Rob Gronkowski

It should surprise approximately no one that Gronk already has been one of the brightest stars of the young NFL season.

He had 5 receptions for 94 yards and 3 touchdowns against Pittsburgh and another 7 receptions for 113 yards and another touchdown a week later against Buffalo.

Those 12 receptions are on 21 targets, and Gronkowski averages an impressive 17.3-yards per reception. Plus, those 4 touchdown grabs are tops in the NFL through two games.

The real question for the talented New England tight end is whether he can stay healthy. The last time he played a full slate of 16 games was in 2011, a season in which he scored 17 touchdowns.

— by Jordan Hansen

Peyton Manning

The sheriff rode again on Sept. 17, as the reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated.

Facing a rowdy crowd, and a mountain of uncertainty, Peyton Manning delivered.

The face of the Indianapolis Colts and, for the last four seasons, the Denver Broncos, Peyton is without question a Hall of Famer.

But from the end of the game against the Ravens to the end of the game against the Chiefs, the media ripped Manning apart, overanalyzing every one of his plays, his underthrows, and the general level of comfort he showed, which was effectively none.

And yet, he’s still Peyton Manning, and he proved that in Denver’s win over the Chiefs.

He doesn’t have the zip on the ball the Manning of old did. He knows it. The fans and media know it. And the opposing defenses certainly know it.

But Manning proved he can still win. Following two early interceptions, he locked it down and rallied the Broncos to a 14-14 tie heading to half time. With three touchdowns and 256 yards, Peyton locked up his 14th win over the Chiefs.

It was an ugly performance. Manning rarely throws a Pick-6. But the glimmer was there. It’s no longer the Peyton Manning show he enjoyed in Indianapolis or early in his tenure with the Broncos.

The young weapons are developing into full-fledged stars on both offense and defense.

Manning knows that. And that’s what makes him the most impressive player so far this season. He’s letting the playmakers work, even though he might not be one any more.

Manning doesn’t have to be great all the time; he just has to be good enough to win.

— by Ian Murphy

Antonio Brown

I should preface this by nothing that “impressive” is a relative term. Identical performances from two players could be varying in impressiveness based on what was expected. Peyton Manning threw for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Chiefs on Sept. 17, and some people had declared his career over.

With that said, I personally did not expect Pittsburgh wideout Antonio Brown to back up the recent assertion that he’s the league’s best receiver and certainly not in such a big way.

Brown led the league in 2014 with 129 receptions and 1,698 yards receiving, and he was tied for second in the league with 13 touchdowns. His dominant season led to a summer-long lovefest over the 5-10 jitterbug, and with it, high expectations for 2015.

When you look at other top receivers in the league — Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, A.J. Green, Julio Jones, etc. — they’re all big in stature. To put a small guy in that class, I thought, was naïve. But, boy, am I feeling silly about that.

Brown is one of the quickest players in the league and uses sharp cuts to find separation on damn near any route he runs. It seems he is always open, and Ben Roethlisberger has found him time and time again in the young season, so Brown is well on his way to another very impressive season.

He quietly accumulated 133 yards and a touchdown on nine catches in a 28-21 opening-night loss to New England, and he followed that with 9 more catches for 198 yards and another TD last weekend in a 43-18 win over San Francisco.

He leads the league with his 328 receiving yards, and he is doing all he can to cement his status as an elite receiver.

— by Kyle Mann