Do you know what’s better than one NFL game on Mondays? Two games. For the second straight week, fans were able to enjoy two matchups after Sunday’s slate. Even though one of them was a bit of a snoozefest, beggars can’t be choosers, right? Here are my NFL Week Three Takeaways.
Fly Eagles Fly
After the Philadelphia Eagles took care of business in Tampa Bay, the league now has three teams that remain undefeated.
Let’s start with the Birds. After beating the Buccaneers 25-11, they started a season 3-0 for the second straight season.
Their defense shut down Baker Mayfield, who’s been off to a solid start this season. Limiting the Bucs to 146 yards and having their way with them was a key reason why they won this game.
Philadelphia had 15 more first downs (27 to 12), outgained them by A LOT (472 to 174), and dominated the time of possession (38:55 to 21:05). Oh, I forgot. They also forced a safety. What can’t this team do?
Watch Jordan Davis control the line of scrimmage here. What a FORCE he is.
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) September 26, 2023
Eagles get the safety after Tampa Bay had some life pic.twitter.com/DNz2B7krFj
This defense is no joke. With guys like Fletcher Cox, Jalen Carter, and Jordan Davis up front along with the guys behind them, they continue to be dominant.
Also, how about that offense? Even though Jalen Hurts threw two interceptions (second straight game with a turnover), he scored his 29th career rushing touchdown last night. Through a quarterback’s first 50 career games, this is the most ever by the position.
Speaking of the ground game, D’Andre Swift has found paradise with the Eagles. On 16 carries, he rushed for 130 yards and seemed to rumble effortlessly against this Buccaneers’ defense.
D'ANDRE SWIFT HURDLE ?
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 26, 2023
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/gFdzPat3LQ
After a 175-yard performance in week two, he followed it up with another outstanding performance on Monday. Running behind this offensive line, he is the clear RB1 and looks to continue this success next week.
Other Undefeated Teams
The Eagles aren’t the only team to start 3-0 this year.
Let’s start with the San Francisco 49ers. They took care of business against the New York Giants on Thursday, winning 30-12. Their regular season winning streak improves to 13 straight games, and they don’t look like slowing down any time soon.
Though he didn’t look like himself at times, Brock Purdy continues to lead his teams to wins. 310 passing yards and two touchdowns will get the job done.
Christian McCaffrey looked unstoppable, rushing for 85 yards and a score all while breaking the Giants’ attempts to tackle him.
Did I mention Brandon Aiyuk was out for this game? It didn’t matter to San Francisco, who had guys like Deebo Samuel (6/129/1) and George Kittle (7/90) pick up the slack and shine.
BROCK PURDY TOUCHDOWN TO DEEBO SAMUEL ? pic.twitter.com/LwOSdF7ozp
— ??????????? (@TheSFNiners) September 22, 2023
Defensively, San Francisco didn’t let the Giants get anything going. Outside of a touchdown run by Matt Breida, the Giants were not able to throw or run the ball with very much success. There would be no second-half comeback by Big Blue this time around.
As For The Other Undefeated Team…
How about the Miami Dolphins? 70 POINTS? WINNING BY 50? That’s video-game material!
Let’s start with Miami’s defense. They allowed 13 points in the first half to the Denver Broncos and felt like they allowed too many points. So, what did they do? Here are how Denver’s drives ended in the second half.
- Punt
- Fumble
- Interception
- Punt
- Punt
- Touchdown (kickoff return)
- Turnover on down
- End of game
So, yeah. Russell Wilson was not cooking in the second half at all. Head coach Sean Payton left him in for most of the game, leaving many questioning why with the big deficit.
Now to the offense. Because, holy crap. What kind of numbers are these?
Tua Tagovailoa had 309 yards passing and four touchdowns. He finished with a 155.8 quarterback rating and a QBR OF 88.7. THOSE ARE SUPERSTAR NUMBERS!
Raheem Mostert had three touchdowns on the ground while rushing for 82 yards. He was also outplayed by his backup De’Von Achane, who ran for 203 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. That’s insane!
Tyreek Hill paced the team with 157 receiving yards and a touchdown. Back to Achane for a second. He also had two touchdowns RECEIVING. THE MAN HAD FOUR TOUCHDOWNS AS THE BACKUP RUNNING BACK! Denver’s defense, what are you doing?
In all, Miami had no less than 14 points in each quarter while racking up 726 total yards. They played flawlessly through the air and on the ground, and look like a top contender in the AFC.
What Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong-Stephen A. Smith
Arguably the best sports personality in the world, Smith is known for his memorable quote in reference to the Dallas Cowboys. With all of the success America’s team may have, there’s always a downfall that follows.
That downfall may have started early. Expected to handle business easily, the Cowboys lost to the Arizona Cardinals 28-16 in a major upset. Outside of a touchdown in the second quarter from Dak Prescott to Rico Dowdle, they only scored three field goals the entire game.
It’s not like Dallas was terrible offensively. Dak Prescott had 231 yards passing, Tony Pollard had 122 yards rushing, and Michael Gallup had 92 receiving yards on 6 catches. In total, Dallas had 416 total yards, which were more than Arizona’s 400 yards.
But, here’s where things were sour. Dallas had five chances in the red zone to score a touchdown against Arizona, and only converted one into six points. Prescott had a critical interception in the red zone, too.
WHAT A THROW BY THE BEST QB IN THE NFC EAST DAK PRESCOTT
— ????? (@DanielJonesMVP) September 24, 2023
pic.twitter.com/G0XxYVNYUI
Triple coverage. Ouch.
Dallas was already playing without cornerback Trevon Diggs (torn ACL), but it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway. Arizona ran all over the Cowboys’ defense with 222 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. For reference, Dallas allowed 172 rushing yards through their first two games.
Joshua Dobbs may not be the flashiest quarterback in the NFL. But, he got the job done and led a major upset against a Cowboys team that looked like a contender in the NFC but look like they’re starting their fall. Their next five games? Patriots, 49ers, Chargers, Rams, and Eagles. A 3-5 record by November 12th looks realistic.
C.J. Stroud Looks Like The Best Rookie Quarterback So Far
Let’s face it. The rookie quarterbacks this year don’t have the best-supporting casts. Bryce Young has struggled with the Panthers’ bad offensive line and limited weapons (he was out this past weekend with an injury). Anthony Richardson was battling a concussion from week two and was ruled out against Baltimore. Even if he did play, there’s no Jonathan Taylor and receivers outside of Michael Pittman Jr. to depend on.
Then, you have C.J. Stroud. You would think last year’s star in Dameon Pierce would take the pressure off the rookie quarterback and lead the team with his legs. The running back has done nothing but struggle so far this season.
Houston also does not have a lot of good receivers. Nico Collins and Robert Woods aren’t game-changers, and free-agent addition Dalton Schultz only had one catch on Sunday.
Even with all of that in mind, Stroud has managed to throw for 906 yards this season. For reference, he has more passing yards than Patrick Mahomes, Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, and others. He trails only Kirk Cousins, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Matthew Stafford.
To add on, Stroud also had four passing touchdowns and no interceptions. The rookie has started to build a solid rapport with fellow first-year pro Tank Dell, who led the team with 145 receiving yards on five catches against Jacksonville. The former Houston Cougar wideout had a second straight game with a touchdown and now has 12 catches through two games after just three catches in week one.
Yes, Houston is just 1-2 so far. But, C.J Stroud looks like a future star already.
You Thought I Forgot, Didn’t I?
Even for a second, if you thought I would forget about mentioning Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, you’re wrong!
With the pop star in attendance, the star tight end had seven catches for 69 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs’ 41-10 win over the Chicago Bears.
we are living in a world where travis kelce gets a TD and the camera pans to taylor swift screaming lets fucking go . pic.twitter.com/fi3LiAUZ4B
— ella ? (@nhlella) September 24, 2023
What a world. Oh, and Patrick Mahomes had three passing touchdowns on 272 passing yards despite a rolled ankle injury late in the second quarter. Nothing new for the best quarterback in the league.
The Chiefs’ defense held the Bears to 203 yards of offense and made Justin Fields‘s life miserable all day long. Chicago needs to make changes fast, because this is not the Fields we saw last year.
But, more importantly, I hope this Kelce and Swift romance lasts. It’s a beautiful thing, really.
Travis Kelce can’t get enough Taylor Swift. He looks up and says “Damn, there she is right there.” pic.twitter.com/HXTHAXwwD1
— Geoff Abbott (@VisionaryDigMar) September 25, 2023
Other Takeaways
- Browns’ defense still look great, holding the Titans to three points.
- Bijan Robinson was brought back down to earth against Detroit. But, he’ll bounce back.
- 18 points in the fourth quarter helped Green Bay beat the Saints 18-17. That’s what you call waking up.
- Minnesota needs to realize winning one-score games isn’t sustainable like last season.
- The Jets need to figure out what to do at quarterback because this isn’t working with Zach Wilson.
- Sam Howell finally faces a good defense and throws four interceptions.
- Another overtime game? Yes please, as the Colts’ Matt Gay hit a game-winning field goal to beat the Ravens
- Pete Carroll is doing just fine with Geno Smith at quarterback, Seattle improves to 2-1
- Fire Josh McDaniels. Please, Raiders. Just do it.
- Ja’Marr Chase is back (12 catches, 141 yards) against the Rams in the 19-16 win.
Thank you for reading! Make sure to visit Belly Up Sports every week and follow me on Twitter/X!
Featured Image: Sam Morris/Getty Images
