Week 2 of the NFL regular season is upon us.

The action kicked off Thursday night with the Green Bay Packers overpowering the Washington Commanders and progresses to Sunday’s 13 contests before concluding with a Monday night doubleheader.

Week 1 offered plenty of intrigue and hotly contested matchups as 12 of the 16 games were decided by one score.

Here’s a look at five of the most compelling storylines on tap in Week 2.

1. Charm City reunion

The Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns let Week 1 victories slip through their fingers. A late-game fumble and defensive meltdown cost the Ravens in a 41-40 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, the Browns whiffed at a chance to upset the Cincinnati Bengals, falling 17-16 after rookie kicker Andre Szmyt missed both a PAT and potential game-winning 36-yard field goal. These familiar opponents look to get back on track when they meet at the Ravens’ M&T Stadium on Sunday.

Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson dominated on the ground last week, combining for 239 yards and three touchdowns, and Jackson also threw two touchdown passes while wide receiver Zay Flowers recorded seven catches for 143 yards and a touchdown. A Browns defense that held Joe Burrow’s potent receiving duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to a combined 49 yards and Cincinnati to 46 total rushing yards will try to contain the Ravens in similar fashion.

Meanwhile, there’s a familiar face directing the Browns offense. Joe Flacco, who led the Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XLVII and earned Super Bowl MVP honors, makes his return to Baltimore. It’s the second time Flacco has faced his former team (he did so in 2022 as a member of the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium), but the first time he has played in the city since his days as a starter in 2018. (Browns at Ravens, 1 p.m. ET, CBS)

Joe Flacco returns to Baltimore for the first time since leaving after the 2018 season. (Scott Galvin / Imagn Images)2. Old friends looking for answers

The projected Super Bowl contender Detroit Lions were certainly not themselves last week as a once-potent offense endured a thrashing by Green Bay’s defense. The Lions managed just one touchdown, produced a feeble rushing attack, and quarterback Jared Goff found himself harassed early and often (four sacks, nine quarterback hits). We knew there’d be some hiccups as coach Dan Campbell was forced to replace offensive wizard Ben Johnson, but few could have anticipated that dramatic a drop-off.

The Lions and new offensive coordinator John Morton will try to regroup and produce a better result this week. That could prove challenging, however, because their opponent is none other than Johnson, who makes his return to Detroit as head coach of the Chicago Bears. Will his intimate knowledge of Detroit’s personnel lead to an edge for Chicago?

Johnson is also looking for a rebound. He, new pupil Caleb Williams and the Bears got off to a hot start Monday night versus the Minnesota Vikings, but the offense went cold, and Chicago’s defense allowed J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings to score 21 straight fourth-quarter points and overtake them for a 27-24 victory. Johnson still has much work to do with Williams, who remains an inaccurate, inconsistent liability rather than a transformational figure. Johnson also must get the Bears’ rushing attack on track while defensive coordinator Dennis Allen shores up his unit. (Bears at Lions, 1 p.m. ET, Fox)

3. Early desperation

It’s wild that it feels appropriate to hit the panic button after just one week, but that’s pretty much where the Miami Dolphins find themselves after an embarrassing defeat to the Indianapolis Colts.

Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins can’t afford a slow start in an improved AFC East. After two playoff debacles, a track record of poor play against quality teams during his tenure and a season of disappointment in 2024, the coach must direct his team toward a strong rebound this week against the New England Patriots. Mike Vrabel’s squad finds itself in the rebuilding phase, but the former linebacker prides himself on a physical, disciplined brand of football that could cause problems for the Dolphins.

But the Dolphins aren’t the only team in need of a rebound this week. In the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys welcome in the New York Giants as each seeks their first victory. Dallas played well in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles last week and then fizzled as mental errors derailed them and cost them the game.

Once again, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have playoff aspirations, but falling behind Philadelphia and Washington in the division could dash those hopes. That’s why a rebound against New York would help tremendously. The Giants, meanwhile, had little answer for Washington’s pass rush last week, and quarterback Russell Wilson was extremely ineffective. With Brian Daboll coaching for his job, the patience with Wilson could disappear quickly. Will we see Jameis Winston or Jaxson Dart next?

Elsewhere, the Carolina Panthers remain in wait-and-see mode on quarterback Bryce Young, who opened the season by exhibiting many of the issues he displayed in each of his two previous seasons. Young and the Panthers remain plagued by deficiencies, but the young quarterback can help elevate his team with better individual play, which largely comes down to decision-making and poise.

This week, the Panthers play an Arizona Cardinals team that has invested heavily in its defense, and that doesn’t necessarily bode well for Young, although his matchup with Arizona did represent one of the bright spots of his 2024 campaign. In that Week 16 outing, Young posted one of his highest completion percentages (65.4) while throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for a third in a 36-30 overtime victory. Which Bryce Young shows up this time? (Patriots at Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET, CBS; Giants at Cowboys, 1 p.m. ET, Fox; Panthers at Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS).

4. The kickoff trend

NFL officials have wanted the kickoff to return to relevance, and after modifications to the play last season and one final modification to the rules this offseason, the goal appears attainable.

This offseason, NFL owners approved a proposal to move the placement of the ball following touchbacks to the 35-yard line — 5 yards further upfield than last season. The tweak was intended to further incentivise kicking the ball into the field of play (thus making the kickoff a greater part of the game) rather than blasting it out of the back of the end zone and accepting a touchback.

The NFL is seeing strong early returns on its desire to bring the kick return back to the game. (Tyler Schank / Getty Images)

Last week, the NFL and its fans witnessed a spike in kickoff returns as 118 of the 156 kickoffs (75.6 percent) were returned in Week 1, according to NFL Research. That’s up from 57 of 172 returns (33.1 percent) in Week 1 of 2024. Teams amassed 3,074 kickoff return yards, which was the most all-time in an opening week of the season, and the most in any week since Week 15 of the 2010 season when teams recorded a total of 3,233 kick return yards. There were seven kick return yards of 40 or more yards last week — the most in 14 years (eight in 2011).

The average drive starting point was just beyond the 30-yard line (30.2 to be exact) last week, up from 29.4 yards upfield in Week 1 of 2024.

Will the trend continue and thus drive up scoring opportunities in Week 2?

5. Super Bowl rematch

Seven months after the Eagles upset the Kansas City Chiefs to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, the foes meet again.

Kansas City hosts Philadelphia on Sunday and in addition to seeking a degree of revenge, the Chiefs also seek their first win of the season. The Eagles, meanwhile, aim to improve to 2-0.

For the Chiefs, this meeting will offer an early test and indication of the effectiveness of general manager Brett Veach’s offseason efforts to correct his team’s greatest weakness: the offensive line. The Eagles dominated the line of scrimmage in the Super Bowl and thus dismantled Kansas City’s offense. Philadelphia recorded six sacks and 11 quarterback hits on Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs drafted Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons in the first round and elevated second-year pro Kingsley Suamataia to the starting left guard position in hopes of providing Mahomes better blindside protection. Gone is Eagles pass rusher Josh Sweat, who recorded 2.5 sacks in the Super Bowl. But the Eagles still boast an imposing defensive front.

The Eagles largely appeared to be in midseason form last week as they delivered a balanced attack and a victory over Dallas to start the season 1-0. The Chiefs will try to better contain quarterback Jalen Hurts, who took home Super Bowl MVP honors after passing for 221 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 72 yards and a touchdown. (Eagles at Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. FOX)

(Top photo of Patrick Mahomes being pressured by Jalen Carter in the Super Bowl: Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images)