NFL 2024 - 25 Week 3 Review

  

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NFL Week 3 Game-By Game Review:

NY Giants 21, Cleveland 15 – Having had this weekend off (I’m currently on vacation), I actually got to watch this. And yes, I will admit to rolling my eyes and thinking, “Here we go again” after the first 12 seconds or so of play. The Giants fumbled and lost the opening kickoff, and then the Browns responded with a quick touchdown and a ridiculously early 7-0 lead. It felt like it was going to be another long afternoon as a fan of Big Blue. For once, the G-Men had an offense, led by quarterback Daniel Jones. He completed 24 of 36 for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Malik Nabers caught 8 of those passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns, having himself a monster day (particularly in the first half). And the Giants D performed in a big way. They earned 8 sacks and forced a couple of fumbles. Overall, the Giants produced 340 total yards of offense and picked up 21 first downs, while hanging onto the ball for nearly 34 minutes. Meanwhile, the Browns for 217 total yards and just 16 first downs and, again, could not seem to keep the Big Blue pass rush away from quarterback Deshaun Watson. So the Giants surprise many – certainly they surprised me, admittedly – and earn their first win of the season on the road against a quality opponent on a beautiful, sunshiny day. They were leading this game 21-7 by half, and did not score in the second half, but a win is a win. As a fan, I’ll take it. My pick: Inaccurate

Philadelphia 15, New Orleans 12 – A low-scoring affair, with only a field goal scored in the first quarter, before a mini explosion of points scored by both teams in the final quarter. That’s right, it was just 3-0 in favor of New Orleans until the game entered the final quarter. But then, the offenses came alive. Saquon Barkley broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run, giving Philly their first lead of the game. The Saints responded, first with a field goal to cut the lead to just one, and then with a touchdown drive capped by a pass by 13-yard touchdown pass by Derek Carr to Chris Olave. The Saints were back on top. But Philly was not done, either. They produced another touchdown drive of their own, topped off by another TD run by Barkley, this time from 4 yards out, with just over one minute to play. The Eagles D then held on to ice the win. Surprisingly, considering the low score, the Eagles produced an impressive 460 yards and 20 first downs on offense, compared to just 219 yards and 12 first downs for the Saints. With stats like that, you would have figured that Philly would have scored far more points. Yet, they got enough to earn the win, and hand the Saints their first loss of the season. My pick: Inaccurate

Minnesota 34, Houston 7 – Remember when Sam Darnold was considered a big bust for Gang Green? Well, much like Geno Smith, another former Jet QB who made good with another team (Seattle), Darnold appears to have found his niche. He had a monster game with the Vikings, who just pounded the previously unbeaten Texans. Darnold completed 17 of 28 passes for 181 yards and four touchdowns. Justin Jefferson was his favorite target, nabbing six catches for 81 yards and one TD. Aaron Jones added a punishing running game into the mix, grinding out 102 yards on 19 carries. Astonishingly, given the score and how badly they were blown out in this one, the Texans actually gained more yards on offense (296) than did the Vikings (274). But they also produced two turnovers, and played sloppy, with 11 penalties costing them 88 yards total. Really, the Vikings just took control early by jumping all over the Texans and building a 14-0 lead by halftime, then adding another touchdown early in the third, before the Texans even were allowed to respond. The Vikings added some extra points in the fourth quarter to boot, but the game had long before been decided by then. An impressive win for the Vikings, who remain undefeated at 3-0, while handing Houston their first loss of the season. My pick: Accurate

Denver 26, Tampa Bay 7 – This was one of the more surprising results from yesterday’s games. The winless Broncos went down to Tampa Bay and blew out the previously undefeated Buccaneers. They did it with a small explosion of points in the first quarter, building up a solid 14-0 lead, and then steadily adding field goals while their D largely kept the Buccaneers off the scoreboard, save for one touchdown drive in the second quarter. The Broncos defense just largely shut down Tampa’s offense, and coasted to their first win of the season, handing the Bucs their first loss of the season in the process. My pick: Inaccurate

Green Bay 30, Tennessee 14 – The Packers seem to be doing quite well without Jordan Love, surprisingly. I had assumed – wrongly, as it turns out – that his absence was going to hurt them in this one. In fact, Green Bay produced 378 yards and earned 16 first downs on offense, while the defense limited the Titans to just 237 total yards of offense, and 18 first downs. Tennessee’s running game was particularly ineffective, as they only got 33 total yards on the ground all day. They also produced three turnovers, including a pick six late in the first quarter that helped to give the Pack a comfortable lead just before halftime. The Packer defense did a great job limiting Tennessee’s opportunities the rest of the way, earning their second straight win. The Titans, meanwhile, remain winless and fall to 0-3 on the year. My pick: Inaccurate

Pittsburgh 20, LA Chargers 10 – This was the other battle between two unbeaten teams in Week 3 (the other being Minnesota-Houston). And like all of Pittsburgh’s wins so far, it featured precious little offense, and very tough defense. Chicago may have given up on Justin Fields, but he seems like a good fit with his new team, as he completed 25 of 32 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown, although he also threw one INT. Justin Herbert, meanwhile, battled through an injury but still completed 12 of 18 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. The Chargers seemed to hold the momentum in the first half, and took a 10-7 lead into the locker rooms by halftime. But the Steelers took that away in the second half, first with a field goal to tie it in the third quarter, then adding another field goal in the fourth to take the lead, before scoring a touchdown midway through the fourth which seemed to be the dagger in the heart for the Chargers. The Steelers defense limited Los Angeles to just 168 total yards and 10 first downs, while the Steelers offense produced 346 yards and 20 first downs. No major fireworks here, but a solid win by the still undefeated Steelers. My prediction: Accurate

Indianapolis 21, Chicago 16 - This game went mostly as expected. Neither team scored a ton of points, and the Colts finally earned their first win of the season in this one, at the expense of Chicago. The Bear's offense still looks and feels a bit suspect, despite a decent game by Caleb Williams. Both teams walk away with 1-2 records after this one. My pick: Accurate

Carolina 36, Las Vegas 22 - This had to be the biggest upset in a week seemingly filled with upsets and surprises. I was surprised with the Bengals losing, and with the G-Men winning. Almost shocked at Denver's dominance in Tampa. Or how about the Rams over the 49ers? And I did not expect the Eagles to beat the Saints. But this one was far and away the wildest shock, because the Panthers already looked dead in the water after just two games. Then, they have a veritable offensive explosion. They went up 33-7 and put the game well out of reach (if it was not already there) early in the fourth quarter with a touchdown that saw their lead go up to 33-7. The Raiders scored some hollow points after that to make it look a bit closer and more respectable than it actually was. But believe me, the Panthers kicked some butt from beginning to end, and earned their first win of the season. Both teams are now 1-2. My pick: Wildly Inaccurate

Seattle 24, Miami 3- The Seahawks are 3-0, and as of right now, have a comfortable two-game lead over the rest of the NFC West in the standings. Not many would have predicted that, right? Yet, it feels a bit like some luck, because they got the Fins at a moment when Miami was most compromised, with an uncertain situation at quarterback, and with the team reeling from a blowout loss to Buffalo the week before. Still, for now, the Seahawks are flying high, as they improve to 3-0. Meanwhile, the Dolphins feel like they are in trouble, as they drop to 1-2. My pick: Accurate

Baltimore 28, Dallas 25 - The Ravens were dominating the Cowboys for most of this game. And while Dallas did rally and make a comeback attempt late, it ultimately fell short. The Ravens came to play, and showed what they are capable of both on offense, and with a tough defense. After being consistently frustrated all game, the Cowboys finally managed to pile the points on in the fourth quarter, scoring 19 unanswered points. Yet, it is a sign of just how dominant the Ravens were to that point, that even a 19-0 run by the 'Boys ultimately fell short. Baltimore pulls off their first win of the year, while the Cowboys suffer another disappointing home loss. Both teams are now 1-2 on the year. My pick: Accurate

LA Rams 27, San Francisco 24 - The 49ers have owned the Rams for quite a few years now. And this game appeared to be following that script, right up until the end. But to their credit, the Rams hung in there, and made good things happen. They were trailing by 14 points twice, and were losing by 10 in the final quarter, as well. But they never stopped playing or believing that they could win, and chipped away at the Niners lead. First a field goal, to bring it to within a touchdown. Then they scored the tying touchdown. Finally, they managed to get the ball and, with the assistance of a penalty (there were actually three against the 49ers on the same play), Los Angeles got themselves into field goal range. A successful conversion, and the Rams pulled off their first win of the year, and doing it against the team that has traditionally tormented them. Both teams walk away from this game with identical 1-2 records. My pick: Inaccurate

Detroit 20, Arizona 13 - Another game that lacked fireworks, although many people might have expected a high-scoring shootout. But the Lions jumped ahead 20-7 in the first half, and then hung on for the win, relying on a tough defense. They recovered from their stunning loss to the Bucs in Detroit last week, and improve to 2-1 on the year. The Cards, meanwhile, fall to 1-2 on the year. My pick: Accurate

Sunday Night: Kansas City 22, Atlanta 17 - The Chiefs improved to 3-0 on the year with this win, and they did it in what appears to be their trademark style, at least early on. No massive fireworks or jaw-dropping offensive performances. No dominance. They just did what they had to do, just enough to get by and earn the "W." The Falcons fought hard and came close, but they just had no real answers that were good enough, and ultimately fell short, dropping to 1-2 on the year now. My pick: Accurate

Monday Night Football Game # 1: Buffalo 47, Jax 10 - Buffalo is a tough place to play, more often than not. Just ask the Jacksonville Jaguars this morning, and they'll have to agree. This game was out of hand fairly early. If it had been a boxing match, it would have been an early round KO. The Bills offense and defense were playing simply lights out, and left just no doubt. They now have raced out to a perfect 3-0 start, while keeping Jax winless for the time being. My pick: Accurate

Monday Night Football Game # 2: Washington 38, Cincinnati - This game was all about Washington's rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. He set an all-time rookie record with an incredible passing performance, completing 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Cincy's defense simply had no answers for him, and as a result, they could not stop the Commanders offense when it mattered most. While the Bengals actually jumped out ahead very early, it felt like Washington's offense was an avalanche that buried the Bengals and their chances of avoiding a disastrous 0-3 start. My pick: Inaccurate