Week three has come and gone. It feels like we're starting to get some answers to the many questions we had after the first two weeks, as some teams are starting to reveal their true colors. Who saw Miami and Philadelphia as the last undefeated teams in the league? Or Las Vegas as the only 0-3 team. Madness.
The best part is, we're not even 25% through this season. Mathematically, there's some teams with some mountains to climb up to the playoffs. And there'll be some who slide ride on down that mountain by the end of week 18. But as of now everyone's still in it, so buckle up football fans. Here goes...week three:
Browns 29- Steelers 17
Nobody had high expectations for this game, so the fact that it was mildly tight and entertaining was a welcome surprise. Neither team looked like world beaters but the ball was moving up and down the field in the first half as Pittsburgh took a 14-13 lead into the break.
It was pretty much all Cleveland from there. The Browns scored ten unanswered on a Nick Chubb touchdown and Cade York field goal to pull ahead by nine. It would be more then enough. Brissett was very efficient again, maintaining the connection with Amari Cooper (7/101/1) that really started to blossom the week before. Chubb and Hunt are still a more then formidable backfield as well.
Diontae Johnson dropped what would've been a huge gain for the Steelers' amidst their comeback bid. Not a good look for a guy who was barking at his QB earlier in the game about poor ball placement. This Pittsburgh offense simply isn't very good right now with their current quarterback situation, and there isn't a quick fix for that in sight. Could be a long year out in the Steel City.
Bears 23- Texans 20
Not a quality game of football here, but this one at least had some fun moments. Roquan Smith intercepted a tipped Davis Mills pass late in the fourth to set up the game winning field goal and give Chicago an unlikely 2-1 start.
Justin Fields sucks. Period. 8/17 for 102 yards and 2 picks. I don't care who his supporting cast is, that won't cut it. Eight quarterbacks threw for more yards Sunday then he's thrown in three games. It's a unicorn of sadness, or incompetent coaching...something is wrong with the offense in Chicago. But they got it done today, thanks to Khalil Herbert going crazy.
The Texans are maybe more bad then scrappy. This game was theirs for the taking and they just failed to ever do so. Dameon Pierce looks the part of a starting running back in this league, he'll only get better with improved play under center. But Davis Mills ain't it. It was a nice story, definitely a glimmer of hope worth exploring rather then reaching in this recent weak quarterback draft, but it seems like he's no more then an above average backup. Shoutout to rookie Jalen Pitre for his first two career interceptions.
Titans 24- Raiders 22
Three weeks ago, who'd have guessed that the only 0-3 team in the league would be the Las Vegas Raiders. Not this guy, that's for sure.
Derrick Henry ran all over the Raiders in the first half on their way to a 24-10 lead. They'd coast the second half, holding on to win by two. They didn't ask Tannehill to do much, which is a winning recipe for Tennessee. Was nice seeing Robert Woods back in the mix as actively too, returning from his ACL injury last season.
Maybe Josh McDaniels just can't coach. This team has plenty of talent but has been incapable of putting together a full sixty minute performance. Josh Jacobs is decent at best...and played decent to his credit. I have a hard time seeing Derek Carr being around next year though. Even with Davante Adams in tow, who did not have a good game, Carr just seems too inconsistent and mistake prone. This team is better then their record, but at this point I'm not sure just how much better.
Colts 20- Chiefs 17
A season saving home win for Indianapolis against a team that nobody thought they'd compete with. They needed some help from an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Chris Jones after a failed third down conversion late in order to secure the lead and win, but props to Indy for taking advantage of the new life. Matt Ryan had a solid day as did rookie Alec Pierce.
The Chiefs aren't in trouble, but they're far from a perfect team right now. The receiving core is better then many, but they certainly lack the high end talent they had with Tyreek Hill on the team. Their inability to run the ball is the more concerning development. Take away the 26 yards Mahomes scrambled for and KC averaged a paltry 1.7 YPC on 19 carries Sunday. They need to balance this offense better to maximize it's potential.
Dolphins 21- Bills 19
This game looked like it was going to be a high scoring affair, as it was tied 14-14 with six minutes to go in the second quarter. Then Tua took a huge hit and both offenses decided to stop playing. Miami did have to evaluate their signal caller for a concussion, which he surprisingly returned from. The NFL is already looking into that one.
His offense wasn't spectacular overall in this one but they did enough to set the defense up for a big hold late. Miami's running game still sucks and it seems like they're too big play reliant sometimes, but it's panned out for them so far. Mike McDaniel has done a nice job with this team through his first three games as head coach.
Josh Allen did his part for Buffalo, throwing for 400 yards, but a missed field goal and turnover on downs late turned out to be too much for him to overcome. Miami's defense gave up some big yardage, and contributed the butt-punt to NFL lore, but did a nice job of not getting torched by what had been the most potent offense in the league. This was a huge divisional win for them that will likely have some playoff implications down the road.
Vikings 28- Lions 24
Really tough loss for Detroit here. Seemingly on the verge of really fast forwarding their turnaround, the Lions led for majority of this game. Then in typical Detroit fashion, gave it away a number of ways late. As a Lions money line better this week, it was an ugly collapse.
Jared Goff still looks to be in the middle of a relative resurgence. He's been distributing the ball well this year, finding his play makers deep or in space. But D'Andre Swift's ankle was still not 100%, which does limit the massive effect he can have on games. Credit to him for being out there and still making some big plays, but this team would greatly benefit from him being able to handle a full workload. His shoulder injury that was announced Monday morning will prevent him from doing that anytime soon.
Kirk Cousins and the Vikings hung around in this one and did what they do: beat mediocre teams. A 28-yard KJ Osborn touchdown with 45 seconds left put them up for good here. Dalvin Cook had his breakout game with 96 rushing yards and a touchdown. But Justin Jefferson only recorded three catches for 14 yards on six targets. This is beginning to become a concerning development for JJ fantasy owners.
Ravens 37- Patriots 26
Fun Sunday matchup in Foxborough, featuring Lamar Jackson showing down vs. Mac Jones and the Patriots. The Ravens went up early, but then lost fill-in left tackle Patrick Mekari to an injury. From there, Matthew Judon and the Patriots front seven got after the former MVP behind his patchwork offensive line.
It was not enough however. Lamar's evasiveness was on display all afternoon, masterfully navigating through muddled pockets and unimpeded rushers to rack up 325 total yards and five touchdowns. He's absolutely incredible and it's seeming more evident with each passing week that Baltimore may have overplayed their hand in not extending him this offseason. Mark Andrews is special too-- move over Travis Kelce, there's a new best tight end in the league.
New England was competitive throughout Sunday, with Mac Jones making huge plays with his legs and to Devante Parker through the air. Rhamondre Stevenson looked as sharp as he's looked this year, to the tune of 101 total yards and a score, possibly the beginning to him nailing down the starting job. Jones was flawed however, tossing three bad interceptions that stunted an otherwise brilliant offensive performance. We're hopeful that his ankle injury is minor and he's healed up ASAP.
Bengals 27- Jets 12
We'd been waiting two weeks for a Bengals performance like this and they finally delivered. Joe Mixon was terrible, as we predicted he would be, so we gotta let Burrow get the love for this dub. He played another turnover-free game, finding his top three wideouts fifteen times for all but 48 of his passing yards. It wasn't a perfect game for Joe Shiesty, but it was more then enough to finally get Cincinnati in the win column.
Joe Flacco's Broadway Cinderella ride may be coming to a quick end after a field goal filled day + two picks. The Jets' inability to get going in the running game surely didn't help, but it was an ugly showing by the veteran signal caller. With Zach Wilson set to return next week, Flacco will be relegated to the backup role again. New York fans are hoping this is the last they have to see of #19 (still so weird) under center.
Eagles 24- Commanders 8
Parlay killer of the week here. Adjusted over/under 32.5...and these two teams can't cover it. The Commanders barely had 32 yards in the first half...let alone points. What an awful performance.
Philly's defense is 100% legit, sacking Carson Wentz nine times and forcing a turnover in a rout that wasn't as close as the 16-point final deficit suggests. Even when the Commanders could move the ball in the second half, they forced two turnover on downs. A miserable afternoon for Washington fans across the country.
The Eagles scored all of their points in a second quarter explosion that gave me just enough hope for the over. The scary thing is that they actually left points on the field during the quarter. Hurts found Devonta Smith all afternoon as he coasted to an 8 catch, 169 yard stat line. His week one 0'fer seems like all but a distant memory now. They did surprisingly struggle in the running game though, leading one to think this dangerous team still has room to grow.
Panthers 22- Saints 14
What a win for Matt Rhule and the Panthers. Home dogs against a tough divisional rival and they dominated all four quarters on their way to their first victory of the year. No receiver caught more then two passes, therefore Baker Mayfield didn't do a ton. But he didn't need to with a +3 turnover differential. Carolina hasn't played a murderer's row of quarterbacks out the gate, so it's hard to definitively endorse their defense, but they've been a solid unit that's done their part.
The Saints, specifically Jameis Winston, look to be in a not-so-great spot. Two interceptions and two fumbles (neither were lost) is terrible ball security. And outside of rookie Chris Olave, New Orleans' bevy of weapons were relatively tame. The NFC south seems as winnable as it's been since Brady's arrival, but Dennis Allen's squad needs to clean things up quickly before this season gets away from them.
Jaguars 38- Chargers 10
Has Trevor Lawrence arrived?? We chalked up last week's stellar performance to him improbably owning more of the Colts then Jim Irsay. This Sunday though, he smoked a Super Bowl caliber defense on the road. The Clemson alumni played another turnover free game, driving his team at will and throwing three touchdowns in the process. The passing game helped open up space for James Robinson on the ground, who's been spectacular thus far. The Jags might be for real, at least in their sorry division.
The Chargers are in trouble. There couldn't have been less sense leaving Justin Herbert in down multiple scores late. He took some big, avoidable shots on the final drives of the game that hopefully won't set back his recovery any. This offense was bad though, to the point one has to wonder how much worse could Chase Daniel have done. And now Rashawn Slater is set to miss the rest of the season. My pick to win the Lombardi Trophy isn't looking so hot at this moment.
Rams 20- Cardinals 12
The Cardinals are terrible. Outside of garbage time against the Chiefs and a stupid fourth quarter in Las Vegas, the offense has been absolutely stagnant. I'm not a Kyler believer, so I'm not above putting him fully at fault here, but Kliff Kingsbury deserves plenty of blame in his own right. They're 1-6 versus LA. This alleged offensive guru has been anything but the last 12 weeks or so.
It's a disservice to their iffy defense that actually played pretty well against the talented Rams. Cooper Kupp only totaled 64 yards, his lowest total since week four of last season. What a magical run for the kid... Stafford did enough in this one as he continues to look older and slower with each passing game. Cam Akers may have finally "taken over" this backfield.
Neither fan base should feel confident with the state of these teams, but the Rams are 2-1 at least. Kingsbury is going to find himself on the hot seat sooner then later here if these struggles continue.
Falcons 27- Seahawks 23
The Falcons finally put together a full game, going on the road to take down Seattle. Cordarelle Patterson continued his resurgence, rushing for 141 yards on brilliant 8.3 YPC. He's been a revelation this season, taking a ton of pressure off of Mariota. The quarterback threw a pick and lost a fumble in this one but made the big plays when they needed to. Kyle Pitts finally showed up (5/87) and Drake London is a top Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate. This team won't be an easy out for many.
Geno Smith is okay when it comes down to it, especially in the box scores, but there's a reason he's been a career journeyman. It really speaks volumes to the quality of play Drew Lock must be putting out there if he can't overtake Geno at this point.
It's been the Rashaad Penny show in the backfield, much to the chagrin of Kenneth Walker hopefuls out there. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett produced in this one as well, combining for 140 yards and a score on 14 catches. It wasn't enough, as the Seahawks fell by four.
Packers 14- Buccaneers 12
My favorite under of the week more then delivered. With the top wideouts in this one being Russell Gage and Romeo Doubs, the ceiling for action was never high. Even with all-time greats Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady doing their damnedest to inject excitement, this game was just destined to bore.
Really not a whole lot more to say about this one. No running back averaged more then three yards per carry. Four total turnovers, 26 total points. Gritty conference win for the Packers, one that should age well as the season goes.
Broncos 11- 49ers 10
Wow this game sucked. Russell Wilson is toast, Jimmy Garrapolo currently looks lost. These defenses are good at least, but they weren't facing the sternest of tests Sunday night.
The most fun part of this game was probably Jimmy G stepping out of the end zone for a safety in the third quarter. Mike Purcell was officially credited with creating the safety, as he led a heavy Broncos push on the quarterback.
Denver scored late on a Melvin Gordon touchdown run after a 12 play, 80 yard drive. It may have been the first time this season the Broncos have looked competent on offense this year, right in time to steal a tough victory. It's almost time to sound the alert horn on Russell Wilson, there's a number of reasons to be concerned with his play thus far.
Cowboys 23- Giants 16
Still not sure how this was even an appealing Monday night matchup before the Dak injury, but this prime time affair actually wasn't too ugly.
The Giants actually moved the ball pretty well throughout this one, but were only able to turn that into 16 points. Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones both were solid on the ground, but the latter was much less efficient through the air. Jones barely completed 50% of his passes, threw a pick and did not eclipse 200 yards. As of now, this will easily be his final year for the G-Men.
Cooper Rush is making this interesting down in Dallas. After a second strong start for Central Michigan alumni, it's fair to wonder how much the Cowboys would entertain a quarterback competition. I've personally never been very high on Dak, but he is signed long term so he's not going anywhere. Right? Some more quality performances by Rush won't do anything to quell these thoughts.
He continues to show good rapport with Ceedee Lamb and Noah Brown in the passing game. Once Michael Gallup and Dalton Schultz are back in the lineup, it should only be a stronger attack. Tony Pollard even cleared 100 yards rushing for the squad. Rush will have a few more weeks guaranteed to prove he's the man for this job down in the big D. Quite a development to track.
------
@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
Comments
Post a Comment