NFL: Five winners and losers for Week 3
Another NFL Sunday is in the rear-view mirror. Let’s look back and see who the big winners and losers are from this week’s games.
NFL Week 3 winners and closers
Winners
The 2016 QB class
Aside from number one overall pick Jared Goff (who still can’t get off the bench behind Case Keenum) this week was a tremendous one for rookie quarterbacks. Jacoby Brissett, Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz all played terrific in wins for their respective teams. What’s truly mind-blowing is that this rookie class is playing almost totally mistake-free ball. Trevone Boykin’s late pick against the 49ers is the first interception thrown by a rookie QB this year.
Terrelle Pryor
The Cleveland Browns remain winless and they’re already down to their fourth quarterback. At least they’ve found a special kind of swiss army knife in Terrelle Pryor. In yesterday’s loss to Miami he tallied 35 passing yards, 21 rushing yards and 144 receiving yards. That hasn’t been done for 57 years. He even took the field on defense as a safety on one play. Whatever else happens, they need to keep putting him to work.
Minnesota’s defense
No Teddy Bridgewater, no Adrian Peterson, no Matt Kalil, no problem. The Vikings defense shut down their third straight quarterback this season. This week it was MVP Cam Newton, who threw three interceptions and was sacked eight times. That brings their season total to 15 sacks, which puts them on pace to beat the 1985 Bears’ all-time record.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Washington may have won the game, but in the highly anticipated re-match between Beckham and Josh Norman the Giants clearly got the upper hand. Beckham roasted Norman on several plays and finished the game with 121 receiving yards. He earned the top grade of the game from Pro Football Focus for his efforts.
Sebastian Janikowski
Was he worth a first-round pick? Probably not. Janikowski has definitely earned his keep in Oakland, though. This week he nailed a field goal from 52 yards out, which makes him the new all-time record holder for the most successful attempts from 50 yards or more.
Losers
The San Diego Chargers
Not only did the Chargers lose another heart-breaking game, but another key piece on their roster went down with an injury. Middle linebacker Manti Teo already had 17 tackles this season, but on Sunday he tore his Achilles and is unlikely to play again in 2016. San Diego had already lost Keenan Allen and Stevie Johnson for the year. Brutal.
Ryan Fitzpatrick
The ever-comical Jets committed a remarkable eight turnovers in their loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. Six of them were interceptions thrown by Ryan Fitzpatrick, who also threw no touchdowns. Those dubious numbers gave him the lowest quarterback grade that Pro Football Focus has ever given out for a single game.
Josh Norman
Coming into this game it was clear that neither Beckham nor Norman had move past last year’s debacle. Sometimes individual rivalries take on a life of their own in the NFL, and this one appears to be particularly bitter. Now Norman will have to wait until the regular season finale to redeem himself against his arch-nemesis.
Bruce Arians
Few NFL teams have disappointed the way the Arizona Cardinals have so far this season. Dropping their home debut to the Patriots was understandable. Losing on the road against the lifeless, hopeless Bills was not. When teams under-perform like this it usually falls on the head coach to take the blame. It’s still early in the year but Bruce Arians needs to light a serious fire under his team to keep up in the NFC West.
Aaron Rodgers doubters
After a dismal Week 2 performance against the Vikings, a lot of people seemed eager to write off Aaron Rodgers as a has-been or an overrated QB. Rodgers responded by blowing the Lions out of the water. He tallied four touchdowns and a 129.3 passer rating in a game that was not nearly as close as the final score suggested. Take a seat.
The post NFL: Five winners and losers for Week 3 appeared first on Cover32.
