NFL 2020: Week 3

He threw 5 today.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:
garion333 wrote:

And.....are the Jets the worst team of all time?

The Giants lost by 27 to what few non-injured remnants of the 49ers still exist. The Jets might not be the worst team in their own stadium.

Having watched both teams back to back, the Jets are definitely the team I would choose as the better.

Gregg Williams, piece of sh*t he may be, can scheme a functioning defense.

The Giants meanwhile didn't just lose by 27, but they were fortunate to limit it to only that, what with a 1st half where the Niners had over 21 minutes of possession but stalled for only 16 points. Between Mullens starting slow and the Niners long snapper having a career-killing meltdown, the team left a lot of points on the field.

The Jets' presence could be felt on defense, the Giants had about as much presence on defense as their crowd did.

I really like Mercedes Lewis.

That was some Jags caliber tackling by Green Bay.

Almost a nice onside

Almost all of Brees' yardage (until he was throwing against prevent defense) was from dumpoffs and screens to Kamara.

It hurt to watch the effort it took from him to drive passes against that prevent defense. It looked like he had to throw his entire body into it.

Of course, they tried putting the ball in Taysom Hill's hands and he fumbled it away.

Jesus, all the 2nd year QBs were awful.

Kyler Murray: 3 INTs, 72.3 QB rating, lost to Lions
Daniel Jones: 2 turnovers, 56.6 QB rating, lost to 49ers
Dwayne Haskins: 4 turnovers, 58.8 QB rating, lost to Browns
Drew Lock: died last week, team had to sign Bortles, lost to Bucs
Gardner Minshew: 2 turnovers, 79.0 QB rating, lost to Dolphins

*Legion* wrote:

Almost all of Brees' yardage (until he was throwing against prevent defense) was from dumpoffs and screens to Kamara.

The sanders TD actually looked good though, and traveled ~20 yards? For the most part the arm hasn't looked the same though.
https://youtu.be/cXqRUDglvcs?t=340

Top_Shelf wrote:

He threw 5 today.

Yeah, managed to read the weeks backwards somehow. Usually I see week 1 through week 3, not most recent to least recent. :/

*Legion* wrote:

Jesus, all the 2nd year QBs were awful.

Kyler Murray: 3 INTs, 72.3 QB rating, lost to Lions
Daniel Jones: 2 turnovers, 56.6 QB rating, lost to 49ers
Dwayne Haskins: 4 turnovers, 58.8 QB rating, lost to Browns
Drew Lock: died last week, team had to sign Bortles, lost to Bucs
Gardner Minshew: 2 turnovers, 79.0 QB rating, lost to Dolphins

Wait, you missed the winner!

Brett Rypien: 8/9 for 53 yards, 1 INT. Shut out TB after coming into the game.

*Legion* wrote:

The Giants meanwhile didn't just lose by 27, but they were fortunate to limit it to only that, what with a 1st half where the Niners had over 21 minutes of possession but stalled for only 16 points. Between Mullens starting slow and the Niners long snapper having a career-killing meltdown, the team left a lot of points on the field.

The Jets' presence could be felt on defense, the Giants had about as much presence on defense as their crowd did.

I can find nothing here with which to take issue...

The Team has now spent the best part of a decade being rubbish; they've had only one winning season since 2013. I can see them going 1-15 this year... unwatched by me, sadly.

I keep thinking about the old soccer chant that used be sung by opposing supporters when against Manchester United played badly. Could it be that the Giants are actually the Jets in disguise?

It was funny to see how vanilla the commentary around Brees was. They refused to even give the slightest hint that he might be shot.

It was to the point they put up a side by side graphic of both QBs after the long Kamara TD and it made it look like Brees was having a great game vs Rodgers somewhat average stats with a meh completion percentage. Brees even finished with a better QB rating while looking extremely limited.

Maybe Thomas comes back quick and helps gloss things over but NO looks like they could be in serious trouble if they force the Brees farewell tour.

GB take. They are not contenders besides maybe everyone else actually not being great also. Rodgers looks like he's having fun out there tho and it's pretty damn entertaining.

jowner wrote:

GB take. They are not contenders besides maybe everyone else actually not being great also. Rodgers looks like he's having fun out there tho and it's pretty damn entertaining.

Are you sure you aren't from Baltimore? Can't be happy with winning, eh?

Seriously, all the teams have major downsides right now, especially the teams at the top. The Bears have no offense until they do. The Seahawks are still hella dependent on Russell Wilson's magic. The Steelers had to majorly come from behind today. The Bills have a hot Josh Allen, but is he legit? The Titans have eeked out all three wins, two against 0-3 teams, and what happens if Henry gets hurt? And we'll see who Baltimore is tonight. Oh, and the Browns have a winning record.

We won't talk about the nfc east.

garion333 wrote:
jowner wrote:

GB take. They are not contenders besides maybe everyone else actually not being great also. Rodgers looks like he's having fun out there tho and it's pretty damn entertaining.

Are you sure you aren't from Baltimore? Can't be happy with winning, eh?

Seriously, all the teams have major downsides right now, especially the teams at the top. The Bears have no offense until they do. The Seahawks are still hella dependent on Russell Wilson's magic. The Steelers had to majorly come from behind today. The Bills have a hot Josh Allen, but is he legit? The Titans have eeked out all three wins, two against 0-3 teams, and what happens if Henry gets hurt? And we'll see who Baltimore is tonight. Oh, and the Browns have a winning record.

We won't talk about the nfc east.

I just feel like Baltimore + Kansas city are head and shoulders above everyone else until they show us they are not. Definitely enjoying what Lafleur and Rodgers are cooking up tho.

Don't get me wrong, as it stands right now the Packers are probably 1-2 in the NFC and then maybe 3-4 in the league but some regression/injuries they could easily start looking like the 8-10th.

Obvious not hot take the NFL is pretty even besides the absolute train wreck teams coming out of NY.

Philly might join them. Caught the end of that OT and it was gag inducing. Kick the f*cking 64 yarder! You're getting fired anyways.

Emmes wrote:

Wait, you missed the winner!

Brett Rypien: 8/9 for 53 yards, 1 INT. Shut out TB after coming into the game.

I don't acknowledge Boise State players.

garion333 wrote:

The Seahawks are still hella dependent on Russell Wilson's magic.

This almost undersells it. The Seahawks have the dead last defense in the NFL. Wilson has to throw 5 TDs a game just for them to win games by 1 score. They've taken "let Russ bail us out" to a new extreme.

*Legion* wrote:

Of course, they tried putting the ball in Taysom Hill's hands and he fumbled it away.

I did notice that! That was a bad play from start to finish (I think Hill blew his read), and it was compounded bc Hill has absolutely no idea how to hold the ball. That was the easiest ball strip Za'Darius Smith has had since middle school.

Oh, yes: It's on video.

I also noticed that the Saints and Panthers are tied in the NFC South bc (a) the Saints ain't all that and (b) the Chargers are pretty bad. I mean, the Panthers made a ton of mistakes and gave up 300+ yards to Justin Hairbert. But the Chargers made more and worse mistakes.

That said, the Chargers were one blown hook-and-lateral play away from winning that game on the final play. Austin Ekeler would have walked into the end zone if his fingers and hands not retreated into his arms.

And speaking of the Packers, I remember wondering who Aaron Rodgers was going to throw the ball to after they cut Devin Funchess this summer. I mean, there's Davonte Adams and ?

Jokes on us. Turns out Rodgers doesn't really need good receivers. He just flings the ball downfield and someone just materializes underneath it. It's stunning to watch.

I feel like tonight is the Madden Bowl.

IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EjA4n7CWsAEyTlU?format=jpg&name=medium)

What a damn great rivalry. I know the Chiefs have not shown to be nearly as on point as the Ravens so far this season, and are underdogs for good reason. But it also feels like these Mahomes vs. Jackson games are going to start being big enough rivalry matches that it also doesn't matter, ever. Both QBs have the potential to just carry a team against all other odds.

And, yep, the NFL has finally caught up to Madden. It's like the Vick generation of Madden gamers are arriving in the NFL and playing the sport the way they played the video game. And the faces of the last two Maddens, with all the new RPOs, with Alerts, Peeks, and Reads. Chiefs vs. Ravens is what EA has always dreamed of.

I mostly just hope it is a good close game. I feel like it could also get really ugly for either team, and probably more likely KC. But one of the reasons a franchise QB is such a desirable possession is that sometimes, as a fan, you get to just say, "Well, Pat will figure out a way." Then hope for the best.

*Legion* wrote:
garion333 wrote:

The Seahawks are still hella dependent on Russell Wilson's magic.

This almost undersells it. The Seahawks have the dead last defense in the NFL. Wilson has to throw 5 TDs a game just for them to win games by 1 score. They've taken "let Russ bail us out" to a new extreme.

'Enix" wrote:

And speaking of the Packers, I remember wondering who Aaron Rodgers was going to throw the ball to after they cut Devin Funchess this summer. I mean, there's Davonte Adams and ?

Jokes on us. Turns out Rodgers doesn't really need good receivers. He just flings the ball downfield and someone just materializes underneath it. It's stunning to watch.

What we're seeing is the Seahawks are basically doing what the Packers have done for years; well, we've got a really great QB, so why would we spend any resources on, well, anything else? The Packers have had other great players obviously, but they've spent more than a decade just shrugging and figuring that Rodgers would just do something insane to win games, and the Seahawks are doing that with Wilson.

Enix wrote:
*Legion* wrote:

Of course, they tried putting the ball in Taysom Hill's hands and he fumbled it away.

I did notice that! That was a bad play from start to finish (I think Hill blew his read), and it was compounded bc Hill has absolutely no idea how to hold the ball. That was the easiest ball strip Za'Darius Smith has had since middle school.

Oh, yes: It's on video.

Taysom Hill's contributions to the ailing Saints across 3 games:

27 yards rushing. 2 receptions for 15 yards. 1 pass for 38 yards. 1 fumble lost.

"hE's A bIgGeR lAmAr JaCkSoN!" -- Jay Glazer

garion333 wrote:

The Bears have no offense until they do.

Bears are a bottom 10 team. Easy.

garion333 wrote:

The Seahawks are still hella dependent on Russell Wilson's magic.

This just shows the value of QB play and the fact that no other position has such a significant delta in importance over every other position as QB. Good QB's win, plain and simple. Heck isn't that typified in the Eagles-Bengals game? Burrow was the better quarterback with a significantly worse supporting cast (overall, he's got better WR's than whoever the Eagles are bringing out), worse coaching (although Doug is done, is he not? Who get's fired first, Doug "0-2 play for the tie" Pederson or Dan "blow every lead" Quinn?), yet the Bengals hang because Wentz is weird right now.

Guess I was a year early on my Russell Wilson MVP call (he should've won last year, no slight on Lamar). But statistically he's less likely to win this year than you'd expect. Early season favourites rarely win.

garion333 wrote:

The Steelers had to majorly come from behind today.

Are the Steelers the most complete team in the league? They lack the high end star power of Baltimore or KC but at every position they're good to great and have almost no weaknesses. They're the only team who has few to no flaws (other than Ben's decision making)

garion333 wrote:

The Bills have a hot Josh Allen, but is he legit?

Allen is achieving peak high variance QB right now. He makes as many absolutely stupid and idiotic plays as he does great ones. I think that speaks to the coaching in Buffalo. They're maximizing the highs while trying their best to minimize the inevitable lows of Allen.

garion333 wrote:

The Titans have eeked out all three wins, two against 0-3 teams, and what happens if Henry gets hurt?

If Henry gets hurt I'm betting Titans to win the Superbowl. The only reason they're +6 in point differential is their endowment to running 3.3 yards per carry Henry. Let Tannehill throw. This is the old version of the Seahawks 2.0.

garion333 wrote:

And we'll see who Baltimore is tonight. Oh, and the Browns have a winning record.

This is the best division in football. Is there a way all four teams could make the playoff?

*Legion* wrote:
garion333 wrote:

The Seahawks are still hella dependent on Russell Wilson's magic.

This almost undersells it. The Seahawks have the dead last defense in the NFL. Wilson has to throw 5 TDs a game just for them to win games by 1 score. They've taken "let Russ bail us out" to a new extreme.

SEA fans have been spoiled by the last decade's worth of D-focused football (including 4 straight years atop the DVOA DEF rankings). The amount of games decided by a single score was just amazing. I should look it up but I'm pretty sure the number of games the Seahawks lost by more than 1 score could be counted on one hand.

Now, games are still close...but there is zero comfort that any lead will stand. Having watched the Payton/Brees Show all these years, I am not confident about the end result here.

I'm trying to maintain some balance in these times, so I'm excited to watch Fun Things happen and trying to be more sanguine about Crazy Things that will happen.

I will say it sure is fun to watch Russ put the entire kitchen on fire. Whoooooooooosh!

*Legion* wrote:

"hE's A bIgGeR lAmAr JaCkSoN!" -- Jay Glazer

Looks more like a wannabe Tim tebow right now.

Jayhawker wrote:

I feel like tonight is the Madden Bowl.

Good luck, sir. May we have a injury free and well officiated game, and let the best team today win.

And everyone enjoy your AFC Championship game preview.

I think I'm getting into the bourbon tonight. On paternity leave but our daughter needs 1 more night in NICU for bilirubin lights.

staygold wrote:
garion333 wrote:

The Bears have no offense until they do.

Bears are a bottom 10 team. Easy.

Chicago is the worst 3-0 team in recent memory. Their opponents are a combined 1-8, and the Bears won each game by an unconvincing 4 points. Beating the Giants by 4 points (at home!) does not a good team make.

Switching from the titty kisser to Foles will "help", but only in the same way that switching from Gabbert to Bortles was technically an improvement for the Jaguars.

Stele wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

I feel like tonight is the Madden Bowl.

Good luck, sir. May we have a injury free and well officiated game, and let the best team today win.

And everyone enjoy your AFC Championship game preview.

I think I'm getting into the bourbon tonight. On paternity leave but our daughter needs 1 more night in NICU for bilirubin lights.

Same to you!

I wish I was getting into the bourbon tonight, but I'm driving Teresa to a 10am court hearing in Springfield, MO tomorrow. It's a 3 hour drive, so we will be on the road by 6am to be safe. And it's roundtrip. It won't be that long, so I will just drive back. I'm driving mostly because she can work during the drive while at the same time billing for the drive.

We could drive and stay at a hotel tonight, but would not be able to leave until after 6pm at the earliest, which means being on the road for a chunk of it, or all of it when whatever makes us late makes us late. So it is watch and then go straight to bed.

And then pray that it is a boring enough game I just go to bed. So let's just say Chiefs 35 Ravens 10, just for the sake of my wife.

*Legion* wrote:
staygold wrote:
garion333 wrote:

The Bears have no offense until they do.

Bears are a bottom 10 team. Easy.

Chicago is the worst 3-0 team in recent memory. Their opponents are a combined 1-8, and the Bears won each game by an unconvincing 4 points. Beating the Giants by 4 points (at home!) does not a good team make.

Switching from the titty kisser to Foles will "help", but only in the same way that switching from Gabbert to Bortles was technically an improvement for the Jaguars.

Bears would probably be the worst 2-1 team in the league. They're far and away the worst at 3-0.

Stele wrote:

I think I'm getting into the bourbon tonight. On paternity leave but our daughter needs 1 more night in NICU for bilirubin lights.

Oh, congrats! Scary to be in nicu for anything, but congrats!

New York Football is a Human Rights Violation.

Ah, so good to have the won't-stick-to-sports crew back at it.

Love the little hidden caption off to the side:

One of these teams is going to pass on Trevor Lawrence because their quarterback "needs more time to show what he can do."

Houston is bringing in Earl Thomas for a visit.

I guess when you start the season 0-3, you're not worried too much about a player disrupting your locker room harmony.

Not only are the Texans 0-3, but they're a hard 0-3. Their -38 point differential is only beaten by, well, the two New York teams. Their 57 points scored only beat those two NY teams and the Broncos (and momentarily ties the Chiefs, at least until later tonight when they play their 3rd game).

This is a franchise with Deshaun Watson at QB. Granted, their opening schedule has been brutal: KC, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, with the first and third of those on the road. But while you would expect the problem to be their defense getting thrashed, the D has reasonably held its own. Instead, the offense has been so inept that they have the 2nd lowest number of plays run and 1st downs, and 5th lowest total yardage. Losing shootouts to Mahomes and Lamar would be understandable, but Houston's offense hasn't even gotten off the launch pad.

Bill O'Brien's sabotage of the Texans is downright Trump-ian. While I'm sure they'll pick up wins once they start playing AFC South teams, just because Watson is Watson, the degree to which they're wasting Watson would make Russell Wilson feel good about his surrounding cast.