What to Know: Week 2
GAME TO KNOW: I think the game of the week already happened: Bears at Packers last night. It’s a classic rivalry, but more than that, it was a litmus test for both teams. The Bears put up 41 points on the Colts last week, an abnormality for their defensive-minded team. The Packers were just awful against the 49ers in Week 1, showing little to no improvement on the defense that was ranked 32nd in the league last season. So if Week 1 is to be believed, the Bears are an offensive powerhouse and the Packers are going to be last in the Division and miss the Playoffs.
But the 23-10 victory last night by the Packers is exactly why Week 1 should never be believed.
The Bears struggled to put points on the board. Jay Cutler threw 4 interceptions. The Packers sacked him 7 times, with Clay Matthews getting a career-high 3.5 sacks. Both showings should be taken with a grain of salt – I don’t think the Bears are as bad as they looked last night or the Packers are as improved on defense as they looked last night. But it definitely showed that both teams are capable of more than they showed in Week 1 – for better or for worse.
PLAYER TO WATCH: I’m going to go with Kevin Kolb on this one. The Cardinals paid a lot of money to get Kevin Kolb last season, but he didn’t quite live up to the high expectations they had for him. Consequently, former backup John Skelton was named the starter in a training camp quarterback controversy that lasted most of the preseason. He was playing well last week…but was injured near the ed of the game and could not return. Kolb came in and led the Cardinals to a 4th quarter win. Since Skelton is still out with the ankle injury Kolb will get the start this week against the Patriots. They’ll provide more of a challenge than the Seahawks did last week, but ultimately, this QB situation is far from set in stone so it’s not inconceivable to think that Kolb could win his job back with an outstanding performance against the Pats.
STORYLINE TO KNOW: Handshake Gate: Round II. If you didn’t see last year’s handshake mishap between head coaches Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh, watch this. The teams will meet again for the first time since on Sunday for what is sure to be the most-hyped postgame handshake in recent history. It promises to be uneventful but highly anticipated.
RECIPES TO MAKE:
fudgy brownies with cookie butter frosting
chocolate dipped salted nut roll bars
chick-fil-a bites with honey mustard sauce