PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 18: DeAngelo Williams #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates his touchdown reception in the fourth quarter during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field on September 18, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

There were plenty of glorious victories in Week 2 of the NFL, but they came at a steep cost. Defeat, for many teams, was no less painful.

Sunday’s action was overshadowed by our first coach-firing of the year: Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman got the axe after a Thursday Night Football loss to the New York Jets (that had much more to do with the Ryan/Thurmond defensive triumvirate’s failures than Roman’s).

In New England, Pats fans experienced the joy of knowing Jimmy Garoppolo is more than a one-game wonder. He racked up 234 yards and three touchdowns while engineering a 24-0 lead over the Dolphins, securing his place on the team as something more than a placeholder.

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Yet he went down hard just before halftime, leaving even-fresher-faced rookie Jacoby Brissett to guide the Pats home. He almost didn’t, but LeGarrette Blount’s 123 yards and a touchdown were just enough to secure the win. Garoppolo may not play again before Tom Brady comes back in Week 5, but he’s done his job: The Pats are one game clear of the AFC East, and he’ll be a valuable commodity wherever he plays next.

One of the most anticipated matchups of the week went about as anticipated: The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers slugged it out for four quarters, with plenty of big hits, big plays and turnovers. In the end, 33-year-old tailback DeAngelo Williams made the difference, with 134 yards from scrimmage on a whopping 36 touches.

In Carolina, Cam Newton proved he can still win a shootout as well as a slugfest, racking up a league-high 46 points to keep the 49ers at bay. Josh McCown had a fantastic first quarter in Baltimore, rolling up 20 points on big-play passes before suffering a shoulder injury. He stayed in the game, but the spell was broken: The Browns didn’t score another point, and the Ravens won 25-20.

It was #FlagDay in Detroit, as the Lions and Tennessee Titans combined for a ludicrous 29 flagged infractions. Matthew Stafford and the Lions could have used one of the three touchdowns they had called back on penalties; they lost 16-15.

About Ty Schalter

Ty Schalter is thrilled to be part of The Comeback. A member of the Pro Football Writers of America, Ty also works as an NFL columnist for Bleacher Report and VICE Sports, and regular host for Sirius XM’s Bleacher Report Radio. In another life, he was an IT cubicle drone with a pretentious Detroit Lions blog.