Jordan’s Serial: NFL 2013 – Week 3 Takeaways

Another strange and yet compelling week of action in the NFL. It would seem that just when you think you know what will happen, it gets turned upside down and you’re left scratching your head wondering just how that happened. So some of the teams that were expected to do well, but others that were fancied just a month ago are struggling to find that elusive first win still.

CHIEFS 26 EAGLES 16

The most surprising 3-0 team has to be Kansas City, they rolled into Philadelphia and spoiled the “Donovan McNabb number retiring party”. The ball control and methodical offense that Coach Reid has installed doesn’t look to be fazed so far and they were always in control of this game. After a blistering week one display it seems the Eagles need to regroup before the season is lost. And it’s only the opening month.

TEXANS 9 RAVENS 30

Last year Baltimore got on a roll late in the season. After being embarrassed by the Broncos on opening day they have bounced back with two very good wins. This one was a marker that says they are still champions and any pretender still has to knock them down. I wonder if the Denver game had been in Baltimore the result would have been different. Houston have flattered to deceive so far, scrapping wins in the first two games and now completely exposed. They will be in the mix, but other teams will look at this game film licking their lips.

GIANTS 0 PANTHERS 38

Where do you begin with this one? The New York Giants look like a team that has no clue as to what direction it’s going. Eli(te) Manning is looking to set all sorts of bad QB records, 8 interceptions so far this year is not the stuff of legend. It seems every week Coach Coughlin is on the firing line, a couple more heavy losses and the guns will be firing. The flip side of this is the fact that Carolina mauled their opponents and suffocated them into submission. In gaining their first win they will have garnered some much needed belief to head into the second month of the season.

LIONS 27 REDSKINS 20

We all know he isn’t completely fit, we all know he wants to run the football more, Put those things together and you get some confusion. RGIII will have to think long and hard as to what his next move may be. Washington, as like last year, will only go as far as he can carry them, at this rate they will be lucky to get 3 or 4 wins. Detroit were without Reggie Bush for this encounter and his absence would have given the Redskins more hope, but when your QB is Matt Stafford who has more air miles than British Airways, you are going to score your fair amount of points. They may not be a playoff team but the Lions will play spoiler to many.

CHARGERS 17 TITANS 20

Slowly but surely Tennessee are getting the job done. This had the makings of a close game, just because the opposition was San Diego. Jake Locker isn’t a household name (yet0 but when he drove his team down to a winning touchdown with just 15 ticks left in the game it won’t be long before he starts getting some decent press. What does this tell us about San Diego? Nothing that we Didnt already know, they can play hard and will battle long, but rarely see the job through. This lack of getting the job done will mean that teams will always have hope, even if down by two scores late in the game.

CARDINALS 7 SAINTS 31

Drew Brees is always going to put up big numbers, under the guidance once again of Coach Peyton he will also put together some big wins. They are now 3-0 and already have a good grip on the NFC South division. No bones about it this New Orleans team is going to be a threat all season long and maybe deep into the playoffs. Arizona never got their game going, or at least weren’t allowed to, and in an already tough division finds themselves in a hole that they need to climb out of quickly.

BUCCANEERS 3 PATRIOTS 23

Still not convinced by New England? Well this was a better performance but still firing on only half their cylinders, then again they don’t have many gears to go up in terms of personnel. They will point to the records and see that it shows them at 3-0, and if they are only going at half pace that’s not bad at all. You just get the feeling that when they face a real contender they could get a beating. Tampa Bay has played close so far but in this one they weren’t at the races. Sure they kept the Patriots score down, but when you can’t generate your own scoring it makes life hard. Once again this could be a season of near misses. For both teams.

PACKERS 30 BENGALS 34

For both teams this was a good indicator as to how strong a team they are. The way it played out it proves that both are indeed very strong and more than a match for any team in the league. The loss however leaves Green Bay in a hole at 1-2. Ok, the losses have been against teams that were in last year’s playoffs and look to be there again this year, so maybe they have more to worry about going forward. For Cincinnati the win shows they have the ability to hang tough when things aren’t going their way. This could be a game seen in New York next February, if so were in for a treat.

RAMS 7 COWBOYS 31

Whisper it very quietly…Dallas has a run game. It was in hiding for a while, but was found again alive and well in largely in the guise of DeMarco Murray. The back to basics policy paid off for Coach Garrett allowing him to pick and choose the moments when his QB could throw. The win was aided by a stifling defensive performance which at halftime had held St.Louis to just 20 yards off its limited plays. The Rams would have been looking forward to this game, but after being systematically dismantled they will have to regroup quickly for a big division game this Thursday.

BROWNS 31 VIKINGS 27

The standings show Minnesota at 0-3. Is this a true reflection of their play so far this year? They have been in games and they will look back if they can’t dig themselves out of this hole and think what might have been in this game. Truth is Cleveland seemed to want this one more. The Browns had a strange week after trading their star running back to a chorus of disbelief, but they are very much a work in progress. They used a mix of trickery – fake filed goal, pass for touchdown – and guile to see their way to the end zone in the waning moments of a game that could be a turning point for both teams.

FALCONS 23 DOLPHINS 27

Before the season started a few said that Miami could surprise, therefore the 3-0 start will be no shock to those who said this. To the rest of us it is a welcome shock. Miami has played brightly, not stunning in their wins but doing what it takes to win the game. Second year QB Ryan Tannehill is having a solid start to this campaign and he managed to upstage his opposite number, Atlanta’s Matt Ryan. The Falcons are now in a jam, they like a few other highly regarded teams have to battle back from a slow start to the year. They have the roster to bounce back, but its games like this one that separates the good and mediocre.

BILLS 20 JETS 27

If a month ago you would have told me that the New York team above .500 would have been the Jets, and the other would be 0-3, I would have probably just waved off the comment as some delusional rambling. Rookie QB Geno Smith is making good progress, nowhere near the finished article but at this early stage it’s good enough. With the Patriots playing unconvincing football the AFC East could be an intriguing race this year. Buffalo despite the loss will still feel happy about the effort they put in, and another first year QB EJ Manuel may go on to have a better career than Smith.

COLTS 27 49ERS 7

No one and I mean no one would have predicted that over the last two weeks San Francisco would be in the category of meltdown. Here we are though and after playing very stagnate last week they were walking through a muddy bog against Indianapolis. The Niners rapid decline in terms of actual point scoring opportunities is alarming when you consider the weapons they have on hand. This isn’t to take anything away from a fine Colts display. They executed well and converted their chances with relative ease. Is it feasible that San Fran could be 1-3 come Friday morning? Andrew Luck would have enjoyed getting over on his old college coach, more than anyone out of the 2012 QB Class he seems to be the one who has the right Super Bowl credentials. Time will tell.

JAGUARS 17 SEAHAWKS 45

The complete mismatch on paper materialised on the field. The old cliché of “if this was a boxing match they’d throw in the towel” would have been very much at home here. Seattle are a very formidable outfit, especially at home, so it wasn’t a fair fight when Jacksonville visited, It was so easy that halfway through the third quarter the Hawks benched QB Wilson. The Jaguars are a team that lacks on field leadership, they have some good pieces on their board but need a general to move them around.

BEARS 40 STEELERS 23

Chicago jumped out early, Pittsburgh came back, and Chicago finished it off. A simple story but told over 3 hours. Turnovers were once again the key to victory and when you give the Bears D any sniff of a loose ball or a wayward pass then its goodnight. This Chicago team is very sharp and they do the right things at the right time, then again we said that last year when they started fast, can they fulfil their promise this time? The Steelers are London bound this week and they might get a win against another winless team, if they do it will paper over the cracks for another week, because now they are just a mess.

RAIDERS 21 BRONCOS 37

Another mismatch on paper, but in this rivalry anything can happen. Denver is without doubt the toast o the NFL right now, it’s hard to see where they can be beat. Sure you can score points on them and Oakland did just that. The problem is you have to score a ton of points because their offense is machine like right now and move the chains easy and score big. Next up for Denver are the Eagles, that game could be wild. For now the Raiders will have to look and see if they can be the third best team in the AFC West as they are some pace off the leaders there.