The theme of Week 3 was crazy finishes. The Chargers managed a last-second victory over the Chiefs to take them to 2-1. The Ravens and the Packers won with walk-off field goals and the Raiders remained unbeaten with an overtime win over Miami. There was plenty of action in all of the other games too. Here are five takeaways from Week 3 of the 2021 season.
The Rams live up to lofty expectations
Ever since the Matthew Stafford trade, people have been hyping up the Rams’ prospects for 2021. It is still early days, but through three weeks they appear to be delivering on those high expectations. They dominated Chicago in Week 1, before a hard-fought win over the Colts last weekend. They entered Week 3 as narrow underdogs against the reigning Super Bowl champions, but ended up as convincing winners. Sean McVay has now led the Rams to 3-0 starts in three of the last four seasons.
The price the Rams paid for Stafford was subject to plenty of debate, but so far he looks like great value. This weekend he threw for 343 yards and four touchdowns on a talented Bucs defense. He has completely changed this offense for the better, with a much-improved deep passing game. Through three weeks the Rams rank fifth in deep passing yards, compared to 30th in 2020. Stafford has formed an instant connection with Cooper Kupp too, who leads the NFL with 367 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
All of this is coupled with a talented defense that are still causing plenty of problems for their opponents. Whilst they haven’t been as lethal as they were under Brandon Staley, they still appear to be one of the NFL’s best, ranking eighth in EPA allowed per dropback. Any opponent will have to be at their very best to get something against this Rams team in 2021 and their divisional clash with the 3-0 Cardinals next weekend looks set to be a fascinating watch.
Chargers deliver big divisional upset
Divisional games don’t get more entertaining than this one. The Chiefs entered Week 3 as 6.5 point favourite over Justin Herbert and the Chargers, but this came right down to the wire. There were five lead changes in this game, including three in the fourth quarter.
From a Chargers perspective, things are looking very good. Whilst they trail the Raiders and Broncos in the AFC West, they look like one of the more well-rounded teams in the conference. Brandon Staley has the defense playing well, whilst Herbert and the offense look even better than they did in 2020. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams look like one of the best wide receiver pairings in football and they finally have an offensive line capable of giving their quarterback time in the pocket.
It is a totally different story in Kansas City. They fall to 1-2, giving them their first losing record of the Patrick Mahomes era. They are also now two wins behind the Raiders and Broncos in the division. The big problem is their defense, which has regressed significantly. Through three weeks they rank 32nd in EPA per play and their opponents are averaging over 30 points per game. Mahomes and the offense will always keep them in games, but they will struggle to compete for the Super Bowl if things don’t improve quickly on defense.
Signs of trouble in Pittsburgh
Before the season began I said that I thought this could be the Steelers’ first losing season since 2003. Whilst there is still plenty of football to be played, it looks like this could realistically be on the cards. On paper this is one of the NFL’s best defenses but they haven’t been playing at the level we have come to expect. To make matters worse, the offense looks much the same as it did down the stretch last season when the team won just one of their last five games.
The offensive line continues to be a major problem. They rank 30th in adjusted line yards and Najee Harris is averaging just 0.3 yards before contact. It has also been a major factor in their one-dimensional passing game. Big Ben looks unwilling to test defenses downfield, but on the rare occasion that he is, he is not given the time. The offense is pretty much reliant on quick game concepts and checkdowns and this week epitomised that approach. Harris had 19 targets against the Bengals, the second most from a running back in NFL history.
This all makes life easy for opposing defenses, who know what the Steelers are going to do before it happens. They are able to sit on shorter routes and force Roethlisberger to check the ball down. The defining play of the weekend came in the fourth quarter with the Steelers trailing by 14 in the red zone. Roethlisberger decided to checkdown to Harris, six yards behind the line of scrimmage. None of this bodes well for their next three games, where they face the Broncos, Packers, and Seahawks.
A tough weekend for rookie quarterbacks
Spare a thought for the four rookie quarterbacks who started for their respective franchises this weekend. Whilst fans often expect their young signal callers to hit the ground running, this weekend showed that things often take a little more time. The rookies went a combined 0-4 in Week 3, being outscored by their opponents 38-111. Two of these teams didn’t even manage to score a single touchdown.
Perhaps the biggest surprise came in New England. Much had been made of Mac Jones’ strong start but he struggled badly against the Saints. Jones, who threw just seven picks in his entire college career, threw three against New Orleans. Things weren’t any easier for Trevor Lawrence and the Jags, whose loss to the Cardinals saw them drop to 0-3. Lawrence becomes just the third rookie in the last 40 years to throw 2+ interceptions in each of his first three games. If it is any consolation, the other two names on that list are both Hall of Famers – Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning.
These weren’t even the worst rookie showings. Zach Wilson and the Jets continue to struggle and this weekend were shut out in a 26-0 loss to the Broncos. The Jets have now scored just 20 points through their first three games. You also had to feel for Justin Fields, who was sacked nine times in his debut start for Chicago. The Bears managed just one net yard passing all game, the lowest total by any team since 2009.
Record-breaking Tucker rescues Baltimore
We are three weeks into the season but there are a few teams who it is still difficult to gauge. One of those is the Baltimore Ravens. They surprised many in Week 1 when they fell to the Raiders in Vegas, before delivering a dramatic win over the Chiefs last weekend. After that kind of performance many were expecting them to make light work of a poor Lions team who had allowed 76 points through two weeks.
Despite taking a 10 point halftime lead, this game ended up coming down to the final play. The Lions came out firing and had two big touchdown drives in the second half. Their defense looked pretty good too, despite missing Trey Flowers. They got after Lamar Jackson, who was pressured on 45% of his drobacks. In the end the Ravens had to rely on a clutch completion from Lamar on a 4th and 19 which set up Justin Tucker for an NFL record 66-yard field goal.
The win will have come as a big relief in Baltimore as they keep pace with the Browns and Bengals in the AFC North. Nonetheless, the manner of victory will be a concern. Their defense struggled to stop Detroit in the second half, whilst their offense wasted a number of big opportunities to put the game to bed. They have now won two games by a combined margin of three points. That kind of form just isn’t sustainable across a full season.
Week 3 MVP
Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns – Garrett had one of the best games of his career this weekend against the Bears. He finished with eight pressures and five sacks, setting a franchise record in the process.
Rookie of the week
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Cleveland Browns – Garrett wasn’t the only star performer for Cleveland. Owusu-Koramoah had a great day, getting three pass breakups and allowing a QBR of just 43.8 when targeted.
Stat of the week
109 yards – Jamal Agnew tied the NFL record with a 109-yard kick return touchdown against the Cardinals. He also becomes the ninth player in NFL history to have multiple 100+ yard returns in a single season.
