So, I was kind of right about this week and also kind of wrong. Sure, there were some blowouts, but there was also absolute madness. Let’s get into it:
The Ls
We’ll kick things off in Baltimore, where the Gardner Minshew-led Colts managed to knock off the Ravens in OT. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one shocked to see Justin Tucker short-leg the game winning 61 yard field goal. I guess I’ve gotta put a little respect on the Colts for pulling this one off. I’m never mad when an AFC North team (that doesn’t wear black and yellow) gets beat. I’ll happily take this L.
Down in the lawless land of Florida, the Texans outperformed the Jaguars, who are looking a little worse for wear. Again, I don’t even feel bad about getting this one wrong because I really can’t call these AFC South matchups.
In one of the better games of the day, the Chargers came out on top of the Vikings. This game was pretty much everything we expected it to be: turnovers, back and forth scoring, and coming down to the wire. It seemed like nobody really wanted to win. When you’ve got a matchup like this, it’s practically a coin toss. Unfortunately, I came out on the wrong side of this one.
Easily the most shocking of my losses came in the form of the Cupcake Cowboys falling to the Cardinals. They got behind early and could never recover. Wack Dak finally threw an interception, and now that the flood gates are open, I’m sure many more will follow. This is a loss only on the books because in my heart, it’s a win.
Finally, the Rams just couldn’t put it together despite the Bengals still struggling on offense. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t watching this one super close because I was pretty exhausted so I just kind of had it on while laying in bed. Anyway, it’s never a good day when the Bengals win.
The Dubs
There were many dubs this week, the most predictable one coming in the Thursday night contest between the Giants and Niners. Really, it was never going to be a close game.
The Browns dismantled the Titans, much more convincingly than I anticipated.
Speaking of convincing dismantlements, it was honestly criminal what the Dolphins did to the Broncos. Actually, calling it a convincing dismantlement is such an understatement for what occurred in Miami on Sunday afternoon that I’ve got to figure out a different way to say it. But I can’t find the words. Let me put it this way – the average point total for an NFL game is 46, or 23 per team. Last year, the average NBA team scored roughly 114 points per game. So, if my math is right, the Fins put up the NBA equivalent of nearly 347 points. Let that sink in. That might be bogus math when you consider some other factors…but I like the sound of it. Sheesh.
The Jets had a chance late to finally beat the Patriots, but unfortunately they’re the Jets. Well, it’s unfortunate for them, but it works well for me.
Honestly, I’m a little shocked at just how poorly the Commanders played against Buffalo. But last week I did say that the Bills are back, and it turns out I was very correct.
I’m also a little disappointed in the Falcons’ performance. Even though I think the NFC South is dog water, those teams (Panthers aside) have not looked bad thus far. Limiting the Lions to 20 points is a positive, but only 6 points on offense is unacceptable.
Despite getting this one right, I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get the chance to slander Jordan Love. I guess now I have to give him credit for mounting a fourth quarter comeback in a bit of a role reversal from last week. I still don’t think he’s that good.
Credit to the Panthers for hanging around with the Seahawks under the leadership of Andy Dalton. I had definitely forgot he signed with Carolina. Anyway, giving up 27 to a less-than-talented Panthers team may be a bigger sign of trouble for the Seattle defense, but we’ll wait and see if that will bite them going forward.
The Chiefs did pretty much what everyone expected to the Bears. I guess I have to mention that Taylor Swift was at the game. While she was there for Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce, there may be some bad blood brewing between Bears’ QB Justin Fields and his coaching staff after his comments last week, despite the fact he tried to reel it back. What a dumpster fire of an organization. I already feel bad for Caleb Williams as it looks like that will be his landing spot come draft night in 2024.
The Steelers offense looked like it had a little life to it on Sunday night, which is refreshing for me to see. They still struggle with running the ball, but maybe that will improve as the year goes on. The Jimmy G to Davante Adams connection looks pretty good as they diced up the Steelers’ secondary. Thankfully, Josh McDaniels is an awful coach and they were unable to manage to send the game to OT by virtue of…kicking a field goal down 8 with under 3 minutes left in the game? Yikes. Anyway, I won’t even mention the ridiculous roughing the passer call on Minkah Fitzpatrick on the previous drive that allowed the Raiders to be in that position to begin with. I’ll just take the W.
Lastly, the Eagles absolutely bodied the Bucs. I really thought Tampa Bay would make it a little closer than that, but perhaps I had overrated them somewhat. Oh well.
Worst Gambler Ever?
I managed to eek out just one correct bet this week, bringing my record to an outstanding 2-7 on the year. Shoutout to the Seahawks for covering the spread. I severely underrated the defensive capabilities of the Lions and Falcons, as that game got nowhere close to 46.5 points total. Dang. And of course, we already know that the Rams fell short against Cincy on Monday night. You’ll have that. That’ll wrap up Week 3, don’t forget to set your alarms for the Week 4 Power Rankings coming out tomorrow.
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