Burning NFL Questions We Hope to See Answered in Week 2

We're a long way from knowing which teams will have a realistic shot at reaching Super Bowl LXI. However, we got a little bit of clarity during the first week of the 2026 season.

Over the past week, we learned that Patrick Mahomes is healthy, the Los Angeles Rams are not the invulnerable squad many made them out to be in the offseason, and the Dallas Cowboys' defense remains a work in progress.

Of course, there are plenty of questions that weren't answered in Week 1 and continue to hover over the NFL landscape as Week 2 gets underway. Here, we'll dive into some of the biggest questions we're hoping to have answered in the coming days, how they might be answered in the remaining Week 2 schedule, and what they could mean moving forward.

How Will the Rams' Defense Respond After Losing Myles Garrett?

The Rams' 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers was arguably the biggest surprise of Week 1. We're used to seeing the 49ers hang with Los Angeles, of course, but the Rams were big preseason Super Bowl favorites and didn't look like they belonged on the same field as San Francisco.

Were the Rams simply sluggish following the lengthy flight to Australia? Did they err by leaving just two days before the game? Perhaps, but even those variables failed to explain why prized trade acquisition Myles Garrett was a complete no-show.

A knee injury that was apparently far worse than initially believed appeared to be at the root of Garrett's issues.

"Thought we would take an approach where he'd be feeling good enough to go contribute positive change and be the player that he's capable of. That wasn't the case," head coach Sean McVay told reporters.

Garrett underwent knee surgery and has been placed on injured reserve, meaning L.A.'s defense will be without him for at least four games. Now, it's fair to wonder how the defense will compensate. Seeing Aaron Donald make his 2026 debut would obviously help, but the Rams traded Pro Bowl pass-rusher Jared Verse to get Garrett. They may need more from Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and Braden Fiske.

The Rams will face a good test in the New York Giants and mobile quarterback Jaxson Dart. New York tallied 394 yards and 28 points against Dallas on Sunday night, and it could be a real problem if the Rams can't field a functional pass rush.

If the Los Angeles defense can get after Dart and look like a championship unit on Monday night, it will ease a lot of concerns. Another poor performance, though, could create rational panic.

Is Drake Maye At Risk of a Year 3 Regression?

The New England Patriots' loss to the Seattle Seahawks on opening night was another big Week 1 surprise. The fact that New England lost on the road to the defending Super Bowl champs was obviously not stunning, but the way the Patriots blew it in the end was.

The Patriots had 1st-and-10 at the Seattle 21-yard line with less than a minute to go, needing a touchdown to win and a field goal to potentially force overtime. Then, quarterback Drake Maye took a sack for a seven-yard loss and, on the ensuing play, threw his third interception of the game.

Interceptions happen, but this one was the product of a very bad decision by Maye:

A year ago, Maye finished as the MVP runner-up behind Matthew Stafford. He was mostly efficient against a weak regular-season schedule, but he then struggled with ball security and decision-making in the postseason. His habit of making mistakes while trying to do too much was also an issue in college, and we saw glimpses of it during Maye's rookie season.

The Patriots face a first-place schedule this season, and if Maye can't do a better job of managing games, he could be in for a regression that few saw coming. That would obviously be a massive issue for the Patriots, who otherwise looked like title contenders last Wednesday.

The loss of A.J. Brown (ankle) certainly won't help, but Maye will have a chance to rebound against an aggressive Pittsburgh Steelers defense this week. He'll need to be much more careful with the football to do it, and if he isn't, New England's hopes of returning to the Super Bowl could be in trouble.

What Does the Future Hold for the Steelers and Joey Porter Jr.?

The Steelers may or may not have cornerback Joey Porter Jr. when they face the Patriots on Sunday. They may or may not have him on the roster in the coming weeks. His future with the franchise became murky after he and Pittsburgh failed to reach a contract agreement before Week 1, and it's no clearer now.

Porter was inactive in Week 1, and trade speculation quickly followed. According to ESPN's Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter , "the possibility of a trade remains in play."

The Steelers have traditionally stopped negotiating after the start of the regular season, but they might be able to quiet the trade buzz by putting Porter back on the field. Officially, he missed Week 1 with a back injury, and Pittsburgh was hoping to have him in game shape by Sunday.

Unfortunately, Porter then left Thursday's practice.

Naturally, we won't get many answers in Week 2 if Porter doesn't suit up. If he returns to the field and plays well, though, the Steelers are unlikely to engage in any serious trade talks.

After all, Pittsburgh views itself as a title contender, and Porter is one of the league's better cover corners. As long as they remain in contention, the Steelers will probably want to hang onto Porter.

That is, if the Steelers don't continue to win without Porter in the lineup. A big win over the Patriots with him on the sidelines could cause Pittsburgh to start viewing the impending free agent as expendable.

Can Carson Wentz Steal the Vikings' Starting QB Job?

One of the more pressing questions heading into Week 1 was whether Kyler Murray would have a redemption arc with the Minnesota Vikings. The former Pro Bowler struggled in recent years with the Arizona Cardinals but landed in a prime position with Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings.

Unfortunately, Murray's first regular-season outing with Minnesota was brief. He suffered a concussion early in the game and was quickly ruled out. Veteran backup Carson Wentz then led a comeback victory over the rival Green Bay Packers.

Unless Murray clears the concussion protocol before the weekend, Wentz will get his first start of the season against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Now, it's fair to wonder if he can keep Murray on the sideline after Murray is healthy.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, that won't happen.

"Everyone was looking forward to seeing the different dimensions this offense can have with a really dynamic quarterback who could move to throw," Rapoport told The Pat McAfee Show . "I'd be surprised if [Wentz] was their starting quarterback."

Players generally don't lose their starting jobs due to injury, so it is unlikely that Wentz will take the reins and never relinquish them. After throwing three touchdowns in last week's comeback win, though, Wentz could make a case by beating the Bears on the road.

Wentz would have to play superbly for the second straight week to create a true quarterback controversy in Minnesota. Given what we saw from the Chicago defense in Week 1, though, there's a very real chance that he will.

Do the Falcons Even Have a Starting-Caliber QB on Their Roster?

The Atlanta Falcons made some noise late in 2025 after Michael Penix Jr. suffered a torn ACL and journeyman Kirk Cousins took over at quarterback. Cousins departed in the offseason, though, and the Falcons added new signal-callers while Penix worked his way back from injury.

Former Miami Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa was expected to be QB1 to start the season, but he suffered an oblique injury ahead of Week 1, forcing the Falcons to start backup Cooper Rush.

Rush was a very underwhelming 12-of-22 for 143 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions during the loss to Pittsburgh. Atlanta would probably prefer to not start him for a second consecutive week.

Unfortunately, Tagovailoa remained out of practice on Thursday, and while Penix was a full participant, he may not be game-ready—though he is, at least, trending in a positive direction.

"We ruled Mike out early last week," head coach Kevin Stefanski said, per Jacob Camenker of USA Today . "We didn't rule Mike out this week."

The Falcons also have undrafted rookie Jack Strand in their quarterback room, though he feels like a long shot to start this early in the season. Of course, if Atlanta doesn't find a dependable starter in Tagovailoa, Penix, or Rush, Strand will probably get his shot.

Ideally, the Falcons will get a look at either Penix or Tagovailoa this week against a Carolina Panthers defense that surrendered 59 points last Sunday. If that doesn't happen and/or if Atlanta's quarterback doesn't play well, it'll be hard to take the Falcons seriously as NFC South contenders moving forward.

How Long Can the Browns Stick With Deshaun Watson at QB?

While the Falcons may be able to pull themselves into the playoff mix, the Cleveland Browns almost certainly can't. They entered the year looking like stronger candidates for the No. 1 overall pick in 2027 than the playoffs. They somehow looked even worse than expected in their 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1.

One Cleveland player did meet expectations head-on. Quarterback Deshaun Watson has played poorly pretty consistently since arriving in 2022, and he was bad again in Week 1. However, head coach Todd Monken was quick to point out that Watson wasn't the only issue.

"It really wasn't all him," Monken said, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi . "That's unfair. Certainly could have called it better, certainly could have played better around him."

Monken is right about one thing. Cleveland's Week 1 loss was the result of a failure at almost every level. The fact remains, though, that the Browns can't contend with playoff-caliber teams when their quarterback is making bad throws and even worse decisions.

Now, it's worth noting that the Browns may not be particularly interested in winning, given the amount of quarterback talent that is expected to be in the 2027 draft class. At some point, though, sticking with Watson over Shedeur Sanders and/or Dillon Gabriel could alienate the fans and the locker room.

Browns fans were anything but supportive of Watson in his 2026 home preseason debut, which led him to publicly criticize the fanbase after the game.

We're likely to learn just how much of a leash Watson has after Sunday's road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If Watson cannot deliver an upset over Tampa and former Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield, Monken may have to consider benching him before next week's home opener.

If Watson continues to play poorly while Monken continues to stick by him, there's a non-zero chance that both will be gone after this season.