Here’s a look at what local NFL beat writers and columnists have to say following their teams’ performance on Sunday.

- Steve Serby of the New York Post writes that Jets’ rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez “outswaggered� the Pats’ Tom Brady.

- Gil LeBreton of the Star-Telegram writes that the Cowboys’ offense spoiled Jerry Jones’ new stadium party.

- Mike Mulligan of the Chicago Sun-Times says that Jay Cutler’s signature game saved the Bears from defeat on Sunday.

- Damon Hack of SI.com says that the Patriots showed a rare loss of composure in their defeat to the Jets.

- David Climer of the Tennessean compiles a list of troubling signs for the 0-2 Titans.

- Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune wonders if the Chargers can be fixed after their loss to the Ravens and their near-loss to the Raiders in Week 1.

- Tom Oates of Madison.com writes that the Packers’ offensive line (which struggled mightily on Sunday against the Bengals) could ruin the season for Green Bay.

- Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post can’t help but think that head coach Jim Zorn has low expectations for the Redskins.

- Never afraid to hand out criticism, Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star writes that the Chiefs coaching performance against the Raiders was embarrassing.

Here are quick-hit previews for all of Sunday afternoon’s action in Week 2. Be sure to check out my picks and predictions for this week as well.

Patriots at Jets, 1PM ET
Thanks to Rex Ryan and Kerry Rhodes boastfully stating that they won’t be afraid of the Patriots this year (or ever), this has become one of the more intriguing Week 2 matchups. Under Ryan’s guidance, the Jets now play an aggressive, attacking style of defense. If New York’s front seven can generate consistent pressure on Tom Brady, the Jets have a good enough secondary to at least contain Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Without Jerod Mayo (out with an injury) and Richard Seymour (out like yesterday’s news), Bill Belichick’s defense suddenly looks human. Is there an upset brewing in East Rutherford?

Saints at Eagles, 1PM ET
The general consensus is that without Donovan McNabb (out with a rib injury), the Eagles don’t stand a chance Sunday against the offensive juggernaut that is the Saints. But don’t forget that Philly’s defense is a tad more talented than Detroit’s (NO’s opponent last Sunday) and that the Eagles are a tough team to beat at home. While Kevin Kolb certainly doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in the Philly faithful, New Orleans allowed rookie Matthew Stafford and the Lions to put up 27 points on them last week, so maybe Kolb (who will be protected by an excellent line and be aided by the Eagles’ solid running game) won’t have to win the game on his own. Nobody should expect the Saints to roll into Lincoln Financial Field today and put up 45 points again like they did last week.

Rams at Redskins, 1PM ET
It would be nice to see Jim Zorn take the training wheels off his offense and let quarterback Jason Campbell throw the ball downfield more. If Zorn doesn’t trust Campbell to throw the ball vertically against the defensively challenged Rams, then he’ll trust him in any situation. As soon as Zorn establishes the run with Clinton Portis, he should allow Campbell to challenge St. Louis’s suspect secondary and take shots down field. The over/under on sacks for Albert Haynesworth in this game has been set at 24. And the over/under on Marc Bulger flashing that hapless expression after he makes a mistake is 70.

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Jets’ safety Kerry Rhodes is taking a page from his head coach in calling out the Patriots, saying that he wants to “embarrass� New England this Sunday when the two teams clash in New York on Sunday.

From ESPN.com:

“You go out from the first quarter on, from the first play on, and try to embarrass them,” Rhodes said, according to the New York Daily News. “Not just go out there and try to win, try to embarrass them. Try to make them feel bad when they leave here. We don’t want to just beat them. We want to send a message to them, ‘We’re not backing down from you and we expect to win this game, and it’s not going to be luck, it’s not going to be a mistake.’ ”

Brady, returning from a knee injury that cost him almost the entire 2008 season, was hit only six times by the Buffalo Bills in Week 1’s comeback victory. Rhodes said Brady will be hit far more often by the Jets’ defense, which hit Texans quarterback Matt Schaub eight times in Week 1.

“We will hit him more than six times. I promise you that,” Rhodes said, according to the Daily News.

Rhodes insisted the Jets “won’t play dirty” but that Brady will be vulnerable.

“I’m sure if somebody is around his leg, or he feels pressure below, he’s not going to step into his throw,” Rhodes said, according to the Daily News.

As a writer, I love this kind of smack talk. But I don’t think it’s wise for Rhodes (or anyone else for that matter) to give the Patriots any extra motivation on game day. That said, New England is coming off a short week and its defense didn’t play well without Jerod Mayo on Monday against Buffalo. Mayo won’t play this week, so maybe the Pats are primed for the taking.

The Jets backed up Rex Ryan’s offseason talk last week in Houston, so maybe they’ll do the same for Rhodes this Sunday against New England.

According to Rotoworld.com (via Brian McCarthy’s Twitter page), the NFL won’t suspend Saints’ defensive ends Will Smith or Charles Grant for violating the league’s substance abuse policy last year.

Saints DEs Will Smith and Charles Grant will not be suspended “at this time,” said commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday.

Goodell cited “considerations of fairness, uniform applications of our policies, and competitive integrity” as reasons to defer the suspensions. With the Vikings’ Williams Wall allowed to play through the season, it wouldn’t be fair to the Saints to lose two of their top defenders for the same StarCaps transgression.

All four players (along with free agent Deuce McAllister) were all subjected to suspension at the same time last year. As Rotoworld points out, it wouldn’t be fair if the Saints lost Smith and Grant for four games and Minnesota’s Williams Wall got to play.

NFL Spokesman Greg Aiello says that official Ed Hochuli will be given a lower grade following his blown call during the Denver Broncos-San Diego Chargers game last Sunday. A lower grade can result in Hochuli not being allowed to ref the NFL Playoffs and/or 2009 Super Bowl.

“Officials are held accountable for their calls. They are graded on every play of every game,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Monday. “Ed has been an outstanding official for many years, but he will be marked down for this call. Under our evaluation system, an official’s grades impact his status for potentially working the playoffs and ultimately whether or not he is retained.”

The play occurred with the Broncos at the Chargers’ 1-yard line in the final minute. Denver quarterback Jay Cutler dropped back to pass, and the ball slipped out of his hands, bounced off the grass and into the arms of San Diego linebacker Tim Dobbins.

Hochuli ruled it an incomplete pass. Replay ruled it a fumble, but it was spotted at the 10-yard line, where the ball hit the ground, and given to Denver because the rules did not permit possession to be awarded to San Diego because the whistle had blown.

Denver went on to score, convert a two-point conversion and win 39-38.

Hochuli blew the call, plain and simple. And did he cost the Chargers a win? Absolutely. But so did allowing Jay Cutler and the Broncos to march up the field before the blown call and score like they were playing against air. San Diego could have stopped Denver from scoring on fourth down, but they didn’t. They could have stopped them on the 2-point conversion play, but they didn’t. And hey, how they could have stopped the Broncos from scoring 31 first half points, too. But they didn’t.

The Chargers and their fans have every right to be pissed. Hochuli can’t blow the whistle in that situation. He blew it (the call that is, not his whistle). But the bottom line is that one blown call doesn’t make or break an entire game, either. The blame doesn’t fall solely on Hochuli.

The Seahawks were supposed to be the favorites to win the NFC West again this year. The Browns were supposed to contend for a playoff berth in the AFC. The Vikings were the chic-pick in the NFC. The Jaguars and Chargers were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders.

But all five of these teams have started the 2008 season 0-2. And all five teams have major issues.

So is it time for these teams to the hit the panic button? Let’s take a closer look.

Cleveland Browns

What’s gone right: Not much. The only real bright spot offensively has been TE Kellen Winslow Jr., who has 12 receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown. And DT Shaun Rogers, the team’s top offseason acquisition, has made an immediate impact with 10 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss.

What’s gone wrong: Everything. The defense was brutal in Week 1 against Dallas, but bounced back in Week 2 against Pittsburgh (thanks in large part to bad weather conditions and Ben Roethlisberger’s bum shoulder). The offense that averaged over 25 points a game last year has managed just 16 points total in two games this year. Turnovers, penalties, poor quarterback play (Derek Anderson currently has a QB rating of 57.1), and bad coaching have buried this team so far.

Time to hit the panic button? Yes. The Browns’ poor preseason play has carried over into the regular season and the schedule doesn’t get any easier with the Ravens, Giants, Jaguars, Broncos and Bills coming up over the next eight weeks. Outside of Rogers, the offseason acquisitions Cleveland made on defense have not paid off and the offense has been non-existent. Worse yet, the Browns aren’t sneaking up on anyone this year and Romeo Crennel is starting to look overmatched once again.

- Tim Sullivan of The San Diego Union-Tribune writes that the Chargers are fuming over the blown call that led to a Broncos’ victory on Sunday.

- Woody Paige of The Denver Post discusses Mike Shanahan’s decision to go for two against the Chargers and how the Broncos are 2 good 2 be true.

- Nancy Gay of The San Francisco Chronicle writes that Raiders’ head coach Lane Kiffin is on his way out despite his team’s victory over the Chiefs on Sunday.

- Gary Myers of The New York Daily News writes that Jets’ head coach Eric Mangini was no “Mangenious� against the Patriots on Sunday.

- Jason Whitlock of The Kansas City Star searches for people to blame for the Chiefs’ struggles this year.

- Bud Shaw of The Cleveland Plain Dealer ponders how good the Browns would be if they would just stop beating themselves.

- Steve Kelley of The Seattle Times can’t help but feel that this is the beginning of the end of the Seahawks after they lost to the 49ers in overtime on Sunday.

Much of Week 2 has come and gone, and road teams were 9-5 in Sunday’s games. Here is just about everything you need to know (fantasy-wise) from Sunday’s action.

Steelers 10 @ Browns 6
Ben Roethlisberger has been fighting a sore shoulder, but he manned-up in tough conditions tonight, throwing for 186 yards and a TD in an important divisional matchup…Hines Ward (5-59-1) and Santonio Holmes (5-94) were his main targets, but Heath Miller (2-33) was also involved…Willie Parker rushed 28 times for 105 yards, while Rashard Mendenhall didn’t register a single carry. This is the Willie Parker show for now…The Steelers defense showed up with two sacks and two picks, and allowing just six points to the Browns…Derek Anderson had a rough game (166 yards, 2 INT) and Braylon Edwards (3-32) wasn’t much help…Kellen Winslow (7-55) was the only bright spot in the Cleveland passing game and he wasn’t even on the field for the final play…In a tough matchup, Jamal Lewis grinded 22 touches (including three catches) into 66 total yards.

49ers 33 @ Seahawks 30
All in all, a pretty mediocre performance by the Seattle defense, even though they posted eight sacks, forced a fumble and returned an interception for a TD. The fantasy points are nice, but they allowed 26 points to the 49ers offense…J.T. O’Sullivan seems to be settling into Mike Martz’s offense. He had 321 passing yards and threw a TD to Bryant Johnson (who posted 6-78-1 in the win)…Isaac Bruce showed up with a 4-158 day, while Frank Gore had a solid all-around game, turning 24 touches (including five catches) into 99 yards and a TD. For those that were worried about Martz forgetting about his RB, I think the first two weeks of the season indicate that Gore is very much on Martz’s mind…Vernon Davis failed to register a catch, which is pretty worrisome considering all the success O’Sullivan had through the air…Matt Hasselbeck’s woes continue (189 passing yards, 2 INT) – he just doesn’t have the weapons to throw to. It might be a good time to try to buy low, as he should get Deion Branch and Bobby Engram back in Week 5…With Maurice Morris out with an injury, Julius Jones took advantage by turning 29 touches into 141 yards and a score. He looks like a solid start as long as Morris is out…Rookie TE John Carlson went for 6-78 and should be a fringe starting TE as long as Seattle is having WR troubles…Speaking of wideouts, Billy McMullen was the best of the bunch with three catches for 48 yards.

Below are snippets of all the Week 2 action in the NFL. For more analysis and discussion on each game, click on the links provided.

- Aaron Rodgers looked fantastic for the second straight week as the Packers put up 24 fourth quarter points in a 48-25 thrashing of the Lions.

- The upstart Bills pulled off one of the better upsets of the day, beating the winless Jaguars 20-16 in Jacksonville.

- The Bengals’ offense looked brutal again this week in the Titans’ 24-7 win in Cincinnati.

- For the second straight week, the Panthers pulled off a fourth quarter comeback, this time rallying to beat the Bears 20-17 in their home opener.

- Jason Campbell and the Redskins’ offense bounced back from a dismal Week 1 performance to beat the Saints 29-24.

- The Colts avoided going 0-2 for the first time since Peyton Manning’s rookie season in 1998 by beating the Vikings 18-15.

- Eli Manning threw for three touchdowns in the Giants’ 41-13 romp over St. Louis.

- Despite rumors circulating that head coach Lane Kiffin could be fired Monday, the Raiders cruised to a 23-8 win over division rival Kansas City.

- After a controversial call went in their favor, the Broncos rallied to beat the Chargers 39-38 after Denver went for two with only 24 seconds remaining in the game.

- The Bucs’ defense harassed rookie quarterback Matt Ryan as Tampa beat the Falcons 24-9 to earn their first win of the season.

- Matt Cassel won his first career start as the Patriots beat Brett Favre and the Jets 19-10.

- Kurt Warner threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns in Arizona’s 31-10 win over the Dolphins.

- The Seahawks fell to 0-2 after losing 33-30 to the 49ers in overtime. Matt Hasselbeck threw two interceptions in the loss.

Sunday’s Best: Patriots (1-0) at Jets (1-0), 4:15 PT ET CBS
The best game on the Week 2 schedule is actually Monday night when the Cowboys host the Eagles, but there will be plenty of time to hype that game before kickoff. The best and arguably most intriguing matchup Sunday is the Patriots and the Jets. Tom Brady’s season-ending knee injury opens the door for the Jets in the AFC East and a win Sunday would go a long way in proving that the power has shifted in the division. Pats’ backup Matt Cassel played well in New England’s victory over the Chiefs last week, but with a full week to prepare, expect Jets’ head coach Eric Mangini to use multiple defensive fronts in efforts to confuse the inexperienced signal caller. This will also be a great test for the Pats’ secondary (a unit that looks thin on paper), as Brett Favre will look to take chances downfield in the passing game. The Jets are currently 1-point favorites.

Upset Watch: Chargers (0-1) at Broncos (1-0), 4:15 PM ET CBS
San Diego is coming off a devastating last second loss to the Panthers at home, while Denver dismantled Oakland on Monday Night Football. The Chargers will be without linebacker Shawne Merriman (knee) for the rest of the season and now reports have surfaced that running back LaDainian Tomlinson (toe) might not be ready to play either. The Broncos did a tremendous job pressuring JaMarcus Russell on Monday night and if LT can’t go, look for Denver blitz early and often. The Broncos have two corners in Champ Bailey and Dre’ Bly that can play one-on-one with any of the Chargers’ receivers, so expect them to send extra defenders on most plays to try and get QB Philip Rivers to make mistakes. Jay Cutler and the Broncos’ offense will also receive a boost with the return of receiver Brandon Marshall, who was serving a one-game suspension. San Diego is currently a 1-point favorite on the road.

Intriguing Matchup: Bills (1-0) at Jaguars (0-1), 1:00 PM ET CBS
Many people figured these teams’ records would be flipped heading into this game. But the Titans absolutely flustered the Jaguars’ offense by taking away the run and sacking QB David Garrard seven times in a 17-10 win, while the Bills used a combination of outstanding special teams and solid defense to destroy the Seahawks in their home opener. The Jags were a perennial Super Bowl contender coming into the season, so it’ll be interesting to see how they respond to their Week 1 loss. And if Buffalo pulls out a win they now become instant contenders in the AFC East with Brady out for the year. Jacksonville is currently a 5.5-point favorite.

Other Notable Games:
Steelers (1-0) at Browns (0-1), 8:15 PM ET NBC
These two teams are expected to battle all season for the AFC North crown, but with how bad the Browns looked last week against Dallas, the Steelers might still be the class of the division.

Bears (1-0) at Panthers (1-0), 1:00 PM ET FOX
Both of these teams played inspired football in Week 1 and the winner of this game might prove to be a sleeper contender in the NFC.

Colts (0-1) at Vikings (0-1), 1:00 PM CBS
High expectations surrounded these teams entering the season, but both squads were embarrassed in last week. Which team will get back on track?