NFL Week 2 winners: Matt LaFleur works his magic, Sam Darnold stays red-hot

With most of the Week 2 NFL schedule complete, let us look at some of the biggest winners.

Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings | When rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy went down with a season-ending injury in the offseason, many had written off the Vikings. Though Darnold had 56 games of starting experience under his belt, the Vikings were still picked to finish last in the NFC North. But two games into the season, Darnold has been the best QB in his division.

His performance in Sunday’s 23-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers was particularly impressive as he threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Darnold is 2-0, and he might be in the perfect situation to help him revive his career much like Jared Goff did in Detroit and Geno Smith did in Seattle.

Matt LaFleur, head coach, Green Bay Packers | No Jordan Love, no problem. The Packers started third-year QB Malik Willis against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in a game many expected them to not be competitive in, and they came out with a 16-10 win. It may have been one of LaFleur’s better coaching performances of his career.

Green Bay ran the ball right down Indy’s throat and it limited Willis’ passing situations to play to his strengths. The Liberty alum was more than efficient, completing 12 of 14 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown while adding 41 yards rushing, and he wasn’t sacked once. LaFleur coached a near-perfect game.

James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills | It sounds strange to say that a running back who finished fourth in the NFL in rushing a season ago has been flying under the radar, but that’s exactly what Cook has done. The 24-year-old is starting to turn some heads and establish himself as one of the premier RBs in the league, and his breakout game against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday did nothing but help his case.

Cook rushed for 78 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns, and he added another score through the air on a 17-yard touchdown strike. The Bills are starting to adapt to his versatility, and they’re getting more creative in getting the ball in his hands. Cook could be in the conversation of being a top-five RB by the end of the season.

Dennis Allen, head coach, New Orleans Saints | Many were calling for Allen’s job after the Saints finished 9-8 last season and missed the playoffs. This year, they’re 2-0 and have arguably the best offense in the NFL so far. Quarterback Derek Carr has looked like the Pro Bowler he was in 2015-2017, and the Saints offense scored points on 15 of its first 21 drives of the year. Allen is pushing all the right buttons, and at least temporarily, he appears to have cooled the temperature on his seat which was fairly hot just a few weeks ago.

Gardner Minshew, QB, Las Vegas Raiders | It’s safe to assume that nobody expected the Raiders led by Minshew, a journeyman QB, to go in and upset the Baltimore Ravens, who are one of the Super Bowl favorites in the AFC. But that’s exactly what happened on Sunday, as Minshew rallied the troops from a 16-6 deficit to come back and score two touchdowns and two field goals in the second half after the offense was shut down in the first two quarters.

Despite taking five sacks and throwing an interception, Minshew finished with 276 yards and a touchdown, and he got Davante Adams (nine receptions, 110 yards, one touchdown) and Brock Bowers (nine catches, 98 yards) more involved as the game went on. Nobody is putting Minshew in the elite tier of QBs, but he’s proving head coach Antonio Pierce right in naming him the team’s QB1.

Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers | Herbert has never had a 1,000-yard rusher in any of his first four seasons in the NFL (the closest he came was Austin Ekeler’s 915 yards in 2022), which is likely why he averaged 278 yards passing per game through his first 62 career games.

But now under head coach Jim Harbaugh, things are different. J.K. Dobbins has rushed for over 130 yards in back-to-back weeks, and Herbert’s job has become much easier when he doesn’t have to do everything himself. The 26-year-old QB has thrown for 144 yards and 130 yards, respectively, in L.A.’s first two games, and yet the Chargers are 2-0 and have outscored their opponents 48-13.

Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals | Many were concerned for Harrison Jr. after he had just one reception on three targets for four yards in his NFL debut last week. But he quieted those worries after a brilliant first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams. The star rookie had four catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns (23 yards and 60 yards), and he showed the flashes of brilliance that made him the No. 4 overall pick in April.

Justin Fields, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers | Yes, the numbers for Fields in Sunday’s 13-6 win over the Denver Broncos weren’t overly impressive — 117 yards passing, 42 yards rushing, one touchdown — but a win is a win, and the Steelers are 2-0 with Fields as their QB1. With Russell Wilson battling an injury that’s kept him out of the first two games of the season, as long as Fields keeps winning, it’ll be difficult for head coach Mike Tomlin to take him out of the lineup.