What a wonky start we've had to this NFL season. Some say we've "reached the end of the preseason" now and things should settle in a bit, but not so sure that's going to be the case. Drama like this is why we watch, and there's been no shortage of it through three weeks.
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| Photo: Andy Lyons/ Getty Images |
Drake Maye's Debut
Jerod Mayo would've probably preferred Maye's first appearance to have been a scripted one, but it was apparent that Jacoby Brissett was not the answer on Thursday night. The Jets have a great defense, so it's no guarantee this'll be a long-term thing just yet, but the clock seems to have struck midnight on Brissett's most recent bridge job.
Aaron Rodgers Actually Looks Good
We've extensively detailed our doubts in the 40-year-old QB, and the Patriots aren't exactly a world-beating D, but Rodgers was spry in this one. He made a couple really nice off-platform throws, evaded pressure effectively and even showed some (inaccurate) zip on a few deep balls. Not putting all my eggs into this basket just yet, but he's got some more gas in the tank than we thought.
Malik Nabers: Superstar
Last week Nabers was a dog, but that was against a Commanders secondary that I'd catch a few balls against. His dismantling of Denzel Ward and the Browns was something to behold. Unbelievable body control, sticky hands, fluid hips, effortless speed. The kid is quarterback-proof and is going to be a big selling point to whoever the Giants try to bring in under center next season.
Deshaun Watson's A Joke
Eight sacks and two lost fumbles, many of which coming at critical and inopportune times. When he's decisive, Watson can look decent-- for stretches anyway. But too often he looks lost, hesitant, confused and frankly, apathetic. Cleveland paid a hefty price for this terrible excuse for quarterback play, reaping every bit of what they've sown.
3-0 Steelers
Mike Tomlin's masterpiece thus far. There may never have been a team that wins uglier, but that's what this game is about. Justin Fields looks comfortable in and out of the pocket, doing consistently making the right decisions. There's been a little success in the ground game to create balance. And that defense is smothering, although questions may remain if they've had a true test yet. Regardless, tip of the cap to Coach Tomlin and Co.
Ugly Chargers Football Incoming
The first three quarters of that Chargers-Steelers game were rough, and that was with Justin Herbert at the helm. We now get Taylor Heinicke and/or Easton Stick priming themselves those duties for the next few weeks-- a tough sell to even the most die-hard fans. Start hitting those unders.
MVP Candidate Sam Darnold
Last week, we brought up how Sam Darnold was on the inside track for Comeback Player of the Year. Turns out, we may have undersold it, because he should be in the MVP conversation. Legitimately, not a typo. Darnold currently leads league with 8 passing touchdowns, without two of his top targets having stepped onto the field. He's 3-0 with an average winning margin of 18.3 points and 13th in passing yards at 219 per game. Maybe the cure for any quarterback who'd received coaching under Adam Gase is a season under Kyle Shanahan?
Texans Offense Sputtering
Speaking of 18.3 PPG, that's exactly what the CJ Stroud-led Texans are averaging per game this season. Granted, it's early, plus two of those three games were against stout NFC North defenses, but this was supposed to be an elite unit. Dealing with some growing pains!
Fools Gold?
Did Philly expose the Saints? Derek Carr was much less formidable in the face of a decent pass rush and without the ability to truly establish the ground game. They still were in position to win the game, so don't sound the alarms just yet, but a pretty hapless offensive output regardless.
Fools Gold, circa 2022
Jalen Hurts is a troubling case for the Eagles faithful. He undeniably earned his extensive contract after the 2022 season, confidently leading one of the more potent attacks in the NFL. Since then, Hurts has had the most turnovers in league. Philly's 3-7 in his last ten starts, including a playoff dismantling in Tampa, with their quarterback play at the center of many lingering issues. There's plenty to suggest Hurts can turn things around, but something tells me Nick Sirianni's not going to be the guy to get him there.
Hoping Baker Mayfield Doesn't Enter That Discussion^^
Bad games happen, and it's not like Denver's secondary is completely devoid of talent, but really poor showing from Baker on Sunday. The darling of State Farm was incapable of matriculating the ball down field routinely, as the Broncos defense prevented him from making any splash plays in the passing game. Thinking this'll be more of an aberration than expectation moving forward for Mayfield, but worth keeping an eye on.
Bo Nix Looks Confident
The kid's looked better and better with each passing game for Denver, culminating with a dominant road victory as 6.5 point underdogs. He completed 69% of his passes at 6.0 YPA, adding 47 and a score with 9 carries on the ground. The Broncos are pretty thin as far as offensive talent goes, but Nix is learning to work with it.
Revenge Game: Complete
Malik Willis has started to earn himself some money as a backup, at a minimum. After a modest win over the Colts, Willis dominated all facets of the game against Tennessee, dicing them with his arm and legs. It looks like he'll be relegated back to the bench soon, as Jordan Love is set to return from his knee injury, but he's earned his spot on this Green Bay team for the foreseeable future.
Bad Vibes from Brian Callahan
Calling out Will Levis after his "little-boy" mistakes seemed a little harsh, although we appreciate the accountability. As a head coach though, your team is a reflection of you, and that ain't a pretty reflection right now for Mr. Callahan. The alleged offensive mind has produced an inconsistent attack that's overflowing with critical turnovers. You can only work with what you've got I suppose, but in a small sample size, things are going the wrong direction in Nashville.
Flashes of Brilliance
Apologies for those who suffered through that Colts/Bears performance, a true instance of how bad does either team want to lose. Caleb Williams was a big part of Chicago's loss, but he also showed some incredibly promising plays amongst the calamity, particularly with fellow first rounder Rome Odunze. Still lots of work to be done by Caleb, but he can hang his hat on a few positives from this one.
Flashes of Disaster
Anthony Richardson can't really say the same, outside of somehow, miraculously, managing to win Sunday. His second quarter interception was on the short-list of most pathetic throws ever, absolutely mind boggling. He didn't attempt a single pass over the middle of the field, threw 2 picks and only completed 50% of his passes. These were all issues with AR-15 coming out of Florida and it doesn't appear he's made much headway on improving them.
David Tepper's Red Rocket
If Bryce Young's trade value was at an all-time low last week, it's now discovering new levels to ground zero. Andy Dalton absolutely torched the Raiders in Las Vegas, throwing for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns. For reference, Young has thrown for no scores and 339 yards over his last 3 full games. Veronica Vaughn levels of bad there. Carolina really has no choice but to hold onto last year's #1 pick and hope he gives them (or somebody) reason to invest in his services.
Vegas Tends to Bring People Back to Earth
Can speak from experience. Gardner Minshew went from a king to a clown in just three short quarters, ultimately ceding way to Aidan O'Connell. The Raiders never looked remotely competitive as Andy Dalton took them to the cleaners early and often. Just a reminder that this team, despite some elite players, sucks.
Miami Without Tua...
Speaking of sucks. Jesus Christ, someone save Skylar Thompson from himself.
DK
DK was in our sit column for fantasy, advice we hope you didn't listen to. He had a 71-yard touchdown, putting the burners on display for the 12th man. His "Moss" of Jalen Ramsey was one of the most amusing things I've seen in a while. Metcalf's really clicking with Geno right now, the clear cut WR1 in a pretty skilled receiver room.
Have You Ever Experienced Such an Uncomforting Win?
The Ravens came ever so close to blowing yet another double digit fourth quarter lead. From 28-6 to 28-25 in a matter of minutes...just torturing a fan base. Some of the calls these referees are making on Baltimore though, absolutely ridiculous. Phantom contact, hits at the waist being called roughing the passer, safeties that weren't. Their players have to be frustrated.
Terrible Body Language From CeeDee
You'd think a guy who just landed $100 million guaranteed would appear to care a little bit more, but CeeDee was sulking right from the jump in this game-- while the Cowboys were still in it at that. His visible lack of concentration resulted in a drop and a more costly red zone fumble in the second quarter. He even acknowledged the attitude later in the week, saying he failed his teammates. Drama in Big D.
49ers are Crumbling
So many injuries. But despite that, they held a 10 point lead with 11:57 to go, thanks largely to a nuclear explosion named Jajuan Jennings. 11 catches for 175 yards and 3 touchdowns...an insane day.
But circling back! The Niners allowed the three scoring drives and missed a field goal in that final stretch, falling on the road to a division rival in a game they had been dominating. Not many expected them to be sitting at 1-2 right now.
Sean McVay Can Coach
This man refused to have his team fall to 0-3, helping orchestrate that aforementioned furious comeback. They won't have any offensive reinforcements for a while, so it's a bumpy road ahead, but the Rams have a steady hand in charge.
The Detroit Under Strikes Again
After combining for 30 points in the first half, clearing 51.5 felt very attainable. Then the Lions and Cardinals just stopped scoring until a field goal with four minutes left. Dan Campbell's offense has had no problem racking up yards but been far less efficient at finding the end zone. On the other hand, the defense has evolved into a pretty solid unit. Possibly a change in identity up in the Motor City. That hook and ladder was cool to see too.
Suffering Sam
After racking up 36 receiving yards Sunday, heavily hyped tight end Sam LaPorta's still under 100 yards on the season and is now dealing with a low ankle sprain. A sophomore slump if we've ever seen one.
Disappointing Kyler
Murray led the Cardinals to a touchdown on their first drive of this game, looking very much like he was going to carry over the momentum that helped fuel a 41 point performance in week two. Then everything stopped working. James Conner's inability to get going didn't help, but Kyler just wasn't good enough at home against an opponent he should've had more success against. Another notch in his belt of inconsistency.
Rashee Rice is a Difference Maker
Anytime the NFL wants to step in and suspend Rice would be great for any AFC team chasing the Chiefs right now. The second year player has terrific rapport with Patrick Mahomes, regularly getting open quickly and doing damage once the ball's in his hands. He appears to have taken the role of safety blanket from Travis Kelce.
Not All Clicking in the ATL
It's still plenty early and the Falcons division is a weak one, but expectations were a little higher for this group. Bijan Robinson and Kirk Cousins have been inconsistent, while the defense has been okay, but overall it's not the finished product many were anticipating. More than enough time to turn things around but the eye test hasn't been the prettiest yet.
Fire Doug Pederson
Genuinely surprised it hasn't happened as of me typing this. Trevor Lawrence is regressing at an exponential rate, getting benched for Mac Jones late on Monday night. The Jags are off to an 0-3 start after losing 5 of their last 6 in 2023 to miss the playoffs. The Bills steamrolled them, politely opting to not score more than the 47 points they did. It's not working and it's not even close.
Josh Allen's MVP Run
Is this the year? While Sam Darnold is in play for the award, it's impossible to argue that Josh Allen isn't currently in the driver's seat. He's doing it all with his arm and legs, elevating a makeshift group of pass catchers while helping James Cook thrive on the ground. Most impressively/importantly, Allen has yet to turn the ball over, a bugaboo of his for so long. A masterful start to 2024 for the Bills' QB.
Hello Jayden Daniels!
That was brilliant. 21-23 for 254 yards and two touchdowns, plus 39 and a score on the ground. These weren't easy passes either, JD was dropping dimes all evening on the crappy Bengals secondary. Terry McClaurin finally got involved, emerging from his hibernation to post an insane 4/100/1 day, while Zach Ertz continued to be fed underneath. The sky really is the limit for Daniels under center, taking the early lead in the OROY voting.
Overrated, Overhyped. Perpetually
One Super Bowl appearance. Not a win, an appearance. A few nice performances against Patrick Mahomes. Some hair dye and hype videos. That's the reality of the Cincinnati Bengals. Their defense stinks, their offensive line is bad and vibes are even worse. Top receivers Ja'Marr Chase (who cooked) and Tee Higgins were in all the headlines seeking big paydays this offseason instead of getting to work with the team, helping translate into an 0-3 start. Not sure Zac Taylor's seat is hot yet, but it won't be cool for long if something doesn't quickly change in Cincy.
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@Choppinglines
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