The arrival of Week 2 can have a comforting effect on many teams. Those who failed to get the job done in Week 1 have a chance to get back to .500, and many squads get the opportunity to greet their home fans for the first time. It's very early in the season -- the allure of opportunity still reigns supreme.
Road teams went 6-8 in Sunday's 14 games. Here are the week's road heroes.
Greatest on the road ...
Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears
It's tough not to give this honor to Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, because, well, a ball must first be thrown in order to complete a touchdown pass. But Marshall's impact on Chicago's stunning comeback victory cannot be denied. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Marshall is a big target. What makes Marshall such a huge threat for the Bears' passing attack is his incredible pair of hands.
Great hands make a catch like this, for example.
That was Marshall's first of three touchdown receptions on the night and it came when the Bears really needed it, trailing 17-0 on the road. Another arrived with Chicago trailing 20-7, but gaining momentum. And the third and final touchdown catch all but put the game away, boosting the Bears' lead to 28-20 with 6:55 left to play.
Marshall finished with five receptions for 48 yards and three touchdowns that proved to be the difference. The Bears finished with a much-needed and quite impressive road win.
Also considered:
Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
This one was nearly a toss-up: dish out the honors to the running back (DeMarco Murray) whose 167 yards and a touchdown led a ground attack that wore down the Tennessee defense, or hand it to the wide receiver who hit double-digits in receptions and powered many fantasy owners to victory? We're going with Bryant on this one, because he overcame injury to help the Cowboys when they were searching for an offensive jolt.
Leading 16-10 but grasping for any semblance of momentum, Dallas' offense found itself deep in Tennesee's red zone. Who do you go to when you need a touchdown in opponent's territory? Directly to Bryant. Dallas did just that when quarterback Tony Romo connected with Bryant for a three-yard touchdown completion, putting the Cowboys ahead 23-10 and giving them the cushion needed to secure a victory away from AT&T Stadium.
Ted Ginn Jr., Arizona Cardinals
Ginn's professional career hasn't turned out the way folks expected it to when the Miami Dolphins spent their ninth-overall pick on him in the 2007 draft. But four teams later, Ginn is still finding a way to make an impact, big or small.
Trailing 14-13 at New York with 10:23 left to play in the fourth, the Giants were forced to punt to the former All-Ohio track star. Ginn fielded the punt at his own 29, broke an immediate tackle and outran eight additional defenders on a 71-yard sprint to the endzone. The punt return put the Cardinals ahead 19-14, gave a major boost to an attack that was led by backup Drew Stanton -- who hadn't attempted a pass since 2010 -- and lifted Arizona to a 25-14 win.
Immediately after the return, FOX broadcasters said "They brought Ted Ginn in to put some life to a dismal return game. It hasn't looked good early this season, but he's a ticking time bomb."
I'd say so.
