NFL 2021: The Week 3 thread

Pages

Look who's back!

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/xXDoKpM5XcUgll2euQ/giphy.gif)

It's Smug Aaron Rodgers. Lord, we missed you in Week 1 (tho P!ssed Off Aaron Rodgers is fun, too).

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/JoE73jMTnGBWsfrqTv/giphy.gif)

This guy, too. Winning Lamar is the best Lamar. (True confession: I have no particular love or hate for the Ravens, but Lamar Jackson doing Lamar Jackson things is one of my favorite things about pro football.)

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/xgm3UbQ5KCKFdd3YRR/giphy.gif)

Andy Reid does not agree.

QB INJURIES

Lots of broken quarterbacks after Week 2.

Andy Dalton (knee) is out, so the Justin Fields Era begins Sunday.

Tua's out (ribs) for Miami. I have no idea who his backup is.

Wentz hurt both ankles in the same game. He's iffy for Sunday.

Tyrod (left hammie; pulled, not stabbed) is out for Thursday and someone called Davis Mills will start.

Roethlisberger (pec), Derek Carr (ankle) and Zach Wilson (groin, self-esteem) are all kind of banged-up too.

RANKING THE 2-0 TEAMS

Here's your reality check via The Ringer: The Bucs are the only legit team among the currently undefeated teams.

The Niners (bc Jimmy G) and the Rams (bc of their defense) are 50-50 prospects at best right now. The Raiders, Cardinals, Broncos and Panthers are mere pretenders.

Of the pretender crew, the Raiders are probably the most fun. Oh, and Kyler. That lil guy is awesome.

Speaking of ...

STAT OF THE WEEK NO. 1

Kyler Murray's TD pass to Rondale Moore is the shortest combined height of an NFL TD pass from QB to teammate since 1955. (source) (Murray is 5-10; Moore is 5-7; together they're 137 inches tall.) That tied the mark set by George Shaw (6-1) and Buddy Young (5-4) for the Baltimore Colts in 1955.

The Colts beat the Packers 24-20 at Milwaukee County Stadium thanks to two TD passes from Shaw (the Young TD covered 82 yards) and a TD run by Alan Ameche. Outside of that throw, Shaw was a robust 5-for-15 for 80 yards and 3 INTs. Jameis' Week 2 performance in that context isn't so bad, in other words.

George Shaw, by the way, remains on Legion's fantasy dynasty team.

STAT OF THE WEEK NO. 2

The QB who has attempted more throws of 20+ yards this season is none other than Captain Checkdown, Denver QB Teddy Bridgewater. (source)

New nicknames for Teddy B, according to Reddit: Teddy Two Guns, Teddy 20 Yard and (my fave) Theodore Throwsevelt

If current trends hold, we could see a Denver-Carolina rematch in the Super Bowl, which would be doubly funny because Carolina paid Bridgewater's $7M signing bonus when they traded him to Denver.

Teddy B, by the way, has a $17M cap hit for the Panthers this season, which is twice as big as any player currently and actually on Carolina's roster.

PANTHERS STAT OF THE WEEK

In Carolina's 26-7 ass-kicking of the Saints on Sunday, New Orleans gained just 128 yards on offense, which is the worst showing BY 48 YARDS by the Saints since Sean Payton started coaching the team in 2006. (source)

Other terrible Saints stats: The Saints got just six first down (worst ever for the Payton-era Saints) and averaged 2.98 yards per play (another Payton low). Alvin Kamara had just 30 scrimmage yards, and Jameis' 26.9 passer rating was his worst ever.

Take a bow, D.

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/wqVmBdXUhQWWqPoTEY/giphy.gif)

PANTHERS PLAY OF THE WEEK

I mean, just look at this.

It's late in the fourth, and Carolina's on defense. This vid shows LT Terron Armstead — one of the best LTs in the game — with RB Alvin Kamara behind him but no TE on that side. S Jeremy Chinn is to Armstead's right on the inside. DE Brian Burns is to Armstead's left.

In theory, it's a 2-on-2 play. Armstead picks up Burns, and Kamara (who's a pretty good pass blocker) would take Chinn. (Or vice-versa; I know nothing about O-line plays.) But Kamara runs to the left like Jameis is going to see him out there. Chinn goes inside past Armstead and Burns goes outside. Armstead decides to block Burns but then changes his mind and goes after Chinn but it doesn't really matter because the two Panthers defenders meet on top of Jameis' corpse.

I won't lie: That was fun to watch.

POWER RANKINGS

Let's go with NFL dot com this week:

1. Bucs (1st last week)
2. Chiefs (2)
3. Ravens (7)
4. Rams (3)
5. Bills (6)
32. Jags (32)

Biggest gainers: +7 for both Raiders (11th) and Panthers (18th)

Biggest losers: -9 for both Saints (19th) and Dolphins (22nd)

WEEK 3 SCHEDULE

A so-so week. I get my required viewing out of the way early (Panthers play on Thursday).

The early games are mildly interesting (Chargers-Chiefs; Washington-Buffalo is the Former Panthers Bowl).

But the Sunday late and Sunday night games should be fun. Monday night could be amusing because last Thursday's WFT-Giants game wasn't much on paper but turned out to be quite entertaining.

Week 3 coverage maps are here.

Thursday night: Panthers at Texans

Sunday early: Colts at Titans, Falcons at Giants, Chargers at Chiefs, Bengals at Steelers, Bears at Browns, Ravens at Lions, Saints at Patriots, Cardinals at Jaguars, Washington at Bills

Sunday late: Jets at Broncos, Dolphins at Raiders, Seahawks at Vikings, Bucs at Rams (national game)

Sunday night: Packers at 49ers

Monday night: Eagles at Cowboys; don't forget to watch the Manning Mega Cast

BEFORE WE GO

This week's edition of "Gridiron Heights":

"We have to prove we're not just dumb linemen with hands!"

Thanks to whoever posted about this recently. I didn't know it existed, and now I'm obsessed. I suggest turning on CC and looking carefully at what's in the background.

"If there is writer's block," must there be "writer's catch"? Something to ponder as Brian Burns smashes Davis Mill into mid-November.

Who would have thought Teddy would be the 3-0 Louisville starting QB heading into their week 4 matchup? But here we are, and J-E-T-S are still very much the Jets.

Sunday night should be fun. Will Rodgers be mad at his favorite team and will it matter?

Tom Brady is on pace to throw 76 touchdowns, and the biggest in-division threat is quarterbacked by Sam Darnold.

lol

Enix wrote:

This week's edition of "Gridiron Heights"

OMG, Kittle stealing targets from Aiyuk. These guys don’t miss any little thing.

The best GH is still the Bortle Rocket:

I feel like Jameis had much worse games in the past, and I watched all of them.

Enix wrote:

Tyrod (left hammie; pulled, not stabbed) is out for Thursday and someone called Davis Mills will start.

Shame the Texans don't have a better QB option that for some mysterious reason isn't playing?

Enix wrote:

PANTHERS PLAY OF THE WEEK

I mean, just look at this.

It's late in the fourth ...

Here's a sideline view of the play I mentioned above. Watch the Saints' LT -- two steps to the left, one step to the right, whiffed on both guys.

IMAGE(https://media.pff.com/2021/09/LEE1.gif)

It's not Armstead's fault. It's a terrible scheme for this play.

The Twitter link above gives you an end zone view that shows you how hopeless it was for Armstead on that play. Heck, it was like that all day. PFF goes in depth here on what Carolina's doing on D. When you have guys like Burns and Reddick and Chinn and Shaq who can rush and cover, that opens up a lot of different pressure looks, especially when you have two corners (DJax and Horn) who can cover.

Related fun fact: The No 2 QB on the Texans' depth chart is one D. Watson, who won't be active for tonight's game. The Texans have no No. 3 QB listed.

Enix wrote:

It's not Armstead's fault. It's a terrible scheme for this play.

This 6-man line look kinda mirrors what the Patriots did to the Rams in the Super Bowl.

In both cases, the offenses in question have an absolute hard-on for compressed formations. And so that means the guys up on the defensive line who end up dropping back into coverage aren't a mile away from the receivers at the snap, and are able to keep ground with them.

Spreading your receivers out wide and attacking the defense with quick perimeter shots to gobble up easy yards would force the defense out of this look. But as established in previous conversations, neither McVay nor Payton are exactly known for scheme adaptability.

I mean, in that GIF, you can see that they've actually got receivers out wide this time, and you see how much space they have around them. It's 3rd and 2. Imagine instead of whatever stupid sh*t Payton called with only 5-man protection, if they kept Kamara and the TE in to block so Winston could turn and make a quick throw to one of those two receivers. Maybe like a curl/flat route pairing, or a quick crossing "rub" route, or the outside guy running a go route to clear a huge chunk of field for the inside guy to run an out.

I could watch Jameis Winston get flattened all day long.

You'd think LASIK Jameis would have seen that one coming.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

I could watch Jameis Winston get flattened all day long.

You'd think LASIK Jameis would have seen that one coming.

IMAGE(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjEzOTE3ODM3OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzYyODI4Mg@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg)

I have to admit I was completely ready to give up on the Ravens' season in the middle of the third quarter.

There may be as few as five players in the NFL that could put a team's entire season on their back like Lamar did in the last 15 minutes of that game.

Paleocon wrote:

I have to admit I was completely ready to give up on the Ravens' season in the middle of the third quarter.

There may be as few as five players in the NFL that could put a team's entire season on their back like Lamar did in the last 15 minutes of that game.

Better back than hip, since he apparently injured himself flipping into the end zone. That would be a really, really unfortunate reason to miss a game.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

I have to admit I was completely ready to give up on the Ravens' season in the middle of the third quarter.

There may be as few as five players in the NFL that could put a team's entire season on their back like Lamar did in the last 15 minutes of that game.

Better back than hip, since he apparently injured himself flipping into the end zone. That would be a really, really unfortunate reason to miss a game.

When he was in midair doing that flip I was like, "I hope for his sake he doesn't hurt himself doing that."

Yeah, he missed practice today from that.

Probably not much chance he misses Sunday, but dude needs to stop putting his availability at risk with bad decisions.

*Legion* wrote:

Yeah, he missed practice today from that.

Probably not much chance he misses Sunday, but dude needs to stop putting his availability at risk with bad decisions.

If there was a vaccine to protect against having to poop mid-game, I bet he'd take it.

Y'all sound like No Fun League officials. Flip was awesome

Stele wrote:

Y'all sound like No Fun League officials. Flip was awesome

I'm not throwing a flag on him, but hurting his hip from it is a little too Gramatica for my taste.

Update: The Texans' backup QB is a dude named Jeff Driskel, who has started nine games in the NFL and won just one of them. He has played for the Bengals, Lions and Broncos, which helps also to explain why he has been sacked 38 (!!) times in those games.

I'm sure he looked at the Carolina tape and was all like, no, dude, I'm good. You start. Good luck!

Ah, Jeff Driskel. The heir apparent to Tim Tebow in Florida... who lost the job after injury and transferred to Louisiana Tech, former WAC rival of the #22 ranked school in all of college football, FRESNO STATE.

Driskel was a 6th round pick by the 49ers a few years ago, one of Baalke's last picks. He was waived at final cuts his rookie training camp, and might have been headed to the practice squad, but the Bengals loved him so much that they snapped him up onto their active roster. No one in San Francisco seemed to mind that much.

Looks like I can't watch tonight. The Amazon Prime Thur night games don't start until next week

Maybe we forgot that McCaffery is a swing your franchise type of talent?

Didn't hear/see about him being a huge factor in the first games but wow today.

Brian Burns trying to be the new Dee Ford.

Injuries, questionable penalties, and questionable football.

The real Thursday Night Football is back.

jowner wrote:

Maybe we forgot that McCaffery is a swing your franchise type of talent?

Didn't hear/see about him being a huge factor in the first games but wow today.

Yikes. I totally jinxed that.

Henceforth, no player can be judged via their performance as a member of the Jets.

And the Panthers barely take the first set by a score of 7-6.

Davis Mills carves up Carolina’s defense right before halftime, and then the extra point goes wide.

And then we ALMOST got a sweet field goal range fumble.

Yes, give me more garbage Thursday football.

David Culley’s enthusiasm for punting shines again.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/xMWxSkS.jpg)

I’m sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle but is Houston not terrible? (They’ve been generally competitive in 3 games this year)

Carolina also rocketing back to earth scraping this game out. Can’t say I’m surprised.

Aikman: “Vernon Hargreaves lays out, and just misses. He’s probably wondering how he wasn’t able to get his hands on the ball…”

…..

….. *pfft*

…..

… BECAUSE HE’S 3 FOOT 8!

*Legion* wrote:

David Culley’s enthusiasm for punting shines again.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/xMWxSkS.jpg)

Lol. As a Ravens fan, I have to say that the whole Culley imploding in Houston is like someone stealing a tire full of yellow jackets from your front yard and getting an insurance payout for it.

Pages