Best & Worst NFL Week Three

Three games into the NFL season and we got plenty of good stuff to talk about. We had a record setting day for kickers and kick returns. We had owners getting booed in both New York (John Mara during Eli's jersey retirement) and in Detroit (Shelia Ford Hamp got booed during Calvin Johnson's Hall of Fame ceremony). We also had big upsets and thrillers taking place all around the NFL this past week, so lets not waste any more time. Here's some of the best, and worst, from the week that was in the league.

Best: Justin Tucker, Kicker, Baltimore Ravens
This one was the easiest thing to pick for the entire weekend. He has gone down as one of, if not the greatest kickers in the history of the NFL, and Sunday he showed the whole world why. Baltimore is going back and forth with Detroit all day and at the end of the day it came down to the leg of Justin Tucker. When called upon to come up with a big kick at the big moment, Tucker comes through. And he did on Sunday, hitting the game winning field goal as time expired. That happens a lot in the NFL. But what makes this kick more impressive was the distance. Tucker hit the game winning kick from 66 yards out. Yes, you read that correctly. A sixty six yard kick to win the game. Most impressive.

Worst: Matt Prater, Kicker Arizona Cardinals
We now switch from what was to what almost was. Hey, look Arizona still got the win regardless, beating the Jaguars 31-19. That's not what sticks out here, it's what almost sticks out that counts. Matt Prater has been known for hitting big kicks. He's got more kicks of 50 or more yards in NFL history than anybody, having hit 60 of them in his career. But it was this one that came short on Sunday that stung a little. Prater had a shot at a 68 yard kick, that's with the ball being right at mid field. The kick was short. And then returned, by Jamal Agnew. All the way back. For a 109 yard touchdown. Ouch

Best: Tom Brady, Quarterback Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A little strange seeing this name here, given the fact that the Bucs did lose to the Rams 34-24, but more on that later. Brady was sacked three times, but to his credit, he did all that he could. There was no help from the run game for the Bucs either, which explains why Brady threw 55 passes. But he did complete 41 of those passes, one of them for a touchdown. Oh and he threw for an eye popping 432 yards. He was the only QB to throw for more than 400 yards. Is there anything that man can't do when it comes to throwing a football?

Worst: Ben Rothlesberger, Quarterback Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh now sits at 1-2 on the year. This coming after a 24-10 loss to a division rival in the Bengals. The problem with the Steelers is Big Ben isn't getting any younger. He has no line to help him and they try to cover up his problems by drafting Najee Harris in the first round. Don't get me wrong, Harris has been decent, but it's not enough to mask the fact that Ben isn't the guy he used to be. They need to find a way to pull the plug, as he has struggled badly. Its never a good sign when Ben has to throw the ball 58 times in a game. Oh and to make it worse, he only completed 38 of those passes. He was also sacked four times and picked off twice. Yikes.

Best: Bryan Edwards, Wide Receiver, Las Vegas Raiders
Not that many people had the Raiders pegged as an unbeaten team at this point in the season but here we stand. That's where we stand after the Raiders beat Miami 31-28 in Overtime on Sunday. Bryan Edwards is in his second year in the league and the 3rd round pick from 202 has done little this year to make much noise. Through four quarters on Sunday, he had just one catch for 23 yards. In overtime, Edwards shined, make two HUGE catches. One was for 30 yards, while the other went for 32 yards. He finished with there catches for 89 yards. Those two OT catches were critical in getting the win for the Raiders

Worst: Rookie QB's
If your names are Mac Jones, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence, your having a bad time. Through the first three weeks of the season, those four signal callers are a combined 1-9, with Wilson Fields and Lawrence each looking for their first career wins. Yes I get the fact that rookies have trouble adjusting to this league, and quarterbacks are no exception. Oh and it's also worth noting that Wilson and Lawrence are tied for the league lead with seven picks each.

Best: Los Angeles Football
Both teams that reside in Los Angeles looked great last week. Like really great. Start with the Rams, who beat the Bucs 34-24. Matthew Stafford threw for four touchdowns in the game. The Rams look like major players in the NFC West. As for the AFC West team in Los Angeles, Justin Herbert lead the Chargers to a big 30-24 win over Kansas City. Mike Williams had a big day with 122 receiving yards for the Chargers. Both teams from the City of Angels just beat the two teams that were in the Super Bowl last season. Unreal man, unreal.

Worst: New York Football
No I don't mean the team that actually place in the state of New York (Buffalo Bills duh). The teams with New York in their name have now gone a combined 0-6. And it seems like its the same song and dance with these two teams. The Jets look lost on the field and haven't put up much of any fight in these games. And the Giants have lost their games in heartbreaking fashion. It seems like, no matter how many things they try and change for the Giants and Jets, they are still the Giants and Jets