Week 3 thoughts

Here are a few brief thoughts/points from an exciting third week of football.

49ers-10 Chiefs-31

Talk about two teams heading in directions that no one could have predicted. The 49ers are in the middle of an actual implosion. In their furious state of imcompetence and offensive infertility they have fired their offensive coordinator 3 weeks into the season! I can't tell if Alex Smith has any potential because this is now the 7th offensive coordinator that has gotten the axe during his tenure. If you ask me the QB has something to do with it, scrap this kid. Kansas City on the other hand is one of two remaining undefeated teams (Steelers)in the AFC and I doubt anyone would have guessed this. Kudos to Todd Haley and his staff. They have this team believing in themselves and at this point in time, they should now be considered the early favorites to take the division although I think San Diego will have something to say about this later on down the road.

Lions- 10  Vikings-24

It took playing the hapless Lions for Brett Favre and the Vikings to finally get one in the winning column. They will take it but there has to be concern about Brett Favre. He needs only 1 more interception to equal his total from last year. It seems as if his magic may finally be running out. If Adrian Peterson keeps running the rock like he did against the Lions, (160 yards, 2TD) the Vikings should make it an interesting race in the NFC North. The Lions have shown a lot more fight this season and eventually they will catch a break. Stafford returns soon and rookie RB Jahvid Best is expected to play next week.

Bills- 30 Patriots-38

Is it just me or are the Pats looking extremely vulnerable these days?  I know the Bills always play them tough but this Pats defense was exposed by a Ryan Fitzpatrick led offense. If the Bills can put up 30 on the Patriots, just think of what other teams can do down the road. Fortunately for New England fans, their offense has the ability to score at will.

Falcons--27 Saints-24 (OT)

If you are a professional kicker, I'm sorry but you need to make a 29 yard field goal. That's a chip shot for a high school kicker. If I were the Saints I would drop him. This is a "what have you done for me lately?" league and it doesn't matter that Hartley was clutch for them last year, he cost them an extremely important division game. The Falcons are going to be in contention for the NFC South title until the very end of the season and now have an upper-hand on the Saints whose run defense is a joke. Luckily for New Orleans, Drew Brees is still the most dangerous QB in the NFC and he will have something to say about who ends up with the division crown.

Titans-29 Giants-10

I was almost rolling on the ground, churning with laughter, when I saw the "ambidextrous" Eli Manning throw the most humiliating and disgraceful left-handed interception in the end zone on Sunday. He always finds a way to push the boundaries of stupidity and the die-hard Giants fans must seriously be concerned about the prospects of this season. Their defense was once again perforated by a running attack. The Steelers made Vince Young look foolish last week but the Giants could not force him to make his usual mistakes. For such a no-nonsense coach, Tom Coughlin seems inept at instilling discipline upon his team. They committed 5 personal fouls including 2 by long time veteran tackle Kareem McKenzie. There are Bill Cowher rumors circling and that may be the best news the Giants fans will get all season.


Steelers-38 Buccaneers-13

We all knew that the Bucs weren't for real but everyone, myself included, always seems to underestimate the Steelers. Not having Ben Roethlisberger is not a problem for them. They have always been defined by their smash-mouth mentality. They ran the ball down the Bucs throats all day and of course the Steelers defense put up another excellent performance including Brett the diesel Kiesel's  79 touchdown interception. The AFC North is going to be a great division to watch this year.

Eagles-28 Jaguars-3

Michael Vick. That's all the needs to be said. He is playing better than he ever did in Atlanta. He is running and gunning at an optimal level. The Eagles offense is downright terrifying and they are looking like early season favorites for the NFC East. The Jaguars are terrible and Jack Del Rio's leash has to be shorter than ever as his team has once again underperformed expectations.

Chargers-20 Seahawks-27

Pete Carroll is a smart man. He left a stormy tempest at USC just in time to hand off all the problems to the very unlikeable Lane Kiffin and has ignited a fire in the Seahawks. They have soundly beaten two teams that they weren't supposed to. It is fun to watch Carroll enthusiastically coaching on the sidelines, often times running onto the field as if he wants to get a few plays in. Everyone seems to have forgotten that Matt Hassleback has been a pro-bowl QB. San Diego has under performed thus far this season but then again, they always get off to slow starts. QB Phillip Rivers is too good for this team not to be successful this season. His careers passing day (455 yards 2 TD) was not enough against the Seahawks mostly because Leon Washington had two magnificent kick off returns for touchdowns.

Jets 31- Dolphins-23

This was one of the two best games of the weekend. The Jets defense did not play up to Rex Ryan's high expectations but they made plays when it counted. Jason Taylor, in his return to Miami, proved he is still a relevant pass rusher and although the secondary bent a lot at the hands of Chad Henne and Brandon Marshall they did not allow the Dolphins to score on four tries in the red zone at the end of the game. Mark Sanchez continued his growth and maturity passing for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns. His chemistry with TE Dustin Keller is something to be feared and WR Braylon Edwards put down his drinks in time to score a decisive 67 yard touchdown. The Jets have won two huge division games and I expect them to win a third against Buffalo next week. They have recovered from that first week debacle and have gained an early lead in a wind sprint for the AFC East.

Packers-17 Bears-20

This was the other great game of the 3rd week. The Bears are who we thought they were; except they're not. They are a legitimate team. Jay Cutler survived a rocky performance and was able to find receivers when it counted. Tight end Greg Olson is blossoming into a premier player and Devon Hester proved with his 62 yard punt return for a TD that he is still one of the most dangerous players in the league. The Bears defense held up formidably against the vaunted Packers offense. Brian Urlacher is still a beast and was all over the field. Great players make big plays and his strip of Greg Jennings sealed the game for Chicago. Despite all of this, the Packers really beat themselves. They tied a team record with 18 penalties. Aaron Rodgers did pretty much whatever he wanted. He and Drew Brees are the cream of the NFC quarterbacks. If he can get some running back help the Packers will still be the team to beat in the NFC North.