My, oh my, what a week we just endured. Just when we think we're getting a clear picture of what the NFL's about in 2023, then bam, we get sixteen games like this. Wild.
This is why we watch though! No guarantees in this league. Here's some thoughts after this third go round:
49ers 30- Giants 12
-Brock Purdy's the real deal. Obviously the weapons he has at his disposal helps, but the placement he puts on some of these passes is genuinely elite. What a find by John Lynch in the seventh round...
-Christian McCaffery runs so fucking angry and with so much explosiveness. He'll run into a lineman, come to a full stop and bounce outside at full speed just milliseconds later. He may be the top offensive weapon in the league
-Deebo can do it all...don't want to pay him like a hybrid player? Fine, force feed him the rock through the air instead. 6/129/1 without Brandon Aiyuk out there to help take coverage away-- a banner day. And he was targeted twelve times, so he left some out there too
-The Giants have played well for two out of their twelve quarters this season. In that second half vs. Arizona, they outscored the Cardinals 31-8. The other ten quarters, they've been outscored 90-12. Just over a point per quarter, over 83% of their season thus far. Unheard of incompetence on both sides of the ball. Brian Daboll and his coaches need to figure that out last week
-Speaking of incompetence...Daniel Jones looks literally incapable of throwing the ball more then ten yards in the air most of the time. He posted a 4.3 YPA Thursday night, with no completion going for more then 18 yards. Yes, that includes run after the catch. Dump off central
-Yes, the Giants miss Saquon Barkley. As if we had any doubt they would
-Very surprised how bad this defensive unit's been. There's enough talent on that side to not be allowing nearly 33 points per game, I don't care who their first three games were against
Browns 27- Titans 3
-Ryan Tannehill is done done. The Titans' offense was pathetic all afternoon, starting with his 4.3 YPA. I understand that they may not be "better", but Mike Vrabel needs to start considering giving Malik Willis or Will Levis an opportunity to show what they can do. Get one step closer to figuring out this QB situation
-Derrick Henry had no room to run, taking 11 carries for 20 yards. Yikes
-Treylon Burks had one reception for five yards. I'm still unsure why Deandre Hopkins signed here
-Deshaun Watson actually looked great. Tennessee has a sorry secondary, but those are the kind you need to dice. 27/33 for 289 and two scores, nothing wrong with that
-Jerome Ford predictably struggled on the ground against a great run defense, but found pay dirt twice in his first start to salvage a fantasy day
-Amari Cooper...staying good. 7/116/1 line, have a day! Elijah Moore paced the way for the pass catchers, totaling nine for 49 yards. He did lose a fumble though, that clearly didn't come back to hurt the team
-Myles Garrett had 3.5 sacks. The Titans had absolutely no answer for the man as he demolished the pocket at will
Lions 20- Falcons 6
-No two ways about it, this is a good Lions team. This Falcons team was playing well and were held to just 183 yards
-In a bit of a surprise, Jahmyr Gibbs outplayed Bijan Robinson, outgaining the only running back selected higher then him 82-60 in total yards
-Amon Ra St. Brown is matchup proof. On a game where he wasn't even certain to suit up, St. Brown torched a solid secondary for a 9/102 line
-Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta looks like a star in this offense, catching eight balls for 84 yards and his first career touchdown. Through three games, the former Hawkeye's posted an 18/186/1, more than delivering upon expectations early
-Aidan Hutchinson notched two sacks too. He's just a great player, living up to the hype of going first overall
-Perhaps that week two performance by Desmond Ridder was an anomaly. He racked up a paltry 11.2 QBR with 5.3 YPA. He doesn't throw the ball down field well, lost a fumble and took seven sacks. And the Lions defense isn't a world beating group
-Bijan Robinson was completely neutralized, no thanks to his quarterback, only racking up 33 yards on ten carries
-Kyle Pitts had his best game of the year, but that's a low bar. He's currently tied with Jonnu Smith for the lead in receptions at tight end-- for the Falcons. Not what you want from your "generational" #8 pick
Packers 18- Saints 17
-Derek Carr suffered an AC joint sprain during the third quarter, potentially putting Jameis Winston in line to start for the short-term future. Neither had particularly great showings, but Carr at least put up ten points in a half, while Jameis put the team in a position to win late
-Until Blake Grupe missed a 46 yard, game winning attempt. Tough break for the rookie
-Tony Jones and Kendre Miller, find a spot on the bench now that Alvin Kamara's coming back. Neither did much with their opportunities to impress upon the coaches that they deserve extra snaps
-Chris Olave is great. 8/104, clearing the century mark for the second time in three games. Rashid Shaheed had an electric punt return for a touchdown too
-Jordan Love was on fire for the first three quarters against Atlanta before going ice cold in the fourth. It was the exact opposite this week, scoring all eighteen points in the final frame, leading the Packers back from a 17-0 hole for a shocking victory
-I was really high on AJ Dillon this offseason. He's been terrible. Plodding, slow, ineffective, slowly losing his hold on the RB2 spot potentially. Green Bay fans can't wait for Aaron Jones to get back
-Romeo Doubs was Love's most productive wideout, but his best connection was with Luke Musgrave. The Oregon State product caught six balls for 49 yards, adding another quality rookie tight end to the NFC North!
Dolphins 70- Broncos 20
-You didn't read that score wrong. And I didn't type it incorrectly either. The Broncos allowed seventy points to the Miami Dolphins Sunday afternoon
-Tua Tagovailoa had four touchdowns and 309 passing yards. He only had three incompletions
-Mike White was technically a more proficient quarterback, posting a perfect QBR after going 2/2 for 67 and a touchdown in relief
-Raheem Mostert, their starting running back, had 13 carries for 82 yards and three scores. He added a fourth on a nineteen yard catch from Tua
-Devon Achane, Miami's backup running back, carried the ball 18 times for 203 yards and two touchdowns. I've been hyping up this rookie since April, and boy, did he make me look smart
-Tyreek Hill bounced back from a pedestrian performance in New England, posting a 9/157/1 stat line. It's absolutely unfair how open he manages to get, with regularity at that
-The Dolphins did all of this without Jaylen Waddle even suited up...
-Russell Wilson is ass. If this team didn't have really good receivers, I cannot imagine what the on field product would look like
-When does Russell Wilson get benched?
-Is this what you signed up for Sean Payton??
Chargers 28- Vikings 24
-This game was insane, don't let the fairly modest score fool you
-Justin Herbert did whatever the fuck he wanted against this horrendous Minnesota secondary. 40/47 for 405 and 3 TD's...have a damn day
-Keenan Allen was his go to guy on the afternoon, to put that lightly. 18 catches for 215 yards...and somehow his only touchdown came on a 49 yard pass to Mike Williams. Legendary day for one of the better PPR receivers to play the game
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| Photo: ESPN.com |
-The offense can clearly work with no balance, as Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller combined for 1.5 yards per carry. Austin Ekeler returning from injury gives this offense true dynamite potential
-Still not really sure what Kirk Cousins and the Vikings were doing on that last drive. They pick up the first down on 4th and 5, then proceeded to let like 20 seconds run off before lining up to throw a game ending interception. Terrible clock management and awareness, by the veteran QB and coach Kevin O'Donnell
-Alexander Mattison with his best day of the season, taking 20 carries for 93 yards. He chipped in five receptions too
-Justin Jefferson's getting such a raw deal having to deal with this 0-3 team. The phenom came just one yard short of making NFL history as the first receiver to start a year with three straight 150+ yard games. 149 yards Sunday
-TJ Hockenson's a great fit in this offense, averaging eight catches a contest thus far
-Jordan Addison is incredible too, what a fit the rookie's been for this pass-happy, no-defense bunch
Patriots 15- Jets 10
-This game completely delivered on the anticipated stink
-The Patriots were down three corners, yet still played straight man for majority of the game. Zach Wilson went 18-36 for 157 empty passing yards. We may never know how he duped Gang Green into taking him #2 overall
-Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook are going to forget what a non-stacked box looks like
-If the aforementioned Justin Jefferson's getting a raw deal in Minnesota, then Garrett Wilson's getting physically and emotionally assaulted having to do with quarterback play like this
-The Jets winning on that dropped Hail Mary would've been one of the least deserved victories in NFL history
-Mac Jones isn't good, but he was good enough to win this one. It must suck going from Tom Brady to that, but I guess it was a fun ride while it lasted
-Ezekiel Elliott surprisingly outperformed Rhamondre Stevenson, outgaining him by 21 yards on three less totes
-Pharoah Brown's still in the league! And he contributed a 58 yard touchdown reception against the Jets, the only play over 18 yards that the Patriots could muster
Bills 37- Commanders 3
-Back to Earth for Sam Howell...four picks. Plus he took nine sacks, just a very forgettable day
-Brian Robinson was good again at least, taking his ten carries for 70 yards. Not a positive game script though, phased him out early
-I had Jahan Dotson in my fantasy starts category last week, whiffed on that one. Ten catches for 83 yards through three games isn't very good
-Josh Allen was sharp once again, throwing for 218 and a touchdown, while adding one on the ground
-As with week one, it was Stefon Diggs or bust in the receiving game. The WR1 had 111 of the team's 218 yards and was the only player to catch more than two passes
-James Cook ran well for a second straight week, falling just under 100 rushing yards
-Worth mentioning again, nine sacks by the Bills. AJ Epenesa ran back an interception for a touchdown too. Banner day for the defense
Texans 37- Jaguars 17
-Wow. The Jags couldn't have fallen flatter on their faces against an 0-2 opponent. I expected their pass defense would struggle against the upstart Texans, but that was sad
-Despite putting up decent numbers, Trevor Lawrence never really looked in rhythm at any point. I like Houston's D, but without Derek Stingley Jr. playing, he should've had a much bigger day
-Travis Etienne looked good on the ground, taking 19 carries for 88 yards. Evan Engram was the top pass catcher, securing 7 of 8 targets for 67
-CJ Stroud, that was impressive, completing 67% of his passes for 280 and two scores. Most importantly, the team had zero turnovers and completed drives. Supremely encouraging performance for the rookie
-Dameon Pierce found the end zone, but is Devin Singletary taking this RB1 spot from him? Signed, A Concerned Fantasy Owner
-It was fellow rookie Tank Dell who lead the way receiving for Houston, breaking out for 145 yards on five receptions, including a 68-yarder for a score
-Fullback Andrew Beck's kickoff return for a touchdown was one of the more fun plays of the weekend. This is the shit fullbacks and lineman only dream of
Colts 22- Ravens 19 (OT)
-Tune into the podcast for more emotion on this one...
-The tides starting turning when Kenyan Drake fumbled on that big screen play. No less than a ten point swing in a contest we were previously dominating
-Lamar is a cheat code on the ground, but needed to have a better day in the pocket. Two fumbles (one lost) and a bad sack late ended up contributing to this loss
-No excuses, but how did Baltimore not get pass interference on that Zay Flowers cross in OT? They didn't deserve the win, but that was a pretty blatant flag
-Kyle Hamilton and Mike Macdonald must've seen something on the tape about the Colts not blocking off the edge, because he was getting free shots at Gardner Minshew all day. He had three sacks while looking strong in coverage
-Minshew made big throws when he had to. Looked like a winner out there against a scrubby Ravens' secondary
-Zack Moss was unstoppable on the ground, seizing the opportunity with 122 yards on 30 totes. He really softened up the front seven, which paid dividends late
-Michael Pittman Jr. is a big, fast, sure-handed receiver. What a security blanket for any quarterback not named Matt Ryan. Second rounder Josh Downs had his most productive day ever too, catching eight passes on a team high twelve targets for 57 yards. He's clearly taken over as WR2 over Alec Pierce
-DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart only combined for seven tackles in the box score, but if you watched that game you saw how disruptive they were in the pocket for all 69 minutes. Really game wreckers
Seahawks 37- Panthers 27
-This one started slow but turned into a really fun back and forth, with 39 total points being scored in the second half
-Geno Smith did enough to win, routinely showing a connection with DK Metcalf. The receiver was questionable to play due to a rib injury, but managed to still put up 112 receiving yards
-Kenneth Walker was awesome, rushing for 97 and two scores while adding 59 in the receiving game. Curiously, Zach Charbonnet saw an uptick in usage too. Interesting time share to monitor
-Jake Bobo had a sick touchdown catch and a pretty silly name. A jersey worth owning, that's for sure
-Andy Dalton's elbow's probably sore after throwing the ball 58 times. That's a lot for us older dudes
-The Panthers couldn't run the ball at all, really forcing that issue. Seems like Miles Sanders may not be more than a product of an elite Philly O line
-Adam Thielen arrived! 11/145/1 against a pretty good pair of corners helped breathe some life into the offense. Now Bryce Young just needs to figure out that connection
-Jaycee Horn's absence doesn't help, but I thought this Carolina defense would be better. Allowing 27 PPG isn't doing any favors to an offense that could use all the help it can get
Chiefs 41- Bears 10
-I wrote less than a week ago about there being no chance Justin Fields is getting benched this early in the season. When is it no longer "this early," because he was fully incompetent in Arrowhead. 99 passing yards, when they trailed for 53 minutes
-Khalil Herbert and Roshon Johnson are a pedestrian duo at best
-DJ Moore is going to waste away here for a few years, occasionally breaking a screen play or having a lucky deep ball find him. Shame
-This Bears team is bad. Like bad bad. I thought Arizona was going to be the cream of the shit crop in the NFL, but it's Chicago, and it's not particularly close right now
-Patrick Mahomes was incredible, but that was expected-- 24/33 for 272 and three scores for the reigning MVP. Almost more impressive was Blaine Gabbert coming in relief for #15 and tossing interceptions on two of his fives passes. Back to the bench there Blaine
-Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire mirrored one another, handling the rock fifteen times each for 62 and 55 yards, respectively. Both found pay dirt as well, as a RBBC seems to be budding
-Let's not forget Jerick McKinnon in that committee, as the third down back caught two touchdowns from Mahomes
-Kadarius Toney: 1 target, 1 catch, -1 yards. The Chiefs put up 41 points. Dude fucking sucks
Cardinals 28- Cowboys 16
-Might not be a bigger upset than this all season. Arizona was -12.5/-13 by the time this one kicked off, before proceeding to lead wire to wire for a twelve point win
-Josh Dobbs had just four incompletions on 21 attempts, with Hollywood Brown being his favorite/ most productive target. It was 0% flashy, but this is how Dobbs is going to win in the NFL
-Maybe James Conner is pretty good, maybe it's the rejuiced offensive line. But the Cards' running back pounded Dallas on the ground, en route to a 14/98/1. He's been so much better than I gave him credit for, so credit to him for shutting me up
-Rondale Moore added a 45-yard rushing score of his own, putting his signature on a game where he couldn't get going as a receiver
-Jonathan Gannon's my Coach of the Year right now. Record aside, it'd feel wrong not to give him that award if this team's going to overachieve like this all season
-That's the Dak I know! The fourth quarter interception in the end zone was pitiful, as was his ability to finish drives. That was the difference, with two second half drives ending in field goals under 27 yards
-With how Pollard was running the ball too, Prescott needs to step up there. The Cowboy's lead back took 23 carries for 122
Steelers 23- Raiders 18
-Maybe Jimmy Garoppolo's done... He posted some big yardage, but three interceptions ultimately doomed the Raiders. How many more performances like this until fans start clamoring to see preseason darling Aidan O'Connell under center?
-Josh Jacobs had a really slow start to 2022 also, so I'm going to withhold harsh judgement for a few more weeks. But he hasn't been good running the ball this season, an effort surely not aided by a crappy offensive line
-Davante Adams is the real deal-- a baker's dozen grabs on twenty targets. Busy day. Like Garrett Wilson in New York though, he's just wasting away on this Raiders team. Jakobi Meyers is a legit WR2 too, nice tandem to suffer together
-Kenny Pickett actually had a nice day, throwing for 8.4 YPA with two touchdowns. His deep ball to Calvin Austin was a pretty ball
-Najee Harris at least cleared sixty yards?
-George Pickens is starting to emerge as a more reliable target in Diontae Johnson's absence, catching 4/6 targets for 75 yards
-Two more sacks for TJ Watt, taking him up to six on the year. If he keeps this pace up, he'll be sitting right at about 34 by the year's end. What an insane ride that'd be
Eagles 25- Bucs 11
-Baker Mayfield came back to Earth. The quarterback was unable to take advantage of a defense that had given up some chunk plays through the air, only accruing 146 passing yards on 25 attempts
-With no aerial threat to help him out, Rachaad White was completely neutralized on the ground, taking his 14 carries for just 38 yards
-Mike Evans continued his strong season, posting a 5/60/1 line on the night
-Jalen Hurts wasn't spectacular, but with how bad Mayfield was he didn't really have to be. Don't spin my words funny ways, Hurts on a non-spectacular night is still a top tier QB in the league
-I thought Kenneth Gainwell's return would quell some of the momentum D'Andre Swift was building up. Wrong again Ted-- as Swift had two more carries than Gainwell, yet had 87 more rushing yards then him. This is the running back Detroit though they were getting when they selected him in round two of the 2020 draft
-Nine catches for 131 yards. Stop bitching on the sideline AJ Brown
Bengals 19- Rams 16
-Felt like a prime opportunity here for Matthew Stafford and he sucked. He barely completed half of his passes while also throwing for two picks, stifling any chance the Rams had at pulling out this road win
-Kyren Williams didn't deliver quite to the extent I thought he was going to either, only managing 65 total yards. A poor game script in the second half didn't do him any favors
-Not quite up to the standard he'd set weeks one and two, but Puka's 5/72 receiving line still indicates that this offense can go through him. I'm sure LA would welcome back Cooper Kupp any time though
-Joe Burrow also barely connected on 50% of his passes, while only throwing for 259 yards on 26 completions and a pick. Really inefficient showing, but I guess it's pretty confirmed at this point that he is actually injured
-Ja'Marr Chase finally popped, catching 12/15 targets for 141 yards. There was no way the league was going to keep him down all season
-Tee Higgins though...two catches for 21 yards. Outside of a few end zone trips, he's been statistically bad
-Six sacks for this Cincy defense, with two going to Trey Hendrickson. Stafford was uncomfortable in the pocket all night Monday
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@Choppinglines
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