Heading into Week 4 tonight, let's take a look back at my Week 3 takes for all 32 NFL teams.
Arizona Cardinals
The Take: They need DHOP much more than I thought.
Hollywood Brown had 140 yards against the Rams, yet Arizona failed to find the end zone all game. This offense will be capped until one of the best Red Zone targets in the NFL is free from his suspension.
Atlanta Falcons
The Take: They have a sneaky big 3.
I like the explosiveness that Atlanta’s new “Big 3” on offense has to offer. Cordarrelle Patterson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts all had huge impacts on the Falcons 27-23 win over the Seahawks. Atlanta may not be a very good team this year, but I do enjoy watching these three.
Baltimore Ravens
The Take: There really is no answer for Lamar Jackson.
Lamar Jackson once again put on a show as he accounted for 5 total TDs against New England. Jackson now has 12 total TDs (10 passing (1st in the NFL) and 2 rushing) and he’s also 5th in rushing yards. There simply is no way to stop him.
Buffalo Bills
The Take: Don’t be concerned about a loss.
The Bills were down 4 starting DBs and still managed to hold the Dolphins to 21 points and 186 passing yards. There aren’t gonna be too many games when Josh Allen throws for 400 yards and the Bills only score 2 TDs. Despite a loss, this is still the best team in the NFL.
Carolina Panthers
The Take: The passing game is hard to watch.
If you took away Laviska Shenault turning a 0 yard catch into a 67yd TD, Baker Mayfield would have had 103 passing yards in the entire game. The running game looked good against a tough Saints defense, but the passing attack was hard to watch.
Chicago Bears
The Take: A win that didn’t feel like a win.
Look I’m a Bears fan and I’m happy we walked away with a win on Sunday. But honestly, this performance doesn’t make me happy at all. Khalil Herbert was a star filling in for an injured David Montgomery, but when the focus is on Justin Fields who went 8/17 with 0 TDs and 2 INTs, there is cause for concern. The coaching staff is doing nothing to help Fields succeed right now and that needs to change ASAP.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Take: We need more.
Handling the Jets is something that was expected for Cincinnati. If they’re going to prove they belong in the group of AFC contenders this season, they need to show me a lot more against stiffer competition.
Cleveland Browns
The Take: Keep the ball in Nick Chubb’s hands.
I’ve said it for years and I’ll keep saying it. Nick Chubb is the most underrated RB in the league. He showed his dominance in the Browns 29-17 Thursday night victory over Pittsburgh by turning 23 carries into 113 yards and a TD on 4.9 yards per carry. If the Browns want success, he’s their recipe.
Dallas Cowboys
The Take: Please let Tony Pollard be the lead back.
If you watch the Cowboys, you know Tony Pollard is the most talented back in their RB room. On Monday night against the Giants, Pollard turned 13 carries into 105 yards yet still received 2 carries less than Zeke.
Denver Broncos
The Take: The play calling is rough.
Aidan Cady and I talked after this game about how concerning it was that we could predict the Broncos play calls. Denver needs to become less predictable if they want to reach the potential this offense has.
Detroit Lions
The Take: You can tell this team isn’t used to winning.
Experience is huge for successful teams and you can tell the Lions don’t have that yet. Detroit entered the 4th quarter up 24-14 and lost 28-24. The Lions are going to be a good football team this year, but they need to learn how to kill a teams will once they’re up in the 4th quarter.
Green Bay Packers
The Take: Romeo Doubs has arrived.
The rookie 4th round receiver garnered a lot of media attention throughout training camp, but only had 6 catches through the first 2 games. That changed this week when Doubs turned 8 receptions into 73 yards and a TD. Aaron Rodgers seems to finally have trust in one of his young receivers and this will help unlock Green Bay’s passing attack.
Houston Texans
The Take: Use your weapons.
There is no way Brandin Cooks should have 2 catches for 22 yards against a suspect Chicago Bears defense. Houston is a very young team with unproven talent, and when you have a guy of Brandin Cooks’ caliber, you need to get him involved.
Indianapolis Colts
The Take: This is why they got Matt Ryan.
Matt Ryan’s game winning TD pass to Jelani Woods with 29 seconds left in the game is exactly why the Colts went out and got Ryan this offseason. Indy has needed a QB who can come up in the clutch, and Matty Ice did just that in a must win game for Indy.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Take: Don’t be shocked.
I saw this win coming for Jacksonville this week. Doug Peterson is putting everything together and Trevor Lawrence is getting better and better each week. This team still has so much room to grow, but the Jags need to be taken seriously.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Take: Sloppy.
This was a trap game for the Chiefs. They faced an 0-2 Colts in desperate need of a win after getting shutout at home in Week 2. With that being said, Kansas City looked like a team who expected a free win in Week 3. KC is still figuring out life without Tyreek Hill, but one thing I know for sure is that Travis Kelce needs more than 4 receptions in a game.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Take: You should be concerned.
The Raiders have slipped up early this season. What was supposed to be a high flying offense has struggled to score and get Devante Adams involved. 36 yards is not enough for a guy who is one of the most dangerous weapons in the league. It takes time to get everyone settled in together, but in the NFL, time isn’t something you have…
Los Angeles Chargers
The Take: We’re seeing classic Charger traits.
Look, the injuries have killed the Chargers, but that does not explain the whole story in their 38-10 loss to the Jags. The Chargers run game is non-existent and it’s unacceptable that Mike Williams finished the game with 1 catch. In a year where the Chargers expectations are sky high, the inconsistencies are still here.
Los Angeles Rams
The Take: A win is a win, but this was underwhelming.
While the defense played well, the Rams offense is still very sluggish. The Rams are 2-1, but their offensive execution has not reflected a team that is ready to go back to back.
Miami Dolphins
The Take: The defense can do it too.
On a day where the Dolphins high powered offense only mustered up 21 points and Josh Allen threw for 400 yards, the Dolphins walked away with a 21-19 victory…
Minnesota Vikings
The Take: This one was needed.
After an abysmal Monday Night performance in Week 2, the Vikings completed a Week 3 4th quarter comeback to avoid what would have been a troublesome 1-2 start on the season.
New England Patriots
The Take: Don’t judge the defense from this.
The normally stingy Pats defense gave up 37 points to the seemingly unstoppable Lamar Jackson led Ravens offense. Their defense isn’t 37 points per game bad and expect them to look a lot better in the coming weeks.
New Orleans Saints
The Take: Get ready for the roller coaster.
The Saints getting manhandled by the Panthers was not what I was expecting to see in this game. New Orleans defense played well as always, but the Saints offense is a roller coaster. Get ready for the ride.
New York Giants
The Take: Daniel Jones stock down.
I was excited to watch a prime time Giants game for the sole reason of seeing some more from Daniel Jones. This is Jones’s last chance of cementing himself as the face of the Giants franchise, and from what I saw, it’s not looking good for Danny Dimes.
New York Jets
The Take: Let’s get Zach Wilson back.
It was fun watching Joe Flacco turn back the clock and air it out for a bit. But after Flacco’s 4 turnover performance, it's time to get Zach Wilson back on the field and continue his development. The Jets should be looking forward to having their hopeful future back out there this Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Take: They’re the top of the NFC.
Once again the Eagles looked the part of being one of the NFLs top dogs. The way they’ve been playing, they’re easily the top team in the NFC if not the entire NFL.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Take: It’s not all Trubisky’s fault.
I know my take last week was that QB changes needed to come, but after watching the Steelers more closely on Thursday night, I quickly realized that there’s more to the Steelers issues than Trubisky.
San Francisco 49ers
The Take: Give Jimmy G some time.
The 49ers/Broncos Sunday Night game was anything but entertaining. San Francisco struggled to move the ball in Garoppolo’s first start of the season, but remember this is now the same roster that went to the NFC Championship last year. Expect the offense to regain its groove over the next couple of weeks.
Seattle Seahawks
The Take: Finish drives.
Seattle had 420 total yards of offense in their 27-23 loss to Atlanta – which means, Seattle is struggling to finish drives. Despite being able to move the ball, the Hawks settled for 3 field goals and mustered only 2 TDs on the day. If Seattle wants wins they need to reach the end zone when their offense is clicking.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Take: The injuries are killing them.
After a 14-12 loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, you can’t help but think the Bucs would be 3-0 right now if Mike Evans (suspension), Chris Godwin, Julio Jones, and Donovan Smith all played on Sunday. When healthy, this Bucs team is still a Super Bowl contender.
Tennessee Titans
The Take: They finally worked Derek Henry in.
85 yards and a touchdown on 4.3 yards per carry was nice to see for King Henry who had been off to a very slow first couple of weeks. Another highlight was Henry’s 5 receptions for 58 yards. I’m hoping his involvement in the passing game will stick around.
Washington Commanders
The Take: They’re clearly not ready.
The Commanders struggled to score on Philly just as much as they struggled to stop them. Washington is showing they are nowhere near ready to compete with the Eagles for the division.
