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LaFleur's reaction to the Packers center vomiting on the ball is the best of the quotes from Week 2

  • JJ Post, ESPNSeptember 16, 2024, 9:38 a.m. ET

The NFL season is in full swing. And with it a whole series of headline-grabbing quotes.

Players and coaches taking the field after a hard-fought victory always provide the best perspective on the week's games. From cheers to lofty player comparisons, the NFL's second week was no exception.

And just like in Week 1, the Sunday Night Football duel was exciting right up until the end. After trailing 19-13 against the Houston Texans, the Chicago Bears regained possession with 1:37 left and had a chance to win the game. But the Texans stopped the ball with a strong defensive performance that included seven sacks.

After the game, wide receiver Nico Collins – who caught eight passes for 135 yards and a touchdown – reflected on receiving his first game ball.

“Sunday night too. There is no blessing, no better feeling than this. I am speechless right now. I couldn't do it without this, without [No.] 7 [C.J. Stroud]he said.

Here are the best “Voices of Victory” from week two from around the league.

“I've never had to throw vomit at a football before… Malik probably didn't appreciate that.”

No one can say that the Green Bay Packers did not give their all on the field in their victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

In a defensive battle, the two teams combined for just 26 points, but the Packers defended their home court and won. In the second quarter, that even meant they had to deal with mid-game sickness – center Josh Myers vomited on the ball in the second quarter before passing it to Green Bay's new quarterback Malik Willis.

Not surprisingly, Willis decided not to throw the ball in question and, after a brief scramble, eventually ran out of bounds.

Coach Matt LaFleur said after the game that the moment made for an amusing interaction with officials, who asked him if he would substitute Myers if the situation arose again.

“Everyone knows that Russ was involved in dirty business here.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a unique tradition after victories: small game balls.

These balls are awarded to players on the team who played for the Steelers' opposing team in a particular win. Pittsburgh defeated the Denver Broncos 13-6 on Sunday and ex-Broncos Russell Wilson and Brandon Johnson each received a small game ball. After the game, Steelers quarterback Justin Fields spoke openly about Wilson's previous situation in Denver.

“Derrick Henry … something like that”

Rookie running back Braelon Allen had an outstanding day in the New York Jets' victory over the Tennessee Titans, reaching the end zone with a run and a pass reception.

Allen, born in 2004, became the first player aged 20 or younger to score a touchdown in an NFL game since JuJu Smith-Schuster accomplished the feat as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017. After the game, Allen's play drew lofty comparisons to teammate Tyler Conklin – although the tight end made sure to add a slight twist.

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Braelon Allen scores second touchdown and gives the Jets a late lead

Braelon Allen finds a gap and storms past the defense into the end zone to give the Jets the lead over the Titans late in the fourth quarter.

“You can’t mess around with this football team”

Few teams made such a statement in Week 2 as the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings' season-opening victory against the struggling New York Giants didn't exactly cause a stir. But their 23-17 win over the reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers caused a stir in the league.

Sam Darnold threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns, giving Minnesota a total of over 400 yards of offense. Unsurprisingly, proud coach Kevin O'Connell vehemently defended his team's quality after the big win.

“No more somersaults”

After three consecutive injury-plagued seasons, running back JK Dobbins appears to have returned to his strong form from his rookie season under a new backdrop.

Dobbins signed with the Chargers in the offseason and has performed well in two games for Jim Harbaugh's new-look team. After posting 131 rushing yards in his Chargers debut last week, Dobbins posted 135 yards on the ground in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers.

He put an exclamation mark on his best run of the day: a 43-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, during which he threw a somersault into the end zone – which led to a joking order from the general manager of Los Angeles.

“We respected them, but did not crown them”

Speaking of impressive victories, the Las Vegas Raiders were able to record one of their own by coming back from a deficit to defeat the Baltimore Ravens in an away game.

Davante Adams was the best player for Las Vegas, catching nine passes for 110 yards – the most important of which was a one-yard touchdown that tied the game in the fourth quarter. Daniel Carlson completed the sack and kicked a 38-yard field goal as time expired.

After the game, star defensive end Maxx Crosby talked about the Raiders' confident and prepared attitude toward this difficult matchup.

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