NFL Week 3 Indepth Recap 2015

nfl week 3 indepth recap 2015

Week 3 NFL Recap

Bengals 28 Ravens 24
Even a big day from the League’s deadliest old man receiver Steve Smith was not enough to get Baltimore over the hump. Cincinnati had big games from its two best players, Dalton and Green.

AJ Green had maybe his best game ever while Andy Dalton threw for three TDs and ran another one in for six points.

It’s not hard to see Baltimore’s issues so far in 2015. They cannot defend the pass and their offense is dependent on Steve Smith having a big game. If Smith fails to score twice a game, the Ravens will be getting beat by double digits those weeks.

Hope you Ravens fans enjoy your hundred million dollar QB. That leaves little wiggle room going forward for the rest of the team that now finds itself 0-3 with little hope of a playoff appearance.

Eye popping stat of the game: 10 carries, 13 yards for Justin Forsett. He was a nice story last year for Baltimore, but is averaging just 3.2 yards per carry this year.

Fantasy league carnage: Dalton went off for 35 points on DraftKings, but he and AJ Green were great additions to any lineup this past weekend.

Steelers 12 Rams 6

If you needed a nap, this was the game to get it started. The most exciting thing to transpire was Big Ben getting hurt, and that’s certainly no way for Steelers fan to drift off to dreamland. The Steelers’ QB will be out 4-6 weeks with a knee sprain while Mike Vick tries to run the loaded offense.

The good news is that Vick can be the best backup in the NFL. The bad news is he can be the worst the very next start.

The Rams finally got their top draft pick on the field with Todd Gurley seeing some action. It was not much to see to my disappointment as Gurly and Tre Mason combined for just 25 yards between them. The Rams offensive line is woeful and is not building Nick Foles‘ confidence any at all.

The Rams defense is doing its job. Holding Pittsburgh to just 12 points is admirable, even without Roethlisberger in most of the second half.

The Steelers did enough to get the win and I imagine that being the theme in most games until Ben makes his way back from the knee injury.

Eye popping stat of the game: LeVeon Bell accounted for 62 yards on the ground and 70 in the air in his first game back from suspension.

Fantasy league carnage: Antonio Brown continues his dominance week by week. He pulled in 11 more catches this week for 108 yards, but failed to score…just like most everyone except Bell and the kickers in this one.

Colts 35  Titans 33

If not for a big fourth quarter the Colts would be 0-3 and coach Chuck Pagono would be really close to losing his gig despite making it to the AFC Title Game last year.

The Titans gave up three touchdowns in the fourth to Luck and company that knocked Tennessee down to 1-2, the same as every team in their division.

The Colts’ biggest issue is the lack of trust between Luck and his O-line. The reason for the trust problem? Luck is great, his line very bad.

Mariota had another good game and is looking like the Rookie of the Year in the NFL although it’s early in the season. His pick six was not his fault and he is one of few rookies ever to throw multiple TDs in his first three games.

Indy is back on the right track and will have an easy game versus the Jags next week to maybe get to .500 after that one.

Eye popping stat of the game: 21 points in the fourth quarter for Indy.

Fantasy league carnage: Not much to brag about in this one. Gore did end up with 20 in standard leagues however.

Falcons 39  Cowboys 28

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Cardinals 47   49ers 7

This was a fun game to watch if you hate San Francisco, are a Cardinals fan, enjoy defensive touchdowns, or like the sound of Jim Harbaugh laughing hysterically in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Is it too late to reverse the Alex Smith for Colin Kaepernick trade? Kaepernick is the worse of the two…without Harbaugh there to hold his hand. Kap threw not one, but two pick sixes on a four INT game. The Arizona defense was tired from all the returns or they may have took all four to the house.

Everything is clicking for Arizona right now. Palmer is playing as well as any QB, Fitzgerald is looking like his old (young) self, and the Honey Badger is a helluva lot of fun to watch ball. As long as Palmer stays upright, this team is a threat to go deep in the playoffs.

Eye popping stat of the game: 9/19 for Colin Kaepernick.

Fantasy league carnage: Larry Fitzgerald beating up fools in the fantasy world. Lots of catches and finding the end zone makes him a must have going forward before his salary rises too much in daily leagues.

Panthers 27   Saints 22

Carolina wins ugly games period. This win over a division rival puts them at 3-0 and drops the Saints to 0-3 and looking for answers.

Brees’ backup Luke McCown had a nice stat line with over 300 yards passing, and a high completion percentage, but threw for zero TDs.

Cam on the other hand accounted for two touchdowns while not nearly as accurate as his counterpart.

Eye popping stat of the game: Olsen’s 11 targets.

Fantasy league carnage: Greg Olsen is a big time scorer again this week at the TE spot in fantasy football. 8 catches, 134 yards, and two trips to the promised land.

Texans 19  Bucs 9

The Texans get their first win by out pacing the Bucs and Jameis Winston. Houston is not going to win many games in which Ryan Mallett is forced to throw near 40 times, but when facing a rookie learning the game on the other side of the field, Mallett was enough to get the “W.”

Houston got a nice game from Alfred Blue who tallied 139 yards and a TD. Arian Foster is still weeks away from a return so it’s on Blue to produce against teams not as bad as Tampa has been so far this year against the run.

Experts are making this game by Winston to be not that bad even with 19 incompletions. He had his bright spots apparently, but it seems to me he should be able to get the ball to Mike Evans at will since the wideout has a size advantage over almost every defensive back he faces.

Eye popping stat of the game: Tampa’s run game, 57 total yards, is doing the rookie QB no favors.

Fantasy league carnage: DeAndre Hopkins had a nice PPR game while Blue got you 19 points in standard leagues.

Patriots 51  Jaguars 17

The Patriots shocked the football world by beating Jacksonville. The Jags appear to be a whipping boy again this year for the really good teams, although the Pats hung 40 on Buffalo too.

Eye popping stat of the game: 400 TDs for Brady…not all in this one game.

Fantasy league carnage: LeGarrette Blount was the best bet in this one as he crossed the goal line three times and ground the game away with a big lead.

Jets 17 Eagles 24

Same old Jets. Positive start to the year then they tank to a team that looked like the bottom of the barrel last week. Of course NY was not going to get five turnovers each game, but they didn’t need that against the struggling Eagles, or should not have needed them I should say.

Sam Bradford played better, but still only ended up with 118 yards passing. Darren Sproles helped Philadelphia’s cause with a huge punt return for a score. And what about the Eagles run game without DeMarcus Murray? Did just fine. Ryan Mathews didn’t have nearly the week two struggles we saw from Murray. Mathews ended the game with 108 yards rushing on 25 attempts.

My guy Brandon Marshall had a nice game from a numbers standpoint, but tried an insane lateral that turned the ball over and led to an Eagles score. He also let a pass go through his hands for a pick later on.

Chris Ivory was a basic no show due to being banged up..thanks a lot from my COC Arbar QB fantasy team.

Eye popping stat of the game: 58 passes for Fitz. That will lead to lots of picks, namely three in this here game.

Fantasy league carnage: Not a wealth of fantasy points here, but the Eagles defense turned in a nice productive game.

Raiders 27 Browns 20

David Carr played another good game. It helps when a young QB has no sacks on him the entire game. Having Latavius Murray go for 139 yards on the ground didn’t hurt either.

The Browns got Josh McCown back this week but he was not as fortunate as Carr. McCown was eaten alive for five sacks.

The Raiders chewed up Cleveland’s porous defense for 469 yards on the way to the win.

Eye popping stat of the game: 314 yards receiving by the Raiders.

Fantasy league carnage: Both Carr and Latavius Murray are good values on DraftKings and both raked in 20 DK points each.

Seahawks 26  Bears 0

This game was a hard watch. John Fox’s super conservative style led to 10 straight punts for the once proud Bears.

Seattle lost Lynch during the game, but Carroll says he should not miss much time with the hammy injury. Jimmy Graham had his best game as a Seahawk, but is still not near the numbers he was hitting as a Saint. Can Pete Carroll not figure out how to use this guy?

Eye popping stat of the game: 10 straight punts by Chicago.

Turning point: Seattle finding their way to the stadium.

Fantasy league carnage: Matt Forte will be a fantasy casualty all year as he tries to tote the load for this anemic Chicago offense.

Vikings 31 Chargers 14

It’s becoming clear how much Teddy Bridgewater needs Adrian Peterson. The young quarterback showed promise at the end of last year and in limited preseason action, but has fallen off when the run game lags.

Good thing for Bridgewater that AP is back to form in 2015. He looks as fast as he ever was and is leading the League in rushing at the moment.

The Chargers had trouble slowing #28 down, giving up 6.3 yards per Peterson carry. The offensive line is not helping matters on the other side of the ball either with Rivers getting sacked four times and the run game not being able to get going.

Eye popping stat of the game: Keenan Allen’s 12 catches for 133 yards and two TDs.

Fantasy league carnage: Allen’s numbers didn’t help get a win for SD, but did help you fantasy owners who had him.

Dolphins 14 Bills 41

Buffalo smacked Miami 27-0 before the Phins knew what happened. Tannehill is not getting paid like an elite QB to throw three picks, but he did just that in this game.

Tyrod Taylor on the other hand turned in a nice performance with three touchdowns on a very efficient 21-29 game.

The Dolphins have a coaching problem that is showing up on a weekly basis. They have the QB and the talent to be winning right now, but it is not happening on the field. To rub things in more in this game Rex Ryan ran Richie Incognito out there as a team captain.

The Bills are going to be fine at running back even if Shady McCoy can’t get over his nagging hamstring. Karlos Williams had a 100 yard game for the Bills and is capable of handling the workload.

Eye popping stat of the game: 12 carries, 110 yards for Karlos Williams

Fantasy league carnage: Rishard Matthews was a nice value play on DraftKings and a good fill in for standard leagues.

Denver 24 Detroit 12

The Denver defense was too much for Detroit who is now 0-3 and punishing its hopeful fans once again.

Manning had a nice game with 324 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Stafford threw two INTs and just one TD.

The Lions rushing game is nowhere to be found as they managed just 28 total yards on the ground.

The Dolphins may not be benefiting form Suh being on their roster yet, but Detroit is feeling the loss.

If Denver can get their running game going, just 41 yards in this game, they would be a tough team to beat down the stretch with the defense so dominant. Manning doesn’t have to try to do too much if everything around him is clicking.

Eye popping stat of the game: Detroit’s awful run total of 28 yards.

Fantasy league carnage: Denver’s defense once again placed in the top few fantasy defenders.

Packers 38  Chiefs 28

Aaron Rodgers had his way with the KC defense and despite the final score, this game was lopsided. The Packers once led 31-7 behind Rodgers’ mastery. He is just too quick, too slick, and simply the best in the game of football.

Alex Smith spent most of the night running for his life especially after Green Bay got a big lead and could focus on rushing the QB. KC finished with some big stats but that came as they were in desperation mode from being so far down.

The Chiefs had no answer for James Jones who continued his resurrected career back in Green Bay. Eddie Lacy turned in a nice performance coming back from his injury, and James Starks got his numbers as he spelled Lacy.

It’s looking like the Patriots and the Packers are the two best teams in the NFL just like last year before their regular season matchup.

Eye popping stat of the game: 5 TDs for Rodgers.

Fantasy league carnage: If you stacked Rodgers and Cobb, you likely made some fantasy money this morning.