Best And Worst Of NFL Week Three

Week three is now in the books in the NFL. There was a lot of stuff going on around the game this week too. The league made a big statement during the National Anthems, in both the United States and in London, following the comments from President Trump. Those events alone, gave us more drama then we care to take for one weekend. Once all that mess was done with, the action got underway. What a weekend it was too. Crazy finishes, huge upsets and uncharacteristic performances by some of the game’s best players were on the menu. We also witnessed one of the game’s all-time greats putting on a show that we won’t soon forget. Here's some of the best and worst performances from week three in the National Football League.

Best:
Jake Elliott, Kicker Philadelphia Eagles
It was a pretty big collapse that almost was for the Eagles. They had a 14-0 lead over the Giants and kept them quite for three quarters. Then Odell struck for a pair of scores and Eli hit Sheppard for a 77 yarder to give the Giants a lead. Wentz threw a touchdown pass to tie the game. After each team traded field goals, Jake Elliott took over. Doug Pederson made a gutsy decision to let Elliott attempt a franchise record 61-yard field goal to win it with time expiring. Like a dream, the ball went through the uprights to give the Eagles a huge win over the Giants, who fell to 0-3 on the season. It was the 5th time that a kicker had hit one from 61 yards out, the 10th longest kick ever. It was still three yards shy of Matt Prater's 64 yarder in 2013. Still, for a rookie to hit one from that far in this big a game, against a division rival, still a very big moment and a huge kick. Good one ya Jake.

Worst:
Baltimore Ravens
Boy are they glad they showed up in London. In the twenty two year history of the Baltimore Ravens, they have never lost a game by 37 points. They had also never played a game in London before this week. One may have had a major effect on the other. Jacksonville kicked the crap out of the Ravens on Sunday, blowing out the Ravens 44-6. No that's not a typo, that actually happened. Baltimore didn't gain a first down until late in the 2nd quarter. Joe Flacco was pulled in the game, after having a 12.0 passer rating and finishing with just 28 yards through the air. Baltimore turned the ball over three times, gained just 12 first downs and 186 total yards. The team’s vaunted defense, which had created 10 turnovers in the first two games, was helpless to stop Blake Bortles and his boys. Baltimore had better find their game in week four or they might be in trouble this season.

Best:
Stefon Diggs, Wide Receiver Minnesota Vikings
Talk about a hot receiver, you found one in Diggs. He was Case Keenum's favorite target this week. Diggs ran rough shot over the Vikings defense. Eight catches, two for scores and 173 yards receiving. No that's not a misprint, he snagged 173 receiving yards this week, the most by any wideout in the league in week three. Its the kind of day you'd love to have has a wide out every week. It may not happen all the time, but if you get it then take it and run with it.

Worst:
Cam Newton, Quarterback Carolina Panthers
It was a rough week for Carolina this week. They lost their best Tight End in Greg Olsen. Kelvin Benjamin, one of their top wide receivers, is dealing with that recurring knee injury that got to him last season. Newton had offseason shoulder surgery and barely played in the preseason. He had some setbacks in training camp, and he still doesn’t look right. The Panthers started 2-0, but Newton didn’t look great in either game. Against the Saints, Newton had 167 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. The first two quarterbacks who faced the Saints had 777 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.Bad week for Carolina's QB this week.

Best:
Kareem Hunt, Running Back Kansas City Chiefs
Another week, another dominating game by the Kansas City rookie. This week's victim was the Los Angeles Chargers. Kansas City got the 24-10 win over the Chargers, and Hunt went off again. He had 17 carries for 172 yards and a touchdown. Hunt now has 401 rushing yards on the season, and has also caught nine passes for 137 yards, meaning he’s on pace to total 2,869 yards this season. Best yet, Hunt’s touchdown on Sunday was the game-sealing score. As the Chiefs attempted to run out the clock he busted through the line of scrimmage thanks to some stellar blocking and took off like a shot, going 69 yards for the score. This guy has been playing out of his mind over the first three games, at the rate he's going, Hunt could walk away with the offensive Rookie Of The Year almost hands down this year.

Worst:
Marcus Cooper, Cornerback Chicago Bears
This play conjured up images of Leon Lett with the Cowboys years ago. This game had to go to overtime, a game which the Bears won over Pittsburgh 23-17, but it didn't have to be. Marcus Cooper, I'm dying to know what he was thinking when he decided to stop in front of the goal line on a blocked field goal return. There was nobody in front of him but thousands of loyal Chicago Bears fans right at the end of the half. He stopped dead in his tracks on what could have been a touchdown, and helped the Bears climb out to a fantastic 10 point lead. Instead Chicago had to settle for a field goal. Pittsburgh stormed all the way back and set the game into overtime. Thanks to the heroics of Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard, Chicago came away with a victory. But Cooper's mental laps almost cost his team a game.

Best:
Brandon Cooks, Wide Receiver New England Patriots
A big acquisition makes a bigtime impact on his team.. And it couldn't have come at a better time either. Cooks was the Patriots’ biggest offseason acquisition. They sent a first-round pick for the explosive receiver, a trade that I'm sure is paying off huge dividends for them right about now. He was a huge impact player for them in their 36-33 win on Sunday over the Texans. Cooks hauled in five catches for 131 yards and a fantastic game-winning score. Somehow he managed to snag the ball and keep the points of both his toes in bounds on the catch to give the Patriots the victory with time running out in the football game and New England down a score. Her has found a level of comfort with the New England QB and this is why they brought him into the mix.

Worst:
Trevor Siemian, Quarterback Denver Broncos
Siemian had started off the year like a house of fire, throwing six touchdown passes to start off the season. Both of those games took place at home. Week three rolled around and Denver took their show on the road to Buffalo. It didn't end quite as well for the Broncos, as Buffalo walked away with a 23-16 win. Siemian came back down to earth a little bit on Sunday. The Bills forced the third-year quarterback into two bad interceptions, the second being even worse than the first and both occurring while the game was still winnable in the fourth quarter. He was awful against pressure and will have plenty to fix this upcoming week of practice as he prepares for a date with the Oakland Raiders. Here's hoping it was just a blip on the screen and things will be back on track next week in a tough divisional matchup.

Best:
Washington Redskins Defense
After getting roughed up by the Eagles in the season opener, the Redskins have responded quite nicely the last couple of weeks. Washington pulled out a 27-10 win over the Raiders on Sunday night, and the defense was a MAJOR reason for the Skins victory. Rookie Jonathan Allen was a monster in the middle against Oakland’s talented interior line. Josh Norman, D.J. Swearinger and Co. have really stepped up their level of play on the back end as well. Derek Carr was frustrated all night long. Michael Crabtree was injured in the game after taking a big hit. In total, Oakland gained just 128 yards, converted just seven first downs and turned the ball over three times. That, folks, is domination on a whole different level. If the Redskins can keep this pace up for the rest of the way, or something like it, then there is a very real possibility that Washington could be playing meaningful football late in the season, maybe even beyond.

Worst:
Carolina Panthers Defense
Its a funny game sometimes. Carolina, who is known for having one of the more imposing defenses in all of the league, sure didn't look like it against the Saints on Sunday. New Orleans came away with a 34-14 win. This was supposed to be the first big test game of the season for Carolina's defense this year, and they failed it. Drew Brees missed on just seven of his 29 attempts, passing for 220 yards and three touchdowns. The Saints averaged 5.5 yards on the ground as their offensive line pushed Carolina’s vaunted defensive front around all game long. That's called getting smacked around in a big way. This team was supposed to be one of the more dominate defenses in all of thje league. They better start playing like it if Carolina wants to have a shot at the playoffs.