NFL Week 3 Winners and Losers Josh McDaniels derails Raiders

NFL Week 3 Winners and Losers: Josh McDaniels derails Raiders with inexcusable field goal – USA TODAY

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NFL Week 3 Winners and Losers Josh McDaniels derails Raidersplay

NFL Overreactions: Tua & Co. fall to 70, Vikings fall to 0-3, Cardinals stun red-hot Cowboys

There was no shortage of drama in Week 3 of the NFL season and Sports Seriously’s Mackenzie Salmon is here to fill you in on everything that happened.

Sports Seriously, USA TODAY

At first glance, the NFL Week 3 roster seemed to lack some sizzle.

However, Sunday brought some compelling revelations and rather unexpected results.

None were more surprising than the Arizona Cardinals, who hosted the powerful Dallas Cowboys and, despite being double-digit underdogs, pulled off the upset in what could ultimately become a culture-defining victory.

Elsewhere, the Dolphins defeated the Denver Broncos in a historic matchup that saw Miami lose by 70 points, the most of any team in a single game since 1966.

And in the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers benefited from smart analytics play, while the Minnesota Vikings’ defining characteristic this season is giving the ball away.

Here are the winners and losers from Sunday of week three.

WINNER

The record-breaking Dolphins are putting the NFL on notice

At this point, there’s not much debate: Miami has the best offense in football. The thing is, it’s not really close. Through three games, the Dolphins have gained 1,651 yards on 197 offensive snaps, an absurd average of 8.4 yards per play. The next closest team, the Vikings, averages 6.2 yards per play. Miami finds relatively affordable gems, especially in the hinterland. De’Von Achane came through against the Broncos and has a third-round rookie contract. Veteran Raheem Mostert also has an affordable deal.

At every level of offense, Miami has prioritized speed. And combined with the creative plays coach Mike McDaniel is crafting — look no further than the two no-look shovel pass touchdowns against Achane — the Dolphins have an offense that puts them in the Super Bowl conversation… as long as they stay healthy. And one final point: Miami did all of this while star receiver Jaylen Waddle was inactive (concussion).

The Cardinals are recalibrating their culture

The Cardinals, who entered Sunday as 12.5-point underdogs, were tied for a lead against the Cowboys, the team that had entered Week 3 looking like the most complete team in the entire NFL. For rookie coach Jonathan Gannon, it’s his first career win and a huge one. Arizona’s roster simply isn’t as talented as Dallas’, but games like these can help reset the culture of a program that has been stuck in mediocrity for some time.

The Cardinals held the Cowboys to just one red zone conversion on five attempts. They totaled 400 yards — including 222 on the ground — and gave up 28 points on a defense that ranked first Sunday in both total defense (193 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (5.0 points allowed per game). documented. The Cowboys had not previously allowed any team to convert in the red zone; Arizona did it twice in both attempts.

Shane Steichen maximizes the potential of young Colts

The other former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator hired as head coach is also having success as a rookie coach. Steichen took Indianapolis on the road and upset a very good Baltimore Ravens team in a tough performance without athletic rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson (concussion). Baltimore ranked sixth in the NFL in rushing defense (69 yards allowed per game) in Week 3, but Colts running back Zack Moss managed 122 yards on the ground.

There was a non-call near the end of overtime due to apparent pass interference, which benefited the Colts but did not detract from this win. Kicker Matt Gay made history with four 50-yard field goals and backup quarterback Gardner Minshew was steady (if unspectacular). The most impressive part of the Indy win, however, was a secondary that went hard on Baltimore’s revamped receiving corps, holding Baltimore to just 178 yards rushing.

Matt LaFleur’s calculated gamble pays off

There is a school of thought in contemporary analytics circles that says teams trailing by 14 points should go for two points if they score their first touchdown in a comeback attempt. The reasoning: If the team converts, another touchdown (and assuming a conversion of the resulting extra point) gives the team the lead. However, if the two-point attempt fails, there is still an opportunity to tie the game with a second two-point attempt on the subsequent touchdown.

That’s exactly what Packers coach Matt LaFleur did as Green Bay scored 18 points to erase a 17-point deficit and topple New Orleans. LaFleur’s move capitalized on momentum the Packers were gaining while the Saints lost momentum after quarterback Derek Carr was sidelined with a shoulder injury. It also helped young quarterback Jordan Love build his resilience after his most uneven start (22 of 44 for 259 yards with one touchdown and one interception) this season.

LOSER

The Raiders converted the strangest and most insignificant field goal of Week 3

Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels received the gift of a bailout because of his strange coaching decision to kick a field goal with 3:15 left in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with eight minutes left. A personal foul by the Steelers on the (successful) attempt extended the drive and the Raiders actually marched the ball to the Pittsburgh eight-yard line. But when faced with a fourth-and-4, McDaniels opted for the field goal again. Daniel Carlson converted it. Vegas trailed by five.

But by accepting the penalty and not attempting to score the touchdown later in the drive, the Raiders essentially got the same result, albeit with 50 seconds less on the game clock. Then there’s the question of whether, assuming the defense holds, the Vegas offense will have to force drives the entire length of the field because a touchdown was needed to win regardless of the field goal.

The Raiders would actually get the ball back. The problem? They made it to their own 15-yard line with 12 seconds left. Jimmy Garoppolo would throw his third interception of the night on the following play.

So far, jaguars have been unconvincing

You started the year 2023 with a lot of excitement. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence received some MVP love in the preseason, and the Jaguars were widely considered the winners of the AFC South. So far, however, Doug Pederson’s Jacksonville Jaguars look more like a team that is rebuilding and has taken steps backwards offensively.

While there is no doubt that Jacksonville can still win the division, a 20-point loss to a Texas team that is inexperienced and lacks star power, especially on offense, calls the Jaguars’ direction into question. Lawrence, now in his third season and coming off a Pro Bowl campaign, simply hasn’t developed a consistent relationship with Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk or Evan Engram. Among qualified quarterbacks, Lawrence ranks 23rd in QB rating (84.5) and has thrown just three touchdown passes.

Vikings just can’t keep the ball

Without turnovers, the Vikings would not be winless. But after another day of sloppy ball defense, Minnesota is 0-3 and in serious danger of its season imploding. In a loss to the Chargers, tight end TJ Hockenson lost a fumble – the seventh for the team this season – and Kirk Cousins ​​threw a pick after a deflected pass to Hockenson, ending the comeback bid. The seven fumbles and -7 turnover differential are the worst in the league.

It could have been worse. Late in the second quarter, with the game tied, the Vikings stormed inside the 5-yard line. Running back Alexander Mattison got a carry and lunged forward and appeared to have lost the ball with the Chargers clearly recovering, except the officials questionably ruled that Mattison’s forward momentum had been stopped. Even on defense, cornerback Akayleb Evans fended off an interception that fell into the grasp of Chargers receiver Joshua Palmer for a 30-yard touchdown. It would be the final score of the game, giving the Chargers the game-winning lead.

The Sam Howell hype train is slowing its pace

The aura surrounding Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, who entered Sunday having thrown just one interception this season, lost its luster in a stunning loss to the Bills Bills. Howell threw four picks (including one that was returned for a score) and was otherwise ineffective. To be fair, Washington’s entire team was ineffective. The offensive line applied constant pressure that did not allow Howell to calm down. The Bills pressured Howell on 62.9% of his dropbacks. They collected nine sacks and hit him 15 times, many of them in obvious passing situations. Not surprisingly, the Commanders only converted one of their nine third-down attempts.

Howell will have more attempts to prove his worth as a viable starter. In many ways, a game like this was expected as Howell was making his fourth career start. It cannot become a pattern.