Best & Worst NFL Week Three

Week three has come and gone in the National Football League and there's a lot of ups and downs around the league. The Bills, Steelers, Chiefs, Vikings and Seahawks all remain unbeaten. And at the other end the Titans, Jaguars and Bengals are all winless. Playing quarterback in the league has shifted value this week, as has the run game around the league. The Saints had a bit of a reality check, while the Niners are more of the walking wounded. Lets not waste anymore time and dive right into it. Here's some of the best and worst from week three.

Best: New York Giants (and Denver Broncos) Defense
Sacks were the word of the day on Sunday in a pair of upsets. First, there was Denver in a dominating 26-7 win over the Bucs in Tampa. Denver sacked Baker Mayfield seven times and held Tampa to 7 for 25 on third down. And the Giants, they did the exact same thing. They sacked DeSaun Watson six times in a Giants 21-15 upset win by Big Blue. They also held Houston to 7 of 25 on third downs. Yes the 1-2 records of both the Giants and Broncos are what we are after three weeks. What we saw on defense from both those teams last weekend shows signs of life that they may not lay down all season long.

Worst Houston Texans
There had been such high expectations for the Texans this year. Houston got off to a hot start, winning their first two games. Then it kind of came crashing down back to earth against Minnesota. The Vikings blasted the Texans to the tune of a 34-7 Minnesota victory. It was sloppy football for Houston. They took 11 penalties during the course of the game. The worse offenses came halfway through the second quarter. Houston was already down two scores and they had a 3rd and 4. Then they took four straight penalties that forced a punt. Every team makes mistakes during the course of a football game

Best: Green Bay Packers Pass Attack
Seems like no matter where Green Bay looks, they always find a good man under center. Farve, Rogers, Love, and now Malik Willis. Willis had a solid day in the Packers 30-14 win over Tennessee. He went 13 of 19 for 202 yards and a touchdown. Oh and lets not forget about the team leading 73 rush yards Willis had as well. He wasn't asked to do too much in the throwing game by Matt LaFleur, and when called upon to throw, he made what he needed to. Stepping in to replace Jordan Love is a bit of a task, but Willis did exactly what was expected and lead his team to victory.

Worst: San Francisco Injury Bug
Its early to be saying this, but things are not looking good in San Francisco right about now. After beating the Jets on opening night, the Niners have lost the two games since, including dropping one to the Rams 27-24 on Sunday. This marks the first time since Brock Purdy took over under center that the Niners are under .500. It also a big problem early for San Francisco that three of their biggest offensive weapons are out. No Christian McCaffery, George Kittle or Deebo Samuel. All three missed the rams game with injuries. That does a number on any team missing guys of that caliber. Having all three out on the same team isn't good for anybody.

Best: Justin Fields, Quarterback Pittsburgh Steelers
Look he hasn't put up the super explosive numbers under center, but over the first three weeks of the season, Justin Fields is earning his stripes. Yes, there had been projections for Russel Wilson to be QB1 in Pittsburgh, but the way Fields has been playing, that might not change. Look at the Steelers 20-10 win over the Chargers.  22 of 35 for 245 and a touchdown. Not numbers to set the world on fire, but more than enough to be able to get Pittsburgh a win. He hasn't set the world on fire, but Justin has done very well in protecting the football and really limiting his turnovers through three games.

Worst: Mike McDaniel, Head Coach Miami Dolphins
There had been a lot of promise and hope for the Dolphins being a playoff team, or at least a contending team this season. Miami now sits at 1-2 on the year following a blowout 24-3 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle. This week they went without Tua, who missed the game due to injury. Skyler Thompson and Tim Boyle didn't fair any better. Both got sacked six times and threw for a total of 140 yards. They went 1 for 11 on 3rd down, had 6 punts, three fumbles, took ten penalties. Very sloppy game. And who does a lot of this fall on? Head Coach Mike McDaniel. I know he isn't the one making the plays or taking the penalties,. But at the same time, with the players he had at his disposal, he wasn't able to get his team ready to go in Seattle. He better get things figured out fast before the wheels really start falling off.

Best: Ravens Run Game
Not that hard to figure this one out. Its already a well known fact that with Lamar Jackson under center, he's going to run a lot and run well. But they also have some guy named Derek Henry in their backfield. And on Sunday, in a 28--25 win over Dallas, that game was on full display. 25 carries for 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Henry. Lamar also had 14 carries for 87 yards and a score of his own. It helped get Baltimore off the slide and get them their first win of the season. And we've talked about this before how important the rushing attack is around the NFL. Baltimore is showing that with Henry and Jackson.

Worst: Dallas Cowboys Run Defense
As we talked about above, the Ravens dropped the Cowboys to 1-2 on the year. And as we talked about above, the Cowboys got run over. Dallas has given up 557 rush yards over the first three games. This was something that was supposed to be a strength of Jerry's ballclub, but now its biting them in the rear end early on. Sure, Dallas has a great pass rush and can get to the quarterback. But that's not going to matter if the opposition keeps running right over them.

New Captain On The Bay

Change sometimes is good. It will feel weird seeing somebody different in a Tampa Bay Lightning uniform with the C on their chest. But that's what we now have with the departure of Steven Stamkos. The Bolts now have there man. his name is Victor Hedman. The big Swede is the 11th captain in the history of the franchise.

The other guys are: Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Tim Taylor, Dave Andreychuk, Vincent Lecavalier, Chris Gratton, Bill Houlder, Rob Zamuner, Mikael Renberg, and Paul Ysebaert.

The numbers for Hedman speak for themselves. Since being drafted 2nd over all by the Lightning in 2009, Hedman has been a steady force on the Bolts blueline. In his 15 years with the club, the 33 year old defenseman has played 1,052 games, collected 728 points, power-play points with 259, shorthanded points with 14, overtime goals with eight, game-winning goals with 28, shots on goal with 2,241, hits with 1,132, blocked shots with 1,613 and takeaways with 529. Hedman has recorded more time on ice than any skater in Bolts franchise history, logging 24,683:30 of total ice time. Oh and he can move into the top of the most games played list in team history with 31 games played this season.

His playoffs numbers are also off the charts. Two Stanley Cups, a Conn Smyth Trophy, 117 playoff games, 23 goals and 94 helpers in the spring. He's played in four all star games, was named  to the first all star team once and the second team five times. Oh and he's also won the Norris Trophy as the leagues best defender once.

But its more to it than just the numbers above. The guy is one of the best all around defenders in the sport and one of the very best the Bolts have ever had wear their crest on his chest. And he's been a quiet leader behind Stamkos for the last decade. Now its his time to step in and take over the role of captain. Something he is more than capable of doing.

Best & Worst NFL Week One

Week One is in the books around the National Football League. We had a wild start to the game in Miami with Tyreek Hill, to New England pulling a major upset over the Bengals. It was an interesting week for rookie quarterbacks. A familiar face in a new place had a massive week on the ground, as did a backup back. So lets dive right into a wild first week. Here's some of the best, and worst, from the opening week around the league.

Best: Joe Mixon, Running Back Houston Texans
There was no doubt in anybody mind that Joe Mixon was a good running back. He showed that again in his first game with the Texans. he was coming off a year in which he rushed for over 1,300 yards last year with the Bengals. This year, he kicked it off with a bang. In the Texans first game, a 29-27 win over the Colts, Mixon had himself a day, with 30 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown. I argue this all the time, for as much of a pass happy league that the NFL has become, there's still plenty of room in this game for a great runner. Mixon is up at that level.

Worst: Cincinnati Bengals
There are some level of concerns starting to creep in and around this Bengals club. They have been notorious for late finishers the last couple of seasons. A deep playoff run back in 2021 gave Bengals fans hope for the future, but it hasn't panned out since then. Big reason is because Joe Burrow can't stay healthy. And the rust on Joe showed in the opener against New England. I mean sure, Burrow went 21 of 29 but it was only 164 yards. No run game and you were outplayed by a rebuilding Patriots team. New England waled away with a 16-10 upset win. Yes it's only week one, but if the Bengals don't show vast improvement, this could be a long year in Cincy.

Best: Jordan Mason Running Back San Francisco 49ers
There had been hope for the Niners running game coming into this season, and it was on full display in week one. just not the way fans originally expected it to be. Christian McCaffery was hurt and missed the opener. So Jordan Mason got the lions share of the touches against what was supposed to be a really good Jets defense. It didn't show up as the Niners walked away with a 32-19 win of the Jets. Sure Brock Purdy had a solid day throwing, but Mason was the story of the day here. He finished with 28 carriers for 147 yards and a touchdown. He almost out rushed the entire Jets team all by himself.

Worst: New York Football
This would be more for the team in Blue overall, than it would be the one in Green. Look there's problems week one with the Jets against the Niners sure. See above. But this is more an inditement on the Giants than anything. They got there rear ends handed to them by the Vikings, to the tune of a 28-6 loss. Sam Darnold outplayed them. Jones threw the ball 42 times and completed half his passes and was sacked five times. No run game, no nothing. This is going to be a very long season for football fans in New York if the Jets don't get their run defense figured out and the Giants don't get everything figured out.

Best: Dak Prescott, Quarterback Dallas Cowboys
Not only did he have a good day on the field, Dak had a good one off it as well. Dallas won their opener 31-17 over the Browns. Dak was solid going 19 of 32 for 179 yards and a touchdown. He didn't turn the ball over. What's going to really stick out about this day though is what happened before kickoff. Dak got PAID. Four year deal worth $240 million, of which $231 million is guaranteed. That's making your money.

Worst: Dave Canales, Head Coach Carolina Panthers
There was supposed to be some semblance of hope in Carolina this year. They got a new head coach in Dave Canales, who was really expected to help out with 2nd year man Bryce Young under center. It hasn't gotten off on the right foot just yet. They hosted New Orleans, and got their doors blown off to the tune of a 47-10 loss. It was the 4th largest margin of defeat in team history. And you'd like to hope that there's a chance that this team can have something to rally around with Bryce Young, but its not there. If this thing is ever going to turn around for the Panthers, a lot of it falls on the ownership and coaching staff as well. Dave has a lot of work ahead of him to get this team back to anything close to relevancy.

Best & Worst: Tyreek Hill, Wide Receiver Miami Dolphins
How could one guy fit into both the best and worst categories on the same week? Well it's possible with the week that Hill had in Miami on opening Sunday. Before their season opener against Jacksonville at home, Hill was pulled over for a traffic violation. Things there escalated quite quickly. That's another thing in and of itself for another time. The good was redeemed in a sense when the two teams actually took the field. Miami beat the Jags 20-17, thanks to a good day from Hill. Tyreek finished the day with seven catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. That TD score happened to be an eighty yard grab. Yeah that made up for what happened on his way to the stadium.

2024 NFL Season Preview

The time has finally arrived. The wait is over. Kickoff is here for the 2024 NFL Season. Thirty two teams all starting the year with the same goal in mind. Be the ones left standing at the Superdome in New Orleans on February 9th with the Lombardi Trophy over their heads. So lets get into it, here's how we see the 2024 NFL Season going down.

We got some new head coaches roaming the sidelines. Raheem Morris (Atlanta), Dave Canales (Carolina), Antonio Pierce (Vegas), Jim Harbaugh (Chargers), Jarrod Mayo (New England), Mike Macdonald (Seattle), Brian Callahan (Tennessee), and Dan Quinn (Washington) are taking over with new teams as the man in charge.

We also saw a lot of player movement this offseason. Way too many to list in full here, but we will stick with some of the notable names that moved. Kirk Cousins (Atlanta), Russel Wilson (Pittsburgh), Saquan Barkley (Philadelphia), Derrick Henry (Baltimore) were the biggest names to sign. Then there were the guys like Joe Mixon (Houston), Carlton Davis (Detroit), Keenan Allen (Chicago), and Stefon Diggs (Houston) who were sent to new cities via the trade route.

All in all a lot of new faces leading to some exciting possibilities for what's to come this season. Here's how things are going to play out this season.

NFC:
NFC East:
1 Philadelphia Eagles (10-7)*
2. Dallas Cowboys (10-7)*
3. Washington Commanders (7-10)
4. New York Giants (5-12)

It's going to be a fight between two teams at the top of the division. Even though there are and has been a lot of turnover with coordinators since 2022, the Eagles will by the skin of their teeth snatch away the division title this season. They got a new runner in Saquan Barkley They brought back some solid help on defense and had a strong draft class coming out of this year. In a division that hasn't had back to back division crown winners since 2004 with the Eagles, this might keep going. The Cowboys have a big year coming up. Dak is set to be a free agent at the end of the year, as is head coach Mike McCarthy. They had CeeDee Lamb on that list too, but he signed an extension. The Cowboys seem to be a dominating regular season club, but can never seem to get over the ump when it matters. Dallas hoping to possibly shatter those expectations this season. Now the Commanders are looking for the new man under center to lead them into the future. They are now going into wholesale changes with Jayden Daniels taking over at quarterback. He's got Terry McClaine and Zach Ertz to throw the ball to. Questions remain in the Washington running game, but the defense could be good enough that Washington can improve over the four wins from last season. Bringing up the rear in this division will be the Giants. A huge question surrounds the quarterback position and how well the play of Daniel Jones will be. Barkley isn't there anymore, so enter Devon Singletary. New wide out Malik Nabres will hope to make an impact. There still questions with how good the O-Line and defense is going to be. Could be a long year for Big Blue.

NFC North:
1. Detroit Lions (13-4)*
2. Green Bay Packers (12-5)*
3. Chicago Bears (9-8)
4. Minnesota Vikings (5-12)

A trip to the NFC title game a year ago for the Lions wasn't enough. They want to build off it in Detroit and they've got the horses to be able to do it. Detroit has the core still in tact on both sides of the ball. Dan Campbell has no problem pushing the envelope with the personnel he has, as we saw last season. The sky really is the limit for the Lions. Nipping at their heels this year, once again, will be the Packers. Green Bay added more weapons for Jordan Love to play with this season. If we get the guy who played at the MVP level the second half of the year last year, look out. Green Bay has the horses to really be lethal this season. The biggest question mark for this entire division is going to be the Bears. Chicago now has a new man under center in Caleb Williams. He got plenty of targets around him to help him transition to the pro game. D'Andre Swift to hand off to. DJ Moore and Keenan Allen to throw to. It also helps that Chicago has the easiest schedule in the NFL this season. Finally we have the Vikings. When healthy, Minnesota could be a .500 football team. TJ Hockenson is going to be out a while with injury. They still have one of the top wide outs in the game in Justin Jefferson.  But JJ McCarthy isn't starting the season under center for Minnesota, Sam Darnold is. They gonna need a good run game and a whole lot of luck if they wanna finish with more than five wins on the season.

NFC South:
1. Atlanta Falcons (10-7)*
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8)
3. New Orleans Saints (8-9)
4. Carolina Panthers (4-13)

This will mark the changing of the guard of sorts in the South, with the Falcons taking the division this season. Kirk Cousins was brought in on a big payday, expected to not only get playing time but show new QB Michael Penix Jr how to play the position at this level. There's plenty of weapons in the forms of Drake Landon, Bjan Robinson, Darnell Mooney. The only thing that's holding back Atlanta here is how can they turn up the defensive pressure? The team that's going to be right on their heels this year is going to be the Buccaneers. Tampa has a few questions on the secondary, but otherwise I have good faith in that defense getting pressure on the opposition. What worries me is the offense. Baker Mayfield got paid for the next couple seasons. Can he duplicate or even improve on what he did last season? Still have thousand yard man Mike Evans, along with Chris Godwin. But what worries some is the run game and how good its going to be. Following them are going to be the Saints. There are still weapons for New Orleans to work with on offense. Kamara and Olave are going to be the big time weapons for Derek Carr to coordinate with. But is that going to be enough? Is Carr going to have time and protection from his line to make the plays he needs to? Combine that with the defense that leaves something to be desired, and it spells missing the playoffs for the Saints. Bringing up the rear again in this division is going to be the Panthers. New head coach Dave Canales has a lot of work ahead of him to get this team back on solid footing. Sure, there's potential in Bryce Young, and they have a couple nice weapons with Chubba Hubbard and Adam Thielen. Oh and bringing in Doante Johnson is a big plus. But worried about how Young will progress. Then there's the Panthers defense, which leaves stuff to be desired.

NFC West:
1. San Francisco 49ers (13-4)*
2. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)*
3. Arizona Cardinals (7-10)
4. Seattle Seahawks (5-12)

Two straight division titles and a loss in the Super Bowl are only going to add more fuel to the fire for the 49ers, who are going to win the West again for the third year in an row. This could be the last shot at the big one in this given window for San Francisco. Brandon Aiyuk is going to be in his final year. Him and Christian McCaffery are going to be major factors for the Niners again, along with Brock Purdy of course. For a team to be able to chase them down, losing key players is going to make things a little tougher for the Rams. Losing Aaron Donald is tough, but adding Jared Verse and Braden Fiske as a combo to replace him could prove that they are up to the task. And then there's the Rams offense. You got a fully healthy year pout of Cooper Kupp and a very intriguing year from second year man Puka Nakua. Throw Matthew Stafford into the mix as well, this could be a big year from the Rams, which ends in a trip to the playoffs. There is a full changing of the guard with the new coaching staff for the Cardinals this year. They need a fully healthy Kyler Murray to prove that he's back on his game this season. he got a brand new weapon in Marvin Harrison Jr to work with. They have an OK defense in Arizona to work with, but it won't be good enough to get them above .500 on the year. Finally, the Seahawks will be closing out the South this year. They may have a little firepower on offense, with Geno Smith throwing to Tyler Lockett and DK Metcaff. But they are going to have trouble stopping the opposition from scoring. And with a new coaching staff, its going to make things even tougher in Seattle.

AFC:
AFC East:
1. Buffalo Bills (10-7)*
2. New York Jets (10-7)*
3. Miami Dolphins (9-8)
4. New England Patriots (4-13)

This is going to, at least on paper, be a much tighter race in the East. Even though they've lost some talent from last season, the Bills are still the class of the division until proven otherwise. As long as John Allen is under center in Buffalo, there's always a chance in Buffalo. Even with Stefon Diggs getting traded. Keenan Coleman and Curtis Samuel are his top targets, and James Cook is going to get plenty of touches. Oh and they have one of the best O-Lines in football. The defense leaves a little to be desired in the pass rush game, but I think it's still good enough to keep that east title in Western New York. Nipping at their heels are going to be the Jets. Yes there was a lot of hype from last season that fell flat. This year, they actually have a solid backup behind Aaron Rogers in Tyrod Taylor. They have two of the best young weapons in the game in Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall to get the ball from Rogers, should he stay healthy. Hopefully the depth players can step up and make an impact with this team. New York has a good enough defense to be able to keep them in the playoff hunt all year long. Another team that's going to be fighting for a playoff spot is going to be the Dolphins. Miami still has one of the top receivers in the game in Tyreek Hill and if he can stay healthy this season, there's high expectations on Tua. He also has Jalen Waddle to throw to and Rahem Morstart to run the ball. Miami has the horses on the offensive side of the ball to make noise. The O-Line is a question and the defense looks middle of the pack. Bringing up the rear here is the Patriots. This first year without Bill Belichick will see Drake Maye take snaps behind Jacoby Brissett and have some growing pains this first year. The rest of the team looks average at best. Lukcy if there will be five wins in New England this season.

AFC North:
1. Cincinnati Bengals (11-6)*
2. Baltimore Ravens (10-7)*
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8)
4. Cleveland Browns (8-9)

This is going to be a division that gets turned upside down and inside out this year, with the surprise being the Bengals getting the division crown. The potential for this team hinders of course on the health of Joe Burrow. Sure Joe Mixon isn't an option anymore. But you still got Ja'Mar Chase, Tee Higgins to catch passes and Zach Moss to run the football. They have the weapons, they have talent on both sides of the ball. They might be the team to come out on top of the heap. Right behind them are going to be the Ravens, who as long as they have Lamar Jackson are always going to be in the hunt. You still have Mark Andrews catching passes, along with Nelson Agulor. Now you add another element in Derek Henry, who still has some good legs underneath him. The only thing that might hold Baltimore back is the play of the offensive line. If they can actually protect Jackson, they got a chance. Then you have the Steelers. They better figure it out under center because with Justin Fields and Russel Wilson as the options, it doesn't look too good. Sure Najee Harris is going to have a bounce back year, btu there's too many other holes on this club for them to really contend for a playoff spot. There's going to be a big difference between the Browns from last year and what we get this year. Its the quarterback play. They never had stability under center till Flacco came in at the end of the year. Watson can't stay healthy enough to be that guy. They got weapons but its the guy under center that's going to hold Cleveland back this year.

AFC South:
1. Indianapolis Colts (11-6)*
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-7)*
3. Houston Texans (9-8)
4. Tennessee Titans (6-11)

It's going to be fun to what what happens with the Colts this year with their two key offensive players back and healthy over a full year. A lot of it is going to rely on Anthony Richardson to be healthy for a full season. he can do that, this team can be really good. Same thing goes for running back Jonathan Taylor. You get those two guys on the field for a full year, look out. Now with the Jaguars, they added a new weapon for Trevor Lawrence to work with. You brought in Brian Thomas Jr now a new pass catcher. he gonna mesh well with  Christian Kirk in the receiving game and Travis Etienne running the ball. They got a good young core on both sides of the ball. This team is going to be back in the playoffs again, but how deep they go only time will tell. Now the Texans are a team that's going to quickly be on the rise. CJ Stroud now has a great group of young weapons to work with. Mixon running the ball, Stefan Diggs and Nico Collins to catch the ball. The defensive side of the ball may hold the Texans back, but the offense has to tools to be able to match with the upper teams in this division. Bringing up the rear are going to be the Titans. Sure you got weapons in Hopkins, Ridley and Pollard running the football. But the question mark is at the most important position on offense in Will Levis. They got talent to work with, but it just won't be clicking this season just yet.

AFC West: 
1. Kansas City Chiefs (12-5)*
2. Los Angeles Chargers (9-8)
3. Las Vegas Raiders (7-10)
4. Denver Broncos (5-12)

New year, same end result in the West. The Chiefs are going to once again stand tall in this division. as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center, you got a chance of being a Super Bowl contender. You got Travis Kelce as the main target, with Hollywood Brown (once he's ready) and Isiah Pacheco running the football. And the defensive side of the ball has been vastly improved since Andy Reid took over as head coach. This team is good and will remain atop the AFC until somebody finally puts it all together to knock them off the mountain top. Behind them are going to be the Chargers, who would be the only other team in the division to finish with a winning record. Jim Harbaugh has worked magic before coming back to the NFL, but that might be a tall task with this group. Justin Herbert, when he's healthy, can be good. Problem is he's too injury prone. They have a good line to protect their QB and a favorable schedule at the end of the year., That won't get them to the playoffs but it will get them a winning record. As for the Raiders, it doesn't look too good. You know its awkward under center when you have to go to Gardner Minshew as your starter. You do have brock Bowers and DeVante Adams catching passes. You got Maxx Crosby on the other side of the ball. But the rest still leaves something to be desired. Bringing up the rear are going to be the Broncos. It looks very different now having Bo Nix under center. He doesn't have much to work with in the way of weapons in the Mile High City. Its going to be another long year for the Broncos.

NFC Title Game: 49ers over Lions
AFC Title Game: Chiefs over Ravens
Super Bowl LIX: Chiefs over 49ers