Brandon Marshall key to Bears’ comeback win

By Nick Shook | NFL.com

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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.

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Derek Anderson excellent in unlikely start for Panthers

By Nick Shook | NFL.com

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In a perfect world, every team would start its season at home, with the support of starved fanbases hungry for the start of another promising campaign. But of course, we need road teams to complete a matchup. Visitors won six of 13 games Sunday, and as it is with every game away from home, rarely is it ever easy. These three players made it look a little less difficult.

Greatest on the road …

Derek Anderson, Carolina Panthers

Anderson hadn’t sniffed the starting lineup since 2010, when he was the starter for the Arizona Cardinals. It was during that same season Anderson was caught laughing on the sidelines during a blowout loss to the 49ers on Monday Night Football, which spawned the memorable “that’s fine” postgame press conference. That pretty much explained how Anderson’s tenure with the Cardinals came to an end.

Since then, Anderson has disappeared to the sidelines with a headset and clipboard as a backup with Carolina, but when Panthers coach Ron Rivera made the tough decision to sit usual starter Cam Newtondue to a rib injury, Anderson was forced into duty — and he shined. Anderson completed 24 of 34 attempts for 230 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers earned a somewhat unlikely road victory at Tampa Bay in Week 1. Continue reading