How Arizona Wildcats fared in Week 2 of NFL season

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

The second week of the NFL season is in the books—or at least the games that include former Arizona Wildcats are.

Here’s a rundown of how things went down. Keep in mind that Will Parks (Eagles) and Dane Cruikshank (Titans) are on short-term injured reserve and could return to the field in a few weeks.

Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Another quiet outing for Gronk, who was only targeted once and did not make a single catch in Tampa Bay’s 31-17 home win over the Carolina Panthers.

The 31-year-old tight end only has two catches for 11 yards in two games so far. Luke Easterling of BucsWire.com says Gronk “certainly looks like a player who has been out of football for a while.”

“Gronkowski was overthrown by quarterback Tom Brady for an interception, and though he drew a holding penalty on his only other target, Gronk still dropped the pass, which should have been an easy catch and a much bigger play,” Easterling wrote Sunday. “He did help pave the way for a ground game that featured a 100-yard rusher in Leonard Fournette, but the only other thing Gronkowski did to impact Tampa Bay’s big win was recovering an onside kick in the final minutes.”

Nick Folk, New England Patriots

Folk split a pair of field-goal attempts, drilling a 25-yarder and missing a 51-yarder in a 35-30 loss to the Seattle Seahawks that ended with Cam Newton getting stuffed at the goal line as time expired.

Folk made all three of his extra-point attempts, but is in a weekly battle with rookie and 2020 fifth-round pick Justin Rohrwasser for the starting kicking job, so he’ll need to be more accurate to stay on the active roster.

Folk missed a 45-yarder in the season-opening win over the Dolphins, his lone FG attempt that day.

J.J. Taylor, New England Patriots

The Patriots were without pass-catching running back James White, whose father was killed in a car accident Sunday, but New England turned to Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead, not Taylor, to fill the void.

The rookie didn’t get his first, and only, offensive touch until midway through the third quarter when he was stopped behind the line.

Taylor has carved out another role though, returning three kicks for a nice 69 yards.

Nick Foles, Chicago Bears

The Bears beat the Giants 17-13, but starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky wasn’t that great, completing 18 of 28 passes for 190 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions—good for a pedestrian 78.0 QB rating.

That could be good news if you’re hoping to see Foles under center at some point this season, but the Bears are 2-0 and as long as they keep winning it’s hard to imagine them making a change.

Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, San Francisco 49ers

The former Arizona safety was inactive for the second straight week, but it might be a good thing that he didn’t step foot on the “trash” new turf at the Jets’ MetLife Stadium.

49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (high ankle sprain), star defensive end Nick Bosa (possible torn ACL), running backs Raheem Mostert (knee) and Tevin Coleman (knee) and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas (possible torn ACL) all suffered leg injuries.

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