Around The League...Week 3

Well, there's no doubt that the NFL isn't short of drama or action this year. Week 3 had plenty, so let's dive into the top takeaways.

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Tampa Bay Wins (Sloppily) -  Ay yi yi. This game was a mess, literally and metaphorically. In a duel in rainy conditions, Tampa Bay looked like the team with more potential. Atlanta looked sloppy, inconsistent, and fell victim (again) to turnovers. There is no way this team will make the playoffs if they continue to look so disorganized on both sides of the ball. It pains me to say this, considering the team is loaded with talent and potential. Matt Ryan did his best, but without a strong offensive line, he fell victim to multiple sacks and looked like he had no time to even launch the ball. He threw interceptions and fumbled (on top of those nasty sacks), and looked like he had hit a serious slump. He needs to be able to make decisions smarter, faster and stronger...he needs to take control. He did manage to connect with Roddy White, Julio Jones, Harry Douglas and Tony Gonzalez, proving that the offense can work, but the O-line needs to step it up so that there's time to make it happen. On the flip-side, what's going on with Roddy dropping passes? He never does that! It's so unusual...I get it, it was raining, not an excuse, quite frankly. Especially for a Pro-Bowler like him. Harry Douglas continues to look studly, so if he can get open, Ryan needs to start relying on him. Defensively, missed tackles were (yet again) the theme of the game. I couldn't believe it. I could've jumped in there and snagged LeGarrette Blount (yep, all 5'4" of me!). Seriously, guys, c'mon. There were moments that looked fantastic and there were moments that made you facepalm and want to cry yourself to sleep (yep, I'm totally talking about the Corey Peters off-sides moment, among others). Redeeming factors for the defense? Not many. I guess Thomas DeCoud's interception counts. Then there's Matt Bosher...yep, gonna leave it at that. So what do I think? I think a few things need to happen. One of which needs to include letting Matt Ryan be Matt Ryan. Let him call more plays and run a no-huddle offense. Something needs to be done about the O-line...there are no words to even articulate how abysmal it looked. Defense...it's all about the secondary...just as it always has been. I hope that there's a sense of urgency and a fire lit under them, because that's a big NFC South loss. By the way...Matt Bryant, thank the good Lord for you...because you're the most stable and consistent kicker of all time. In life. Period, the end.

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As far as the Buccaneers go, they looked equally sloppy, but were able to pull out a big win. Josh Freeman is going to have an incredible career as an NFL quarterback...believe it. Despite throwing a couple of picks and having his moments of uncertainty, he looked like he's about to grow into the big boy quarterback shoes he's been placed in. Can you tell I'm impressed? LeGarrette Blount is insane. I hate to admit it, but he's legit. Their offense is about to hit a big stride, and I'm thinking they're about to put away some big wins. What surprised me this time around, though, was their defense. Turner did nothing, Ryan did nothing, and they looked like they had become supermen in the off season. They forced multiple turnovers and sacked Ryan 4 times. Moral of the story? I think Raheem Morris' Bucs are about to come into the picture in a very real way, and they have absolutely started on the right foot. I'm looking forward to watching more of them this season.

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The Ravens Steamroll The Rams - Woahza. A massive 37-7 win by the Baltimore Ravens certainly makes a statement, doesn't it? Joe Flacco looks like he's a new man this season, and threw for a career-high 389 yards. Flacco's favorite target? Rookie Torrey Smith. Smith caught an impressive three touchdown passes...in the first quarter. I know, right? Impressive. It became clear that Flacco and his offensive line were ready for St. Louis' blitz package, which they ran just about every play (or so it seemed). The Ravens' defense seemed to match their offense with hunger, drive and passion. Let's just face it, they all played like a boss. Ray Lewis did what he does best, and stripped the ball from Rams QB Sam Bradford, which resulted in a pickup by Ravens defensive lineman Haloti Ngata who returned the ball to the end zone for a touchdown. Yup. That's a whoopin'.

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Poor St. Louis. It hurts my soul to see them lose like this. Sam Bradford is one of my favorite up-and-coming QBs in the league, and I am just itching to see him succeed. I think the pairing of him and new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is a good one, but it needs to click (obviously). The only touchdown resulted from a pass from Bradford to Brandon Gibson in the second half. Bradford was just 16 of 32 (what!!) as he was, simply put, abused by the Ravens' defense. Speaking of defense, the Rams had none. Zero. Nothing. They were consistently burned and couldn't stop Flacco. What happened to the St. Louis Rams from the preseason? They had defense...where did it go? Steven Jackson was a non-factor in this game, and his injuries are a major issue. He's incredibly talented, but needs to get better before he even thinks about stepping foot back on the field. I can only hope to see better things out of St. Louis. I think they have a lot of people pulling for them.

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Detroit Finally Wins in Minnesota - Two words. Matthew. Stafford. Aside from being a beast on my fantasy team, he's made it abundantly clear that he is the man in Detroit. A healthy Stafford is an effective Stafford, and he's the one that will lead this team to the playoffs. Count on that. The Lions came back from a wicked score of 20-0 at halftime to prove that they're not the ones to be messed with. The Amazing Matt Stafford (new official name) threw two TD passes in the second half that launched the Lions back into the game, and drove it straight to overtime. Calvin Johnson also proved that he has turned a corner, and connected with Stafford for seven catches, 108 yards and two touchdowns. Keep an eye on Jahvid Best, too...he's a key part of that offense. The Lions' defense played poorly in the first half (clearly), but came out in the second half with a new attitude, just like the offense. Ndamukong Suh is the most passionate player I've seen in a long time. He is the future of that defense. It seems to me that the two sides of the ball work in tandem, which is a good thing...so when they're good, they're great, and when they're bad, they're terrible. It's a good thing they came out great in the second half. They all need to give a big ol' high five to their kicker, Jason Hanson, who kicked the game-winning OT field goal from 32-yards out.  Oh, and by the way, the Lions are now 3-0 for the first time since 1980.

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The Vikings are mediocre at best, but they still took a very difficult loss on their home turf against a rival. Brutal, no matter how you spin it. The defense worked well in the first half and held the Lions to -7 yards (yep, seriously). McNabb looked like he feels comfortable with his new teams' offensive play book and hit a stride with his receivers...in the first half, anyway. Adrian Peterson rushed for 78 yards and a single touchdown, which, to him, is disappointing I'm sure. I don't think this loss is one that means the Vikings are in for a rough year. I actually think they look pretty darn good. If they can get McNabb stronger and confident, then they'll be successful. Their defense will be decent, so if they can just get the mechanics right, they'll have a shot at the playoffs.

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Vick Goes Down...Again - Yikes for Michael Vick. Cheers for Eli Manning. Let's rewind, real quick. Last week, in Atlanta, Vick was knocked out of the game with a concussion. He started against the Giants, despite the injury. This week, Chris Canty knocked Vick down, bruising his non-throwing hand (despite initial reports that it was broken). Is it me, or does Vick have a giant target painted on him? While he was in the game, he looked inconsistent and hesitated when throwing. Eagles' backup QB Mike Kafka came in after Vick was injured and was immediately intercepted. Whoops, so much for that whole "dream team" thing. LeSean McCoy did look good, and ran for 128 yards and one touchdown for the night. Decent, especially after losing their starting QB. Defensively, they looked okay, but Nnamdi Asomugha does make a big difference for Philly.

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Manning was the man last night as he put up big numbers. 254 yards through the air and 4 TD passes is quite an accomplishment for him so early in the season. While he was certainly great, the real hero of the night was Victor Cruz. The man had two touchdowns and looks like a total pro. He is, hands down, one of my favorite receivers in the NFL. I think he's got it all (is he still available for Fantasy Football?). Ahmad Bradshaw had a solid showing, complete with a touchdown, helping the Giants gain the W. Aaron Ross had two interceptions and Antrel Rolle did what Antrel Rolle does. Game over, and a big 29-16 win for the New York Football Giants.

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Buffalo Wins...Against The Patriots - 34-31 thanks to a winning field goal from Buffalo's kicker Rian Lindell. Yep. The Bills won...not only did they win, they did so against the Patriots, the top contenders to win the Super Bowl. Could the Bills really be playoff bound? Is it possible for them to play for the AFC East title? All are realistic possibilities this year. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for an impressive 369 yards and two touchdowns, helping to break the 15-game losing streak against New England. Fitzpatrick is beginning to look like a real NFL QB, and may possibly be another bench-to-starter success story that I love so much. Like Detroit, the Bills came back from a serious 21-3 deficit at the half to achieve a big win. The Bills' defense intercepted Tom Brady four times. Four times!! What the what!? One of those four interceptions was returned for a touchdown by Drayton Florence. Stevie Johnson and Fred Jackson had big days, helping out their QB and putting numbers on the board. You'd have to be blind to not see the momentum that this team is gaining as they are now 3-0 and building confidence. I mean, I would have never thought this would happen so soon for the Bills, but I gotta say, I'm impressed and happy for both the team and their fans. It's been a long time coming. Hopefully they can keep the winning train moving along the tracks and can really show that Buffalo is in it for real this year.

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So what happened to the Patriots? Everyone (me included) expected them to cream the Bills. In one of maybe only a few losses the Pats will have this season, Tom Brady looked uncharacteristically rattled. His four interceptions in this game equalled the total number of interceptions he had all of last year. The brutal loss even overshadowed a huge achievement by Wes Welker who had a career-high 16 catches and a franchise record of 217 total yards. Equally impressive was Rob Gronkowski who caught two touchdown passes from Brady. This situation says one thing: the Patriots are flush with talent, but it takes more than that to win. A lesson for many teams, actually. They have a ways to go, and they will get there, I have no doubt. However, this game was a stark wakeup call, and maybe one that New England needs.

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Tony Romo is One Tough Cookie - He might be the toughest QB I've seen in a long time (further proving naysayers wrong). He may not be the most accurate or have the strongest arm, but no one can deny his strength - physically and mentally and passion for the game. He fought through injury (a broken rib he received last week) and extreme pain to garner a big win in a rivalry game. We even saw him get a second pain injection (ouch) on the sidelines. He continually had wobbled snaps (thanks to his center and miffed snap count) and somehow couldn't quite get all the way in for a touchdown, but by goodness, he and the Cowboys fought hard for it. But here's the question, are the Cowboys really any good? By all measures, this game was really just...disappointing. Romo couldn't throw a TD pass and they relied on Dan Bailey to save the day with six field goals. Dez Bryant and Jason Witten also played hurt and stepped up big time to perform decently, I suppose. (They really need Miles Austin back). The Cowboys' defense generally looked improved, but certainly looked like they finally had the heart and motivation they've been talking about over the past few years. Anthony Spencer did come flying in with a forced fumble that Sean Lee recovered, stripping away any chance the Redskins had for a last second touchdown. The Cowboys looked like they had an infusion of hope put back into them, and already are improved from last year's terrible start, and move to 2-1.

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The Washington Redskins, on the other hand, do what they always do. They come close, but not quite there. The defense laid into Romo pretty heavily, and even I had to to turn away a few times after watching some bone crushing hits on the already-injured QB. At least the 'Skins took advantage of a weak point in the Cowboys' offense? (I'm not totally sure how I feel about that, but that's the game). Rex Grossman...yikes. What more can you say about Rex Grossman? One touchdown pass a quarterback does not make. On the other hand, Roy Helu did have a decent game...so there's always that. Similarly to the Cowboys, most of Washington's points came from their kicker, Graham Gano, despite having one field goal blocked. Well, Mike Shanahan, you have a big job in front of you to figure out what went wrong and making appropriate changes on the field. Good luck.

Other Things Worth Noting:

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• Browns Beat Miami  - A win is a win, right?  A one point victory (17-16) for Cleveland is a moral victory. Things worth noting from this game? Colt McCoy looks good and continues to improve while Miami's defense is absolutely terrible.
• Maybe Oakland Is For Real - A big win over the highly-touted NY Jets, the Raiders are back on the NFL radar.  The Raiders' defense is fierce and they're the ones that won this game.
• Houston is Good...New Orleans is Better - Drew Brees is incredible. His 370 yards and three TD's feel like they can only be achieved in video games. Mark Ingram also showed up when it mattered for the Saints with his first NFL touchdown. The win proves that NOLA is still a force to be reckoned with; however, the Texans are the real deal. Matt Schaub and company really gave the Saints a run for their money, and I really believe this is going to be a statement year for Houston.
• 49ers and Bengals...meh. - That really says it all. 49ers won, but it was boring. The Bengals rookie QB Andy Dalton needs a lot of work.
• The Broncos Continue to Break My Heart - Woe is a Donkeys fan. Seriously. Kyle Orton was intercepted twice and sacked once. I guess Denver's defense was good enough, but goodness gracious. Ugly. But hey, nice work on the part of the Titans.
• Carolina Snags First Win - Granted, it was against Jacksonville, but it's still a win for Cam Newton and his team. The 16-10 victory was a moral one for the Panthers, too, especially after playing surprisingly well in their past two games. Jacksonville's rookie QB Blaine Gabbert did ok and did have a touchdown pass, but it was really Maurice Jones-Drew who carried any offense the Jags could muster. Yay for Panthers, Yikes for Jaguars. 
• Chargers Edge Out Chiefs - San Diego eked out a 20-17 win against Kansas City that was only sealed because Chiefs QB Matt Cassel was intercepted by Eric Weddle. Bottom line on this one? Chargers look mediocre and hopefully can improve, and Kansas City is still decimated by injuries. 
• Green Bay Still Looks Great - The Packers pulled out a 27-17 win against the Chicago Bears, only adding fuel to their intense rivalry. As usual, Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley showed up big, while Chicago fell flat. Jay Cutler had an impressive 302 yards but was intercepted twice. Ok, so I admit, the Packers may have been a bit sloppy, but they still looked awesome. So what's the lesson here?  Green Bay > Everyone else.
• Seahawks Win Over Cardinals - Yup. I got nothing. Larry Fitzgerald is awesome. That's about it.
• Indy ALMOST Wins - Poor Colts. They came so close to beating the Pittsburgh Steelers and showing that all hope isn't lost. With Petyon Manning still out (and as owner Jim Irsay announced today, he's likely out for the season), backup Kerry Collins started and then later was knocked out with a concussion. In came 3rd stringer Curtis Painter. Painter is clearly in need of coaching but isn't totally bad. He's got potential, I'll leave it at that. Joseph Addai was the hero for Indy and brought the Colts back up to be neck-and-neck with the Steelers. A last second field goal by Shaun Suisham sealed the win for Pittsburgh, but it was ugly. Not sure what's going on with the Steelers this year, but they should consider figuring it out...fast.

Got comments, questions, compliments, or anger to unleash? Do it in the comments below, please!

Til next time...
S.