NFL Week 3: Recap

Written by: D.Wash.

Lions End Losing Streak (AKA: ‘Bout Damn Time)

For the past 21 months, the Detroit Lions have been the laughing stock of the league. They hadn’t tasted victory since December of 2007 and became the first team in NFL history to go 0-16 in 2008. After Sunday though, Detroit fans can wear their Silver and Honolulu Blue with pride once again as the Lions finally got a win. Sure, they beat a Washington Redskin team that has vastly underperformed and it doesn’t look like that will change any time soon. A win is a win though, and this team really needed it to gain some confidence. Props to the Lions. The Redskins on the other hand need to get on track if they plan on going even .500 this year, which is looking increasingly unlikely with each passing week.

Maurice Jones Drew Proves size Doesn’t Matter

MJD may only be 5-7, but I’d be afraid of anyone who could pull off a performance like he did on Sunday. He led the Jags to victory over the Houston Texans with a spectacular performance of 113 yards and 3 TDs. He’s one of those guys who refuses to go down on first contact.  Watching him carry the Jags to victory over quality teams like the Texans show why the Jags decided to make him the main feature of the backfield (and offense) this year. The Texans, a talented team, could use an easy win to right the ship. The Raiders at home next week is just what the doctor ordered.

New Pats Offense, Old Pats Results

After losing to the Jets, people in New England went crazy. Did it mean that the Patriots dominance over the NFL was over? Was the Patriots offense really as bad as it looked against the Jets? Was Tom Brady never going to be 100% because of his injury?  The Pats answered every question with a resounding “No” on Sunday. In the Patriots 25-10 win on Sunday, the offense rededicated itself to the rushing attack and it worked very effectively. Fred Taylor ran for 105 yards, a great performance against a solid Falcons defense. The running game set up the passing game, allowing Brady to complete 60% of his passes for a total of 277 yards.  The Pats defense also looked good, limiting Michael Turner to 56 yards and Matt Ryan to just under 200 yards.  If the Patriots can keep playing like this, with a solid running game and stone wall defense, then it could help Tom Brady better ease into the game and become the player that we all know and love. At the very least, it will win games… and that’s what matters in New England.

Sanchez Produces Against Titans Defense

As the weeks pass by, people (myself included) keep expecting Mark Sanchez to start making rookie mistakes and look bad. Yet as the weeks pass by, Sanchez continues to look more and more impressive. Though you could argue that the Jets running game or defense won the first two games, you can’t deny that Week 3 was all Sanchez. The star rookie threw for 171 yards and two scores (and ran for one rush TD) on Sunday, making a very experienced and skilled Tennessee secondary look below average. The Jets defense was also key in their victory as they not only kept Chris Johnson out of the endzone (Johnson did run for 97 yards but no TDs), but they also held Kerry Collins to a dismal 40% completion percentage. All of that equaled a big win for the Jets, solidifying their spot among the best teams in the NFL.

Favre = A Vikings Victory

By all means, the 49ers should’ve won this game. They limited the Vikes to 94 rushing yards in the game. Vernon Davis caught 7 balls, including 2 for touchdowns. They even returned a blocked field goal attempt for a touchdown. Last year that would’ve ended in a big 49er victory over the Vikings. The Brett Favre pickup in the offseason changed everything though. The Vikings didn’t need a 100 yard rushing game out of Peterson on Sunday. They didn’t need to shut down the Niners offense. When it comes down to the last play of a game, there are few men living or dead that you would rather depend on than Brett Favre. On that spectacular last play, Favre dodged defenders and finally threw 32 yards into the end zone only to have it caught by Greg Lewis for the game winning score. It was a play that Tavaris Jackson and Gus Ferrotte wouldn’t even dream of making, but Farve isn’t Jackson or Ferrotte. Favre doesn’t just dream of making those plays, he believes he can do it all the time. That’s why the Vikes picked him up, and that’s why the Vikes are superbowl contenders.

The Bengals Beat the Steelers!?!?!?

I don’t know exactly what to make of this. The Bengals trailed by 11 points going into the 4^th quarter and instead of merely flopping and collapsing as the Bengals of years past have, they buckled down and executed two touchdown drives in the final quarter while holding the Steelers scoreless. Their last TD came with 14 seconds left on the clock when Carson Palmer threw 4 yards to Andre Caldwell for a score. All the numbers should’ve equaled a Steeler victory, as they out gained the Bengals by 100 yards in the game. Still, it’s Cincinnati who walks away with the win. Was it because Troy Polamalu was out due to injury? Possibly. Carson Palmer was able to sneak in a couple tight throws that would’ve been difficult with Troy’s presence in the secondary. But what ifs aren’t important right now. What’s important are Ws and the Bengals earned it this week over the Steelers… That still sounds weird.

Rivers Off to Surprisingly Good Start, Chargers Offense Off to Surprisingly Bad Start

Most people figured that Drew Brees would be leading the league in passing at this point. If not Brees, than Manning, Brady, or Warner were all popular household names. Few people would’ve expected that it would be Phillip Rivers. Including his 300 yard performance on Saturday, Rivers has thrown for 991 yards this season. He’s hit a number of receivers and has looked very efficient. Despite that, the Chargers were forced to attempt 4 field goals in their win over the Dolphins. They were unable to perform in the red zone and had the Dolphins offense been able to play well, they would’ve beat the Chargers rather handily. Darren Sproles didn’t look electric against the Dolphins defense and Phillip Rivers couldn’t throw the ball into the end zone. If they don’t shape up soon, they could be in some trouble against the harder teams on their schedule (Pittsburgh, New York Giants, and Philly to name a few).

Indy Shuts Down Cards Offense

The Cardinals appear to be suffering from a superbowl hangover, lets all act surprised. The Pass rush from Indy was effective, and because of it Kurt Warner was forced into two interceptions and Larry Fitzgerald was kept out of the endzone. The running game couldn’t get started (no surprises there) and a team that averaged just short of 27 points per game last season, could only manage 10 on Sunday night. Peyton Manning was impressive yet again as he threw for 379 yards and 4 TDs. Donald brown was perhaps the biggest surprise of the night, as the rookie ran for 40 yards and took a catch and run 72 yards down the field and almost into the end zone. Donald Brown split carries evenly with Joseph Addai, a promising strategy so far that has kept both backs fresh and effective. It works, and the Colts will get W’s because of it.