NFL Week Three: 3 Interesting Takeaways

NFL Week Three showed that it’s impossible to predict what games will look like week to week. It felt like whatever happened in Week Two completely flipped on its head. Last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense and Aaron Rodgers looked woeful, scoring just three points.

This week, that same Steelers team went toe-to-toe with the 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals and won 30-27. Rodgers turned back the clock and threw three touchdowns. The season opener should have signaled what was to come. 

The Atlanta Falcons faced off against the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau last Thursday. Atlanta was coming off two horrible performances, averaging eight points a game. They had no snaps in the red zone. 

Green Bay, meanwhile, came off a gutsy win in New York against a respectable New York Jets team in Week Two. The Packers won 20-17 in overtime and finally got their first win without Micah Parsons. All signs pointed towards them keeping the momentum going against a bad team. 

Instead, in Michael Penix’s first game back, Atlanta dominated Green Bay 35-14. It got so bad that Packers fans began booing. It concluded a 13-game winning streak in home openers.

The final surprise took place in Washington. The Washington Commanders beat the Seattle Seahawks 33-31 in a shootout with backup Marcus Mariota. Sam Darnold returned for Seattle, but it didn’t matter. Mariota threw for three touchdowns and no interceptions with a 110.0 passer rating against a defense that looked immovable in the first two weeks. 

If you think you know the sport, you’re wrong. 

The New England Patriots Are In Trouble

The New England Patriots got blown out 35-6 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The most concerning part is that Drake Maye is a key reason why. He was awful, as he had three total turnovers and no touchdowns, with a 48.6 passer rating. 

This season, Maye has thrown for one touchdown and six interceptions. His performance is a stark contrast to his 31:8 ratio from a year ago. The misery doesn’t stop there. 

Going back to the beginning of the playoffs, Maye has been terrible. In the last seven games, He has an 8:15 touchdown-to-turnover ratio with a passer rating of 72.8 and a completion percentage of 60.5%. He has struggled against stiffer competition, and Patriot fans should be concerned. 

It also feels like Maye’s confidence is shattered. Towards the end of the game against the Jaguars, the cameras cut to Mike Vrabel putting his arms around Maye in what seemed like a pep talk. It wasn’t a great look for a quarterback who is already struggling to find his footing.

NFL Week Three was an official low point for this franchise. Can New England and Maye bounce back?

New York Giants Get A New Signal Caller

The final major takeaway from NFL Week Three was what the New York Giants did with their roster. They traded a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for JJ McCarthy. It was clear that the team was not content with what Jameis Winston provided in his time in action. 

Despite losing Jaxson Dart for the year, the Giants sit at 2-1 and still have a chance to make something of this season. The move to get McCarthy clearly indicates that the front office is not just waiting on next year. It’s an interesting move, to say the least. 

It gets dicey if McCarthy plays well. He is just 23 years old and is in his third season in the NFL. If he plays well and leads the team to the playoffs, what does that mean for Jaxson Dart?

It would have been different if New York had gone and gotten someone like Mac Jones or Drew Lock to fill in the QB void. If they are successful, it’s still Dart’s team because both those guys are well into their careers. McCarthy, however, is just a few months older than Dart. 

If the former Viking plays great, how complicated does the Giants’ quarterback decision become next year?

End Of My NFL Week Three Rant

NFL Week Three, as stated above, started on a weird note with the Falcons dominating the Packers 35-14. The week had a similar vibe.

The Chicago Bears routed the Philadelphia Eagles 27-7, with Case Keenum being the catalyst with three total touchdowns. What is going on?