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The 2nd NFL game day A long-awaited comeback and a highly paid superstar in need
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals also lost the second game of the season in the NFL. Burrows was injured again in the final quarter.
© Dylan Buell / Getty Images
The pressure on the Cincinnati Bengals is there: After two defeats at the start of the NFL season, the co-favorites for the Super Bowl are still without a win. Star quarterback Joe Burrow threatens to become the face of the first minor crisis. In Houston, however, people are happy about the comeback of a youngster.
Mona Stevens and Anja Driver
The loser of the match day:
As of September 8th, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is the highest-paid player in the NFL. In the next five years, the 26-year-old will now earn an impressive $275 million (around 257 million euros). But Burrow has been missing one thing since signing the contract: wins. The Cincinnati Bengals lost against both the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens and are currently in last place in their division. The reason for the slow start is a calf injury that Burrow suffered in training camp and which cost him important training sessions with his teammates. His mobility on the field is also visibly limited. In the game against the Ravens, Burrow limped off the field in the fourth quarter and had to be briefly treated.
If his injury worsens, it could be a disappointing year for the Bengals, who are actually considered contenders for the Super Bowl. But there is also reason for hope: In the second half of the game against the Baltimore Ravens, Burrow found his receiver Tee Higgins in the end zone twice and scored his first two touchdown passes of the season. He hadn’t managed a touchdown a week earlier against the Browns.
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The player of the match day:
Six caught passes, 171 yards gained and a touchdown: These are the statistics of Tampa Bay’s superstar Mike Evans. The Buccaneers wide receiver was once again unstoppable against the Chicago Bears. This marked the 37th time Evans has surpassed 100 yards per game and is on track to record his 10th 1,000-yard season since his debut in 2014. He currently holds the record for most 1,000-yard seasons at the start of an NFL career. His performance becomes even more impressive when you consider that Evans has not had a well-known quarterback at his side throughout his career, except for three seasons with playmaking legend Tom Brady. So it’s no wonder that Baker Mayfield, who wants to revive his career in Tampa Bay, is also relying on his star receiver.
Mona Stevens plays for the “Saarland Ladycanes” and the German women’s national football team (flag and tackle) in the quarterback position. Stevens has also served as the NFL’s official flag football ambassador since 2022. The Saarlander is part of the RTL NFL on-air team and can be seen in numerous formats as a football expert.
© Imago Images
Anja fahrer plays as a wide receiver for the Erlangen Rebels and the German national team (tackle and flag). With the national team she won the bronze medal at the European Championships in 2015 and the European Championship silver medal in flag football in 2017. The sports and Latin teacher previously played football for 25 years, including for SV 67 Weinberg in the second women’s Bundesliga. Since 2023, she has also been working as offensive coordinator on the coaching team of the newly formed U17 girls national flag football team.
© Maximilian Koch / Imago Images
But what makes the pass receiver so difficult to defend? A rare combination of safe hands, perfectly run routes and a height of 1.96 meters, which ensures he has the air supremacy on the field pass after pass. Evans also weighs over 100 kilos – nightmare values for any defender.
The good news of matchday:
In April 2022, John Metchie III was selected by the Houston Texans in the second round of the NFL draft, making him one of the best college talents in the USA. But just three months later, the wide receiver contracted leukemia and had to undergo lengthy treatment, as a result of which he missed the entire previous season. Over a year later, cancer-free, Metchie made his long-awaited NFL debut against the Indianapolis Colts and caught his first pass for 17 yards. An urgently needed reinforcement for the Texans and rookie quarterback CJ Stroud, who is still waiting for his first NFL win after two game days.
The move of the day:
The Detroit Lions reached deep into their bag of tricks and played the Flea Flicker. This is a play where the offense tries to surprise the defense with a fake run that ends up being a pass play. The quarterback hands the ball to the running back with a handoff. Shortly before he crosses the line of scrimmage, he throws the ball back to the quarterback. The defense usually attacks the run and breaks away from the so-called pass defense coverage. If the ball is now pitched back to the quarterback, the offense is hoping for a free pass receiver and a big play.
The Lions showed what this looks like in perfection on Sunday evening: Quarterback Jared Goff passed the ball to Jahmyr Gibbs, who passed it back to Goff. Because of the faked play, the quarterback now had Kalif Raymond as a free man in the end zone, giving the team a 14-7 lead.
