411's Monday Morning Cup of Coffee 9.22.08: NFL Week 3 Breakdown

Posted by Ken Schmidt on 09.22.2008

Coming off my most hated column ever, I am back after a week where my team won, my picks won, and we had the biggest upset of season thus far.

There were plenty of big spreads this week and I contemplated putting together a nice three team teaser to knock the lines down. Fortunately for me I decided not to because I know I would have used the Patriots. That is the danger of teasers, usually one game throws you off hard. However, on the games I did think were good bets (read the Office), I nailed them all. Woot woot! Well sit down with your cup of coffee because it is review time.

	ATLANTA 38
	KANSAS CITY 13

Summary
This was a tale of two halves as the Falcons put it to the Chiefs early behind that running game that just pounds away at defenses. Burner Turner and Jerious Norwood aren't great at complimenting each other but you can't complain with results and that is what these guys get. And what are the secondary advantages of a great running game? It opens you up for BIG plays down field and Matt Ryan did not miss out on that opportunity hitting Roddy White on a big 70-yard pass play that almost put the knife in the back of the Chiefs early. It was 24-0 before the Chiefs knew what happened and that hole was impossible for a third string quarterback like Tyler Thigpen to climb out of.

Falcons
Michael Turner bounced back after a rough week 2 for his second 100+ yard, multi-touchdown game of the season. Norwood continues to rival Sproles as the best back-up in the league as he grabbed 75 yards on the ground and had a 30 catch, so he broke 100 total yards. Matt Ryan is doing his job as a young quarterback, handing the ball off, protecting the football and finding the big play when possible. This was a great showing by the Falcons and they are a quiet 2-1, even though they might not finish over .500 these games are good building blocks.

Chiefs
The Chiefs are AWFUL. Tyler Thigpen might've been a stud at Coastal Carolina but this is the big leagues and he is not going to cut it. 14/36 is generous considering most of his completions came late in the game. Larry Johnson was getting knocked over when you blew on him in the first quarter but did salvage a nice game to little too late in the second half. As of week 3, I am saying the Chiefs are the worst team in football.

	BUFFALO 24
	OAKLAND 23

Summary
What a game. The Bills had a real chance to make a statement here going 3-0 and taking sole position of first in the AFC East but they had to earn it. 3 turnovers gave the Raiders a chance to win but the solid defense of the Bills kept Janikoski booting field goals. The Bills offense looked dead going into the fourth quarter and the Raiders looked like they might cruise to an upset. Than it was time for Edwards to prove himself as a true starting quarterback in this league. He led a 96 yard drive to get the Bills within 2 points but a home run pass from JaMarcus Russell to SuperStar Johnnie Lee Higgens put what I thought was the nail in the coffin. However, Edwards was not finished as he led a 69 yard drive capped off with a Roscoe Parrish touchdown to bring it to a 2 point game. The Raiders could not kill the clock and Edwards once again looked brilliant leading his team down the field for a third time in the fourth quarter for the game winning field goal as time expired.

Buffalo
The Bills earned 3-0 here with a nail bitter of a victory. The defense that was supposed to be the bright spot did masterfully to cover up for 3 turnovers by the offense. They kept the Raiders out of the endzone and that made the difference. Minus the home run ball the defense looked great. Marshawn Lynch had a good week by fantasy rules but a stud running back like Lynch needs to get over 100 yards in 23 carries. When all is said and done the Bills are one of the few teams that can say they are 3-0.

Raiders
I will give it to the Raiders, I liked what they showed us today, even in defeat. The defense continues to be what takes the pressure of JaMarcus Russell as they gave him the short field to work with. However, Russell continues to be weak, and for a number 1 overall pick I will give him the benefit of the doubt but another week with just 9 completions, one of them being a bomb to Higgens but he was not good enough here. With the short field the Raiders could have buried the Bills before the 4th quarter but they didn't and they missed the opportunity.

	NEW YORK GIANTS 26
	CINCINATTI 23

Summary
The Giants just let the Bengals hang around in this game and as the game progressed people around the world began to think the impossible was possible. This was another team that had to fight to earn their 3-0 record. The Bengals found themselves in front late in the after Carson Palmer led the Bengals down the field for a 17-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Houshmanzadah. However, Eli Manning has known a thing or two about leading his team down the field under pressure and I think the Bengals defense of this year is not as big a task as the Patriots in the Super Bowl so Eli made it happen with some dump passes and nice and safe plays which was all he needed. I will say this, the Bengals defense looked scared and Eli did not need a home run pass. The drive was capped off a Kevin "Who's the" Boss (Jeremy Who?) and the Giants looked to have it wrapped up. But Carson Palmer was not done. He drove his team 71 yards down the field, the only problem was he needed 75. The Bengals came up a few yards short of the win and the field goal meant overtime where most of the world became convinced the upset would not happen. Sure enough the Bengals fell to the Giants when Eli needed just two big plays to get into field goal range and the Giants snuck away with a 3 point win.

Giants
Most will expect me to say something bad about the Giants here but I don't think I need to. 3-0 is 3-0. Sure, they should've killed the Bengals but they didn't. The defense did what it normally does which is grab an inordinate amount of sacks but the Bengals finally showed up on offense and it happens. This was a war of attrition and the Giants came out on top and are right where they should be after three easier games to start the season.

Bengals
This is the Bengals team more of us expected to see this year. Sure, they didn't win, but they hung with the Superbowl Champions which is better than getting blown out by the Ravens and Titans. Chad Ocho Cinco continues to be inferior to Chad Johnson as just 3 catches will not cut it for a guy that requires so much attention. T.J. Houshmanzadeh and Carson Palmer are the best players on this team and they are finally awake and should continue with big numbers the rest of the season. However, when all is said and done, this team is 0-3.

	TAMPA BAY 27
	CHICAGO 24

Summary
For the Bears this game seemed all too familiar. The defense gives you the game that you could win as long as you don't make a big mistake and the quarterback throws the ball to a defensive lineman who wasn't even covering anyone for a pick 6. It was 14-6 early but the Bears would not go away as Orton seemed to snap back from his horrible mistake like a pro and the Bears seemed to wrap this one up in the second half after two passing TDs from Orton, including Matt Forte's first TD reception. Brian Griese decided it was time to earn his starting position and just get it by default when his coach hates the original starter. Down 10, the Bucs got a quick field goal to make it a 7 point game and like the Raiders the Bears could not grind out the clock and Griese got the ball back and drove the field for the game tying touchdown. The Bears made a mistake in overtime giving the Bucs a free play and it got the Bucs in the red zone and the ability to clinch the game with a field goal.

Buccanneers
This was a statement for the Bucs who were 1-1 going into this game, that they are still the team to beat in a division they won last year. To win on the road against the Bears is an accomplishment and the Brian Griese should earn himself the starts the rest of the way as he broke 400 yards passing (even if he came along with 3 picks). The Bucs abandoned the running game early which is why I am surprised they came back in this one.

Bears
This is a tough loss to swallow for a team that was riding high off a huge win week 1 and then blew one last week. Well they blew another one. The Bears could easily be 3-0 right now but instead of a weak 1-2. This team needs a quarterback badly as that interception for a TD by Orton was horrible. Matt Forte will be a stud feature back for years to come but it is going to be tough to win without a QB.

	MINNESOTA 20
	CAROLINA 10

Summary
The Panthers came out and looked to destroy the Vikings hopes early by getting out 10-0 and keeping new starting quarterback Gus Frerotte frustrated, including an interception off a good Frerotte pass that hit Berrian in the chest, than up in the air, and then intercepted. Things looked even worse when the Vikings drove the field and once again settled for a field goal, a repeat of last week when the Vikings could not find the endzone against the Colts and it cost them. Then, the turning point. With less than 2 minutes left in the first half Delhomme was sacked and fumbled. The ball was run back for a touchdown and it was a tie game going into halftime and the Vikings were pumped. The second half saw a disappearance of all of Carolina's offense as Steve Smith only made one catch in the second half and Frerotte protected the ball and even got a TD pass on the way to a 20-0 win.

Vikings
The Vikings have now been dominant in one half of football this season and it has been good enough to get them to 1-2. Peterson did play in this game and even without getting the big numbers did a good job to keep the Panthers down once the Vikes got the lead. Frerotte will get the start next week after the win and should give the Vikings a better shot at the playoffs than Jackson gave them, even if I still believe it is a real longshot.

Panthers
Did anyone else think that the Panthers were going to be the cardiac cats again and come back? Well that would be if Jake Delhomme existed today and he just disappeared. He finished 17/29 for 191 yards and no TDs. Once Delhomme and the passing game got shut down there was no chance because even a good rushing attack like Carolina's gets swallowed up by the Vikings rush D.

	WASHINGTON 24
	CARDINALS 17

Summary
I hate to be one of those guys who blames the officials all the time but this is back to back weeks a game's final decision was changed by the officiating. I'll get to that later. The Redskins jumped out early but the Cardinals offense would not be quiet. Edge was decent on the ground and opened up Warner for some big plays downfield, including a 62 yard bomb to Larry Fitzgerald. It looked like the Cardinals were in control but late in the game it was another bomb downfield that would've been the Cards in scoring territory but Leigh Torrence made contact early and what should've been a pass interference call ended up being an interception that was run back, setting up Jason Campbell to hit Santana Moss on a screen for the game winning TD. Arizona drove the field late in the game but stalled on the 50 yard line and they decided to punt on 4th and 4 with just a little more than 2 minutes left. DUMB. Skins steal a win here.

Redskins
Stephon Heyer, the offensive lineman for the Redskins, should be cut from the team right now. The Redskins had a 68-yard TD bomb taken away because he decided to punch a player during the play. However, the Redskins stole a win, like I said above. The Redskins did not excel in any category today as Portis looked mediocre and Campbell did well as he protected the ball and did have two TDs. The Redskins are the least talked about team in the NFC East but they were in the playoffs last year and at 2-1 with wins over the Cards and Saints, they look like they will compete for a wild card spot again this year.

Cardinals
I will stop talking about the botched call now and talk about the Cards. These receivers are incredible and opposing teams need to be worried about them making a big play every time the offense has the ball. Electing to punt at the end of the game cost the Cards a chance to tie the score but in the long run the Redskins are a better team than the Cardinals and they hung right with them. Arizona should win the NFC West easily this season behind that high powered offense.

	TENNESSEE 31
	HOUSTON 12

Summary
This game was closer than the final score shows as the Texans had a few chances to score late in the game but elected to go for the touchdown in the red zone a few times and none of them ever turned out the way they wanted. Matt Schaub could not complete a pass early in the game and ended up with bad numbers, 17/37 with 3 picks. The Titans tough defense did not break when put under pressure and they are 3-0 early this season and are in the elite of the NFL right now.

Titans
Kerry Collins may not be the long term answer in Tennessee but he may be the man to take them far this year. And also, in Collins illustrious career he has become just the 15th QB to pass for 35,000 yards. This is a guy people forget had a real nice career in New York before becoming a one-year guy on squads like Oakland and Tennessee. The Titans defense harassed Schaub in this one and Cortland Finnegan ran an interception back 99 yards for the game sealing score. The rushing attack continues to be good enough for the Titans as LenDale White scored yet another TD.

Texans
There is nothing good to take out of this game for the Texans. Last season it looked like the Texans found a diamond in the rough with a guy that went to high school in my area, but that does not seem the case now. The Texans gambled a lot this game and it never ended up there way and they are 0-2.

	MIAMI 38
	NEW ENGLAND 13

Summary
No one expected this to be a very exciting game, I mean the spread was 12.5 the Patriots haven't lost in over a season and the Dolphins are 1-17 since the start of last season. Well than things got eerie. Ronnie Brown got the scoring started with a 2-yard run and the Dolphins were up 7-0. No big deal. Than the Pats drove the field in what looked to be a quick answer but the Dolphins D held and forced the field goal. Another Dolphins long drive finished by a Ronnie Brown TD (a repeating theme) was followed by another stalling Pats drive for a field goal after each team scored twice it was 14-6 Dolphins. Things got out of hand after that with Ronnie Brown being the driving force that ended the Pats regular season winning streak. This was not only an upset, but this may just be the turning point in a change of power in the AFC as the Pats got demolished by a weak Dolphins squad at home.

Dolphins
Ronnie Brown seems to have recovered nicely from his injury after being worried in the preseason if he could return to form. Brown had just 17 carries for 113 yards and 4 TDs. If that wasn't good enough to break the Patriots back how about Ronnie Brown tossing a TD on a trick play to Anthony "Don't Call Me Sal" Fasano. Brown was the MVP of this game but let's go ignore a great game from Pennington, even though his running back had more TD passes than him. Chad set the pace with a 17/20 performance and opened things up for the running game to BURY the Pats. And I mean bury worse than HHH buries the tag team division in the WWE (had to throw that in there). Another game ball should go to the Dolphins D who bent but did not break in the face of big time players like Moss, Welker, and the numerous New England backs.

Patriots
The Patriots should be embarrassed for many reasons, however the final score is not the worst. They lost their temper in there and Mike Vrabel embarrassed his team with an uncalled for personal foul after Brown's 62-yard TD run. The second reason for being embarrassed is the offense. When you drive the field and have big time scorers like Moss and Welker you need to score. Settling for those two field goals early set the pace for the loss. The Patriots need to not panic because they should still be good enough to win this division but I would not expect another shot at the Super Bowl for the team led by Matt Cassel.

	SAN FRANCISCO 31
	DETRIOT 13

Summary
I got a lot of flack last week for a WRONG statement I made that the Lions were never close last week. They clearly were and I was wrong. And then I made fun of people, which I tend to do, but that was WRONG, but hey, tempers tend to flare. This week the Lions were close, than the game started and things went to hell. It started in the first quarter with an O'Sullivan to Bruce touchdown and once the 49ers got the lead it was Frank Gore pounding the ball on the ground and the Lions buckled. This was a snoozer.

49ers
Another win where the 49ers looked like a legitimate team. J.T. O'Sullivan, for a second string quarterback, is playing great out there. He protects the ball and spreads the ball around nicely. The 49ers are going to be a tough team to come from behind and beat because of Frank Gore's running ability. Once they had the lead they pounded it away. The 49ers are in a tie with Cardinals right now with a 2-1 record.

Lions
The Lions looked bad again and are now 0-3. Kevin Smith looks like he lost his carries to Rudi Johnson, who had a nice game this week, about the only bright spot for the Lions. Even Calvin Johnson was quiet this week. It's going to be a long season.

	BALTIMORE 28
	CLEVELAND 10

Summary
The Browns actually led this game going into halftime with things looking to be in motion for the struggling Browns. However, Derek Anderson fell apart in the second half, throwing all of his three interceptions to give the Ravens the big lead. Although it was close for awhile the second half turned this game out to be another snoozer when the Browns offense became non-existent.

Ravens
The Ravens offense was just as bad as any teams this week. Joe Flacco had a terrible second game of his career throwing two picks and no touchdowns. He had just 129 yards. Willis McGahee being healthy is a plus as he had 64 yards and a touchdown while some guy named Le'Ron McClain (out of Alabama) had 66 yards and two touchdowns. For the Ravens, who are unbeaten, the defense may just be good enough to put them in contention this season.

Browns
The clock is ticking early for Derek Anderson as a team that was a tiebreaker away from the playoffs last season is now 0-3. Brady Quinn is waiting patiently and I feel like the waiting may end soon. If the Browns slip any further than D.A. is gone and the era of Brady may begin.

	PHILADELPHIA 15
	PITTSBURGH 6

Summary
If Ben Roethlisberger's shoulder wasn't hurt going into this game than it sure is now. The Eagles, embarrassed from their poor defensive performance against Dallas, put a world of pressure on the banged up Big Ben and the Steelers offense was stuck. The thing that kept this game close was injuries on the other end of the ball, as Donovan McNabb left the game for a while with a chest injury and Brian Westbrook left the game and did not return after a nasty looking fall when he stepped on his own players leg and did a split on the field. The defense was on top of Big Ben all game and it took just one touchdown, a few field goals, and a safety for the Eagles to pick up a huge win over their state rivals.

Eagles
Although it was a big win, there could also be a huge loss in it for the Eagles if Brian Westbrook's injury is serious. DeSean Jackson seems to think he is fine but I think I'll reserve my judgment until the medical opinions come from someone who did not cough up their first career touchdown due to showboating. The defense found out what works this week and that is blitzing. Nine sacks is a pretty good number and now the Eagles sit at 2-1, dead even with the Redskins, which should be the battle all season for that last wild card spot.

Steelers
Willie Parker was completely shutdown this game and he is the gamebreaker for the Steelers. Without a running game the Eagles were able to pass blitz all game and the pressure was too much for an injured Big Ben. I would not be too concerned for the Steelers this season but Roethlisberger did leave the game (apparent hand injury) before the Eagles clinched it so he might be hurt, which is real bad news going forward.

	DENVER 34
	NEW ORLEANS 32

Summary
The Broncos have proved early in the season that they are going to be one of the most entertaining teams to watch. The first quarter alone was filled with three solid scoring drives. The Broncos seem to have no trouble scoring as Cutler is zoning in on one receiver and it is still working. Brandon Marshall his only touchdown of the game in the first quarter but finished with 155 yards. The Broncos went up 21-3 after a fumble return for a touchdown but the Saints would not lie down. Every time it appeared the Broncos locked up the game Drew Brees aired it out to keep the game close. Even though they didn't get the win this game Brees still picked up 421 yards in the air with a TD and set up the touchdown runs of Bush and Thomas. With the game tight the Saints drove the field in the 4th quarter and Pierre Thomas pounded the ball into the endzone to make it a 2 point game. However, Brees pass to Reggie Bush was incomplete on the two-point conversion and the offenses were silenced the rest of the way. The Saints did have a chance to win this game but Martin Gramatica is no Josh Scobee as he pushed a potential game winning field goal wide right with under 2 minutes to go.

Broncos
Jay Cutler is making a living this year on locking into one receiver, and it is working. Marshall had 6 more catches this week for 155 but the Broncos could not establish a running attack. Selvin Young had good numbers but with only 11 carries could not make a big difference in the game. He finished with 65 yards. I am not sure whether the Broncos defense is bad or the Chargers and Saints both have great offenses (which they do) but they cannot win a Super Bowl in shootouts like this.

Saints
The Saints drop to 1-2 this season and continue to give up big yards. Drew Brees had a big game completing 39/48 passes but stalled late in the game. Most didn't expect the Saints to win this game and they really did a good job of making a game of this. I would not count them out quite yet in a division that still looks to be wide open.

GAME OF THE WEEK:

	JACKSONVILLE 23
	INDIANAPOLIS 21

Summary
The Jaguars looked to bounce back from a horribly disappointing first two weeks of the season against their biggest rivals, the Indianapolis Colts. The Jags turned to what worked last year and that was run, run, run. In the first half Garrard completed just 4 passes, and all were to Maurice Jones Drew. The game was hard fought all game with Peyton Manning making most of the first half action. Marvin Harrison appeared finally, with a TD pass but then disappeared again, at least for a while. Peyton also made things interesting by giving 7 points back to the Jaguars with an interception. The Jaguars defense slowed the tough Colts offense down in the second half and handed the ball to Taylor and Jones-Drew who each broke 100 yards on the ground. Much like the Raiders and Bears, the Jaguars could not bury the Colts when they had a chance and kicked a late field goal giving Peyton a chance to drive the field for the winning touchdown. On a crucial fourth down Manning found Harrison to get into Jaguars territory. From there Peyton hit Harrison and Wayne to get inside the 5 yard line and Joseph Addai gave the Colts the one point lead. The Jaguars got the ball back with just a minute to go and Garrard did his best Manning brother impression and set Scobee for the season saving, game winning 51 yard field goal.

Jaguars
The Jaguars refused to say die and played like their season depended on this game, because it really did. With this win the Jaguars have the same record as the Colts and have salvaged their season. The running game did most of the work but it was Garrard who came up clutch down the stretch and won this game. Of course what can you say about a kicker who boots a 51-yard field goal with ease to seal a huge victory.

Colts
I guess you can call them the cardiac Colts this week since the Panthers decided they wouldn't need the name. The Colts once again wait for the 4th quarter to turn their game on and this time it wasn't enough. The defense let the Jaguars control the ball and Peyton Manning still does not seem like himself this season, he had two picks today and just 15/29 passing. The Colts are a surprising 1-2 early with their only win being a close one against the Vikings, who controlled them for most of the game.

	SEATTLE 37
	ST. LOUIS 13

Summary
This is a note for all the gamblers out there, present company included. Stop picking the Rams to cover, they are awful. The Seahawks came out picking apart the worst defense in football with Billy McMullen of all people. Without receivers the Rams still couldn't stop Matt Hasselbeck who was a modest 12/20 but it was enough. The Seahawks just ran the game out in the end handing the ball to Julius Jones and TJ Duckett, who the Rams also could not stop.

Seahawks
A much needed first win, as the Seahawks needed a confidence booster. Julius Jones is having a good start to his first year as the Seahawks featured back, he had 140 yards and a touchdown. Not much to say for the Seahawks moving forward as they still look like an underdog to the Cardinals in the division.

Rams
I retract my earlier statement about the Chiefs being the worst team in football, it isn't even close. The Rams cannot protect the quarterback, cannot block for one of the most talented backs in the world, and cannot stop an offense that was been crippled by injuries. What more is there to say? This team is pathetic.


ALL WEEK 3 TEAM

QB: Drew Brees (39/48 421 yard, 1 TD)
RB: Ronnie Brown (17 carries 113 yards, 4 TD, 1/1 19 yards, TD)
WR: Brandon Marshall (6 catches 155 yards, TD)
WR: T.J. Houshmandzadeh (12 catches 146 yards, TD)
TE: Chris Cooley (7 catches, 72 yards)
Team Defense: Philadelphia Eagles (9 sacks, 6 points allowed, safety)

2nd Team
QB: Chad Pennington (17/20 226 yards)
RB: Julius Jones (22 carries 140 yards, 1 TD)
WR: Roddy White (5 catches 119 yards, 1 TD)
WR: Larry Fitzgerald (7 catches, 109 yards, 1 TD)
TE: Kevin Boss (3 catches, 51 yards, 1 TD)
Team Defense: Tennessee Titans (3 interceptions, 12 points allowed, 1 TD)

Wrap Up

Once again the Sunday night game took too long to get recapped so don't everyone get upset, we have deadlines (go PACKERS!). As of right now what I am seeing the Cowboys are making short work of the Packers with one quarter to go. To go on the road, into Green Bay and look so good is important for the Cowboys coming off a game where they looked beatable.

If anyone has some they think deserves to be in the all week 3 team more than those selected let me know, other than that, let the negative feedback begin.