NFL Takeaways: Week 3
Photo from the Associated Press
We’re now three weeks into the NFL season and, boy oh boy, did we learn a lot about some football teams.
49ers defeat Giants 30-12
The Niners offense just continues to be an absolute juggernaut, but I wondered if Purdy’s luck regarding turnovers would change this season.
So far, it hasn’t, as the Niners QB continues to make some questionable throws that don’t end up as turnovers.
But hey, if that luck continues, this is a Super Bowl team.
Browns defeat Titans 27-3
Even if Deshaun Watson never gets back to what he was before, this Browns defense is one of the best in the country.
Like, good heavens. They are monstrous.
Lions defeat Falcons 20-6
A good win for the Lions after a tough loss last week, but the Falcons are in one of the best spots in the NFL this year.
The defense is solid. They have really good weapons. They have a good coach.
Desmond Ridder just clearly isn’t the guy, but that’s ok!
The 2024 Draft looks ripe for the picking when it comes to quarterbacks.
Packers defeat Saints 18-17
Did the Packers come back in this game because Derek Carr got hurt? Sure.
But they still came back.
And with Jordan Love in his first year, those are the kinds of wins to build off of.
Dolphins defeat Broncos 70-20
Sean Payton said that last years Broncos team was the worst coached team he’s seen.
But after three weeks last year, the Broncos were 2-1.
This year, the Broncos are 0-3 and have one of the worst losses in modern NFL history.
He won’t be, because he’s a name brand, but if he had any other name than Sean Payton would be odds on favorite to be the first fired in the NFL.
Chargers defeat Vikings 28-24
The Chargers tried their absolute damndest to give this game away, but the Vikings flat out refused to let them.
It was simply performance art between two cursed franchises.
I loved it.
Patriots defeat Jets 15-10
This was a normal Patriots-Jets game in the post Tom Brady era in New England.
It was not fun to watch, and the Jets lost.
Bills defeat Commanders 37-3
I called out the Bills for a horrid offensive performance against the Jets, as it was continuing from a bad run last season with plenty of poor offensive performances.
Since then, they’ve more than answered the call.
The Commanders defense is by no means bad, and they whooped em.
Texans defeat Jaguars 37-17
The Texans have beaten the Jaguars 10 of the last 11 times they’ve played.
Sometimes, teams just have your number!
But man, the Jags offense, which was deemed to be one of the best in football, really has not looked close to good enough so far this year.
Buying too much into their own hype?
Eh. Maybe.
Colts defeat Ravens 22-19
Bad weather and tons of injuries for the Ravens.
Don’t forget, the Colts beat the Chiefs last year too.
This is the NFL. Every game is tough, especially when the weather is bad.
I wouldn’t read too much into this.
Yet…
Seahawks defeat Panthers 37-27
I watch a lot of Seahawks football, and the Seahawks love to have close games.
I said this week 1 against the Rams.
There are close Seahawks games where it is clear they are going to lose, and some that are clear they are going to win.
I knew in week 1 that, even though it was close, the Seahawks would not beat the Rams.
But despite this being a one score game for over three quarters of it, I never once doubted that the Seahawks would win.
They’re a weird organization!
Chiefs defeat Bears 41-10
So, college football does this thing really well.
Two weeks before every game, they announce what time the game is going to start.
The NFL could learn from this, because this was the game the NFL deemed worthy of the entire country watching, when it was extremely clear that it was not going to be the case.
Maybe the NFL should go for the college method and schedule these things closer to the actual game, because nobody needs more of this.
Cardinals defeat Cowboys 28-16
As I said earlier with the Colts and Ravens game, sometimes bad teams beat good teams.
But more importantly, the Cardinals absolutely rule this year.
Sure, they’re 1 and 2, but they play so hard and everyone thought they were purposely tanking.
It’s straight up awesome to see them play this hard and give teams fits despite clear talent deficiencies.
Steelers defeat Raiders 23-18
Jimmy G? Not the answer at QB.
Josh McDaniels? Not the answer at head coach.
It’s almost like these two were overrated from the get go, as Jimmy G had the easiest offense to run in football under Kyle Shanahan, and Josh McDaniels “brilliant offense” was due in large part to having Tom Brady be his quarterback.
I don’t know.
Just a thought.
Eagles defeat Buccaneers 25-11
Scorigami! (As was the Dolphins-Broncos game!)
Also, the Eagles, as I’ve said all year, are still completely fine.
There’s no reason to worry.
Bengals defeat Rams 19-16
Joe Burrow is very clearly not healthy, but the Bengals still got the win over a Rams team who has proven to be a tough out so far.
That’s some good news, but they need Burrow to get healthy quick.
Because this offense still does not look good.
