1) Bills, Lions move to 3-0 - Fans of the two teams with the longest current playoff droughts (11 years) haven't had much to cheer about...until now. Both teams mounted huge comebacks. The Lions came back from 20-0 down at the Metrodome (a place they hadn't won in since the Bill Clinton administration in 1997), capping it off with a Jason Hanson game-winning field goal in a 26-23 overtime thriller. The Bills again overcame an early 21-0 hole, but against a Patriots team they hadn't beat in their previous 13 tries, for a thrilling 34-31 victory, forcing Tom Brady to throw 4 interceptions (as many as he threw the entire 2010 season). Neither of these two teams is going to sneak up on teams anymore this season.
2) McFadden making case for NFL's best back - After three weeks, Run D-Mc is making a case for being the best back in the league, leading in rushing yards (393) at an astounding 6.4 yards per carry. Against a very good Jets run defense, he rushed 19 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns (that's 9.0 yards/carry folks). The Raiders will give the Chargers a run for their money in the AFC West race, and it wouldn't surprise me if they usurp the Chargers as the team to beat in that division.
3) 'Giant' surprise in Philly - The Giants beat up the Eagles on both sides of the ball, and knocked Michael Vick out of the game en route to a 29-16 victory at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly. Perhaps most surprising is the fact that Eli Manning torched the Eagles stout pass defense to the tune of 254 yards and 4 TD on 16-23 passing. The NFC East will again be a war of attrition, as even the Redskins don't seem to be an easy out this season.
4) KC almost "Bolts" out of S.D. with a win - If the Chiefs could have played more than one good half of football on Sunday against the Chargers, they probably could have left with their first win of the year. It took an Eric Weddle interception near midfield in the final 60 seconds to preserve a win. The Chargers are probably the most talented team in the AFC West, but if Antonio Gates' foot doesn't improve, along with the Chargers propensity for turnovers, then I would not be surprised if they missed the playoffs again this year.
5) Ravens run it up on Rams - Steve Spagnuolo is a classier guy than I am. In the post-game coaches handshake, he didn't lay into Ravens head coach John Harbaugh after he had Flacco airing it out in the final five minutes of their 37-7 victory. Lost in that was the strong performance by rookie wideout Torrey Smith, whose first three receptions resulted in 133 yards and 3 touchdowns. If Lee Evans can't get healthy, Smith proved he's more than ready to pick up the slack and be the deep threat to clear underneath for Anquan Boldin and Ed Dickson.
6) Panthers, Newton notch first win - It wasn't pretty, but Carolina and #1 overall pick Cam Newton got their first win at home against the Jags. Despite putting up pretty gaudy numbers in his first two games, the Panthers decided to run the ball more, and that made the difference in the game. If DeAngelo Williams can get out of his early season rut (27 carries, 61 yards in total on the season), the Panthers can employ a more ground-based attack and open up the deep play action passing game for Newton and WR Steve Smith.
7) NFC South a three-team race - Tampa Bay has thrown their proverbial hats into the fight for the NFC South race with a 16-13 home win against the Falcons. A young team whose confidence is growing with every win, this Bucs team has young talent at all offensive skill positions (QB Josh Freeman, RB LeGarrette Blount, WRs Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn) that are only going to gel and get better with time. Meanwhile, the Falcons looked lost the first three quarters of the game before dialing up the intensity in the fourth quarter. This will probably be the most exciting division from top to bottom in the NFL, and the winner will likely not be decided until the season's final week.
8) Browns no longer North doormat - Carrying a 2-1 record into this week's game against Tennessee, the Browns have quietly put together a respectable football team. The two teams they've beat this year have hardly been playing great (The Colts in particular have largely looked dreadful), Cleveland has shown that they're no longer going to be fodder for the "Big Boys" of the division. Behind a solid running game with Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty, McCoy has found success through the air this year and is distributing touches very well (six players with 6+ catches). Their defense is also getting to the QB, notching a league leading 14 sacks (Ahtyba Rubin and D'Qwell Jackson lead the team with three apiece). You'd better bring your 'A' game against this team.
9) Re-signed RB's not living up to their contracts - Frank Gore (59 carries, 148 yards), Chris Johnson (46 carries, 98 yards) and DeAngelo Williams (27 carries, 61 yards) all received either a new contract or contract extensions before the season. None have really earned their money thus far. The most surprising of these is undoubtedly Johnson, who missed almost all of training camp while holding out for his new 4 year, $53 million deal. Without a significant injury history and just 26 years old, his 2.1 yards per carry is a far cry from his 2009 campaign (2006 yards, 5.6 ypc, 14 TD) and may be a sign of his high number of touches the past two years (768 between '09 and '10) despite his relatively slight frame (5'11, 191) in comparison to your prototypical workhorse RB.
10) Bears have no answer for Packers - The Bears issues are two-fold. One: They simply cannot protect QB Jay Cutler well enough to continue passing 30+ times per game. Two: They can't run the ball because their offensive line is so terrible. What this translates to is major issues for a team that has prided itself on smash-mouth football. Am I the only one who thinks that Mike Martz is a terrible fit as an offensive coordinator for the defensive-minded Lovie Smith? This team looks a far cry from the ones who beat up on Atlanta in the season-opener.
My week four predictions will be up tomorrow.
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