Jets 31, Dolphins 28; A game with very little defense as both running backs (Thomas Jones and Ronnie Brown) dominated. A key kickoff return from Leon Washington and late first-half TD catch by Chris Baker gave the Jets the momentum after Miami dominated offensively for much of the half. Jets had two good 3rd quarter drives that proved to be too much for the Dolphins to overcome. Third down conversions were a big factor too as the Jets were 8-12 and the Fish were 3-9.
Ravens 26, Cardinals 23; For the second straight week the Ravens almost blew a 17 point, fourth quarter lead. Kurt Warner replaced Matt Leinart and led the Cards back to a 23-23 tie, but a good last minute drive set up a 46-yard winning field goal from Matt Stover. After two lackluster fourth quarters from their defense, the Ravens are lucky to be 2-1. I didn't like the personal foul call on Adrian Wilson that gave the Ravens 15 yards on their final drive. Ugly hit on Todd Heap, but I thought it was clean.
Packers 31, Chargers 24; Really stunned by the outcome of this game. I thought the Chargers would come out firing today after that embarrassing loss in New England. Credit the Packers' defense for being the third team in a row to slience LT. Brett Favre is off to his best season in years as the Packers improve to 3-0. The Pack's next three games (@ Min, Chi, Wash) are very winnable. Can you imagine this team 6-0? Wow! As for the Chargers, I still think they'll be fine in the AFC West, but they are giving up serious ground to the Pats and Colts for those precious first round byes.
Colts 30, Texans 24; Not the close game the final score would seem to indicate. A very ho-hum type of victory for the Colts as Peyton and co. won without sexy numbers. But they made no mistakes and took advantage of every situation. Might as well give them the AFC South division crown as they have won two road games within the division that they lost last season. The Texans fought hard, but this game brings them back down to earth after two impressive wins to start the season.
Chiefs 13, Vikings 10; I'm surprised that there was even this much scoring. Vikes' defense played well and Adrian Peterson brutally outplayed Larry Johnson, but the Vikings lack of a QB cost them again. What's Drew Bledsoe doing? As for the Chiefs, this is a terrible football team that got lucky to win today. It's going to be a long, long season with their Pop Warner like offense.
Patriots 38, Bills 7; Those who thought Randy Moss wouldn't work out in New England need their heads examined. Moss working out in New England was about as sure a thing to me as Lindsay Lohan checking into rehab again. This Patriots team could go 16-0, and they would embrace it unlike the Colts of two years ago. The Bills are an awful football team who will be fighting for the #1 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Eagles 56, Lions 21; The Eagles did everything right today (except for the throwbacks) to get off the decks and get their first win. I was amazed with how many people picked the Lions to win this game. Really shows how people buy into the week-to-week play of teams and not the entire body of work. The Eagles showed just how bad the Lions defense really is. They could have scored 70+ points if they really needed to today. Big reality check for the Lions as they'll lick their wounds and head home for a big divisional game with Chicago.
Steelers 37, 49ers 16; A game that shows just how much better the AFC is than the NFC. A third straight, very impressive win for the Steelers. With the Bengals 1-2 and the Ravens struggling late in games, the Steelers have emerged as the early team to beat in the AFC North. I also think, for the time being, the Steelers have surpassed the Chargers for the third best team in football. The 49ers are lucky to be 2-1 and not 0-3 this season. Like the Lions, the 49ers will head home for a big divisional matchup with the Seahawks.
Buccaneers 24, Rams 3; Jon Gruden is a tremendous coach. This team has had two dominating wins at home the last two weeks to open the season 2-1. If the Saints lose tomorrow, this division becomes wide-open and there's no reason the Bucs can't win it. The Rams are finished as they have lost 3 of the "easy" games on their schedule.
Jaguars 23, Broncos 14; The Broncos might be the worst 2-1 team ever in NFL history. After two, at-the-gun field goals against the dregs of the NFL, the Broncos laid a big egg at home against a Jaguars team that looked awful the first two weeks as well. But somehow the Broncos are in first place in the AFC West. The Jaguars are 2-1 as well. While the top 3 (NE, Indy, Pitt) in the AFC have been very impressive, the eventual wildcard teams could come limping home. Enormous difference between the wildcard contenders like Denver and Jacksonville and the big daddies in New England and Indianapolis.
Raiders 26, Browns 24; It's funny how history repeats itself sometimes, as the Raiders got to use a last breath timeout on a field goal this time. The NFL needs to do something about this though as it is getting really messy at the end of these games. Defensive timeouts need to be called before everyone is set. Freezing the kicker is overrated anyway, and its more of a fluke that its worked the last two Oakland games. Browns' QB Derek Anderson game back to earth after his Cincy game. How many people picked him up in fantasy this week? Good win for the Raiders who have played well (for their standards) the first three weeks.
Seahawks 24, Bengals 21; The Bengals' defense played a heck of a lot better. However, they couldn't hold the Seahawks from scoring late. Then to make matters worse they fumbled the ensuing kickoff to eliminate any late second chance of their own. But winning 3,000 miles from home is never easy, and this would have been a tough game for the Bengals to win even if they had been playing well. Good bounce back win for the Seahawks as they improve to 2-1 and get set for a showdown with SF next week.
Panthers 27, Falcons 20; Without Delhomme late, the Panthers found a way to eek out a victory. The bi-polar Panthers had a big game from DeShaun Foster on the ground. The Falcons should start Leftwich at QB, and see if that sparks the team.
Giants 24, Redskins 17; Enormous comeback win for the Giants. Down 17-3 at the half, it looked like the Giants were on their way to an 0-3 start. That would have meant a Redskins 3-0 start, and in effect a quick elimination from winning the division. Give the Giants' defense credit who were torched the first two weeks of the season. Jason Campbell was lucky to lead the Skins as far down field as he did on the final drive. They had much more time left than they played like they had. Didn't need to spike the ball on 1st and Goal, and they simply rushed the 3rd and 4th down rushes.
Cowboys 34, Bears 10; Cowboys making a great case for themselves as the best team in the NFC. Their offense has been very, very good the first three weeks (45, 37, 34). A terrible loss for the Bears. I thought people started jumping on Grossman too soon last year, but I can't defend his sorry play any longer. Is Brian Griese the answer? Probably not. With the trade deadline looming, maybe it's time for the Bears to go shopping. Their defense in the 2nd half was even worse. This Bears' defense is so overrated as they never come up big in the big game.
Titans 31, Saints 14; A horrible start for the NFC favorite, New Orleans Saints. They can still win a weak NFC South, but the 0-3 stat does not lie. Only a handful of teams have made it when starting that badly. The last was the '98 Bills. Bills' fans suddenly thinking we're not so bad! The Saints also lost Deuce for the season, making Reggie Bush the feature back. This will limit the trickery they can use with him. As for the Titans, this is an excellent win. The AFC South will be fun division to watch with all teams 2-1 or better.
Performance of the Week: Donovan McNabb. 21-26, 381 yards, 4TDs. Most of which was accomplished in the 1st half. Had they needed to score 70 to win today, McNabb probably would have thrown 10TDs today if he had to. Kevin Curtis was the beneficiary of McNabb's big day (11 catches, 221 yards, 3 TDs).
Goat of the Week: Rex Grossman & the Bears' D. As said before, the Bears' defense never plays well in the big spot. They are stat whores in games they should win. As for Rex, I wouldn't bench him yet, but you've got to believe it's coming fast. If you can, find Keith Olbermann's segment from Football Night in America that documented the many, many, many quarterbacks the Bears have had throughout the years.
Pat Morgan
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