The flying Chicago Bears and four other storylines to follow in the second weekend of the NFL season

They say Week 1 is a liar. Thursday night did not wait around to test that.

Josh Allen opened Buffalo’s new Highmark Stadium with three passing touchdowns and two more with his legs. The Bills beat Detroit 41-31. James Cook ran for 135 yards. Jared Goff threw for 327 and four scores and still went home defeated.

Buffalo looks like a Super Bowl side in a new building. The Lions already have questions about a defence that has leaked twice.

This coming Sunday and Monday promise much for Irish NFL fans.

Chicago and Minnesota are both undefeated and they meet at Soldier Field. The Bears put up 59 points on Carolina, their most in a game since 1980 (the same year Roscommon last reached an All Ireland Final).

Caleb Williams ran and threw like the quarterback Ben Johnson has been talking about since he took the job.

Quite simply, the Bears were relentless.

Minnesota sent Green Bay packing after Kyler Murray lasted 11 snaps of his Vikings debut, took a filthy hit on a slide and left with a concussion. Carson Wentz came on and threw three touchdown passes in a statement comeback performance. Brian Flores blitzed on more than three-quarters of Green Bay’s snaps. That is the problem waiting for Williams on Sunday.

Murray has been limited in practice and is still in protocol. If he is not cleared, Wentz starts again.

In truth, that might not change the afternoon as much as people think.

Flores will still send the house. Johnson will still try to turn Chicago into the most aggressive offence in the league. What matters is whether the Bears can block that pressure for four quarters, not one. If they can, the NFC North is arguably already Chicago’s to lose.

The champions - and the man finishing the job

Drew Lock will start for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks this weekend, as we wait for the return of Sam Darnold.

Lock got the job done against the Patriots last week and for the Seahawks, their 13-10 win felt like December in September.

That will have to do on the road this weekend - against a surprise package.

Arizona are 1-0 after beating the Chargers 26-14 last weekend.

Just for a second, forget the idea they are a Week 1 curiosity. They have already taken a proper scalp.

Seattle has won nine on the bounce against them, but those games were not started by a backup in the Glendale heat. The Dark Side still has to travel. If Lock manages it and the front wins the early downs on Sunday, the title defence stays tidy. If Arizona gets him on the move, the NFC and the NFL could have a significant surprise package in the Cardinals.

Nobody in the East is allowed a soft Sunday

Washington head to Arlington to take on the Cowboys this Sunday, with both teams coming off a defeat in their opening game.

The Eagles just about got past the Commanders 24-22 last weekend. The Giants defeated an unimpressive Cowboys side 28-20 on Sunday night, with Jaxson Dart throwing for 230 yards in John Harbaugh’s first regular-season win in New York.

The Cowboys have not started 0-2 since 2010.

That is the number hanging over AT&T Stadium.

For the Commanders, Jayden Daniels is still trying to look like the quarterback who took Washington to a conference title game in his rookie season.

Dak Prescott is still trying to look like the quarterback of a team that matches the noise around it.

Frankly, neither offensive line looked settled last week. An honourable mention to whoever wins that fight first. The quarterbacks will get the headlines. The trenches on Sunday will decide if those headlines are kind.

It’s never dull in Texas, that’s for sure.

The second night is the honest one

Patrick Mahomes came back from nine months out last week and Kansas City defeated the Broncos in a statement performance.

The Broncos led the league in sacks last season and looked a shadow of themselves in the first week.

Something has to give for Denver - but for Kansas City, what should we expect next?

The Colts are next for Mahomes and company and they arrived in the season with hope and left Lucas Oil last Sunday with a hiding from the Baltimore Ravens.

Lamar Jackson threw for 324 yards. Derrick Henry ran for 144. Zay Flowers had 150 receiving yards.

Indianapolis looked a long way from the side that flew out last year and then faded.

Mahomes’ first start back is a story.

The knee, the timing, what they will do is so interesting.

Can they just hand it off to Kenneth Walker III 23 times again?

SoFi, and the super team that already looks mortal

Monday night sees the visit of the New York Giants to the Rams.

Flip the script: The Giants are 1-0. Los Angeles are 0-1 after the 27-7 hiding in Melbourne. Myles Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, had no tackles in Australia, then went for knee surgery and is on injured reserve, out for at least four games.

The future Hall Of Famer came out of retirement to stand next to Garrett and did not even play in Week 1. The front that was supposed to bully the league is already missing its best player.

Sean McVay said the opener humbled them. Harbaugh will not care about travel or time zones or any of that. His Giants have already spoiled one favourite’s night.

Matthew Stafford can still dictate a game. Puka Nacua is still Puka Nacua. But a pass rush without Garrett is not the pass rush they sold to the market in June.

Last weekend was one of the highest scoring slate of games on record in the NFL.

Could we see something similar again?