Jay Cutler playing well in a contract year, Colin Kaepernick struggling behind a struggling O-line, and Eli Manning doing his best Mark Sanchez impersonation. Week 3 of Ryan Bradley’s NFL diary.
Three days of being home alone with my five year old, computer time has been at a premium, but, no fear, I was able to steal enough time to offer The Good Men Project readers the biggest takeaways from week three in the NFL.
Football is a game in which a team’s fortunes can take a nosedive in a split second. There were a lot of key injuries this week, players going down for the rest of the season, and that’s always tough on teams, but especially teams with high expectations.
The Bills lost another nail biter, this time to the Jets. Geno Smith didn’t look particularly good, and EJ Manuel didn’t look particularly bad. It was a game of mediocres. The Jets, however, are now 2-1, and seriously, two wins alone might be enough to make sure Mark Sanchez never touches more than a clipboard ever again. It’s unlikely to save Rex Ryan’s job, though.
The Chicago Bears are 3-0 and Chicago fans are elated. Jay Cutler has looked like an impassioned quarterback for the first time in his career. That’s what playing for a contract will do for the apathetic. The caveat about the Bears, though, is that only one of those wins came against a truly quality team, week one against the Bengals. The one-point win against Minnesota in week two is a little disturbing, because… well… the Vikings will be crap until they have a real quarterback. However, new head coach Mark Trestman is apparently like Willy Wonka, so Chicago has that going for them. There’s a new candyman, people.
Week 3 is still too soon for teams to panic, but there are some worrisome things happening in San Francisco. Haters have been quick to dismiss Kaepernick, but his offensive line, which was brilliant last year, has sucked so far in 2013. And the defense looks like it has lost its identity. With Aldon Smith’s alcohol issues and some injuries, Harbaugh is going to have to get creative to keep up in the division.
Other Notes:
The Broncos let the Raiders score 21 points, but otherwise they handled the loss of Ryan Clady well.
People are impressed that the Seahawks are 3-0 after dismantling the Jaguars. Really?
Sure, it was against the Rams, but the Cowboys got to see what Tony Romo can do when his O-line holds up and the running game takes some of the heat off him.
The Packers lost to the Bengals and are now 1-2. The Bengals, however, have cemented, in my mind, their ability to be this year’s dark horse Super Bowl contender.
Michael Vick is looking like… well… Michael Vick. Shocker.
Eli Manning has thrown five touchdowns and eight interceptions. He’s making sure NYC doesn’t go through Mark Sanchez withdrawals. Maybe in week four he’ll try a butt fumble.
Photo: AP
Read the Week 1 and Week 2 diaries.