Week 3 almost felt like it was taken over by the Madden sim engine with the video game numbers put up by the likes of the Chiefs and Dolphins. It isn’t every week that we see a team put up 70 on a defense, especially in the NFL.
But as we all know, not everybody can be a winner. Week 3 left us with plenty of losers, so much so that I had an extremely difficult time narrowing it down to just three! It isn’t often that I feel bad for a fanbase, but to my Chicago Bears fans I am sorry. You won’t find yourself in this article as there is just too much to delve into about your franchise.
With that in mind, these are my winners and losers from this past weekend in the NFL.
Winner – CJ Stroud and the Texans
It feels like all summer we heard about just how bad this AFC South will be, yet after three weeks it has remained fairly competitive. On Sunday, CJ Stroud and the Texans took down the division favorite Jacksonville Jaguars. It was Stroud’s first win of his young NFL career, and through three weeks he has looked like the real deal.
Coming out of college, the biggest knock on Stroud was simply that he was a quarterback out of Ohio State. They are notorious for having incredible college talents under center, and them just never developing at the next level. But Stroud just might be different in the best way possible. Through three weeks he has the most passing attempts without an interception (121). He also has more touchdowns than the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
But at the end of the day, winning isn’t a quarterback stat. This Texans team has looked ahead of schedule in what some would consider a rebuild. Nico Collins and rookie receiver Tank Dell have been electric through three weeks. It is clear that there is chemistry between the three of them.
The defense has impressed too. On Sunday they held a good Jaguars offense to just 17 points. Will Anderson Jr. also had a huge field goal block. The young talent in Houston has stepped up big time thus far and it is looking promising in Houston.
Loser – Denver Broncos
If you lose by 50 then you are an immediate lock into my losers column. But with the Denver Broncos, it is deeper than just the fact that they lost this weekend. This is a directionless team that makes knee-jerk reactions to problems in their franchise. Their willingness to trade away potentially young talent for veterans on the back-end of their career is something that leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
This offseason we saw them trade away a first round pick to the New Orleans Saints for Sean Payton. A ton of talk came from the ‘bountygate’ head coach this summer about how the Broncos under Nathaniel Hackett were a disaster, yet here they sit at 0-3 with two embarrassing losses already under their belt. On Sunday they let the Miami Dolphins find the end zone a total of 10 times, while recording 726 yards of total offense.
The Dolphins are a great football team, we get that. But to allow this to happen you have to be extremely bad. And making matters worse it feels as if there is zero accountability from within this franchise. Even players are getting fed up with it. Whatever is going on in Denver clearly isn’t working and this franchise needs to be turned upside down if they want to succeed anytime soon.
Winner – Miami by a million
I try not to double dip when selecting my winners and losers, but it would be hard not have Miami here. Mike McDaniel is becoming one of the most beloved figures in the modern NFL, much in thanks to his quirky interviews. But what really sets him apart is the fact that he is an offensive mastermind. On Sunday his Dolphins put up 70 on the Broncos, and did so without star receiver Jaylen Waddle.
McDaniel just knows how to get people open, and he is very creative with the use of motion. Tyreek Hill is practically sprinting off of the line of scrimmage, leaving most corners in the dust before they even have the chance to react. It wasn’t just his passing attack that found success on Sunday though. Miami’s running backs stole the show as Raheem Mostert and Devon Achane combined for eight of the Dolphins’ ten touchdowns.
An even crazier stat is that Devon Achane ran for more yards against the Broncos than any Dolphins running back did in the entirety of their 2019 season. It was a historic day for Miami, and whether you want to admit it or not, many of us owe Tua an apology. Especially Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who a little over a year ago said that Tua would be replaced by Teddy Bridgewater. The Dolphins currently sit atop of the AFC East at 3-0.
Loser – Baltimore Ravens
On Sunday the Ravens positioned themself to take a comfortable lead in the AFC North. Playing an Anthony Richardson-less Colts team felt like a lock for Baltimore to advance to 3-0, but alas it wasn’t. I am not going to discredit this Colts team – it was a great team victory in overtime – but on Sunday it felt like it was often the Ravens versus themselves.
It looked like they were going to run away with this one early on. They marched downfield for an 80-yard touchdown and everything seemed to be clicking. But after that, things looked a lot less smooth. Whether it was because of the rain or the Colts defense, it doesn’t matter. They just could not get the ball rolling again.
This offense has dealt with some injuries, so this could be just a bump in the road. That said, many of this team’s issues on Sunday came from self imposed mistakes. Fumbles, time management, and sloppy play-calling could all be seen on Sunday.
The biggest surprise was that they were outperformed on special teams. Colts kicker Matt Gay went 5-5 on field goals, including a game-winner in overtime. Four of these field goals came from 50+ yards, which was a record. The Ravens are still a very good team, but games like this should be won if you want to make waves in a tough AFC.
Winner – The resilient Packers
After what was a disappointing loss a week ago, this Packers team turned the tables on New Orleans. They came into Sunday missing some key pieces like Aaron Jones, Jaire Alexander, and David Bakhtiari and late into Sunday’s game against the Saints they found themselves down 17 points. That did not stop Jordan Love from completing the comeback though, stunning New Orleans 18-17.
Much of this is in thanks to the gutsy call to go for two while down by 14. Matt LaFleur really turned the tides in this one with this call to go for it and it paid off big time. Many people want to talk about advanced analytics when they don’t work, but remain silent when they do.
One man who deserves a ton of praise from Sunday’s victory is none other than Rashan Gary. One of the league’s best pass rushers finished the game with a dominant performance against the Saints tackles. He would go on to finish with a total of three sacks and really put this defense on his back.
Jordan Love had a pretty forgettable three quarters, but he bounced back with a strong finish when it mattered most. On a critical fourth down he opted to take it into the end zone himself and put the Packers one step closer to completing this comeback. Matt LaFleur dialled up a good offensive game plan that was very play action heavy to counter the aggression of the Saints defense. The Packers may have started slowly but you have to credit them for finishing strongly and executing when it mattered most.
Loser – Tennessee Titans
As this Titans team struggles to stay afloat, I say that it is time to move on. Move on from the likes of Ryan Tannehill – he served his purpose in Tennessee. A new day is here, and with it the team needs a new leader. Will Levis and Malik Willis may not be the answer, but I believe that they both deserve a shot. A banged up DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks aren’t a terrible tandem, but something isn’t clicking.
This Titans team feels directionless, and just staying afloat isn’t going to benefit them any. We are witnessing an incredible draft class unfold right before our eyes and finishing middle of the pack is just doing your future a disservice. Much of your talent is aging. Kevin Byard is 30, Derrick Henry is 29, Ryan Tannehill is 35. Holding on to the these guys is limiting all that you can do in the near future.
I am not suggesting they tank, but the value that you could receive from moving on from the likes of Tannehill or Byard outweighs how much they could win in 2023. Give some of the youth that is on your roster a chance. They deserve to be in the starting roster just to see what you have to build on. In 2024 the Titans are expected to have $70 million in cap space, which should be plenty to rebuild this roster in a new light.
Quick Notes
- It was a tough week for Sam Howell who had a rough game against the Buffalo Bills, throwing for four interceptions and suffering the first loss of his NFL career.
- Jacksonville Jaguars are off to a very slow start in a season where many expected them to double down on success from the season prior.
- New Orleans Saints dealt with several injuries and suffered a devastating blow to the Packers, giving up a 17-point lead in just one quarter.
- The Jets are going nowhere with Zach Wilson, that is a given. But at this point what do you do? Aaron Rodgers is trying to make a speedy recovery, but is it all for nothing if they can’t compete?