Week 2 of the NFL season did not provide as many offensive fireworks as the opening week, but a pair of NFC stars stood out among the rest.
Bryce Young and Jaxon Smith-Njigba each led their teams to victory by accounting for three touchdowns in Week 2.
On the latest episode of FOX Sports’ “Gronk & Jules,” Edelman chose the Carolina Panthers quarterback and Gronkowski picked the Seattle Seahawks receiver as their Employees of the Week.
Julian Edelman’s Employee Of The Week
Young completed 23 of 36 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Darren Waller, in a 34-3 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
“I think Bryce Young had an unbelievable game,” Edelman said. “Doesn’t make too many self-inflicting mistakes. He’ll take what the defense gives him. He hits the big opportunity when they give him the big opportunity. He’s been really fun to watch, and he’s coming into his own.”
The performance followed a Week 1 game in which Young threw for 361 yards in a 59-37 loss to the Chicago Bears.
“They’ve scored a lot of points these last two weeks,” Edelman said. “He’s been getting better every week. For 5’10 at quarterback, it’s crazy.”
Bryce Young tossed one of his three touchdown passes to Chuba Hubbard and did not have any turnovers against the Falcons in week 2.(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Gronkowski pointed to Young’s benching back in 2024 as the turning point. Head coach Dave Canales sat Young in favor of Andy Dalton after Carolina’s 0-2 start to the 2024 season.
“The benching was totally accurate,” Gronkowski said. “It was necessary, and everyone thought there was no argument to the benching.”
Gronkowski said Dalton’s play as the starter “kind of lit a spark,” and he joked that Young took the fiery hair off Dalton and the heat that came with it.
“Bryce Young has been the quarterback that the Carolina Panthers have wanted Bryce Young to be since that benching,” Gronkowski said. “He gets better every year.”
Rob Gronkowski’s Employee Of The Week
Smith-Njigba caught nine passes for 155 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in a 31-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals. It was the first time in his career that he scored three touchdowns in one game.
Drew Lock started at quarterback in place of Sam Darnold, who was out with a gluteus injury, and threw all three touchdown passes to Smith-Njigba, including an 82-yard catch on Seattle’s first passing attempt of the game.
“I’m going to go with JSN,” Gronkowski said. “He had nine catches, 155 yards. He had three touchdowns, which is a career best for him. He proved once again why he was offensive player of the year and that it wasn’t a mistake. The voters got it right. There’s no doubt about it.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught nine passes for 155 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in a 31-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Gronkowski said Seattle would not be 2-0 without Smith-Njigba, pointing to the receiver’s touchdown in the Week 1 game against New England as a play that could have changed the outcome. The win over Arizona was Seattle’s 12th in a row, including the postseason.
Edelman focused on how Smith-Njigba gets separation from defenders.
“He’s just a really smooth route runner, and he outruns people,” Edelman said. “This guy just outruns people, and he’s smooth with it. He doesn’t move his body when he cuts.”
Gronkowski went on to explain how defenders cannot tell when Smith-Njigba is going to break.
“You think that’s his out route, and then boom, he just breaks up again,” Gronkowski said. “He’s one of the hardest players to defend in all of football. He’s just really special.”
Both players are in action again in Week 3. Young and the Panthers visit the Cleveland Browns. Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks play at the Washington Commanders.
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