NFL Week 3 Game Notes

Chiefs over 49ers

Adam: -The pick-your-excuse carousel continues for dumb-founded, dismayed, and generally depressed 49er fans.  It's hard to find any justification for the Niners' Sunday debacle besides, they stink.  The Niners' most horrendous offence to football thus far this year has been their offense.  Offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye is entirely uncreative, disorganized, and shows a complete inability to direct the talent his offense posseses.  Alex Smith has shown no ability to persevere, either above his offensive coordinator's ineptitude, or through his own lack of confidence.  He continues to be inaccurate and ineffective, completing a low percentage of passes for small to medium gains, and turns the ball over far too much.  Even the passes he does complete seem to barely find their way to the target and rarely go for long yardage.  Mike Singletary continues to mismanage game situations and doesn't have control over the pulse of his team.  The 49ers commit too many mistakes and general mental gaffes throughout the course of the game; they look ill-prepared and disorganized.  The Niner house is in chaos.

-On the flip side, the Chiefs are showing the 49ers how a rebuilding process is done, by accumulating good coaching (Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel are excellent NFL coordinators) and explosive playmakers.  Plenty of teams with average quarterbacks succeed in the NFL.  The Panthers went to a Super Bowl with Jake Delhomme, the Dolphins are a good team with Chad Henne, Eli Manning beat Tom Brady in a Super Bowl, and look at what the Steelers are doing thus far minus Ben Roethlisberger.  The Chiefs have an average signal caller in Matt Cassel, but they have surrounded him with two very good running backs and some talented playmakers in Tony Moeaki and Dexter McCluster.  Dwayne Bowe is a nice possession receiver as well.  On defense, the Chiefs spent high picks in consecutive drafts to build their defensive line, and it has paid off.  The Chiefs have allowed 14, 17, and 10 points through three games, respectively.  They are winning the field position game with Javier Arenas and McCluster, playing attacking defense, and are very well-coached.

-Update: Raye gets the axe and the writing is on the wall for virtually everyone on the 49ers' organization besides Patrick Willis and Vernon Davis.  Raye was terrible, disorganized, and simply didn't challenge opposing defenses.  Now he is gone, but who knows what promoted QB coach Mike Johnson will do?

Eric: -The Chiefs keep winning.  Those rookies continue their great play and Matt Cassel has his best game of the season so far.

-The 49ers keep losing.  Offensive coordinator Raye has been fired with 49er brass looking for somewhere to point the finger after a 0-3 start.  This is the wrong move.  Smith has had a different offensive coordinator every year he's been in the league; this is the biggest reason why he has struggled adjusting to the NFL.  This season was the first that he's had the same coordinator as the previous season, and now the 49ers have let him go after just three games.  Consistency is key for a guy like Smith, and he has not gotten it with this organization.

Ravens over Browns

A: -Probably closer than the Ravens would have liked, but coming off games against the Jets and Bengals, I'm sure Baltimore is happy to have survived with a win.  Anquan Boldin looks like a huge addition going for 140 yards and three scores.

-The Browns are not a good football team but competed nicely in this game.  Seneca Wallace is average; he doesn't offer much down the field though.

E: -Since drafting Joe Flacco, every year the Ravens' defense has taken a slight step back while the offense has taken a slight step forward.  This season was supposed to be the coming out party for the offense with some big offseason moves, namely acquiring Boldin from Arizona.  We got the first taste of explosiveness this week with Boldin's three touchdowns marking the first time the Ravens have scored more than ten points in a game this season.

-The Ravens' defense is going to be ticked off after giving up 144 yards rushing to Peyton Hillis.  Watch out Pittsburgh, you're up next.

Titans over Giants

A: -Chris Johnson is huge for the Titans.  Vince Young was pedestrian but didn't turn the ball over.
-Eli Manning threw for a ton of yards but didn't get points.  The Giants are in trouble, losing by an average of twenty-five points over the past two weeks.

E: -Big Blue looked really ugly in this one.  There were a lot of bonehead plays plus five personal foul penalties.  The Giants had a hot start last year but then faded down the stretch.  As the season went on, you could tell the team had given up and were just playing for paychecks.  That looked like what happened here.  Tennessee went ahead and the Giants just said, "Screw it."

-The Titans get a good bounce back after playing terribly at home against the Steelers a week ago.

Steelers over Buccaneers

A: -The 3-0 start for the Steelers is a testament to Mike Tomlin and the general stability of the Steelers organization.  They rolled the Bucs with Warren Moon's older brother, Charlie Batch, at the helm.  That is amazing.  Pittsburgh's defense appears to be special, but I haven't gotten to watch them for any extended time to verify that sentiment.

-The Bucs are a building team, but 2-1 is a really nice start for them.  This team is clearly headed in the right direction; I like Josh Freeman as a quarterback.

E: -The Buccaneers were recipients of a favorable schedule out of the gate, and they maximized their potential going 2-0.  The Steelers were their first true test and they couldn't stand up to the challenge.  We knew the Bucs weren't going to be very good going into the season, and here they get stomped by a nasty Pittsburgh defense.

-Charlie Batch, you can't stop him; you can only hope to contain him.

Vikings over Lions

A: -The Lions had some opportunities in this game, got some bad calls, but were ultimately the inferior team at the Metrodome Sunday.  The Lions' offense just doesn't quite have the continuity or the quarterback to put points on the board consistently.  Even at 0-3, the Lions have shown some talent, now they just need some time.

-Brett Favre committed a bunch of turnovers again and wasn't all that impressive throwing the ball.  Percy Harvin made some nice plays and then pretended to be injured like six times.  Adrian Peterson was an absolute beast as usual; he was the difference in the game.

E: -Where has Jerad Allen been?  He has not been getting consistent pressure and has only one sack to his name, and even that came on a play where Henne was trying to scramble but ran into Allen a yard behind the line of scrimmage.  He has gone up against some good offensive tackles in Jermon Bushrod and Jake Long, but he couldn't even make life tough on Shaun Hill.  (Maybe he's like Samson without his mullet.  Yeah, we'll go with that.)

-A win's a win, but this one wasn't pretty for the Vikings.  There were a lot of penalties against Minnesota, and if Hill hadn't thrown interceptions in the end zone on two late drives, the Vikings could very well be 0-3.

Falcons over Saints

A: -A huge win for Atlanta knocks some of the championship luster off the Saints.  Corollary: A victory against the defending champs always gives a team a huge confidence boost.

-Matt Ryan was terrific; accurate, productive, efficient, and mistake-free.  Michael Turner looks like he has regained his 2008 form if he can just stay healthy.  Tony Gonzalez is an absolutely amazing fourteen year vet with eight grabs and 110 yards and a score.

-For the Saints, it may be good to get a loss.  It will be a good chance for them to see what they are doing wrong and to have some motivation to attack the business of winning football again.  I think the Saints are going to be a Super Bowl contender this year with this loss registering as nothing more than a wakeup call.

-We may be in for a season-long race between Atlanta and New Orleans.

E: -Once a game gets into overtime, both teams are equal; there are no surprises.  That said, Garrett Hartley missing from twenty-nine yards out was surprising.  This was a fun game and proves that the NFC South crown is up for grabs.

Patriots over Bills

A: -I suppose the Bills are probably happy to have been competitive in a game, but that's all they can really take from another loss to the Pats.  The Patriots were good in the passing game but have to be concerned with how well the Bills ran the ball against them.  New England is 2-1 so they are doing fine, but I see holes on this team.

E: -Let's hear it for the Harvard man.  Ryan Fitzpatrick finally makes the Bills competitive in the most unlikely of places, playing at Foxboro Stadium.  This is also the game where CJ Spiller gets his first two NFL touchdowns, one coming on a 95-yard kickoff return.

-This game goes back to the Patriots not being what they once were.  Sure they pulled out the win, but it should not have been this close against perennial AFC East bottom feeder Buffalo.

Bengals over Panthers

A: -Jimmy Clausen's debut is decent but nothing more.  We can't expect a rookie to come in a light the world on fire, but I think Clausen will make strides this year.

-The Bengals have to be wondering what happened to Carson Palmer.  He is less accurate and more hesitant than he ever was before his knee injury.  The Bengals won't go much further than Wild Card Weekend if they can't get more explosive plays from their offense.

E: -Clausen had an unspectacular debut for the Panthers, and Palmer had a similarly unspectacular, yet winning, performance for the Bengals.  A former fixture at the Pro Bowl, Palmer has really fallen, unable to climb back up to that level after blowing out his knee in the 2005 playoffs and suffering elbow injuries in '08 and '09.

Cowboys over Texans

A: -Dallas' big win comes against a good team on the road.  Tony Romo was excellent and the Boys' offense finally capitalized on all their talent.  1-2 is a lot better than 0-3, and the Cowboys can go about their business more calmly.  Dallas gains confidence while the Texans can be happy at 2-1 after their tough opening games facing the Colts, Redskins, and Cowboys.

E: -In the state of Texas, the Texans are looked at as the little brother to the Cowboys.  Coming into this game after two big wins and with Dallas reeling from a 0-2 start, this was the perfect time for Houston to flex their muscles and show the world they're for real.  However, it was not meant to be.  The Cowboys were not going to go winless for very long, and the Texans just ended up on the wrong end of that equation.

-We have a Roy Williams sighting.  Wow.

Rams over Redskins

A: -Kind of inexplicable, the Redskins, especially under Donovan McNabb and Mike Shanahan, should be much further ahead of a team without much talent on the roster and starting a rookie quarterback.  Most amazing of all is that the Rams did much of this while their best player, Steven Jackson, was on the bench.  This good win for the Rams gets them half-way to last year's win total.

E: -Sam Bradford has not had an overpowering start, but has lived up to expectations through three games.  He led the Rams to a nice win after their #1 offensive weapon, Jackson, went down early.

Eagles over Jaguars

A: -The Jags are a bad team, but Michael Vick's performance was still awfully impressive.  If he can play this way, the Eagles can compete for this division.  Vick accounts for 291 passing yards, four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) and thirty yards on the ground.  Most important, Vick is getting the ball downfield to DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin.  Vick also looks more patient, accurate, and poised as a passer than I have ever seen him, although we are looking at a small sample size.  The Eagles are a very dangerous team.

E: -The Michael Vick Experience is back and better than ever.  Vick has looked comfortable in the pocket early on, which was not often the case back in his Atlanta days.

-Recently released Bills quarterback Trent Edwards was picked up by Jacksonville today.  David Garrard needs to perform if the Jaguars want to win some games.  Hopefully this is motivation.

Seahawks over Chargers

A: -San Diego is firmly committed to starting seasons like a really bad team.  Seattle is a surprising 2-1.  San Diego lost three fumbles and was twice intercepted by rookie safety Earl Thomas.

-Who in the hell is gonna win the the NFC West?

E: -In a game divided into three phases, the Seahawks beat the Chargers by winning the most overlooked phase, special teams.  Offseason addition Leon Washington ran back two kickoffs for touchdowns, one coming on the ensuing kick after the Chargers scored a late touchdown and converted on a two-point attempt to tie the game.  San Diego could not muster a comeback after that.

Cardinals over Raiders

A: -Somebody had to win.  Derek Anderson was bad again, but the Cards figure a way to beat the lowly Raiders.  Bruce Gradkowski does seem to move the offense better than Jason Campbell.

-Darren McFadden has 345 yards through three games, which I love.  I thought this guy had so much talent coming out of school and I'm glad he is having some success.

E: -Gradkowski gives the Raiders something they lack and something they weren't getting from Campbell, energy.  And had Sebastian Janikowski hit on a potential go-ahead field goal as time expired, he would've given them a win too.

-McFadden finally looks healthy and is showing why Al Davis picked him fourth overall.

Colts over Broncos

A: -The Colts get a win in a game that could have gone wrong for them.  They had injuries and Kyle Orton was great, throwing for nearly 500 yards.  Still, the Colts found a way to take advantage of opportunities where the Broncos didn't.

-Brandon Lloyd looked really good with 170 receiving yards.

E: -I was surprised—after the death of teammate earlier in the week, backup wideout Kenny McKinley—that the Broncos kept this game as close as they did.

-Ever heard of this guy, Peyton Manning? Yeah, he's pretty good.

Jets over Dolphins

A: -Mark Sanchez has thrown six touchdowns and no picks in his last two games.  Henne and Brandon Marshall finally got on the same page and really went off, but it was ultimately not enough.  I think the Jets, Pats, and Dolphins are all about on the same level competing in the AFC East.

E: -This was a fun, competitive game that went against character as two young quarterbacks put up a lot of points against two stellar defenses.

-LaDanian Tomlinson describes his last few years in San Diego as going poorly not so much because of his age, but because he wasn't completely healthy, and by the time he was all healed up, the Chargers had transformed themselves into a passing team.  Tomlinson looks rejuvenated playing for New York.

Bears over Packers

A: -The Packers' offense was very efficient but ultimately couldn't capitalize enough by putting the ball in the end zone.  It could be that the complete lack of a running game takes a bit of the bite away from the Packers' attack.  Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn are not going to get it done all season, no matter how good Aaron Rodgers is.

-The Bears have to be thrilled starting 3-0 and are now the NFC's last unbeaten team.  Jay Cutler has been very good, although he still makes some bonehead throws.  The offensive line for the Bears is below average, but Cutler has a lightning quick release and a series of veritable weapons in Johnny Knox, Devin Hester, Greg Olsen, Matt Forte, and Earl Bennett.  Mike Martz's system is producing for the Bears, and with a healthy and bolstered front seven, the Bears have a lot of good things going for them.

E: -The Bears did show up to play, but the Packers beat themselves more than anything in this game.  Setting a new team record with eighteen penalties, the Packers shot themselves in the foot over and over.  On the Bears' late drives, there were multiple times where the Packers caused a turnover only for it to be wiped out by penalty.

-Like Seattle, the Bears' domination on special teams helped win the game for them.  The Bears blocked a field goal, had numerous, dazzling kick returns setting up favorable field position, and even ran back a punt for a touchdown.