Cal in the NFL: Week 2

Aaaaaand we’re back. On Saturday, our 2018 Bears were able to pick up another win, this time in convincing fashion over FCS Idaho State. However, this article isn’t about Saturdays. It’s about Sundays (and Thursdays and Mondays). On the NFL side of things, our former Bears carried over much of their Week 1 successes into the second week of the season.

The Offensive Line

A great week from the offensive line.

• Mitchell Schwartz of the Kansas City Chiefs contributed to an amazing offensive showcase by the Kansas City Chiefs. Schwartz and his fellow offensive linemen allowed only one sack and helped protect Patrick Mahomes, allowing him to throw for six touchdowns!
• The Atlanta Falcons offense racked up 442 total yards behind big Alex Mack and the rest of the offensive line on their way to a 31-24 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Solid Performances

The steady offensive contributors.

• Oakland Raiders’ workhorse Marshawn Lynch took 18 carries for 65 yards and a score. However, it was not enough, as the Raiders suffered a close 20-19 loss.
• Marvin Jones caught four of his nine targets for a total of 54 yards and a touchdown. His Detroit Lions also lost a close game, this time at a score of 30-27 at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.
• CJ Anderson did his job of backing up that other Panthers running back very well on Sunday. He made the most of his limited reps, taking his three carries for a total of 31 yards.
• Keenan Allen followed up a great Week 1 with another solid performance, catching six out of his eight targets for a total of 67 yards. He was a key contributor in the thriving Chargers’ passing offense that was able to pick up a 31-20 win.
• Can’t forget about the punter: Bryan Anger punted the ball six times with an average of 43.3 yards per punt, with two of those punts landing inside the 20-yard line. He helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the field position battle on their way to a 27-21 win.

DEFENSE!

Great Cal defense can be found in both the NCAA and the NFL.

• On the defensive side of the Chargers’ Week 2 win, nose tackle Brandon Mebane clogged up running lanes and racked up three tackles, an impressive number at his position.
• Mychal Kendricks also recorded three tackles but also accompanied it with a sack in a successful Seahawks debut. The Seahawks lost the game, however, by a score of 24-17.
• Chris Conte of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had another great week with a repeat performance of seven tackles in a Buccaneers win. He has been a crucial part of a Buccaneers defense that has done its job in supporting an electric offense on their way to a 2-0 start.
• Hardy Nickerson had a solid eight tackle performance in a 34-23 win on Thursday Night Football.
• Lorenzo Alexander had seven tackles and also recorded a sack for the Buffalo Bills in a 31-20 loss. He also established himself as a vocal leader of a rebuilding Bills team by speaking up when teammate Vontae Davis abruptly retired at halftime.

The Stars of the Week

No surprises here.

• Jared Goff and the Rams picked up an easy win by a score of 34-0 over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Goff had a great day, completing 24/32 passes for 354 yards and throwing for both one touchdown and one interception.
• Aaron Rodgers had another stellar day at the helm of the Packers offense, completing 30/42 passes for 281 yards and adding three touchdowns in the air. The Packers ended up tying the game by a score of 29-29.
• Cameron Jordan followed a solid Week 1 showing with another good performance in Week 2. The match-up between the New Orleans Saints and the Cleveland Browns ended up being a surprise defensive battle in a game that the Saints were expected to win handily. After allowing 48 points to the Buccaneers in Week 1, they needed big performances from their star defenders in Week 2 if they were going to win a defensive battle like the one the played in, and Cameron Jordan was there to answer the call, picking up two sacks in a 21-18 win.

Player of the Week

• Player of the Week: DeSean Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

DeSean Jackson once again had an explosive week, showing great chemistry with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to start the year. He caught all four of his targets for a 129 yard, one touchdown performance that should be very familiar to Cal fans. So far this season, he has looked like throwback DeSean, as he leads the entire NFL with 275 receiving yards.

Week 2 In Recap

• The Bears combined for a 10-5-1 record on the week.
• The average scores of these games were in our favor this week, as we picked up a 28-23 win!

Season Record: 18-11-2 (I accidentally missed a win from Hardy Nickerson last week)

Pythagorean Win-Loss: 1–1 (Even with Nickerson, the Bears lost 31-28 last week)

Bears Record: 3-0 (I’m still ecstatic, plus we can compare our Pythagorean Win-Loss with the real Cal record, so I guess that’s sorta fun!)

GO BEARS!