Week 2 Closed in Buffalo and Kansas City: Monday Night Opens in Inglewood

By Derek Shaw

Week 2 is closed on the Thursday board. It is closed on the Sunday board. It is closed on Sunday night. It is not closed on the week. Fifteen games have a final. One game is still posted. The Buffalo Bills beat the Detroit Lions 41-31 on Thursday at Highmark Stadium. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Indianapolis Colts 33-30 in overtime on Sunday night at Arrowhead. Monday night is still ahead. The New York Giants visit the Los Angeles Rams at 8:15 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. ESPN and ABC have the window. This desk will not invent a Monday night score.

Gameday Signal is filing the posted Week 2 board first. The Signal is not a mood piece about what the weekend felt like. It is a scoreboard with clocks attached. Thursday already had a final in Orchard Park. Sunday filled the rest of the card except one. Monday is the last snap of the week.

Do not treat 41-31 as a season verdict. It is one posted result in a new building. Do not treat Monday night as already played. It is scheduled.

Thursday in Buffalo Is Already in the Book

The Bills won the first regular-season game at Highmark Stadium. Josh Allen accounted for five touchdowns. He threw three. He ran for two. The Bills led 14-0 after the first quarter and 27-10 at the half. Detroit scored 14 in the fourth. Buffalo still left with 41.

Allen finished 20 of 31 for 248 yards. James Cook ran 21 times for 135 yards and one touchdown. Dalton Kincaid caught seven passes for 95 yards and a score. Joshua Palmer's catch went for 43 yards and a touchdown. Dawson Knox added a scoring catch. Allen's two rushing scores were the other posted numbers from the home club.

Jared Goff threw four touchdown passes in a losing box. He finished 26 of 38 for 327 yards. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught nine passes for 142 yards and two scores. Sam LaPorta caught a touchdown. Jahmyr Gibbs caught one. Gibbs ran 16 times for 52 yards. The Lions are 1-1. The Bills are 2-0. That Thursday final is the first clock this week already closed.

Last week's Wednesday file treated Lions at Bills as a posted time. This file treats it as a posted score. The clock that remains is not in Orchard Park. It is in Inglewood.

Sunday Night Needed Extra Time in Kansas City

The Chiefs and Colts needed more than 60 minutes. Harrison Butker kicked two field goals in overtime. The second was a 40-yarder as time expired. That is the posted ending. Kansas City is 2-0. Indianapolis is 0-2.

Patrick Mahomes passed for 382 yards and three touchdowns. Kenneth Walker III ran for 117 yards. Travis Kelce caught nine passes for 101 yards and a score. In overtime the clubs traded short field goals. Kansas City got the ball back with just more than three minutes left. Mahomes hit Walker for 22 yards on third-and-one. That catch set up Butker's last kick.

The Colts had tied it at 30 on a 38-yard field goal by Spencer Shrader. Daniel Jones had hit a 48-yard throw to keep that drive alive after an overturned fumble. Both facts are in the book. Neither one is a Monday night forecast. Sunday night is closed. Monday night is not.

Week 1 Monday already had a Chiefs final. Kansas City beat Denver 31-10 at Arrowhead on Sept. 14. This file adds 33-30. The next prime-time clock for this sport is not in Kansas City.

Carolina Answered 59 With 34-3 in Atlanta

The Carolina Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-3. Bryce Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Darren Waller caught two of those scores. Devin Lloyd returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown. Carolina is 1-1. Atlanta is 0-2.

Last week's loud number was Chicago 59-37 in Charlotte. This week's Carolina number is 34-3 on the road. Cooper Rush started for Atlanta. He finished 10 of 17 for 86 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble. Nick Folk's 41-yard field goal was Atlanta's only score. That is the posted board. It is not a personality test.

The Falcons now travel on a short week. Thursday night is already posted in Green Bay. That file belongs to Wednesday. Today's file only marks that Atlanta's last number is 3.

New Orleans Finished in Baltimore. Minnesota Finished Without a Touchdown.

The New Orleans Saints beat the Baltimore Ravens 24-17 at M&T Bank Stadium. The Saints trailed 14-3. They scored 15 in the fourth quarter. Tyler Shough hit Chris Olave from 22 yards. Travis Etienne Jr. ran in the two-point try to tie it at 17. Juwan Johnson's 26-yard catch put New Orleans in scoring range with 1:54 left. Shough scored from the 1 on fourth down with 1:28 left. Julian Blackmon intercepted the next Baltimore possession.

Daniel Carlson made field goals from 23 yards, then 47, then 51. That is the posted Saints first win. Baltimore is 1-1 if you count only the two weeks that already have finals. This desk is counting posted scores, not theories.

The Minnesota Vikings beat the Chicago Bears 9-3 at Soldier Field. Will Reichard kicked from 35 yards. He kicked from 49. He kicked from 39 with 1:09 left. Aaron Jones ran for 105 yards. Neither club scored a touchdown. A week after those clubs combined for 98 points, Sunday's total was 12.

Caleb Williams left with a right hamstring injury in the fourth quarter. He had been 15 of 26 for 138 yards. D'Andre Swift fumbled at the 1 after a hit by Jalen Redmond. Isaiah Rodgers recovered that fumble and later blocked a field-goal try. Dallas Turner had two of Minnesota's four sacks. The Vikings are 2-0. The Bears are 1-1. Monday night in Week 3 already lists Philadelphia at Chicago. That clock is not this column.

Cincinnati and New England Posted Quiet AFC Wins

The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Houston Texans 20-6. Joe Burrow threw two touchdown passes to Ja'Marr Chase. Chase caught seven balls for 75 yards. The first score was a 32-yard catch. The second was an 18-yard catch. Tee Higgins had five receptions for 95 yards. Burrow finished 20 of 31 for 207 yards.

Houston did not score a touchdown. C.J. Stroud was 30 of 55 for 353 yards. The Texans' backs were listed at 18 rushing yards. Ka'imi Fairbairn made field goals from 51 and 57. Cincinnati is 2-0. Houston is 0-2. Last week's Houston number was 31 against Buffalo. This week's Houston number is 6.

The New England Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-3 at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots' defense sacked Aaron Rodgers four times and forced two turnovers. TreVeyon Henderson's 39-yard run was the posted offensive strike. New England is 1-1. Pittsburgh is 1-1. Drake Maye started. Those are posted facts. They are not grades.

Green Bay Needed Extra Time. Cleveland Needed the Last Drive.

The Green Bay Packers beat the New York Jets 20-17 in overtime at MetLife Stadium. Trey Smack kicked a 26-yard field goal with 5:23 left in the extra period. The Packers had trailed 17-7 in the fourth. Jordan Love threw scoring passes to MarShawn Lloyd and Christian Watson. Skyy Moore returned a punt 63 yards to set up the tying 34-yard kick at 2:59 of the fourth.

The Jets won the overtime toss and went backward. Geno Smith was sacked on the first two snaps. Green Bay started the next possession at its own 34. Kaleb Johnson ran for 11. Love hit Chris Brooks for 15. Matthew Golden caught 14 more. Smack's 26-yard kick ended it. Love finished 16 of 29 for 145 yards. The Packers are 1-1. The Jets are 1-1. Thursday now lists Atlanta at Green Bay. That is the next Packers clock. It is not a Sunday rewrite.

The Cleveland Browns beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19. The game sat through a lightning delay of two hours and 12 minutes. Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes. Denzel Boston's 55-yard catch tied it at 16 late in the third. Blake Whiteheart's 17-yard catch made it 23-19 with 3:51 left. Tampa Bay reached the Cleveland 13 after the delay and failed on fourth-and-10 from the 20. Baker Mayfield's throw to Emeka Egbuka in the end zone did not land. Cleveland is 1-1. Tampa Bay is 0-2.

Philadelphia Finished With Nine Seconds. Denver Finished From Behind.

The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Tennessee Titans 24-20 in Nashville. Jalen Hurts hit Darius Cooper from 3 yards with 9 seconds left. Hurts passed for 264 yards and two scores. DeVonta Smith caught 10 passes for 117 yards. Tank Bigsby ran for a touchdown. Jake Elliott made a 58-yard field goal. Tennessee had led 20-17 after Joey Slye's 33-yard kick at 1:56. Cam Ward's last throw hit the turf. The Eagles are 2-0. The Titans are 0-2.

The Denver Broncos beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-13 at Empower Field. Jacksonville led 13-3 early in the third. Denver scored the last 17. Bo Nix hit Nate Adkins from 7 yards. Jonah Coleman scored from 3 yards with 7:21 left. Jaylen Waddle caught eight passes for 138 yards. Bhayshul Tuten had scored from a yard for Jacksonville. Cam Little made kicks from 44 and 23. The Jaguars' nine-game regular-season winning run is now a posted end. Denver is 1-1. Jacksonville is 1-1.

The Late Afternoon Boards Closed in Four Buildings

The Las Vegas Raiders beat the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14. Kirk Cousins threw scoring passes of 13 and 11 yards to Cody White. The first of those took the lead in the third quarter. The second added to it in the fourth. Las Vegas is 2-0. Los Angeles is 0-2. The Chargers' last posted number from Week 1 was a home loss to Arizona. This week's number is another home loss.

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals 31-7 at State Farm Stadium. Drew Lock started in place of Sam Darnold. Lock was 19 of 26 for 235 yards and three touchdown passes, all to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The first was 82 yards on Seattle's second snap. Smith-Njigba caught nine passes for 155 yards. Jacoby Brissett hit Trey McBride from 2 yards to tie it at 7. Seattle scored the last 24. The Seahawks are 2-0. The Cardinals are 1-1.

The Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders 37-20 at AT&T Stadium. Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes. He went 26 of 32 for 279 yards. The fourth scoring throw set the club's career mark, passing Tony Romo. Jayden Daniels left with a dislocated left elbow on the final play of the first half. Marcus Mariota finished. Dallas is 1-1. Washington is 0-2.

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins 35-13 in the home opener at Levi's Stadium. Brock Purdy accounted for three touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey scored twice. San Francisco is 2-0. Miami is 0-2. That is the posted West Coast afternoon. It does not move Monday's clock.

Monday Night Is Still a Posted Time in Inglewood

The Giants visit the Rams on Monday, Sept. 21, at 8:15 p.m. ET. The local clock in Inglewood is 5:15 p.m. PT. SoFi Stadium is the site. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are in the booth. Lisa Salters is on the sideline. ESPN2 has the ManningCast with Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. That is the posted crew. The score is not posted because the game has not been played.

New York is 1-0 after beating Dallas 28-20 in Week 1. Los Angeles is 0-1 after losing to San Francisco 27-7 in Melbourne. Those are last week's posted numbers. They are not tonight's number. Matthew Stafford entered the week with 423 career touchdown passes. That is a posted career count. It is not a Monday forecast.

The Signal will not preview Monday as if it is already a final. It will mark the clock. 8:15 p.m. ET. ESPN. ABC. One remaining Week 2 snap after a Sunday that already put 33-30 on the board in Kansas City and 41-31 on the board in Buffalo.

What the Week 2 Board Actually Says

Count the posted winners without turning them into a theory. Buffalo. Carolina. New Orleans. Minnesota. Cincinnati. New England. Green Bay. Cleveland. Philadelphia. Denver. Las Vegas. Seattle. Dallas. San Francisco. Kansas City. Those clubs have a Week 2 win. The clubs on the other side of those scores have a Week 2 loss. The Giants and the Rams are still waiting.

Week 3 already has a Thursday. Falcons at Packers. 8:15 p.m. ET. Lambeau Field. Prime Video. That file belongs to Wednesday. Today's file is Week 2's finals and Monday's remaining clock.

If you want the week in one sentence, use the two clocks that are still true on Monday afternoon. 41-31 is in the book in Buffalo. 33-30 is in the book in Kansas City. 8:15 p.m. ET in Inglewood is not. Gameday Signal will wait for the snap.