been. But with news that Adrian Peterson is going to be out an extended period of time from numerous and conflicting reports, it could be a more uphill battle than even before. The Vikings also lost their starting left tackle Matt Kalil today. So to recap, the Vikings have lost their starting quarterback, running back, and left tackle. They have looked great, but even the best teams will be out of luck should the injuries continue to pile up.

-       -  And for what it’s worth, I am not a believer in Sam Bradford. “OH BUT RICHIE HE HAD SUCH A GOOD WEEK AGAINST THE PACKERS!” That’s great. It’s only one game and he has shown throughout his career he simply cannot be relied on due to poor decision making and, of course, injuries. If he goes down, the Viking season goes down. So he needs to keep it up or else... No pressure.

I know a ton happened this week, but due to time constraints I just don’t have the time this week to cover every little thing. I always leave my Twitter handle below so feel free to tweet me your questions or ask my opinions on anything.

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.