The headline says it all. The Miami Dolphins gave us a new take on the safety, Jimmy Garoppolo brought back a version of the same play from yesteryear, and the Detroit Lions “Lioned”. Upsets, unbelievable endings, and a couple games that could cure insomnia. Week Three had a little bit of everything.
Miami Dolphins Football Has Arrived
FINS UP BABY! How can anyone not cheering for a team in the AFC East not love this team so far?
The Miami Dolphins proved they belong by holding off division rival and the most impressive team in the NFL heading into the weekend, the Buffalo Bills. All week people expected the Dolphins to come back down to earth after their unbelievable comeback victory over Baltimore in Week Two. Social media even showed the streets of Miami covered with Bills fans as if they were there for a home game.
It was anything, but a dominant victory. The Dolphins lost the total yards battle 497-212 and the time of possession battle by a whopping 40:40 to 19:20. If someone were to look over the team stats without seeing the score, anyone would’ve guessed that Buffalo won the game by at least two touchdowns. The Dolphins pulled off the ultimate bend, but don’t break game though, holding Buffalo to 19 points.
Two Chase Edmonds touchdowns and one from River Cracraft, along with 102 yards on only four catches for Jaylen Waddle proved just enough to hold off Buffalo. It almost slipped away in the final two minutes though. With 1:33 left in the game, a four point lead, and 4th & 11 from their own 1 yard line, Dolphins punter Thomas Morstead punted the ball off the ass of one of his own blockers and the ball flew back through the end zone for a safety. The play has already been coined “The Butt Punt”.
Only needing a field goal for a win now, Josh Allen nearly led the Bills into field goal range, but from the Buffalo 47 yard line Allen completed a pass to Isaiah McKenzie who was able to reach the Miami 41 yard line. With no timeouts, the Bills attempted to run back and spike the ball, but the clock struck zero before a snap could get off.
Miami now remains one of only two undefeated NFL teams and the only remaining one in the AFC. First year coach and already a press conference Hall of Famer Mike McDaniel is undefeated with wins over Bill Belichick, John Harbaugh, and Sean McDermott. Tua Tagovailoa leading an undefeated team is one of the early season feel good stroies. The Dolphins get another great test on Thursday night with a match up against the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals.
Up is Down, Left is Right, and the AFC South Sweeps the AFC West
Were we all wrong about the AFC West? The division that was expected to be the best in the NFL and host four teams with the potential of playing in the playoffs is now 5-7 combined (3-5 if you remove inner division games). Even more surprising is that the Denver Broncos were the only team in the division to win this past weekend after Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas all lost games to AFC South foes who previously had a combined record of 1-4-1. Kansas City experienced their first loss to the previously winless Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles was clawed up by Jacksonville, and Las Vegas ended up on the wrong side of a battle between winless teams after playing Tennessee.
Even though they are off to a slow start, it’s far too early to conclude the West won’t have multiple playoff teams. Kansas City may have slipped up, but they will be fine. Denver’s games have been about as ugly as any other team and the offense has been poor with Russell Wilson, but the defense is still legit. Los Angeles continuing to lose games to teams like Jacksonville shows a lack of growth, but that roster is too good to not be a playoff team. If the Chargers miss the postseason it’s “bye bye” Brandon Staley. The Raiders are the only team in the division that really need to be concerned. The division is likely already out of reach for them and they have to start stringing wins together to be relevant in what will surely be a wide open Wild Card race.
The NFL season is long and there will be lots of changes in the standings. Let’s just chalk the AFC West’s Week Three up to a really, really bad week in a very slow start to the season.
Brady vs Rodgers Turns into Battle of Better Defense
It was mentioned last week that the matchup of Aaron Rodgers vs Tom Brady, although still good, didn’t have the same luster as it would have in years passed. Yes, these guys are old by NFL terms. Brady would be getting senior citizen discounts if the NFL was a YMCA. The Packers/Bucs game had less to do with these two legends being old and more to do with the talent of both defenses. Both defenses are top 10 in points against and total yards given up. It showed in the Packers’ 14-12 win on the road. Green Bay’s offense looked good early as they scored a touchdown in each of the first two quarters, but that would be the end of their scoring for the day. The Tampa Bay offense once again struggled, not finding the end zone until their final possession of the game, but a failed two point conversion put the game out of reach. Thus far this season, both teams identity have been more on the defensive side of the ball. Both Rodgers and Brady are currently outside of the top 10 in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and QBR, something that is unusual for both. To Rodgers credit, he still is third in the league in completion percentage at 72.3%, living up to his reputation as one of the most accurate passers in the history of the NFL. At the end of the game Rodgers and Brady shared a moment. Will it be the last we see two all time greats face off or will we see a playoff matchup later this year? If the post season game is to be, it will likely come more on the backs of two very good defenses as opposed to Brady and Rodgers.
Another Classic Lions Loss
The Vikings won the game and I still feel bad for the Detroit Lions. Time and time again they just find ways to lose games. It’s not the devastating way that teams like the Vikings lose. The Lions haven’t been good enough to be in a high stakes type of game for quite some time. I’m not sure it would feel much better though. Regular season games are always a roller coaster for Detroit. The worst part? I may be critical of my favorite team as the Minnesota win had plenty of frustration, but I thought the Lions played like the better team. If Amon-Ra St. Brown doesn’t get banged up I’m not sure the Vikings win the game. That being said, I’m sure Detroit fans must be fuming at the team’s ability to close a game.
Up 24-21 with 1:14 to go in the game, Detroit missed a 54 yard field goal which game the Vikings good field position to work with. Three plays later and a 28 yard KJ Osborn touchdown reception was all it took to give the Vikings their first lead of the game.
Trust me, Vikings fans had their own lack of confidence of holding a four point lead with 45 seconds, but an interception by Josh Metellus with 17 seconds on the clock closed the game and bumped the Vikings to first place in the NFC North. Detroit now finds themselves in last place in the division, albeit probably deserving better than that.
I truly feel that Dan Campbell’s team will challenge every team they play. They have skill, are gritty, and Campbell has the confidence to take chances and not leave points on the field. Part of growing though is showing the ability to close out games. Detroit will figure it out, but I’m relieved it didn’t happen in Week Three.
Questions After Week Three
Can the Raiders turnaround their 0-3 start?
There best chance is next week against the Denver Broncos at home. Much like the Raiders, the Broncos made a splashy move during the offseason and are still trying to find their chemistry. After the Denver game, Las Vegas travels to Kansas City to play the Chiefs which seems like a sure loss at this point. There’s a very real possibility that Josh McDaniels’ team will be 0-5 entering the bye week before they play Houston in Week Seven. The Raiders are not only going to have little room for error against teams they are expected to beat, but they are probably going to have to earn a couple upset victories to have any hopes for the post season. It’s a truly disappointing start for the Raiders and this week’s loss to a previously winless Tennessee initiates the panic process.
What is going on with the Tampa Bay offense?
A “Guess Who” lineup of receivers each week due to injuries and a Mike Evans suspension certainly doesn’t help. The Buccaneers have yet to score more than 20 points in a game and ranked in the bottom 10 league wide in points scored, total yardage, first downs, and third down conversion percentage. It’s not necessarily fair to overly criticize the Bucs until they gain some health at the wide receiver position. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Julio Jones were all unavailable this weekend. Tom Brady is forced to make the offense move with guys like Russell Gage and Breshad Perriman. Tampa Bay’s two lowest scoring efforts also came against Dallas and Green Bay, who are statistically two of the top ten defenses thus far in the season. One positive is that Leonard Fournette is earning four yards per carry without the benefit of a decent passing attack. Give it a couple of weeks with some better health and playing defenses closer to the mean. Tampa Bay’s offense should be okay.
Can Doug Pederson get the Jacksonville Jaguars to the playoffs?
A playoff berth? Yes. Any type of run beyond that? No. This is the AFC South, let’s not forget. The Colts and Titans wins showed a sign of life for both teams, but Washington season opener aside, the Jaguars might be the best looking team in the division thus far. By default, someone has to come out of the division. Doug Pederson already looks leagues better than Urban Meyer did in Jacksonville and Trevor Lawrence looks like he is figuring it out after a strugglefest rookie year. The defense has also been outstanding the past two weeks, giving up only 10 points total. A division title and playoff berth would far exceed even the highest expectations for most realistic Jaguars fans. No matter who rises in the AFC South will likely be a home underdog considering the strength the conference provides.
Which quarterback safety was better, Dan Orlovsky or Jimmy Garoppolo?
In what was a game that could’ve put people to sleep better than NyQuil, one of the most exciting moments of the Denver Broncos/San Francisco 49ers, was a third quarter safety for the Denver Broncos in which Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo unknowingly stepped over the end zone line.
Until this moment, the most notable quarterback safety suicide was in 2008 when Detroit quarterback Dan Orlovsky ran through the back boundary as Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen was hunting him down.
The question as to which safety is better is a challenging one. A quarterback getting a self inflicted safety in itself is something that gives us all hope. Just knowing that someone who is good enough to play the most important position in football for one of 32 teams can lose all awareness of location helps me sleep better at night. It’s okay to make mistakes.
With Garoppolo’s version, he basically just stepped on the edge of the boundary. The argument for his safety being stronger is that he also threw what would’ve been an interception to the Denver defense had the safety not taken place first. In a world where we act as if there is only two options, technically the safety was the better one. Way to go Jimmy!
For me, the answer has to still be the original gangsta “Danny O”. Where Garoppolo seemed to just back into the edge of the end zone in fear, Orlovsky ran away from Allen in such intense terror that if they were playing on the edge of a cliff, he basically ran right off the edge like a Wile E. Coyote fall. Just being the original gives him bonus points as well.
Winner by decision: Dan Orlovsky.
“Everybody Loves to Hate-read Power Rankings so Go Ahead and Hate-read” Power Rankings
- Miami Dolphins (3-0)
- Philadelphia Eagles (3-0)
- Buffalo Bills (2-1)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2-1)
- Los Angeles Rams (2-1)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
- Minnesota Vikings (2-1)
- Green Bay Packers (2-1)
- Denver Broncos (2-1)
- Los Angeles Chargers (1-2)
- San Francisco 49ers (1-2)
- Cleveland Browns (2-1)
- Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
- New York Giants (2-1)
- Cincinnati Bengals (1-2)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1)
- New England Patriots (1-2)
- Indianapolis Colts (1-1-1)
- New Orleans Saints (1-2)
- Detroit Lions (1-2)
- Tennessee Titans (1-2)
- Carolina Panthers (1-2)
- Chicago Bears (2-1)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2)
- Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
- Las Vegas Raiders (0-3)
- Washington Commanders (1-2)
- Atlanta Falcons (1-2)
- Seattle Seahawks (1-2)
- New York Jets (1-2)
- Houston Texans (0-2-1)
Looking Ahead to Week Four
Next weekend is loaded with amazing matchups so let’s just rank them from worst to first based on level of watchability:
16. Jets vs Steelers: Miraculously, both New York and Pittsburgh have wins to their name. Let’s not let those wins fool anyone, these two teams are tough to watch. This game has sloppy football written all over it. It might be a close game, but chances are it will won’t be pretty.
15. Browns vs Falcons: It was unexpected, but Atlanta wasn’t the final team to get a win this season. With that being said, it could be awhile before the Falcons earn another. Cleveland is 2-1 and leading the AFC North, but they haven’t necessarily been pretty. The greatest reason to watch this game is to see how long Cleveland can hang around in the standings until Deshaun Watson returns and also cheer against them for acquiring him.
14. Seahawks vs Lions: Even with the devastating loss in Minnesota, let’s not give up on this Detroit team. There’s plenty to like. Amon-Ra St. Brown looks like a star on the rise, Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift provide some thunder and lightning in the backfield, and the offensive line provides good protection to Jared Goff. The defense has struggled, but they should get a confidence boost with this Seattle team, whose season opening win over Denver and Russell Wilson might end up being their season highlight.
13. Cardinals vs Panthers: Are there two teams in the NFL that provide less public opinion than Arizona and Carolina? Both are definitely bottom half in terms of quality, but not in the really bad of the bad. Kyler Murray and Christian McCaffrey are two of the best and most electric players in the NFL, but haven’t provided much for the wins category. Two teams that are basically stuck in the mud. The winner will just take one small and essentially meaningless step towards dry land.
12. Bears vs Giants: Two teams who are currently have winning records, but everyone is having a hard time trusting. Personally, I think the Giants are the more legitimate team, but I also never would’ve guessed the Bears would have won two of their first three games. Not sure this game paints anything more clearer, but hey, it’s two team about .500.
11. Chargers vs Texans: Coming off a brutal loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Los Angeles Chargers return to Houston where their 2021 season wheels fell off in Week 16. The Texans defeated the Chargers by a score of 41-29 in that game and was easily Los Angeles’ worst loss down the stretch that inevitably cost them a playoff berth. Los Angeles should and will be favored in this game, but as the Jacksonville game showed, they still have plenty of kinks to work out before we should really start taking them seriously.
10. Commanders vs Cowboys: Cooper Rush is 2-0 and doing exactly what he needs to do to keep Dallas’ record on par with other hopeful postseason teams until Dak Prescott returns. This should be another win for the Cowboys, but nothing will be a guarantee and the Commanders have the ability to play the occasional spoiler. The “Cooper Rush Keeping Them Alive” storyline gives the game more reason to watch than what the actual quality of the football will probably be.
9. Patriots vs Packers: The Mac Jones injury likely means he won’t play in this game (and possibly the rest of the season) and definitely hurts the expectations behind this game. At the end of the day, this game still features a team coached by Bill Belichick and one quarterbacked by Aaron Rodgers. The Packers should win this game at Lambeau, but maybe the coaching GOAT and Brian Hoyer will pack a surprise.
8. Jaguars vs Eagles: “The Doug Pederson Returns to Philly” Game. Fitting considering Pederson’s new team, Jacksonville, may have just had their best win since 2017 when they advanced to the AFC Title Game, the same year Pederson led Philadelphia to the Super Bowl. Jacksonville dominated the Los Angeles Chargers this week and have now outscored their opponents 62-10 over the last two weeks. The Eagles enter as the lone remaining undefeated NFC team and Jalen Hurts is proving he’s worthy of not just being a quality starting quarterback, but one of the NFL’s elite dual threat players at the position. Don’t overlook this one in Week Four.
7. Vikings vs Saints: The first London game of the season features two teams with plenty of playoff history. Thus far, Minnesota and New Orleans have plenty of work to do to convince people they will be playoff teams this year. Both have showed moments where they look great, but also a lot of head shaking moments. This game cold go any direction: Vikings blowout win, Saints blowout win, close and ugly, close and thrilling. The unknown of what to expect from the Saints and Vikings is what makes this game fun.
6. Titans vs Colts: As previously mentioned, these are the two teams that were expected to be the favorites to win the AFC South. Both started out with slow starts, but earned their first wins this past weekend with a Tennessee win over Las Vegas and a Indy win against Kansas City. It’s early in the season, but this is a big AFC South battle.
5. Broncos vs Raiders: No doubt about it, Las Vegas needs the home win. That importance alone makes this game a bit more splashy. Denver and Las Vegas both made big moves during the offseason to hopefully build rosters that could compete with the Kansas City Chiefs. So far that has led to no wins for the Raiders and even though Denver is 2-1, their games have been far from pretty with Russell Wilson struggling to produce offense. The Broncos could really deal the Raiders a deathblow if they are able to get the road win.
4. Rams vs 49ers: A rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game and the first battle between the two teams most likely to represent the NFC West in the postseason. Jimmy Garoppolo struggled in his first start of the season against Denver, but a home win over the Rams would help get the Niners back on track. On the other side, the Rams have recovered from their season opening loss to Buffalo and have a chance to take an early season three game lead over San Francisco in the division.
3. Dolphins vs Bengals: This weekend Cincinnati earned their first win and Miami now has a major claim as the best current team in the NFL. When these two offenses are at their best, they are two of the most exciting units in the league. A win on the road in Cincy would be another impressive feather to add to Miami’s cap this early in the season.
2. Chiefs vs Buccaneers: Mahomes vs Brady is enough reason to sell this game. A headline like that holds as much weight as some classic heavyweight boxing matches. Both teams experienced their first losses this week and will look to bounce back. Tampa Bay has really struggled offensively, especially with the amount of injuries they’ve experience, but will return Mike Evans. The Chiefs offense still produces points without Tyreek Hill, but will run into a very good Bucs defense. This will also be the first game between Brady and Mahomes since Super Bowl LV, Brady’s last title.
1. Bills vs Ravens: Two of the best teams in the NFL with two of the most exciting/best dual threat quarterbacks. Health has already been an issue for both, but they’ve still been able to earn winning records. Buffalo will unexpectedly be entering next looking up in the standings to Miami. A win over Baltimore would be a big first step in working back to reclaiming the top position. Josh Allen. Lamar Jackson. Stefon Diggs. Mark Andrews. This should be a great one.