*some information courtesy of espn.com

Three weeks in and things are starting to get interesting! There were quite a few shockers in this week’s rundown so let’s get started. 

__

Steelers @ Browns

This AFC North rivalry kicked off Week 3 and it was a great start to all the action. The final score was 17-29, Browns. Jacoby Brissett threw two touchdowns, Nick Chubb ran for a touchdown as well. The two biggest stories of this game was the avoidance of a Cleveland collapse to their bitter rivals. The Browns built a nine point lead behind Chubb’s ground effort. The second storyline to follow is the rocky play of quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Trubisky threw for a below-average 207 yards with no touchdowns with a very poor QBR of 56.6. In terms of how the rocky signal-caller play affected the team; Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin had this to say, “I think Mitch made some plays, but we all collectively came up short”. The Steelers’ battled to 23-17 with veteran kicker Chris Boswell’s field goal with 1:29 left in the game. An onside kick ensued, the Browns recovered and swiftly wrapped up the game with a frantically tied bow. 

__

Texans @ Bears

The Bears won a stunner against the Texans. In a game that most would have wrote off as a snooze-fest, Roquan Smith had other plans. Smith set up the Bears’ offense to take the victory after intercepting Davis Mills deep in Texans territory. The final score was 23-20, Bears. Khalil Herbert stepped up for Chi-town when David Montgomery went down with knee and ankle injuries respectively. Herbert was the spark Chicago needed to get Cairo Santos into field goal range, which was a decent 30 yard chip shot. As the ball sailed in, the Bears’ have Smith to thank for a heroic defensive play. 

__

Raiders @ Titans

Well, one of these two teams were going to end up 0-3 after they battled each other Sunday in a close game that ended with a final score of 24-22, Titans. The two-tone blue squeak into the win column after a devastating start to the season. Ryan Tannehill threw for 264 yards on 19 of 27 attempts for one touchdown with one interception on the day. Derrick Henry had a decent day at the office with 85 yards rushing and a respectable 58 yards receiving for one touchdown. For Las Vegas, the gamble for Adams doesn’t look to have paid off. Derek Carr had a very average outing with a completion to attempt ratio of 26/44 with touchdowns and one interception. At least with the way the Raiders are playing right now, I see the Raiders inch closer and closer to that panic button each week. Vegas played from behind the entire game, which is a terrible sign no matter how you spin it. If the Raiders don’t get back to the drawing board quickly, their season could be in jeopardy and trouble will be brewing in Sin City. 

__

Colts @ Chiefs

This outcome isn’t what I expected to see when the Colts traveled to Arrowhead. The Colts took down the Chiefs on Sunday by three with a final score of 17-20, Colts. Matt Ryan led the drive to score by finding rookie Jelani Woods on a 12-yard reception to take the lead with 24 seconds left. The two rookie pass-catchers would really make their presence felt. The previously mentioned Jelani Woods as well as Alec Pierce caught a touchdown each. Rodney McLeod Jr’s interception would seal the game. Patrick Mahomes and company looked human in this matchup, which is not something most NFL fans are accustomed to hearing. 

__

Bills @ Dolphins

This game was a rollercoaster to say the least. Tua got rocked into next week before halftime, a punt got kicked into the backside of Dolphins blocker Trent Sherfield, and a last minute attempt at a game-saving win are just three things that happened in this wild matchup between AFC heavyweights. Tua would finish the game with 186 yards and a touchdown pass to River Cracraft. Josh Allen would have a decent outing, going 42 of 63 for 400 yards on 60.4 completion percentage. The Bills had an off game, but to the Dolphins’ credit, it’s hard to make them have one. 

__

Lions @ Vikings

The Vikings took a stand last night and made a very impressive comeback against a scrappy Lions squad. K.J.Osborn caught a go-ahead, 28-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins with 45 seconds left in the contest. The Vikings would go on to fend off a last ditch effort by Detroit, winning the game 28-24. Jamaal Williams scored twice with 87 yards total. Dalvin Cook would rush for 96 yards and a score before exiting the game with a shoulder injury. Missed kicks were a big story in the game. Greg Joseph missed two 56-yard field goal attempts for the Vikings. For Detroit, Seibert narrowly missed a 48 yard kick as it bounced off the right upright. Dan Campbell and company are on the come-up as the Lions are looking for their first road win since December 6th, 2020. Campbell’s first season in the Motor City ended with a 3-13-1 record. 

__

Ravens @ Patriots

This is a game that doesn’t tell the whole story behind the box score. Coming out of this game, the biggest story to follow is the injury suffered by starting quarterback Mac Jones of the New England Patriots. Reports have surfaced that Jones has a high ankle sprain and is likely out multiple games. Lamar Jackson had a very good outing accounting for five touchdowns on the day. The final score for this game was 37–26 in favor of the Ravens. 

__

Bengals @ Jets

Just when we thought the Bengals had been figured out, they go out and put a beat down on the Jets. I know it’s the Jets, but a revitalized Bengals team, is a good thing to see. This is a squad who looked like they had a lot of struggles to overcome in the beginning of the season. Joe Burrow threw for three touchdowns on the day which was sorely needed after his rocky start to the season. For the Jets, Joe Flacco certainly showed his age by throwing two interceptions on horrible efficiency, and no touchdowns in the game. For the Jets it’s clearly praying that they can keep. The ship afloat until Zach Wilson gets back. If I’m Cincinnati I see the beginning of this year as a blessing in. disguise. A rocky start teaches this very young team how they can battle back from adversity and come out a better team. 

__ 

Eagles @ Commanders

First and foremost, I think it’s time we give Philly its respect. I’ll be the first to admit that I think this Eagles team is dangerous. They absolutely routed the commanders in a 24 to 8 victory. I know the Commanders defense is not that good, but you certainly don’t want to take away from the high flying Eagles offense. Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown are a match made in heaven. Former Heisman winner Devonta Smith also made a statement in the win with a very impressive outing. For Washington, I wish I could say there was a lot to take from this game, but there really wasn’t. Carson Wentz was sacked nine times and did not record a touchdown on the day. I think it’s time the Commanders start digging into the depth chart and potentially giving a back up a go at the starting signal-caller position. 

__ 

Saints @ Panthers

Well, Baker Mayfield finally has a win in Carolina. Even with the word it was an average performance by Baker. Don’t get me wrong, average is not a bad thing, but Carolina needs more than average from the quarterback position. With a 12/25 completion percentage; that’s about as average you can get. Granted, it got them to win so the Panthers can definitely breathe a sigh of relief. For New Orleans, Jameis Winston had a difficult day; throwing two interceptions in the contest. In all honesty, I thought Winston’s days of throwing uncalled-for interceptions was behind him, but late in the game against Carolina, he slipped up. I’m not gonna dog Winston too hard because it happens to every quarterback. He needs to iron out those mechanics if they want to make a run in the NFC this year. 

__

Jaguars @ Chargers

It’s safe to say that Trevor Lawrence has arrived. I want to state that in this game; Justin Herbert was injured. But let’s start with the former Clemson product first, Trevor Lawrence played amazing. Statistically, he threw for 262 yards on 28 of 39 passing. With the win, the Jaguars snapped an 18 game losing streak. In my opinion, they put the rest of the league on notice that they are next up. For the Chargers, it was clear that Justin Herbert was playing through injury, but he still got outplayed. The scrappy Jacksonville defense was able to bottle up Herbert quite easily. Now, if you look at the box score, you’ll see that Jacksonville didn’t get a ton of sacks on the Chargers quarterback. At face value that doesn’t mean they weren’t able to control how he played. Sometimes, production shows itself outside of statistics. That’s what should be taken away from this game. 

__

Rams @ Cardinals 

In a NFC West Division matchup against the Cardinals, the Rams were looking to shake off the jitters that came with the beginning of the season. I believe they did that with an eight point win over the Cardinals the final score was 20–12 in favor of the Rams. Matthew Stafford had a healthy completion ratio of 18/25 and really became kind of a game manager in this match. I promise you the stigma behind being a game manager is not a bad thing. It’s just the truth. For Arizona, putting up 12 points is actually sad. While Kyler Murray accounted for 300+ yards on the day it just could not get the red birds enough points for victory. The question is: Do I blame Kyler? No, Kyler clearly played well, I just think that the tandem of Murray and Kingsbury just don’t gel together. 

__

Falcons @ Seahawks 

If you told me that the Falcons and the Seahawks were going to actually have an interesting game, I would’ve laughed in your face. But Cordarrelle Patterson had other plans. He was the star of the show as he ran for 141 yards and a touchdown. On Seattle’s side; Geno Smith genuinely impressed me. He threw for 325 yards with a 32/44 completion ratio. Offensively, the duo of Lockett and Metcalf still run Seattle. I don’t expect much to change in terms of the standings or even the outcomes for these teams in the long run, but seeing these bottom-feeding teams scrap it out against each other is always entertaining. 

__

Packers @ Buccaneers 

If there’s one thing for certain it’s that Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady will always have a battle it out affair against each other. This grind-it-out game was no exception. The final score for this game was 14-12, Packers. While it was a low scoring affair, I think Aaron Rodgers is finally figuring out how to best be effective with the weapons he has in Green Bay right now. That’s a great sign for somebody that was really disgruntled with the departure of Davante Adams. For Brady and the Buccaneers, I really think they’re going to be fine. This buccaneers defense is absolutely ridiculous. In terms of depth and strength. I see Brady being able to manage this team very well, and using his all-time great mind as well as ability to lift this Buccaneers team as far as he wants them to go.

__

49ers @ Broncos

The Broncos have issues, and so do the 49ers. So when both of these teams match up, it’s a complete and utter disgusting mess. The Broncos can’t score. Plain and simple, the Nathaniel Hackett led offense is absolutely terrible. Russell Wilson can’t make the adjustments that he needs to which hurt the ability to utilize the star receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. Also, the defense isn’t much better, which is a scary sight to see in the Mile High city. The 49ers are very glad they kept Jimmy Garoppolo that’s for sure. With Trey Lance out due to injury, they have a nice reliable safety blanket to go to in the quarterback position. So if that’s the case, why are the 49ers still struggling? For this game, it was the fact that Garoppolo was sacked four times. The offensive line has had issues all year, so that’s where they need to start fixing. 

__

Cowboys @ Giants

This NFC East rivalry was entertaining for the first time in a while. The Cowboys would get the win by seven with the final score of 23–17. The Giants three game win streak will not come to be. Does that immediately mean that the Giants are a terrible football team? No. They’ve made leaps and bounds under new head coach Brian Daboll. The Cowboys are just playing very well right now, even without the presence of quarterback Dak Prescott.