2017-18 NFL (Week 3)

Games I watched (some of):
Giants 24-27 Eagles
NYG finally showed some offense, they exploded out of nowhere in the 4th quarter, but the defense had ups and downs. Eli finally got Brandon Marshall into the attack and Beckham re-appeared, so can the Giants keep the offense going? Ehhh, maybe. The Eagles looked like the better team to me but they're not exactly a juggernaut. The offense stops and starts, which is a reflection of a young QB I reckon. The Eagles are better and they won the game, the Giants are not as good but showed signs of maybe getting better.

Steelers 17-23 Bears
I've watched the Bears twice now this year: they looked not bad against the Falcons in Week 1 and now they finish the upset the Steelers in Week 3. That Bears pass rush is legit and their running game is really good, I don't generally think they're good enough to win very many games but they're starting to get strong in the places you want to be strong. The Steelers, on the other hand, did not look particularly good at anything. Never got the running game going, Roethlisberger is either hurt or rapidly aging (he used to move well for a big man but now he looks like he's trying to get a pull-out couch to a third floor apartment) and the defense couldn't stop the run at all. Non-conference road game, we've seen this before, Steelers went vanilla but if they're as good as they ought to be then Ben over the top to those wideout weapons should've been enough to win this game. Not a good game for the Steelers, this should've been a W; good game for the Bears, they're a team that has their moments.

Bengals 24-27 (OT) Packers
I went for a lovely mid-afternoon walk during the 1st half, assuming that the Packers would have the game in hand by the time I got back (allowing me to switch back over to soccer for a coupla hours). Much to my surprise the Bengals were up 21-7 at the half, making for compelling Aaron Rodgers watching in the 2nd half. The Bengals rolled in with a new offensive coordinator which gave them a brief advantage and I kinda liked Dalton's quick release. But that didn't last long and the Packers showed out as the better team. Sure, it might look a little scary for Packer fans but it doesn't change anything for me, I still think the Packers are the class of the NFC and the Bengals are not good.

Raiders 10-27 Redskins
The Raiders looked listless from the jump (interception on first play from scrimmage); hell, their 10 points were gifts from the Redskins, no less. The Redskins (as I've said before) are a team that looks pretty good when they're not going out of their way to look bad. Man, I was really impressed with their secondary in this game, they were draped all over Raiders WR's and the run defense kept Marshawn Lynch off the field. Yeah, it was a non-conference road game for the Raiders, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised they went vanilla but it was a prime time game, thought they'd get it up for that...they did not. In the long run I don't think this impacts either team; the Raiders are still on their way to the playoffs while the Redskins will likely struggle throughout the season.


Other results (surprising):
Ravens 7-44 Jags
I dunno, I'm skeptical of the Ravens but how does that defense give up 44 to Jacksonville? Have the Jags turned the corner? Are they ready to blitz through the NFL now? No, not seeing it. The Ravens are still likely to be a good bet to cover as an underdog and iffy to cover as a favorite. The Jags are at least getting more interesting to keep an eye on because while they don't seem to be any good, they look like they're occasionally not bad.

Browns 28-31 Colts
The Browns aren't good but they play hard, I thought going to Indy was a good chance for them pick up a W; the Colts are not good but...I thought this an easy win for the Browns. Apparently the introduction of Jacoby Brissett was enough of a spark to get the Colts to score some points. These are still two of the lesser teams in the league.

Dolphins 6-20 Jets
Division games are grudge match games, shouldn't be surprised by any outcome. But, I thought the Dolphins on a bad day would still beat NYJ, guess I was mistaken. The Jets are still not good, perhaps the Dolphins aren't as mediocre as I thought they'd be.

Saints 34-13 Panthers
I'm not surprised that the Saints were able to run up points in Charlotte, but I am surprised that the Panthers offense still can't seem to get anything going. Sometimes teams start slow, didn't think the first coupla soft weeks were indicating of an overall decline but getting waxed at home in a division game is a warning flag. Panthers are in some kind of trouble, whereas the Saints look poised to start being competitive again.

Texans 33-36 Patriots
Texans finally have a QB, as rookie Deshaun Watson looked good on the road. The Pats are still not looking like their dominant selves (the defense looks a step or two behind) but they got the W and Belichick has gathered more data to avoid a defeat like this again. Still, though, the Texans scoring 33 on the road is a shocker after how anemic that offense has looked so far.


Other results (not so surprising):
Rams 41-39 Niners
Well, I didn't realize the Niners were gonna score this many points, but I'm not surprised to see that the Rams are already superior to the hapless Niners. Looks like a rare good Thursday game.

Broncos 16-26 Bills
Buffalo isn't an easy place to get a W and that Bills D is still pretty good, so I wasn't shocked by this result. I still think the Broncos are good, still convinced the Bills are mediocre, but still not shocked by this outcome.

Falcons 30-26 Lions
The Lions are the poor man's Falcons, aren't they? High octane passing game, so-so defense, clearly a better team at home in the dome. Not a surprise that this one game down to the last place of the game (in this case, a video replay followed by a run-out of the clock). I think I still think the Falcons are great at home, so-so on the road and that the Lions are a good enough to outscore some teams but not good enough to outscore most teams.

Bucs 17-34 Vikings
The Vikings are a good squad, solid on both sides of the ball. The Bucs are getting better but are we surprised that they struggle on the road against good teams? Score is kinda lopsided but the result isn't a shock to me. The Bucs are still capable of being good, the Vikings are still looking like a playoff team.

Seahawks 27-33 Titans
West coast teams coming east always have trouble, but I thought the vaunted Seahawk D did not look all that vaunted this week. Likewise, impressed with the Titans running up points on Seattle with big plays but how does that defense give up so much to the anemic Seahawk attack? Weird game but somehow still worked out like I thought it would.

Chiefs 24-10 Chargers
Chiefs scored a TD late in the game, looks like the game was closer than the score indicates. Chiefs are good, big division W on the road, still looking like the class of the AFC; the Chargers are close but not finishing, which is what they've been for a few years straight now.

Cowboys 28-17 Cards
Not a surprising score (though it looks like the Cowboys took their time finishing this game). The Cowboys needed a W after a loss last week, the Cards are just aging all over the field and do not look good at all. The Cowboys are still one of the better teams in the NFC and the Cards are not.

Won (covered): Jags, Bills, Bears, Falcons, Colts, Vikings, Jets, Saints, Titans, Chiefs, Redskins, Cowboys
Won (didn't cover): Pats, Packers, Eagles,
Push: Rams, Niners
Lost (covered): Texans, Bengals, Giants,
Lost (didn't cover): Ravens, Broncos, Steelers, Lions, Browns, Bucs, Dolphins, Panthers, Seahawks, Chargers, Raiders, Cards