Week 2 of the NFL season is officially over! As we shift to Week 3, several storylines have begun circulating.
A dear friend of the show, ESPN NFL Analyst Damien Woody, joined Mike Golic Jr. and Mike Golic Sr. on Tuesday’s edition of GoJo and Golic to discuss the state of the NFL heading into Week 3.
GoJo kicked the segment off by first getting Woody’s reaction to the ending of last night’s Monday Night Football battle between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. For the Eagles, their fate rested in a dropped pass by Saquon Barkley in the red zone, a play they ran earlier in the game that resulted in a touchdown. Like most fans, Woody was surprised why that play was run at that point in the game. Further, Woody strongly suggested looking at it from a time management standpoint: if Barkley drops the ball, the clock stops. If the Eagles ran the ball, the clock would have run out, leading to a victory.
Given Barkley dropped the ball, it became 4th and 3, and the Eagles decided to kick the field goal. Senior asked Woody what he would have done in that position, to which he said he would have gone for it, and even if they had not converted, the defense would have had an opportunity to step up. Woody highlighted the improvement we saw from Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins from Week 1 to Week 2 and additionally gave recognition to the Falcons’ running game and how they manhandled the Eagles’ defensive front.
Moving on, Senior asked Woody which team out of the current 0-2 teams in the NFL he was the most surprised by. He responded with the Ravens. He points out that the Ravens have not started 0-2 since 2015 and further, he alludes to a trend that has taken place where they had a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and fell short. Given the Ravens’ reputation on defense and the addition of Derrick Henry this offseason, Woody believes they should be able to finish games late.
On the flip side of the coin, as far as 2-0 teams that have surprised us so far, Woody highlighted the Saints. Their offense has been efficient and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is doing a great job dialing up the plays that have led to their 91-point surge through Week 2, the second most in franchise history. Woody also talked about Kubiak’s connection to the Shanahan coaching tree and their run game-to-play-action pass ethos as a key to the success of the Saints’ offense.
In his excitement over the Saints, Woody almost forgot the Minnesota Vikings in his list of surprising 2-0 teams! He spoke glowingly about Sam Darnold, expressing that he has talent, and ultimately, that was why he was selected third overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Although turnovers have been issues for him throughout his career, the offensive weapons at his disposal and Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell have helped elevate Darnold’s game thus far in 2024.
And Woody couldn’t leave without hitting on the biggest news from Monday, the Carolina Panthers benching their former number 1 overall pick Bryce Young in favor of journeyman Andy Dalton. GoJo asked Woody if it was over for Young in Carolina and if he could rebound with another team. Woody believes the Carolina organization is responsible for their quarterback debacle. He believes Young has more years to develop in his career, however, the situation may not be best for him in Carolina. The team brought in so-called quarterback whisper Dave Canales to help with the development of Young, only to blow up the operation in Week 2, which speaks to the sad state of the Panthers. Senior even alluded to the Panthers owner David Tepper and his “quick trigger finger” in firing coaches, making the Panthers a team to monitor throughout the season.
Watch or listen to the full show below and tune into GoJo and Golic weekday mornings from 8-10 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Hour 1: Primetime Kirk Cousins & Saquon Spoil Eagles’ Home Opener + Damien Woody on Carolina Ruining Bryce Young’s Career
VIDEO
Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show is also available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
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