NFL Week 3

Every week of the NFL season is its own journey, and that was evident by some of the odd results this week. This week saw the Vikings get destroyed by the Bills, and the Patriots lose convincingly to the lions. The Titans beat the Jaguars 9-6. It was unwatchable, so I did not. The strangest result of all may have been the Browns getting their first win in 635 days.

This week’s scores were: Browns over Jets 21-17, Saints over Falcons 43-37, Eagles over Colts 20-16, Chiefs over 49ers 38-27, Titans over Jaguars 9-6, Ravens over Broncos 27-14, Rams over Chargers 35-22, Bears over Cardinals 16-14, Bills over Vikings 27-6, Redskins over Packers 31-17, Dolphins over Raiders 28-20, Panthers over Bengals 31-21, giants over Texans 27-22, Seahawks over Cowboys 24-13, Lions over Patriots 26-10, Steelers over Buccaneers 30-27.

Despite the oddness, a few teams continued to look dominant. The Chiefs scored at will against the 49ers, who are now doomed to mediocrity after losing Jimmy G for the season with a torn ACL. Washington and Carolina look like real contenders in the NFC all of a sudden. The Dolphins, whose great preseason got no attention, appear to be hitting their stride as well.

The Rams continued to display their dominance in their 35-23 win over the Chargers. Against a great defensive roster (minus Joey Bosa), the Rams’ offensive explosion continued. They finished with 521 total yards, and a whopping 33 first downs. Robert Woods finished with 104 yards on 10 catches, making him Jared Goff’s third leading target in as many weeks. The Chargers has chances to keep the game close, but inexperience and a couple coaching mistakes cost them in the end. On Sunday, the Panthers showed what their upside is when Christian McCaffrey plays well. He had a monster game 184 rushing yards, and consistently produced big plays. When he is doing that, it opens up the passing game and the read option for Cam Newton. Things will only improve once Greg Olsen returns. The Bengals offense looked good for the most part, but a couple of picks cost them the game. Andy Dalton was being assaulted by an improved defensive front for Carolina. Considering Joe Mixon was out, and they lost A.J. Green, things could have went worse. Ultimately, this game was about how good Carolina can be.

The biggest story from Redskins-Packers game was the stellar performance from 33-year-old running back Adrian Peterson. He finished with 120 yards on 19 attempts, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Alex Smith has continued to look like the right quarterback for this team. They were playing against a gimpy Aaron Rodgers, but still.

The Colts were full of optimism about their offense coming into this year, due to the return of Andrew Luck and new coach Frank Reich. Things have not looked quite right, and it may be because Luck’s shoulder still isn’t right. For Philly, Carson Wentz looked solid in his return from injury. He was moving around well, and he orchestrated a great game winning drive ate the end.

The Detroit Lions already seemed to be falling apart this season, and first year coach Matt Patricia was taking much of the blame. The team needed to respond this week to salvage the season, and they did it against Patricia’s old employer. The offense, which sputtered in the first two weeks, soared due to improved play by Matt Stafford and commitment to the run. Rookie running back Kerryon Johnson rushed for 101 yards on 16 carries, becoming the first Lion to surpass 100 yards in a game since Reggie Bush in 2013. On top of that, Detroit controlled the ball for over half the game, and Stafford completed 75 percent of his passes. As for New England, their flaws may be starting to show finally. Their limitations at receiver were obvious in the first two weeks, and they looked particularly bad Sunday (only three were active). That could be because Patricia used to be their defensive coordinator, or because the run game did not take any pressure off Brady. Or that Detroit took them out of rhythm by controlling the clock. The Pats offense, however, has basically resorted to hitting check-downs. It seems like double teaming Gronk is an effective way to shut down the Patriots offense now. Dare I say, maybe Bill Belichick needs to be more creative?

The Saints faced the Falcons this week, and it played out as expected; all offense, no defense. On a day where he set the NFL completion record, Drew Brees was 39-49 with 396 yards and three touchdowns. The Saints continued to utilize multiple weapons throughout the game. Michael Thomas had 10 receptions, and a NFL record catches through the first three games of the season with 38. Alvin Kamara, a running back, had 15 catches for 124 yards on 20 targets. Matt Ryan was no slouch for Atlanta, going 26-35 for 374 yards and five touchdowns. Rookie Calvin Ridley benefited from a clear matchup advantage in the slot, finishing with seven catches for 146 yards. It seemed like whoever had the ball last would win, and that happened to be New Orleans.

Eli Manning needed to play a great game to get the Giants’ fan base off his back, and he did exactly that. Manning finished 25-29 with 297 and two touchdowns. Also, with Houston still pressing in the fourth, Manning led a nine-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a short TD pass to Sterling Shepard. The Giants’ big three of skill guys came up huge. Beckham had 109 recedingyards, Shepard had 80, and Saquon Barkley had 82 rushing yards with 35 yards receiving. Also, the Giants finally benched tackle Ereck Flowers for Chad Wheeler, which may have helped. The Texans continue to show their flaws, which are costly despite their ability in most areas. Their running game and o-line played very poorly, making Deshaun Watson’s job virtually impossible. He finished 24-40 with 385 yards and two TDs. He also threw a bad pick to Alec Ogletree while Houston was trying to make a comeback. He still has great ability, but he does not seem the same as last year. Time will tell whether he has truly digressed, or if the team’s flaws have become too great for him to overcome.

Seattle looked improved on offense this week, and much of that was due to recommitting to the run game. Chris Carson finished 102 yards and a TD on 32 carries. He saw increased playing time after first round pick Rashaad Penny fumbled, and Carson made the most of it. Russell Wilson was 16-26 for 192 yards and two TDs. The sluggish Cowboys’ offense continued to struggle Sunday, with Dak Prescott only throwing for 168 yards and 2 picks on 19-34 attempts. He has failed to surpass 200 yards for nine of the last eleven games, dating back to last year. The entire offense looks different than it did when Dak was clicking two years ago. Dez Bryant and Jason Witten are gone, and the o-line is no longer dominant. They are obviously trying to figure out how to properly use Tavon Austin, but he has not come close to finding a consistent role. Dallas’ defense has been a pleasant surprise, but they will not be able to carry this team. The offense needs to improve, soon. As great as Ezekiel Elliot is, it’s hard to be effective when the other team can constantly stack the box.

On a final note, the Baker Mayfield era began in Cleveland. The energy in the stadium when took over was infectious and obvious to everyone. It’s only one game, but he may be the guy to finally make Browns football exciting again.

NFL Week 2

The second week of the NFL season has concluded. Some fans are thrilled two weeks in, and depression is setting in for others. It is still too early to make bold predictions (although I have a big one coming), but the true makeup of each team is starting to take shape. The scores this week were: Bengals over Ravens 34-23, Falcons over Panthers 31-24, Colts over Redskins 21-9, Titans over Texans 20-17, Buccaneers over Eagles 27-21, Chiefs over Steelers 42-37, Dolphins over Jets 20-12, Chargers over Bills 31-20, Vikings and Packers tie 29-29, Saints over Browns 21-18, 49ers over Lions 30-27, Rams over Cardinals 34-0, Jaguars over Patriots 31-20, Broncos over Raiders 20-19, Bears over Seahawks 24-17.

The majority of this week’s games were not exactly exciting. It did produce a bunch of big storylines though. It already looks like a Rams-Chiefs Super Bowl is around the corner (my bold prediction), although I constantly talk about not overreacting. Patrick Mahomes had another stellar performance, Ryan Fitzpatrick picked up where he left off, and Blake Bortles shut up his critics for once. The Packers lose controversially, and the Browns curse is downright depressing now.

The Patrick Mahomes legend was born last week, and it only grew more on Sunday. He threw for 326 yards and 6 touchdowns. He set the NFL record for most TD passes in the first two weeks of the season with ten. Although the Chiefs’ defense is not thrilled about allowing 37 points, they were playing one of the leagues’ most potent offenses in Pittsburgh. The fact that Mahomes outplayed Big Ben speaks volumes. Andy Reid has built an unbelievable skill position group in Kansas City, surpassing any of the great groups he had in Philly. Due to Mahomes’ arm strength and decisiveness, they are being utilized to their full potential. Barring injuries, the Chiefs look like the favorites in an improved AFC.

After an unbelievable week one performance, Ryan Fitzpatrick continued his success right off the bat. He threw a TD on a deep post route to DeSean Jackson the first play of the game. He played great throughout Fitzpatrick rarely strings together two good games, and these two were superstar level. Are the Bucs actually a contender now?

The Rams dominated the Cardinals in every way. Enough said. Arizona will likely switch to Josh Rosen at QB soon, but the Rams have no weakness in their roster. Keep an eye on them moving forward.

The Bengals have scored 68 points in their first two games. That doesn’t mean they’re ready to break their playoff curses yet, but Andy Dalton is looking like a top level quarterback. 

The Browns played well for the second straight week against a playoff team, and they blew it with missed field goals and extra points. Can’t make it up. Sports are better than any soap opera.

Possibly the biggest week 2 storyline was whether or not Aaron Rodgers would play against Minnesota on a bum knee. The decision for him to play came at the eleventh hour, and he was wearing a giant brace on his knee. It was obvious that Green Bay had a game plan to allow Aaron to get the ball out his hand quickly. Despite the fact that the Packers o-line played inspired at times, they had a tough task against an elite Vikings defense. The Vikings continued like a top tier team and Kirk Cousins showed his poise and decision making ability again. Their defense might be the best in football, and they continue to exhibit playmakers at all three phases. In the end of the day, Green Bay should have won. The roughing the passer call against Clay Matthews, which extended the Vikings game tying drive at the end of the fourth. Refs have a very difficult job, but the hit looked legal from every angle to me. It’s unfortunate, especially because the game ended in a dreaded tie.

In a rematch of last years’ AFC Championship game, the Jags have an entirely different offensive approach, and may have conquered their demons. After seeming afraid to let him loose in the past, and blowing a 10 point lead in the playoffs against New England last year, Blake Bortles was given the green light Sunday. And it paid off. Bortles finished 29-45 with 377. On the other side, Brady struggled, throwing for 234 yards. The offense was anemic in the first half, atypical of New England. He seemed listless at times against an elite Jags defense. All in all, Doug Marrone basically out-coached Bill Belichick. Jacksonville vowed to take Rob Gronkowski out the game, forcing Brady to utilize other receivers. It worked; Gronk was held to 15 yards on two catches. The Patriots decided to stack the box on defense to shut down the running game, although Leonard Fournette did not play. Their plan was unsuccessful, considering that Bortles played unencumbered, taking advantage of what the defense gave. 

The Falcons-Panthers game was sadly marred by Atlanta safety Damontae Kazee taking a clear cheap shot at Cam Newton’s head while he was sliding. The Falcons were without their two most athletic defenders in Keanu Neal and Deion Jones, who both got hurt last week. Everyone knew job of stopping Cam’s running was almost impossible coming in, so they clearly tried to take matters into their own hands. In general, bottling Cam up is the key to victory against Carolina. In week 1, Cam had more rushing attempts than Christian McCaffrey. I have always been critical of Cam for not having pocket awareness, but this offense has some issues that are out of his control. All their receivers elect for Jarius Wright look lost in Norv Turner’s system. The loss of Greg Olson makes the situation for Cam that much gloomier. For Atlanta, things are looking rosy again. Matt Ryan was 23-28 for 272 yards and two touchdowns. He struggled week one, as well as the entire offense, and fans wondered why OC Steve Sarkisian was employed. Now, they might just be turning the corner. It may just be one good week, or maybe Matt Ryan is finally building a rapport with Sark similar to what he had with Kyle Shanahan. The Devonta Freeman injury is tough, but the passing game is finally looking as expected. I never overreact to the Falcons, because you never know when the will decide to play poorly. But they have plenty of games like Sunday where they remind us of what their upside is.

Sam Darnold will be the story for the Jets all year, regardless of what else happens. He was again this week, but for less optimistic reasons. He threw a first quarter pick to T.J. McDonald, which was unfortunate considering he started last week that way. The return set Miami up for a TD drive starting from the 15-yard line, allowing them to grab early momentum. The Jets’ running attack was a huge factor week 1, but they were stymied by a superior Dolphins defense. Despite a slow start, the Jets offense did show life. Quincy Enunwa looked impressive for the second straight week, making tough catches and breaking tackles. At the end of the first half, the Jets pushed the ball all the way to the one yard line, only to have time expire since they were out of timeouts. They continued that momentum to start the second, scoring on a Bilal Powell touchdown reception to start the half. On the Dolphins next drive, the Jets recovered a Ryan Tannehill fumble. They appeared to grab the momentum, but Darnold threw an interception in the back of the endzone. Terrell Pryor did not make the proper break, but a veteran QB would probably know better. Darnold made a stellar rollout and throw to a wide open Chris Herndon, who dropped the ball on what would have been a big play. Unlike last week, the Jets looked undisciplined overall. The Dolphins did as well, evident by their constant bad snaps. Overall, it was a sloppy game, but Miami ultimately pulled it out. Miami looks like they could be a big surprise this year, but this game was more about Darnold. He plays on the edge, and always wants to make the big play. He needs to play smarter, but it’s a refreshing change from the Chad Pennington and Mark Sanchez philosophy this franchise has had. He is bringing a high level of excitement to the Big Apple, so hopefully his lack of experience playing quarterback does not become too evident soon.

After many questions about his merit moving forward, DakPrescott looked to have responded on the first drive of the game against the Giants. He threw a deep bomb to Tavon Austin for a touchdown, which immediately grabbed the momentum for Dallas. This does not mean, however, that Dak silenced his critics Sunday. He finished with only 160 passing yards, with 64 of them coming on that Austin play. The Cowboys won because they went back to their bread and butter; pounding the rock with Ezekiel Elliot. He rushed for 78 yards on 17 carries. They still need more production, but getting him involved early and often is their only way to win. As for the Giants, their quarterback and o-line are problematic like a year ago. Considering they have a first year offensive head coach, it is not surprising things are taking time. But Eli Manning seems lost, the line looks almost as bad as last year. They do not have the luxury of letting this continue, because they spent big money to sign OBJ and they didn’t draft a QB number two. Saquon Barkley will show his big play ability every game, but he is limited as an every down back. Unless Eli returns to Pro Bowl form (which is unlikely), things could possibly unravel fast for Big Blue.

The 49ers-Lions game was kind of a slop-fest, but somebody had to win. The 49ers pulled out a much needed win, but they almost gave away a 17-point fourth quarter lead in the process. Jimmy G looked slightly above average for the second straight week, making Niner fans start to question it he was worth the mega contract. He is not totally to blame, because the holes in the roster are being exploited now that teams have film on them. Outside of Jaquiski Tartt, the secondary seem slow and unimpressive. They have little linebacker depth, and DeForestBuckner is their only consistent pass rusher. They don’t have a single number one receiver, especially now with the Marquise Goodwin injury. They did look impressive running the ball, finishing with 190 rushing yards led by Matt Breida’s 138 (66 came on one run). The 49ers running numbers were skewed, considering Detroit gave up 169 yards on the ground to the Jets last week. As for their offense, Matt Stafford looked listless again until the fourth quarter. This type of inconsistent play is troubling, but it was still an improvement from week 1. KerryonJohnson is an improvement at running back, but he’s not quite good enough for Detroit to become a power running team. They have not had a 100-yard rusher in 70 games (Barry Sanders did it three times in a row in 1997). Ultimately, they have an elite receiver group in Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, and Kenny Golliday. A veteran quarterback need to find a way to consistently get the ball in their hands.

So another week is in the books, and things are slowly starting to take shape. I usually do not start declaring things until about week 4, but it is becoming evident who the best team are. So stay tuned, this season is still just getting underway.

NFL Week 1

Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books, so everyone’s emotional has turned from anticipation to either extreme optimism or panic. Overreacting to week one is commonplace; I experienced it myself as a 49ers fan. The scores this week were:

Eagles over Falcons 18-12, Ravens over Bills 47-3, Patriots over Texans 27-20, Steelers and Browns tie 21-21, Panthers over Cowboys 16-8, Bengals over Colts 34-23, Buccaneers over Saints 48-40, Vikings over 49ers 24-16, Jaguars over Giants 20-15, Chiefs over Chargers 38-28, Redskins over Cardinals 24-6, Jets over Lions 48-17, Rams over Raiders 33-13.

The Super Bowl champion Eagles won the season opener, the Browns came oh so close to pulling out a rare win. Khalil Mack immediately justified his trade value/new contract, and Aaron Rodgers returned to form after an injury scare in the second quarter. Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bucs looked outstanding, Kirk Cousins did enough to win in his Vikings debut, and Jimmy Garoppolo looked human for the first time. Most of the great defenses from last year picked up where they left off, and the mediocre ones looked the same as well. Jon Gruden also made his return to coaching with the Raiders.

In what was a classic shootout, the week’s biggest surprise was the performance of old journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Bucs’ QB was filling in for the suspended Jameis Winston, and Fitzy went 21-28 for yards, four touchdowns and no picks. The Saints are known for their high flying offense, and they still may have won if not for a couple costly mistakes. Alvin Kamara took the league by storm last year, and he looked no different this week. His workload was higher than usual due to Mark Ingram being suspended, and he took advantage. He had a 35 yard catch on his first touch of the game, and he had a TD run to end the drive. He had 29 rushing yards on eight carries, but he really impressed in the passing game. He had nine receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown.

Fitz looked stellar, but remember how we overreact? His first TD came on the opening possession, where he completed a 58-yard touchdown to a wide open DeSean Jackson. He lined up it the slot on the play, which he rarely does, so it was a great play call regardless. OC Monken aided HC Dirk Koetter in coming up with a game plan for Fitz, although Koetter always calls the plays. Koetter did allow Monken to call the plays come game time, and it looks genius now. Time will tell how big Monken’simpact is for the whole season. If the creativity level of this offense is really that much better, Jameis’ days in Tampa, and possibly the league, may be numbered.

This offseason, many wondered if the Chiefs has made the right decision to go with Patrick Mahomes over Alex Smith. Albeit just one week, but it seems to be paying off. Much like when Colin Kaepernick took Smith’s job in San Francisco, Mahomeshas the “it” factor and big play ability that Smith does not. Mahomes may have the strongest throwing arm in the league. This is not only evident on deep throws, but also in the way he zips the ball on short routes. His ability to throw receivers open is key for this offense which is packed with playmakers, most notably Tyreek Hill. Hill has been electric since he’s been in the league regardless, but the ceiling is so much higher now. He looked totally unstoppable week 1.

Packers-Bears was arguably the most exciting game of week 1, considering all of its ups and downs. The Bears got off to a great start on defense, and showed a new philosophy on offense. First year coach Matt Nagy displayed his unique offense on the first drive of the game. A series of misdirections and crazy formations led to confusion, and a touchdown. The offense stalled a bit as the first half wore on, but Mitchell Trubiskydidn’t make costly mistakes. A controversial number two overall pick a year ago, Trubisky looked very good in this game, but not necessarily enough to justify the pick yet.

The Bears defense played inspired early, clearly aided by the addition of megastar Khalil Mack. His presence was obvious all game, and he even pushed LT back into Rodgers on his first play of the game. Towards the end of the first half, he had an unreal strip sack, where he literally snatched the ball from Kizer’shands after totally disposing of two blockers. He also got a pick 6 right before halftime. He wears #52 like Ray Lewis and Patrick Willis, and he plays just as feverishly. Others like Akeem Hicks and Floyd held their weight as well. The Packers offense did look way crisper in the third, and things started to click when Rodgers came back in. Although he was far from one hundred percent, he led his team to a comeback win. He utilized the quickness of Devante Adams and Randall Cobb, and the offense in general made the necessary plays in the second half. Green Bay did not have much of a running game, which could be costly moving forward. But as long as Rodgers is healthy, the entire team is that much scarier.

The Bengals have struggled to find consistent skill players on offense since the Chad Johnson/TJ Houshmanzadeh days, but that may have a nice nucleus now. Joe Mixon had a very impressive game, finishing with 95 yards on 17carries, and also added 54 receiving yards on 5 catches. John Ross, who is arguably the fastest receiver in the league, caught his first career TD pass after missing most of last season. On defense, Cincy’s front seven absolutely dominated the Colts up front, so Andrew Luck had zero chance of finding any rhythm. He was getting smacked all game, and the running game never got going. Maybe they should have kept Frank Gore, who had a solid debut with the Dolphins this week. The Colts fifth overall pick in the draft this year, left guard Quinton Nelson, looked unimpressive in his debut. He displayed very little athleticism, especially when attempting to block upfield. Edge rushers Carlos Dunlap, Margus Hunt and Kemoko Turay had great performances for the Bengals. Hunt got two sacks, and Turay’s athleticism shone through as he consistently set the edge on the other side. Bengals safety Clayton Fejedelem made a key play leading to the game sealing fumble at the end, despite struggling to cover the middle of the field all day. Ultimately, there is not a bunch to take away from this game, other than how bad the Colts’ offensive line is. If that problem is not addressed quickly, that ship could sink fast.

Two new thirty million quarterbacks faced off on the Vikings-49ers game, and only one looked the part. Although Kirk Cousins did not wow me, he the consistent play he exhibited in Washington. He made very good decisions throughout, which is not easy being his first game as a Viking. Receivers StefonDiggs and Adam Thielen picked up where they left off, still looking like possibly the best duo in the league. Coach Zimmer looks like a smart man today, because the offense didn’t miss a beat after losing OC Pat Shurmur.

The 49ers looked bad on the surface, but maybe it’s just the normal growing pains they somehow avoided last year. Jimmy Garropolo threw three picks for the first time in his career. Marquise Goodwin got hurt, and Austin Pettis was really the only receiver that stepped up. The Jerick McKinnon injury was evident, though Matt Breida and Alfred Morris did a decent job in his place. It’s fair to chalk up how bad week 1 was to the Vikings great defense, but Garoppolo will need to basically carry this team to victories. The Niner defense looked bad. For both teams, it kind of felt like they will look better as the season progresses.

Sam Darnold made his much anticipated debut Monday night against the Lions, and he got off to the worst start possible. He threw a pick 6 on his very first play from scrimmage. Brett Favre’s first career attempt was also a pick, so it could possibly be an omen. The story of the first quarter was the dominance of the Jets defense.
The Lions only had 4 rushing yards in the first quarter. Darnoldthrew his first TD pass down the sideline to Robby Anderson at the end of the first quarter. Though it took him awhile to get going, his third down efficiency was stellar. He definitely showed his upside, which is huge considering he only started playing QB his last year of high school (he played linebacker before). He finished 16 for 21 for 198 yards with two TD and one interception. Matt Stafford and the Lions looked awful, so let’s not overreact to one win by the Jets just yet.

On Carolina’s first drive, I started thinking running backs could wear #1 now. Cam Newton played his typical ball, great running and average throwing, but the runs had something extra. Unfortunately Christian McCaffrey fumbled in the red zone, stopping the drive. Carolina won in the end due to unimpressive play by Dak Prescott. Both of these teams need to show improvement moving forward. Carolina looked exciting during many of their drives, but they seemed to stall in due to lack of attention to detail. It could just due new OC Norv Turner’s complex offense, so time will tell if everything clicks for Cam. He looked more comfortable throwing shord and medium passes, even if he wasn’t completing everything. Newton finished 17-26 for 161 yards, 0 TD and an interception. He also added 58 rush yards on 13 attempts, and a rushing TD.

The Seahawks had a long run atop the NFC west division, but they have clearly declined since. They had an offseason where Richard Sherman went to the hated 49ers, Earl Thomas held out, and Kam Chancellor was placed on the IR. The Eddie Lacy experiment didn’t work last year, leaving the team still searching for Marshawn Lynch’s replacement. With that said, however, they looked impressive with a bunch of no name skill guys. Wilson finished 19-33 for 298 yards with 3 TD and 2 picks. No one thought someone named Dissly would finish with three receptions for 105 yards and one TD. Although they lost, Seattle showed some life considering how much roster turnover they had. There is some potential there, they just need to capitalize on opportunities a little bit more.

Not every game this week. The Eagles-Falcons game was sloppy and boring to watch until the very end.
The Giants felt optimistic about how their new acquisitions against Jacksonville, but Eli Manning did not look very impressive.

The Dolphins against the Titans was a decent game, but it felt tainted by the thunderstorm delays that ultimately made the game last more than seven hours.

Although the Patriots Texans game was close in terms of score, it never really felt in doubt.

So there you have it. Week one is now in the books, so us fans finally have something to latch on to. But remember, it is a marathon, not a sprint.