After a high-scoring, enthralling Week 1, the second week of the 2026 NFL regular season brought plenty of upsets, sloppy offenses and unfortunate injuries.
Here’s a look at what players and coaches from across the league were saying after the games, starting with Dan Quinn about the ill-fated play that led to Jayden Daniels dislocating his left elbow against the Cowboys.
Commanders
After Jayden Daniels sustained a dislocated elbow in the Commanders’ loss to the Cowboys, coach Dan Quinn told reporters he was “bummed” and “disheartened” for his third-year quarterback.
Daniels’s injury happened in the final seconds of the first half, when the Commanders decided to try for a touchdown rather than kick a field goal. The decision backfired as they failed to score and Daniels was carted off the field with another injury.
Despite this, Quinn said after the game that he did not regret the choice to go for it rather than kick a field goal.
“Looking back on it, at the one-yard line, we need touchdowns. I don’t regret the call,” Quinn said. “Anytime someone’s injured, you play the what-if game. I don’t think this is one of those times for me. I hate that it happened. … I wasn’t hesitant about going into that spot; I thought we were going to be aggressive in this game, against their offense. Obviously the outcome sucks, but it wasn’t a what-if, or wish I had done something differently.”
Packers
The Packers finally broke their six-game losing streak by taking down the Jets 20–17 in overtime. It took a fourth-quarter comeback for the Packers to break into the win column again finally, and while they’re glad to get the victory, they know they still have plenty of issues to sort through.
“We can’t let a win mask our problems,” tight end Tucker Kraft said after the game. “We have to get back to the chalkboard and we have to be aggressive. We have to look in the mirror, and set a standard for ourselves as a team and each individual.”
Tucker Kraft: “We can’t let a win mask our problems.”
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 20, 2026
More here⬇️ pic.twitter.com/jj77IV6WMl
Eagles
After Titans All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons said in the lead-up to their matchup against the Eagles that they need to make Jalen Hurts be a quarterback, Hurts playfully said to Simmons postgame, “You started that s—, I had to finish it.”
Hurts led a game-winning drive, throwing a touchdown to Darius Cooper to defeat the Titans 24–20 and move to 2–0 on the season.
Simmons clarified his pregame comments after the Titans’ loss. “He’s a Super Bowl MVP. That wasn’t a shot at Jalen,” Simmons said. “The thing was, if we can keep him in the pocket and eliminate him from scrambling and running … we could be successful. … That was my point: making Jalen Hurts stay in the pocket and just be a quarterback, it wasn’t, ‘Oh, he can’t be a quarterback in the pocket.’”
#Titans Jeffery Simmons explained what he meant by saying make Jalen Hurts play QB: He's a Super Bowl MVP. That wasn't a shot at Jalen. The thing was if we can keep him contained in the pocket and eliminate him from making plays running, we'd have a chance at being successful. pic.twitter.com/za5mB0kOtB
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) September 20, 2026
Browns
After the Browns held on for a 23–19 victory over the Buccaneers, coach Todd Monken expressed pride for his team and took a stab at Mike Tomlin’s “the Browns is the Browns” from last week.
“Browns are gonna Browns, f--- that,” Monken said passionately. “The guys took that to heart.”
Todd Monken: Browns are gonna Browns. F— that! pic.twitter.com/loDcRzzF9T
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) September 20, 2026
Buccaneers
Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield told reporters that he’s “pretty shocked” that the Buccaneers are 0–2 to start the season.
“It’s shooting ourselves in the foot, not making the plays when we need them,” Mayfield said. “Knowing that these are fixable things, but that also makes it more frustrating. Just got to get it corrected. We’ve got to be hard on ourselves, watch tape, get those things fixed, flush it and move on to the next.”
Saints
After Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver referred to Saints second-year quarterback Tyler Shough as a “poor man’s Josh Allen” earlier this week, Shough got the last laugh by leading New Orleans to a 24–17 upset win over Baltimore.
Weaver, who also complimented Shough’s arm talent and athleticism, intended for the comment to be a compliment. His phrasing, however, made it easy for the Saints and Shough to use the comment as motivation heading into the week.
“A bunch of the coaches were telling me about it the whole time, calling me ‘poor man.’ I loved it,” Shough said. “I knew what he meant by it; obviously he’s an elite player, but it fires me up.”
Let’s all thank the Ravens defensive coordinator who called Tyler Shough “a poor man’s Josh Allen.”
— Farrah Yvette (@farrah_yvette) September 20, 2026
The #Saints QB says he loved it and it fired him up for the game. pic.twitter.com/QDZyNMv19r
MORE NFL FROM SPORTS ILLLUSTRATED
- Albert Breer’s Takeaways: How the Browns Have Weathered the Deshaun Watson Storm—For Now
- Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce Are Back and So Are the Chiefs
- Week 2 NFL Lessons: Klint Kubiak Has the Raiders Thinking About the Postseason
- Kevin Stefanski Left the Browns, Only to Find a QB Situation Just As Ugly
