Things I Noticed: Week 3

Since the postseason expanded to 12 teams in 1990, only three teams have ever made the playoffs after starting 0-3.  Nobody has done it since the Buffalo Bills in 1998.  That's bad news for the Giants, Redskins, Vikings, Bucs, Steelers, and Jaguars.  Two of those teams made the postseason last year, which goes to show the level of parody that the NFL is so proud of.

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• After 14 seasons in Philadelphia, Andy Reid was fired from his position as coach of the Eagles after a disappointing season.  On the night that the Eagles retired the number of former QB Donovan McNabb, Reid had his revenge against his former team, as the new coach of the Chiefs led his team to a 3-0 start by beating the Eagles.  
• The Chiefs are the 6th team since 1970 to start the season 3-0 following a season where they won
  
  two games or fewer.  The previous 5 teams to do it failed to make the playoffs.  Great start for Kansas City, but they are going against history if they plan on making the postseason.
• Michael Vick has always been open about how much he respects Reid and how appreciative he is for helping to restart his career.  So how does he thank his former coach?  With turnovers!  Lots of them! The Eagles turned the ball over 5 times, including 3 by Vick (2 INTs, 1 Fumble).  Damaris Johnson muffed a punt return that gave the Chiefs the ball at the Eagles 8 yard line, setting up a quick field goal to give them the early lead.  A pick-six thrown by Vick pushed the lead to 10 less than four minutes into the game.  Any ugly start never got much better.  One of the other turnovers came on a botched snap where the center snapped the ball and it bounced off the arm of the offensive lineman beside him. The ball was loose before Vick ever had a chance to get his hands on it!  I'm not sure I've ever seen that before.
• The extra time off since last week's Thursday night game did the Patriots some good, as their rookie receivers finally appear to be getting on the same page with Tom Brady.  Aaron Dobson hasn't completely fixed all his issues, but he did manage to reel in 7 of his 10 targets for a team high 52 yards.  Kenbrell Thompkins only caught 3 of his 7 targets, but two of them went for TDs.  If the rookies can build on this over the next few weeks as the Patriots look to get Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola back in the near future, this offense could take off soon.
• Brandon Bolden appears to be taking over the role of the third down running back that can be a pass catching threat out of the backfield while Shane Vereen is sidelined.  He caught 5 passes for 49 yards and did some damage when handed the ball as well, with 3 carries for 51 yards.  I'm not too worried about Stevan Ridley's role as the starter, but it's worth noting that LeGarrette Blount outproduced him and received more carries.  Most of Blount's damage came in garbage time and the Patriots may have been feeding him the ball late in the game to let him rack up some yards against his former team.
• Tampa Bay entered the game leading the league in penalties, but were only flagged four times this week.  So that's progress!  Josh Freeman entered the week as the most inaccurate QB in the league and... no wait, he still is.  A 19 for 41 performance actually raised his completion percentage to 45.7%.  With Mark Sanchez out of a starting gig in New York, Freeman is making a strong case for the title of worst starting QB in the league.
• The Bengals beat the Packers in a sloppy back and forth affair.  After the Bengals opened with a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, Green Bay responded with 30 unanswered points that seemed to bury Cincinnati.  Even after Andy Dalton added a pair of touchdowns to leave the Packers clinging to a three point lead, it appeared that Green Bay would still hold on to the win.  Then again, given how this game was going, it should have been no surprise that a turnover would swing the game.  The Bengals recovered a Jonathan Franklin fumble and returned it 58 yards for the winning score.
• You wouldn't have guessed from looking at the final score, which looked like a shoot-out at 34-30, but both defenses came up with big plays.  They each totaled four sacks and gathered four turnovers, with each defense scoring on a returned fumble.
• DeMarco Murray really likes playing against the Rams.  He put himself on the map with a breakout game in 2011 when he rushed for a franchise record 253 yards against St. Louis.  He didn't break any records this time, but his 175 yards was enough to help the Cowboys steamroll the Rams.
• Jake Locker found Justin Hunter in the end zone for a 34 yard score with 15 seconds remaining as the Titans stunned the Chargers with a comeback victory.  It was the first win for the franchise against the Chargers since 1992, when the team was still the Houston Oilers.
• San Diego once again managed to blow a second half lead, but it's the opportunities they failed to capitalize on early on that may have doomed them.  Rivers drew an unsportsmanlike conduct flag for arguing with an official that pushed a promising scoring chance to a first and goal from the Titans 30 yard line.  They ended up settling for only a field goal.  Then just before halftime they had a field goal attempt blocked.  That's seven points lost in what ended up a one possession game.
• The big news of the week was a blockbuster trade, with the Cleveland Browns shipping RB Trent
  
  Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts for a first round draft pick.  The trade comes as a shock, considering Cleveland drafted Richardson with the third overall pick last season, but keep in mind there is a new regime in charge these days and they were far less impressed with the young running back.  They felt he lacked the speed and explosiveness to be an elite running back, which may be true considering he only has two rushes for 20+ yards in his career and has averaged a fairly mediocre 3.5 yards per carry.  Given that the league is progressing to pass happy attacks, most teams aren't willing to invest high draft picks in running backs anymore, unless you're getting someone the caliber of an Adrian Peterson.  Richardson is clearly not on that level.  Getting a first round pick in return is great value.  Marshall Faulk, one of the all-time great RBs, was once traded by the Colts to the Rams for a 2nd and 5th rounder.  Considering 1st round picks are now more valuable with the lower rookie salary scale, this trade looks even better for Cleveland.  The pick they get back from the Colts won't be nearly as high as the #3 pick they used on Richardson (which they traded up to get), plus they've already paid him the majority of the guaranteed money on his contract, but those were mistakes made by the previous GM, Mike Holmgren.  It's a surprise that they not only gave up on Richardson so soon, but effectively gave up on their season after only two games.  It's a step back this year for Cleveland, which is a tough pill for Browns fans to swallow with all the new rebuilding plans they've suffered through, but if they have a successfully draft next year then they can get back on track.  It shouldn't be too difficult to find a RB to replace the lackluster performance they were getting out of Richardson, for a fraction of the cost.
• As for the Colts, they made this deal after Vick Ballard was lost for the season.  Ahmad Bradshaw has a long injury history and can't hold up for long as a workhorse back, while Donald Brown just isn't very good.  If the Colts see themselves as a contender, they needed an upgrade in the backfield to help take pressure off of Andrew Luck.  Richardson has big time upside, so perhaps the change of scenery will help him reach that potential.  The first round pick was a steep price, but they'll have Richardson under control for the rest of his rookie contract with most of the money having already been paid by Cleveland.  Teaming the first and third overall picks from last year's draft in the same offense could pay off and make the price well worth it.
• With Brandon Weeden still ailing, the start went to Brian Hoyer.  In only his second career start, Hoyer (321 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs) led the Browns to a victory over the Vikings.  Hoyer has been in the league for 5 years, spent mostly as Tom Brady's backup in New England, yet is actually 2 years younger than the second year QB Weeden.  Maybe Hoyer should be the new young QB the team builds around.
• After sitting out the first two games with a suspension, Josh Gordon made his season debut with a 10 catch, 146 yard, 1 TD performance.  Jordan Cameron added three TDs, including the winning score in the game's final minute.
• One of those TDs to Cameron was thrown by punter Spencer Lanning on a fake field goal.  He would also later fill in for an injured Billy Cundiff to kick the extra point on the winning TD, making him the first player since 1968 to record a TD pass, extra point and a punt in the same game.
• Adrian Peterson lost a fumble for the second straight game.  He's never going to get to 2,000 yards again if he can't hang on to the football!  He's also averaging only 93.6 yards per game so far, which is still great, but hardly puts him on pace to break any records.  
• Drew Brees (342 yards, 3 TDs) powered the Saints over the Cardinals with his arm and even scrambled for a score on the ground for good measure.  Jimmy Graham was his favorite target, as the athletic TE caught 9 passes for 134 yards and 2 TDs.
• What a difference a year makes.  At this time last year the Saints were still staggering from a scandal that left them without their head coach for the year and had dropped to 0-3.  Now Sean Payton is back on the sidelines, the offense is clicking and the Saints have started 3-0.  The last time they started a season winning their first three games was in 2009, when they won the Super Bowl.
• Perhaps the biggest reason for the turn around has been the improved defense.  After giving up a record 7,042 yards last year, the Saints brought in defensive guru Rob Ryan as coordinator. New Orleans is currently one of the top 5 best teams in yards allowed per game and have allowed only four TDs total through three games.  They have given up 17 or fewer points in each of their first three games, which is something they only accomplished three times all of last season!
• Arizona opened the game with a rushing TD by Alfonso Smith on the opening drive, but it was all downhill from there.  The defense lost a few starters along the way and ended up being over matched by the powerful Saints offense.
• With Reggie Bush sidelined with a knee injury, Joique Bell proved to be a suitable replacement in wracking up 132 total yards and a score to help Detroit put away Washington.  
• Washington got off to a rare fast start thanks to a pick-six by DeAngelo Hall that gave them an early lead, but it wouldn't last.  Aside from that play, Washington's defense has been terrible so far this season.  They have given up more yards (1,464) than any team has given up through the first three games of the season since 1966.
• The New York media always seems to want Tom Coughlin to get fired at some point during every season (even the two years he won Super Bowls with the Giants).  This year he might actually be giving them a reason to get rid of him.  Following the worst loss the franchise has suffered since Coughlin took over (a 38-0 shellacking by the Panthers), the Giants have dropped to 0-3.  The defense can't stop anyone, the offense won't stop turning the ball over and David Wilson may soon be banished to a dark hole where he can no longer disappoint Giants fans or fantasy owners.
• DeAngelo Williams plowed through the Giants defense for 120 yards.  Through three weeks he's
  
  surprisingly third in the league in rushing.  He's always had talent, but for years has been stuck in a time share with Jonathan Stewart that has limited the production of both of them.  With Stewart sidelined, Williams is showing what a threat he can still be when given the chance.
• Without the services of Ray Rice in the backfield, the Ravens offense struggled in the first half.  Then an interception returned for a TD and a punt returned for another score in the final three minutes of the half sparked a turnaround that led to a dominating victory over the Texans.  The defense buckled down to keep Houston off the scoreboard in the second half and Rice's backup, Bernard Pierce, added the only offensive TD of the day for either team.
• Randy Bullock was nearly the goat last week for missing all three of his field goals in a win they narrowly pulled out in OT.  This week he was the only one having any success for the Texans offensively, as he hit all three of his attempts to account for all 9 Houston points.
• Despite trailing for most of the game, Miami improved to 3-0 to start the season with a comeback victory that was capped off by a one yard TD pass from Ryan Tannehill with 38 seconds left.  It's the Dolphins first 3-0 start since 2002 and they've scored 20+ points in each game for the first time since that season as well.
• Filling in for the injured Steven Jackson,  Jacquizz Rodgers had a career high 18 carries for 86 yards.  At 5'6'' and only 196 pounds, the speedy RB isn't considered a candidate to hold up under a heavy work load for long, but he's proving himself capable of contributing in the short team while Jackson misses a few weeks.
• Despite a team record 20 penalties in the game, the Jets managed to edge the Bills after Geno Smith hit Santonio Holmes with a 69 yard strike in the 4th quarter.
• The 168 yards the Jets gave up on those 20 penalties was more than half of the total yards the Bills offense managed.
• Trent Richardson only had a few days to catch up on the playbook for his new team, but he still managed to find the end zone in his Colts debut.  That 2.7 yards per carry leaves a lot to be desired, but hey, he didn't have a lot of time to prepare!  Plus it was against the Niners defense!  He'll get that average back up to the mediocre 3.5 per carry we're used to seeing from him soon enough.
• Speaking of rushing TDs, remember when the Niners defense was infamous for never given them up?  They gave up three just this week!  One of them was by Andrew Luck, who rolled out of the pocket after faking a hand-off and strolled into the end zone.  It looked like the defense had no clue he even had the ball until after he was celebrating with this teammates.
• Luck led the Colts to a victory over the 49ers, who are led by his former Stanford coach, Jim Harbaugh.  Not only that, but the Colts offensive coordinator is Harbaugh's former assistant, Pep Hamilton, so his team lost to a team running an offense similar to the one his team ran with Luck at Stanford.
• Last week's beat down at the hands of the Seahawks was supposed to a case of a strong defense shutting them down.  What's their excuse this week?  The Colts may be improved, but nobody is confusing them with the Seattle defense.  The Niners have been outscored 56-10 in the past two weeks and the zone read offense no longer appears to be working.  If NFL defenses are catching on and learning how to stop their style of offense then they better hope Colin Kaepernick can adjust to tweaking that style.
• The 49ers may have bigger issues to worry about than a 1-2 start to the season.  Aldon Smith will reportedly miss next weeks' game (perhaps even longer) while he attempts to "fix" his off-field issues. Smith was arrested last Friday for suspicion of driving under the influence when his truck hit a tree and has checked himself into rehab.
• Russell Wilson tossed four TD passes in a blow out victory over the lowly Jaguars.  Much to the chagrin of his fantasy football owners, Russell was removed in the 3rd quarter and backup Tavaris Jackson came in and added two more scores - one through the air and another on the ground.
• Up until about the mid-way point of the second quarter, the closest the Jaguars got to scoring range was their own 27 yard line.  You read that right.  Not the Seahawks 27 yard line, that would be bordering on field goal range.  They struggled to get it more than halfway to mid-field!  When they finally did drive deep into Seattle territory late in the first half, Chad Henne threw an interception.
• In a related story, the Jaguars in setting themselves up in great position to be the lowest scoring team in the league this season with a putrid scoring average of 9.3 points per game.
• The Bears took advantage of several Steelers mistakes to move to 3-0 on the season.  Ben Roethlisberger turned the ball over 4 times (2 INTs, 1 fumble) and Felix Jones added another fumble. The always opportunistic Chicago defense returned two of those turnovers the other way for scores.
• The Chicago defense now as as many touchdowns (3) as the Bucs and Jaguars offenses!
• Antonio Brown (196 yards, 2 TDs) was one of the few bright spots for the Steelers.  With Mike Wallace taking his talents to South Beach, there's room for Brown to emerge as the top target in Pittsburgh.  
• Peyton Manning (374 yards, 3 TDs) torched the Raiders in a first half where he looked like he might top his spectacular Week 1 performance, before letting off the gas and coasting to victory.  The Broncos offense has plenty of mouths to feed, but Manning's top receivers all got their fill.  Eric Decker, Wes Welker and Julius Thomas all found the end zone, while Demaryious Thomas hardly went hungry with 10 catches.  Denver's offense is loaded, so there will be some weeks when one of those targets may get overlooked, but that's part of what makes them so difficult to stop.  They can beat you with any of those guys.
• Darren McFadden couldn't find any room to run against the Denver defense (12 carries for 9
  
  yards?!).  So if that wasn't working, why not try something else?  Like... throwing the ball.  Hey, that worked!  McFadden tossed a 16 yard TD pass at the end of the third quarter.  Run DMC would also punch in a one yard score on the ground with just over a minute to play to make the final score look closer than the game really was.
• Atlanta and San Francisco met in last year's NFC championship game, but started this season 1-2.  Minnesota and Washington both made the playoffs last season, but have dropped to 0-3.
• New Orleans, Miami and Kansas City all had losing records last season, but have started 3-0 this season.  
• And the award for most bizarre injury of the week goes to... Baltimore's Jacoby Jones!  The Ravens Pro Bowl kick returner was injured when he was hit in the head by a stripper wielding a champagne bottle on a party bus.  If he suffered a concussion, will this be added to the list of head trauma lawsuits that Roger Goodell needs to worry about?