NFL Week 2 top viral moments: Sights and sounds from around the league

National Football League

Updated Sep. 18, 2023 12:15 a.m. ET

The 2023 NFL season churns on with an action-packed Week 2 Sunday slate.

Fans, players and analysts are chiming in, reacting to all the big plays and off-field hijinks from throughout the afternoon.

Here is what the internet was buzzing about during the second NFL Sunday of the 2023 season!

[Top NFL plays, highlights from Week 2]

Miami Dolphins 24, New England Patriots 17

Rumble, big fella!

Patriots fans might remember the name Dan Connolly. It’s very rare that an offensive lineman gets to make magic with the football in his hands, and Connolly did so with a mammoth 71-yard kickoff return 12 years ago on Sunday Night Football.

Enter big Cole Strange, who pulled off an impressive catch after Mike Gesicki pitched him the football on a last-minute fourth-down play and very nearly gained the first down.

Not having it

Bill Belichick was not a fan of the ball placement his squad received on a critical third-down play, and he was not shy about throwing the challenge flag to contend the referees’ call.

Race ya there!

The Dolphins enjoyed a successful first half in Foxborough, and Mike McDaniel was enthusiastic as ever as he headed back into the locker room, racing one of his staff members off the field.

New York Giants 31, Arizona Cardinals 28

Uh-oh

Saquon Barkley had to be helped off the field after sustaining an injury late in the fourth quarter. Barkley’s status is currently undisclosed.

New York, New York!

Viva, New York! Make that 24 unanswered, as Graham Gano pocketed a chip shot field goal to come back and stop the Cardinals.

Wake up, wake up

We don’t know what happened to the Giants in the second half, but Daniel Jones & Co. were shot out of cannon in the second, using an impressive offensive display to get back into contention.

What’s wrong with the Giants?

New York went down 17-0 in the second quarter, leading many to wonder why the Giants have had such a major drop-off in their first two games of the season from last year.

San Francisco 49ers 30, Los Angeles Rams 23

Break it up!

A brief scuffle broke out near the end zone in the fourth quarter, and a Niners fan played good Samaritan hero to break it up.

Dallas Cowboys 30, New York Jets 10

Disgruntled Jets

Sauce wasn’t the only Jets player who took his frustrations out online. Running back Breece Hall tweeted four footballs in succession, presumably alluding to the four carries he received during the game.

Running out of Sauce

Sauce Gardner’s Individual day wasn’t terrible in coverage, but his defense wasn’t able to muster much from a rallying standpoint. Gardner wasn’t having the criticism that came with New York’s loss, and shortly after the game, he deactivated his Twitter account.

We are not to be f***** with!

The Cowboys defense may have had the best overall performance of any unit in Week 1, and safety Jayron Kearse was adamant that the dominant trend needed to continue.

Mad dash!

Cowboys fans sprinted for standing room seats when the doors opened ahead of their home opener against the Jets on Sunday.

Skip loving the Cowboys’ start

FOX Sports’ Skip Bayless was loving what he saw from Dallas in the first quarter after it drove down the field to take a 7-0 lead on the game’s first possession before following it up with a defensive stop.

Washington Commanders 35, Denver Broncos 33

Woahhhh!!

Hail Mary, anyone? Denver’s last ditch effort to prevent Washington’s comeback was nearly successful if not for a failed two-point conversion, but it’s still worth your time to watch this epic pass-and-catch.

First of his career

Part of Washington’s comeback: Rookie Emmanuel Forbes, who made off with the first interception of his career to preserve his team’s momentum.

Over two defenders!

Terry’s down there somewhere. We’re guessing that’s just what Sam Howell had in mind when he lobbed this TD pass to McLaurin, who made two defenders pay for sniffing in his direction. Washington executed a big-time comeback to climb back in the game after trailing 21-3.

You can’t do that

Broncos safety Kareem Jackson was ejected after this illegal hit on Commanders tight end Logan Thomas.

Stay tuned for updates!

Seattle Seahawks 37, Detroit Lions 31

Honoring a legend

A day after the Lions unveiled their statue of Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, Amon-Ra St. Brown wore a special jersey commemorating the Lions legend when he arrived for Sunday’s game.

55 ski masks, 55 burgers, 55 points?

“I Think You Should Leave” star Tim Robinson was on hand to root on his Lions on Sunday, joining alongside fellow actor Sam Richardson, who brought a ski mask, per C.J. Gardner-Johnson‘s orders.

“I’m talking to America here, excuse me.”

Geno Smith thought he avoided an intentional grounding on a play early in the fourth quarter, but the Seahawks QB wasn’t able to avoid the penalty.

So, Smith approached the ref to voice his displeasure over the call as the ref was on the mic, dropping a message to Smith that everyone could hear.

Streak over

Jared Goff‘s pick-six in the fourth ended his streak of 383 straight passes without throwing an interception, falling just 20 short of the NFL record.

Atlanta Falcons 25, Green Bay Packers 24

Halftime shenanigans

In a halftime battle between kids and mascots, the Spongebob mascot set the tone, stiff-arming one of the kids to get into the end zone.

Bijan wins over fans

The Falcons rookie running back impressed many on social media with his performance on Sunday, rushing for 124 yards and adding 48 receiving yards.

In one play in the first half, Robinson juked out Packers defenders to pick up a first down, drawing an “oooh” from NFL on FOX commentator Jonathan Vilma.

Later, Robinson picked up a key first down on fourth-and-1 that helped the Falcons walk away with the win.

Indianapolis Colts 31, Houston Texans 20

A special debut

John Metchie made his NFL debut on Sunday after missing the entirety of his rookie season due to his battle with Leukemia.

Metchie makes his moment

In a relatively lackluster game for the Texans, Houston was able to pick up a highlight at the end. Metchie made a grab over the middle for a 16-yard pickup, resulting in his first NFL reception.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Chicago Bears 17

Baker showing off

Baker Mayfield somehow threw a completion as he was falling to the ground, tossing the ball right before he would’ve been sacked with a sidearm angle reminiscent of Patrick Mahomes.

Even the NFL’s X account had some snark on the play.

Bears offensive shortcomings criticized again

Chicago failed to generate much offense in its loss to Tampa Bay, scoring just 10 points through the first three quarters.

The Bears were able to get a touchdown back, making it a three-point game. But when they were looking to take the lead late, Justin Fields threw a pass straight to a Buccaneers defender that resulted in a pick-six, giving Tampa Bay a 27-17 lead before winning by that score.

Buffalo Bills 38, Las Vegas Raiders 10

Jump man attempt fails

Josh Allen tried to hurdle over a Raiders defender to get into the end zone. It didn’t end well for him, getting knocked down as he wasn’t able to clear the jump.

Baltimore Ravens 27, Cincinnati Bengals 24

A star is home

AJ Green made his way back to the place where his career started, serving as the “Ruler of the Jungle” for Sunday’s Bengals game. He signed a one-day contract to officially retire as a member of the Bengals on Saturday.

Rocking gear of two greats

Odell Beckham Jr. wore a shirt of Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and a pair of cleats with Randy Moss’ name on them ahead of Sunday’s game.

Bengals facing boo birds

As Cincinnati struggled for much of the first three quarters, Bengals fans expressed their disappointment, booing the offense as the unit didn’t score a touchdown until late in the third quarter. Joe Burrow only had 84 passing yards prior to the team’s first touchdown drive.

Former Bengals star Chad Johnson cautioned fans to relax, though.

Lamar Jackson has some wondering if he’s an early MVP candidate

The Ravens QB might not have the most amazing statistical performance in Sunday’s win (237 passing yards, 54 rushing yards, two touchdowns), but he stepped up and made plays to help seal the win in the fourth quarter, leading some to say he’s an early MVP front-runner.

Kansas City Chiefs 17, Jacksonville Jaguars 9

Donovan Smith is open!

After Chiefs receivers struggled in their season-opening loss last week, Patrick Mahomes decided to toss the ball to a new receiver in Week 2, hitting left tackle Donovan Smith for a completion. Of course, the play didn’t count because you can’t throw the ball to an offensive lineman.

Travis Kelce‘s touchdown gets NFL fans excited

The star tight end made his return on Sunday, leading some to say that Kansas City’s high-powered offense kind of looked like its usual self again while others joked about his rumored relationship with Taylor Swift.

Some conflicted about Chiefs following win

Kansas City was able to pull through on Sunday, winning its first game of the season, but only put up 17 points. There was some praise for their defense, while there were mixed thoughts about their offense following Sunday’s win.

Tennessee Titans 27, Los Angeles Chargers 24

Dressed to the nines for National Hispanic Heritage Month

Titans star Derrick Henry arrived at the stadium for Sunday’s game rocking a special suit and wearing a sombrero to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Offensive lineman 2-point conversion

The Chargers opted to go for two instead of settling for just an extra point after scoring a touchdown that put them up 9-0 in the first quarter. But they had a trick play dialed up, with Justin Herbert tossing a pass to a wide-open Trey Pipkins, who plays on the Titans’ offensive line.

The play got many excited on social media, including FOX Sports’ and former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, who dubbed the play “ThiccTwo.”

Chargers defense can’t pull through, leading to overtime loss

The Chargers allowed the Titans to march right down the field in overtime after they went three-and-out, allowing Tennessee to kick the field goal for the win.

FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd was among those that roasted Chargers coach Brandon Staley and his defense for failing to come through in the clutch, again.

Others questioned where the Chargers sit as contenders after they fell to 0-2.

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