Five Takeaways from NFL Week Three
- Bills vs. Dolphins
On Sunday, the Dolphins knocked off the Buffalo Bills. If this game were played ten times, the Bills would have won nine of them. The Bills completely dominated in terms of plays and yards throughout the game, but the Dolphins did just enough to win. The Bills have now laid an egg in back-to-back years in Florida at inexplicable times. The Bills had so many chances to take the lead and even a last-second chance, but receiver Isaiah McKenize chose to cut up field instead of sprinting to the sideline to get out of bounds, leaving no time on the clock for a last second field goal attempt.
In the second quarter. Tua was shoved to the ground on a pass play and whiplashed his head. He was visibly concussed after a late, and some how cleared concussion protocol. The Dolphins team doctor must've been Dr. Nick from the Simpsons or he didn't get checked at all. The Dolphins said that Tua hurt his back, the hit drew a late hit flag. When attempting to walk away from the hit, he became extremely wobbly and collapsed. He came back into the game and led the Dolphins to victory.
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We also had a butt punt. Somewhere Mark Sanchez is smiling. In one of the funniest occurences, with the Dolphins backed up late in the 4th. The Dolphins punter kicked the ball right into blocker, sending the ball straight up and out of the endzone for a safety which gave the Bills a last minute chance. However the Dolphins escpaed the butt punt and got the win.
We mentioned this before, but the Bills' lack of a ground game is one of their weak points, and it showed up again today. Allen threw the ball 63 times and that, no matter how good Allen is, is not a long-term recipe for success. Controlling the line of scrimmage and wearing down the defense would have greatly aided them in this game. There's not much to worry about for Bills fans; This is loss that will serve them in the long run. They dominated up and down the field while the Dolphins celebrated like they won the Super Bowl. Excellent bulletin board material for their next meeting which comes in December.
- Colts upset the Chiefs
The Colts upset the Chiefs in one of the most obvious Week 3 trap games. For the Colts, this could be a potential season saving win. All week, money was pouring in on the Chiefs, but the spread was moving in the opposite direction, lowering in favor of a better line on KC. This was a major warning sign. The public took the bait and backed the Chiefs in the 80% to 90% range. There were some questionable play calls and questionable flags in this game so when you see that kind of line action, it's best to either fade the public or stay away entirely because things could be a little fishy.
Only five 0-3 teams have made the playoffs after starting the season with that record, so the Colts may have saved their season. In true any given Sunday fashion, the Colts went to Jacksonville and were shutout, then hosted the Chiefs, who are the class of the AFC, the very next week and won 20-17. Frank Reich may have taken a breather for the time being, but he will almost certainly need to lead the Colts to the playoffs to keep his job. Their odds to win the AFC South have now moved once to be favorites.
- The Raiders are the only team in the NFL who are 0-3
The Raiders were one of the popular preseason picks to take a big step forward in the AFC and make a deep playoff run. They had an excellent offseason as they hired Josh McDaniels as new head coach, added star wide receiver Davante Adams and edge rusher Chandler Jones to their roster. Solid moves that pumped up the fanbase for the 2022 season. You don't win games on paper though and their 2022 season has gotten off to an inauspicious start.
So far, they've lost to the Chargers, blown a fourth-quarter lead against the Cardinals, and lost to the Titans on Sunday. This sparked an argument between owner Mark Davis and head coach Josh McDaniels during a post game closed door meeting. McDaniels is a brilliant offensive mind, but his record as a head coach has been mixed. He struggled in Denver, was considered for the Colts job but turned it down, and then relocated to Las Vegas this offseason. So far, the marriage has not gone well. There are rumors that the offense is not on the same page as the scheme and players, but this remains to be seen. From the outside looking in, you have to believe it as the Raiders offense should be better than last year but they have yet to hit their stride.
So far, it appears that this team does not have the same team chemistry that it did last season under Rich Bisaccia's coaching. If they want to make the playoffs, they must defy the odds. Their playoff chances currently sit around 3%. From a betting perspective the Raiders have also yet to cover in any game, falling to 0-3 ATS and SU. They return home to face the struggling Broncos, who are still 2 and 1. The Raiders are favored in that game, so this could be a spot where they not only win but also cover the spread for the first time.
- The worst Sunday Night Football game ever
To close out the Sunday slate, viewers were treated to a polished turd between the 49ers and Broncos. In a 11 to 10 thriller, the Broncos held on to move to 2-1 and a tie for first place in the AFC West. The Broncos have looked all out of sorts, from time management issues, to Russell Wilson's regression, they are left searching for answers. However you don't apologize for wins in the NFL and in vintage Russ form, he pulled out the W on Sunday night leading his team back from an absolute stinker of a performance. They head to Las Vegas on next week to take on the Raiders in a game where they are underdogs against an 0-3 Raiders team. That should tell you all you need to know about how oddsmakers are valuing their performances so far.
The 49ers, on the other hand, have their own set of issues. Dan Orlovsky was vindicated for his run out of the endzone for a safety play, as Jimmy Garoppollo stepped out of the endzone to record a safety and threw a pick 6 on the same play. The safety ruled the play dead and wavied off the touchdown, but it was hilarious to watch. Seeing Garoppolo make plays like this suggests that the 49ers were willing to put up with some of Trey Lance's struggles in order to see what he could offer, as his upside may be greater than Garoppolo's floor. The 49ers appear to have everything in place, with an excellent defense and running game, but they have gone deep in the playoffs only to be hamstrung by something Garoppolo couldn't do. It must be frustrating for 49er fans because he can do everything you'd want from a quarterback about 90% of the time but there are just some games that he cannot win for you.
- The Jags are good? Chargers in trouble?
The Jaguars moved to 2-1 after heading to LA and beating a banged up Chargers team. The Jaguars have now defeated the Colts and Chargers in consecutive weeks, and Doug Pederson have the boys buzzing in Duval. Trevor Lawrence is coming into his own, he ranks 8th in QBR and has only turned the ball over one time. He has also thrown 6 TD's on the year. For perspective, hes 1/3 of the way towards his total from his rookie season and in only a 1/4 of the time. Christian Kirk, a free agent signing whose contract was questioned around the league as being too high for someone of his caliber, has lived up to his signing. He has 18 catches for 267 yards and three touchdowns on the season. After James Robinson suffered an achilles tear last year, many expected Travis Etienne to be the starting running back. Robinson did the unthinkable by recovering from his achilles injury in 9 months. Robinson is averaging 4.5 yards per carry and has three touchdowns on the season. Doug Pederson now has more wins in three weeks than Urban Meyer had in his entire Jaguars coaching career. It will be interesting to see how the Jaguars develop throughout the season. The AFC South is wide open, and with the team's new look, they should be in the mix.
For some inexplicable reason, the Chargers decided to start Justin Herbert this week. He is recovering from a major rib cartilage injury and is being treated by the same doctors who punctured Tyrod Taylor's lungs. This combination has to worry Charger fans. Herbert is the franchise's linchpin, and the team is not resting him for a meaningless week 3 game. The Chargers have also lost Bosa to a groin injury, their star LT Rashawn Slater to a torn bicep, and Jalen Guyton to an ACL. They haven't hit their stride as they did in 2021. Austin Eckler has struggled, Keenan Allen has been out since Week 1, and Brandon Staley appears to have lost his aggressiveness. For the Chargers' sake, hopefully they'll figure it out soon and get back to winning, but it'll be interesting to see how they handle the rest of the season. They were one of the preseason favorites to contend for the AFC and things are looking great right now in LA.