So here we are on a Tuesday and that means that all the NFL games for week 3 have been played. Let's take a quick trip around the league and hit on the real games and, of course, fantasy football. Here we go.
NFL WEEK 3: Week 3 showcased several "are they really that good?" type of games. Patriots vs. Bills proved to be very telling of both the Pats' defense as well as the Bills' offense. Both teams look good and the Patriots are probably going to end up being better down the stretch, but we learned that counting Buffalo out just because of the division they play in would be very foolish. The Redskins played the Cowboys on MNF. What did we learn? I'm not really sure yet. I guess we learned that the Cowboys have a good rookie kicker, and that both teams are capable of hanging tough in a close game. I will probably give Dallas the edge in the rematch simply because Romo, Witten and Bryant were all nursing injuries while Austin was out completely. These guys are the core of the offense (they didn't score a touchdown with them banged up) and if they are all back healthy, the Cowboys are clearly the more talented team. I'm not counting the Skins out yet though. They showed a lot of guts playing a close game on the road and are still tied for the lead in the division. The Lions took care of the Vikings and are a surprise at 3-0. Out of the undefeated teams, I like Detroit the most. They may be in a tough division but I think we will be talking about this team fighting for a Wild Card birth later this season. The NFC WEST still sucks... enough said. What's wrong with the Falcons? A season removed from posting a 13-3 record and hosting a playoff game, the birds from the ATL already have 2 losses in 3 games. It's safe to say that even if they can right the ship and get back to winning games, they won't have 13 wins this season. With several surprise teams in the NFC and the Saints doing what the Saints do, the Falcons will need a solid record (I'm guessing 11-5) to grab one of those Wild Cards. Baltimore got back on the straight and narrow by pounding the hell out of the Rams (did I already mention that the NFC WEST suuuucks?). Steelers vs. Colts Sunday night game would have been circled on most of our calendars as a must watch... until we found out Payton was out for the year and we all decided to watch NCIS reruns. I do think that we should pay attention to the outcome. The Steelers skated by to claim a victory but looked sluggish doing it. 2 out 3 games so far this season Pittsburgh hasn't looked like Pittsburgh and their one convincing win came against the Seahawks (damn, the NFC WEST really sucks...). I don't think the Steel Curtain is falling down quite yet, but it may have a rip or two in it this year. Did somebody say Dream Team? Oh wait, they're 1-2 (whoops). I don't think I'm overreacting when I say the Eagles are on the verge of complete chaos. They traded away their backup QB and handed the keys to Vick (I'm a Vick guy but...) and he's getting beat up. I don't see any way he plays the season without missing 3 or 4 weeks at least. If that happens, the Philly fans will start doing what Philly fans do and that oh so familiar dark cloud will roll in over Lincoln Financial Field. We've seen it over and over and over again. I sincerely hope that the fans and media let the Eagles play a few more games before the saga starts. The Eagles are a GOOD team and as long as the attitude stays positive, they will get it together and contend for the division. Congrats to Cam Newton. He finally found a team that sucks worse than his. The Jags are terrible (maybe the worst in the league) and were not able to stop the Panthers from putting the ball over the goal line. I'm not sure what kind of QB Newton will grow into but one thing is sure, the coaching staff in Charlotte needs to stop using the Auburn playbook and start teaching this kid how to run a pro offense. My biggest happy surprise so far this year is the rise of the Bills. We all had a feeling the Lions would eventually come around with a roster full of young talent but I don't think nearly as many saw the guys in western New York having a shot to win half their games, let alone starting 3-0 and beating a team they had lost 15 straight games to. My WTF surprise has to be Atlanta. I hope they get it together but the jury is obviously still out.
FANTASY: My picks could have gone better this week. While I didn't pick any complete busts, the league in general put up low numbers so I won't take all the blame here. I'll go ahead and break them down quickly (as always, my predicted score will be followed by their actual point total as scored in ESPN standard leagues).
Thomas Jones (13/3): Ok... My bad. Seriously though, with Charles done for the season, Jones is the guy you want to own on this team. The problem is, you probably shouldn't own ANYBODY on this team no matter who they are. Until the Chiefs pull their 'you know what' out of their 'you know what', then... well, you know what.
Ben Tate (16/8): Not a terrible week for Tate. He carried the ball about 5 less times than he did the first two games of the season and didn't score. The good news is that he still ran for over 80 yards. I would hang on to this guy.
Matt Hasselbeck (19/18): Told you so. Hasselbeck has been steady so far this year. He's not the type of QB (and he's not on the type of team) that can put up WOW numbers weekly and with Kenny Britt done for the year, his value is going to go down a bit, but I still think he has value as a backup/spot starter.
Chris Johnson (18/7): He's killing me (and I'm sure a lot of you) but we have to wait it out. He's going to snap out of this and, when he does, you want him to be on your roster. From the other angle, now might be the perfect time to offer that so-so trade to your buddy to see if you can hawk this guy before he starts putting up the numbers.
Jason Witten (14/6): Witten didn't have the week I predicted, but he was still a big part of the offense. The problem was that the Cowboys didn't score a touchdown and that will hamper any players' fantasy impact... Unless you happen to own their kicker (holy crap).
Chad Henne (9/14): Not the worst week for Henne but the Dolphins are floundering (fish joke) and I don't see this getting any better. The owner hates the coach and coach hates the QB. Sounds like a recipe for crappy numbers down the stretch.
Payton Hillis (8/0): He didn't play... So that's probably why his numbers are a little low.
Well, there you have it: Week 3 in a nutshell. Of course I'll be back later this week with my STUDS and DUDS for week 4 as well as some info on the big VT - Clemson game Saturday night. It's only week 4 and there are so many good story lines to follow. Gotta' love football season.
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