Week 3 in the NFL continues to show that any team can win any game on any given day. Unfortunately for some, the game was played today. Some teams, like Cleveland, Miami, and Baltimore, rose to the occasion. Others, like San Francisco, Green Bay, and San Diego, fell short of expectations. Let’s take a look at some of the more surprising NFL results from this weekend.
Cleveland 31 Minnesota 27 – The world was watching in shock as Cleveland traded their top offensive weapon in Trent Richardson to Indianapolis for a 2014 1st round pick. With Richardson gone and quarterback Brandon Weeden on the shelf, it was Brian Hoyer’s turn as the 19th starting QB for Cleveland since 1999. I guess no one told the Browns that this was their cue to lay down as they hit Minnesota for 24 first half points en route to a big win on the road. Hoyer hit Jordan Cameron with 51 seconds left to put the Browns up for good. Punter Spencer Lanning becomes the first player to punt, kick an extra point and pass for a touchdown since 1968 as he scored on a fake field goal and stepped in for an injured Billy Cundiff to kick that last extra point. For the second time this season, Vikings RB Adrian Peterson was held under 100 yards rushing and Christian Ponder was sacked 6 times.
Tennessee 20 San Diego 17 – Once again, San Diego took the game to the wire. Unfortunately for them, it didn’t go their way. After taking a 17-10 lead into the 4th quarter, Jake Locker go to work and made some magic happen. Getting the ball with a sliver over 2 minutes left and 94 yards to go, Locker hit 6 different receivers, including the game winning 34 yard strike to Justin Hunter with 15 seconds left. Phillip Rivers played an efficient game, but was not able to amass enough yards to keep Tennessee off the field late in the game. He did take part in a silly 6 lateral final play that ended up going backwards. It seems, the Titans had another music city miracle fall their way.
Carolina 38 New York Giants 0 – The wheels have fallen off in New York. In a battle of the winless, The Giants continue to hit new lows in 2013. Eli Manning was “pink slipped” 7 times for a sack and added on to his league lead in interceptions with another pick. Even Curtis Painter couldn’t stop this ship from sinking. New York was outgained 417 to 195 as Carolina earned a little redemption and left New York as the winless wonder. It was nice to see DeAngelo Williams run for 120 yards and Ted Ginn as the Panthers’ leading receiver with 3 catches for 71 yards and a score. Panther kicker Graham Gano was a busy guy.
Miami 27 Atlanta 23 – Ryan Tannehill has some serious moxie. Despite playing from behind for nearly the entire game, Tannehill maintained his poise and made key passes to keep Miami in the realm of the unbeaten. Despite strong performances by Jacquizz Rodgers and Jason Snelling in the absence of Steven Jackson, it was not enough to put Miami away. Instead, we had to hear that awful 1970’s Houston Oilers knockoff team song blaring multiple times. At this rate, we are going to have to hear it many more times this year.
Indianapolis 27 San Francisco 7 – We knew someone was going to have a sophomore slump. I don’t think many expected Colin Kaepernick to be one of the slumped. For the second straight week, Kaepernick failed to impress or finish the game with a completion percentage or passer rating of over 50. The 49er offense never seemed to be in sync against the Colt defense. Andrew Luck struggled against a tough defense, but was able to make plays with the help of a strong running game. While new addition Trent Richardson failed to hit the right running lanes, Ahmad Bradshaw, Donald Brown, and even Luck had very good days combining for 154 yards a pair of touchdowns. San Francisco had arguably the hardest schedule opening 3 games of the season, so it should get a little easier from here. The Colts are not nearly as fortunate.
Baltimore 30 Houston 9 – Don’t let the score fool you. This game was not nearly as one-sided as the Ravens want you to believe. Joe Flacco didn’t wow the stat sheet. Bernard Pierce didn’t either with Ray Rice out with an injury. Daryl Smith and Tandon Doss however, played a huge role in leading the Ravens to vicroty. Smith had a 37 yard pick-six and Doss had a big 82 yard punt return for a score right before halftime. We need to acknowledge the kickers as Randy Bullock and Justin Tucker had great games. Each were 3/3 on their respective field goals.
Chicago 40 Pittsburgh 23 – Does the road to the bottom of the AFC North go through Pittsburgh? It’s the third game for the Steelers and the third unimpressive outing. Chicago had control of this game early on flying to a 17-0 lead after the 1st quarter. Pittsburgh clawed back to being down 27-23 early in the 4th quarter, but a two minute stretch sealed their fate. The Bears had 2 defensive touchdowns which negated a 400 yard passing day from Ben Roethlisberger. Now Steeler fans know how it feels to be looking up at Cleveland in the standings.
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