OPINION: Bobbleheads of the week: NFL week two edition

Where there’s a victor, there’s a loser, and sometimes, certain athletes contribute to their team’s shortcomings. These athletes are favorably called bobbleheads.

NFL week two has come and gone and we saw blowouts, comebacks, thrilling conclusions and, of course, bobbleheads. Here are a few bobbleheads who should’ve stayed at home this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers: running back Kaleb Johnson

The Pittsburgh Steelers had their home opener versus the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Sept. 14. The Steelers would lose the game 31-17. A big reason for that would be rookie running back Kaleb Johnson. The Steelers found themselves down 17-14 in the fourth. Seattle was kicking off to Pittsburgh and on the kickoff, Johnson looked to return the ball and give his team solid field positioning.

Instead, the ball would bounce right past him, and as it did, he would touch it, muffing the ball. Instead of going to recover it, Johnson just let the ball roll into the endzone, ignoring it and resulting in Seattle jumping on it for a touchdown. If it wasn’t for the bobbleheaded mistake, there might have been a chance for the Steelers to win the game. 

Kansas City Chiefs: tight end Travis Kelce

All things considered, Travis Kelce did not have a terrible game on Sunday, as he hauled in four receptions for 61 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite his good performance, Kelce did have a crucial mistake that ultimately cost his team the game. Down 13-10, the Chiefs were knocking on the door of the endzone, looking to take the lead in the fourth.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a pass that looked to be a touchdown to Kelce; however, on that pass – one Kelce would usually haul in — he bobbled it in the air, leading to an interception. The Eagles would proceed to go down and score a touchdown, ultimately winning the game 20-17.

Minnesota Vikings: quarterback J.J McCarthy

After leading his team to a fourth quarter comeback last week against the Chicago Bears, McCarthy looked to follow that up with a home win against the Atlanta Falcons. Unlike the other athletes mentioned, McCarthy was just flat out bad. McCarthy would throw for 158 yards, two interceptions and zero touchdowns, while also fumbling three times in a 22-6 loss.

Rodney Prunty is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @rprunty05