Week 3 is in the books. Only three teams remain undefeated, and it is shocking to see that two of the teams are perennial cellar dwellers. Can the Buffalo Bills really be the lone remaining undefeated team in the AFC? Here are the Week 3 heroes and goats.
The Good:
3-0 Buffalo Bills
If someone ran a poll in the preseason asking which AFC team would still be undefeated after Week 3, certainly the Buffalo Bills would have received zero votes. Yet somehow after falling 21-0 to the New England Patriots in the first quarter, the Bills find themselves as just that. The lone undefeated team in the AFC.
You have to go back to 1999 and the Music City Miracle to find the last time the Bills have been to the playoffs, and that might be a game Bills fan may want to forget. These Bills have comeback from deficits of 18 points or more in consecutive games now which shows that this team is ready to come out and fight for 60 minutes. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing at a high level and his 9 TD passes are second only to Tom Brady’s 11.
3-0 Detroit Lions
Recently Lions fans have had to suffer through a 0-16 campaign and the last time they saw their team make the playoffs, the artist formerly known as Prince but now known as Prince again was still singing 1999. Right now the Lions are 3-0, and much like the Bills, they have come back to win games they previously would have lost.
In Week 3, they erased a 20 point halftime deficit to beat the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota, a place they had not won in since 1997. WR Calvin Johnson has six touchdowns in three games, and as long as he has QB Matthew Stafford throwing him the ball, the Lions will continue to win more games.
Wes Welker Is On Fire
The Patriots 5’9”, 185 pound wide receiver is on pace to shatter the single season records for receptions, TD catches and yardage. Wes Welker did everything he could to help the Patriots beat the Bills in Week 3, catching 16 passes for 217 yards and 2 TDs. After just 3 weeks, Welker has 31 catches for 458 yards and 4 touchdowns. If he was to continue on this pace, he would have 165 catches for 2443 yards and 21 TDs, all becoming single season records. With the way the Patriots and QB Tom Brady are throwing the ball, keep an eye on Welker because he may take a couple of those records down this year.
Until The End
If you are a fan of blowouts, you probably did not enjoy Week 3 in the NFL as 12 of the 16 games in Week 3 were decided by 7 points or less. That tied an NFL record, while 9 of those games were decided by 3 points or less. When both teams have a shot of winning the game in the fourth quarter, and the outcome is in doubt, it makes the games more exciting.
WR Torrey Smith Coming Out Party
Heading into Week 3, Rookie Torrey Smith had no catches this season. He played sparingly in Week 1 against the Steelers and did not even get into the game in Week 2, but in Week 3, Smith made a big splash against the St. Louis Rams.
Smith’s first three catches of his professional career all went for touchdowns. He recorded TDs of 74, 41 and 18 yards all in the first quarter of play. What a way to introduce yourself to the world in the NFL.
The Bad:
Tom Brady’s 4 Interception Day
Nobody’s perfect right? In Week 3, neither was Tom Brady as he threw for 4 interceptions in the Patriots losing effort against the Bills. In Week 1, Brady saw his regular season streak of 359 passes without throwing and INT get snapped on a deflected pass. Well, his second streak didn’t last so long, as he had gone only 87 passes without and INT before Bryan Scott picked off a pass in the second quarter and open the flood gates of INTs.
Another Head Coach Mistake
98% of the time, the players that play the game are responsible for the outcome of a game as they are the ones on the fields making the plays and determining how a game is played out. But every so often, a coach calls a play or makes a decision that affects the outcome, and this week some blame is to be places on Atlanta Falcon’s head coach Mike Smith.
Down 16-3 early in the fourth quarter, with 12:56 remaining in the game, the Falcons faced a 4th and 3 from the Tampa Bay seven yard line. Instead of sending in the kicker for a short 25-yard field goal to cut the lead to 10 points, Mike Smith kept his offense on the field and Matt Ryan’s pass to RB Jacquizz Rodgers fell incomplete giving the ball back to the Tampa Bay offense.
Being down 13 points with just less than 13 minutes left to play in the game is not the same as being down 10 points. Had the Falcons kicked the field goal it would have given them a little bit of momentum instead of boosting the Buccaneers confidence that late in the game ensured the Falcons would not have enough time or enough possessions to come back in this game.
Chris Johnson’s Houdini Act
The Titans have placed an APB on running back Chris Johnson. Since signing his four-year contract extension, a deal worth $53.5 million, including $30 million guaranteed, Johnson has gone missing ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD. Against the Broncos in Week 3, Johnson gained just 21-yards on 13 attempts for a pedestrian 1.6 yards per carry. For the season, Johnson has a total of 98 yards on 46 carries for a sub-par 2.1 yards per carry.
Maybe Johnson should have been in camp instead of holding out for more money. It’s OK for a player to ask for more money when he has outperformed his existing contract. What’s not OK, is for a player to disappear in games once he has been given that contract. If Johnson cannot correct this soon, the Titans might want to ask for some of that money back.
The Ugly:
Vikings 2nd Half Woes
In the first three weeks of the season, the Vikings have lead by 10, 17 and 20 points at halftime. However right now, they sit at 0-3. Is it possible to forget to come out for the second half of games? They have outscored opponents 54-7 in the first half yet they have been outscored 67-6 in the second half of games.
If the Vikings can’t find a way to fix their problems after half time, Leslie Frazier will be looking for a new job.
Backup QB Mike Kafka Two INTs
In two appearances this season, back up QB Mike Kafka has looked like a player not ready to lead a team in the NFL. This week against the Giants, after replacing an injured Mike Vick, Kafka went for 4-7 for 35-yards with two interceptions. The INTs are not the problem; the problem was his poor decision in throwing two passes deep down the field to receivers that were double covered. What’s worse is that both of those interceptions came on 1st and 10.
One thing is certain, if Michael Vick has to miss any significant time due to injury, the Eagles will not win many games with Kafka at QB.
Cowboys Center Phil Costa’s Bad Snaps
Phil Costa almost cost the Cowboys a win Monday Night against the Washington Redskins. During the Cowboys 18-16 victory, the 2nd year center snapped the ball early on four different snap counts and had several other shotgun snaps be low. Somehow, QB Tony Romo, was able to manage all of these snaps for minimal damage, and although Costa claims the defense simulating the offensive cadence, the center needs to do better at finding a rhythm with his quarterback if he wants to keep his job.
