NFL Game Recaps: Week 3, 2021

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Panthers 24, Texans 9

The Panthers were expected to win this game easily, given that they were eight-point favorites with tons of public backing. It didn’t turn out to be that simple, with Carolina never establishing a double-digit lead until there were four minutes remaining in regulation. They prevailed, but this was a Pyrrhic victory.

The good news for Carolina is that it improved its record to 3-0. The bad news is that the Panthers suffered a number of key injuries in this game. Christian McCaffrey went into the medical tent in the second quarter and was quickly ruled out as he walked gingerly into the locker room. The Panthers then lost two starting defensive backs – Jaycee Horn and Juston Burris – to various maladies in the second half. Already down A.J. Bouye, the Panthers had a skeleton crew secondary in the final quarter-and-a-half.

Luckily for the Panthers, they didn’t have to battle a lethal passing attack. Davis Mills was making his first start, and outside of one drive prior to halftime, he didn’t display any signs of being an NFL-caliber quarterback. Mills (19-28, 168 yards, TD) looked shell shocked at times, but some poor coaching didn’t help him. The Texans often ran on first down, which put Mills in a negative situation. He had trouble sustaining drives as a result; the Texans converted just one third down the entire evening.

Carolina’s offense, meanwhile, was very effective when McCaffrey was on the field. The team averaged north of seven yards per play with McCaffrey, but that figure fell into the twos during the rest of the opening half without the All-Pro back. However, Matt Rhule and Joe Brady made some nice adjustments at halftime to help the team generate some drives following intermission. Simply getting into double digits was enough anyway.

McCaffrey crushed his fantasy owners by leaving early, as they saw him rush for only 31 yards on seven carries. He caught two passes for nine receiving yards as well. Rookie Chuba Hubbard was the next man up, and he looked solid. He rushed for 52 yards on 11 attempts to go along with three catches for 27 receiving yards. He’ll be a must-add this upcoming Tuesday, depending on McCaffrey’s status.

Somehow, the player who scored two rushing touchdowns in this game was Sam Darnold, who plunged into the end zone on a pair of sneaks. Darnold was a fine passer in this contest – 23-of-34, 304 yards – but didn’t have much resistance against a secondary missing multiple players. Darnold had some ball-security issues in this contest, fumbling twice on strip-sacks. He also missed out on a touchdown by overthrowing an open D.J. Moore.

Speaking of Moore, he had a huge performance. He caught eight of his 12 targets for 126 yards. The numbers obviously would’ve been better had Darnold not overshot him for what should’ve been a touchdown. Moore got banged up on a play in the second half, but didn’t miss any action.

Only one other Panther logged more than 30 receiving yards, and that was rookie Terrace Marshall, who secured four receptions for 48 yards. Robby Anderson, conversely, was a huge disappointment. He caught just one pass for eight yards, and he also dropped a ball.

There were just two viable Texan fantasy players. Brandin Cooks had a monstrous performance, hauling in nine of his 11 targets for 112 yards. Anthony Miller (4-20) was the other, as one of his four catches was a touchdown.

There continued to be too many cooks in Houston’s backfield. Mark Ingram led the way with 21 yards on six carries, while Phillip Lindsay found no running room, as evidenced by his five yards on seven attempts. David Johnson had just two touches.

Browns 26, Bears 6

There was tremendous hype for Justin Fields’ first NFL start, especially with this game occurring so close to his college campus. Chicago and Ohio State fans will want to forget this game, however, as Fields had a disastrous performance against the Browns.

Fields’ numbers speak for themselves: He went 6-of-20 for 68 yards. He shouldn’t be blamed entirely, however, as he didn’t get a chance behind his horrible offensive line. The Browns dominated the line of scrimmage, sacking Fields a whopping nine times, as Fields fell just short of Greg McElroy’s 11-sack debut record. Myles Garrett was unstoppable, collecting 4.5 sacks and was so close to getting to 5.5 at the very end when Fields spun out of his tackle. Jadeveon Clowney added two sacks. The end result of this was just 47 net yards for Chicago’s offense, and Fields suffering a concussion at the very end. Believe it or not, it could’ve been even worse for Fields, as he had an interception negated by one of the worst pass interferences you’ll ever see. Safety John Johnson was flagged even though he didn’t even have a hand on the offensive player.

Baker Mayfield, meanwhile, didn’t exactly perform like a seasoned veteran in this contest. He had a dreadful opening half. He overthrew two receivers in the first quarter, including Demetric Felton for a potential touchdown. He also took two bad sacks on a pair of fourth downs, including one that gave the Bears possession at midfield. Mayfield later took another bad sack to move his team out of field goal range when this was a 3-3 affair in the middle of the second quarter. He then saw a potential interception of his dropped by a Chicago defender.

The Browns, who continuously sputtered near field goal range in the opening quarter, eventually got their act together. Mayfield, however, completed just four passes following intermission, as one of his misfires was another missed score. He went 19-of-31 for 246 yards and a touchdown in what was a disappointing game from him, especially considering that the Bears lost Khalil Mack to an injury in the first half.

With Mayfield struggling, Cleveland’s two running backs dominated a Chicago defense that was missing monstrous nose tackle Eddie Goldman. Nick Chubb rumbled for 84 yards on 22 carries, but the big star was Kareem Hunt, who rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on just 10 attempts. He also caught six passes for 74 receiving yards.

For a while, it seemed as though Odell Beckham Jr. would do nothing in his 2021 debut, as he caught just two passes for 20 yards in the opening half. However, Beckham finished the game with five receptions for 77 yards. He also drew an interference flag. Beckham made a tremendous catch in the third quarter, hauling in a back-shoulder throw and tapping both of his feet inbounds near the sideline for a 26-yard gain. Donovan Peoples-Jones (2-39) made some tremendous sideline catches as well. The first saw him toe tap the sideline, while the second occurred via a tremendous adjustment on a back-shoulder throw while being held by a defender.

There’s not much to say about the Chicago skill-position players, as they didn’t get to do anything with the offensive line giving Fields absolutely no chance. Allen Robinson caught just two passes for 27 yards. He and David Montgomery (2-21) were the only Bears with multiple receptions.

Speaking of Montgomery, Chicago’s constant deficit prevented him getting much of a workload. He rushed just 10 times for 34 yards.

Bills 43, Redskins 21

The Bills won 35-0 last week against the Dolphins, but they did not do so impressively. Josh Allen missed some easy throws, and his team needed to take advantage of Miami’s countless blunders.

This blowout victory was much different. The Bills legitimately dominated this contest from start to finish. Allen found his groove and torched the Redskins’ underperforming secondary. He even had plenty of pressure in his face from Washington’s talented defensive line, and yet he was able to fire terrific strikes to his receivers. The defense, meanwhile, put the clamps on Taylor Heinicke and the Redskin offense. The Bills limited the Redskins to seven real points.

Allen was unstoppable, and the numbers match his production. He went 32-of-43 for 358 yards and four passing touchdowns. And as if that weren’t enough, Allen scrambled for a fifth score. There was some concern with Allen’s slow start, but he looked like an MVP candidate once again in this game.

Two of Allen’s touchdowns went to Emmanuel Sanders, who caught five of his six targets for 94 yards. He trailed only Cole Beasley, who hauled in 11 of his 13 targets for 98 yards.

Allen’s other aerial scores were thrown to Dawson Knox (4-49) and Zack Moss (3-31). Knox’s score shouldn’t have counted because he pushed off his defender and then his hand landed out of bounds before he secured the touchdown. It ultimately didn’t end up mattering, though owners of Stefon Diggs (6-62) would’ve preferred to see their receiver catch the score instead.

Speaking of frustrated fantasy owners, those who roster Devin Singletary (11-26) were extremely angry, as Moss (13-60) handled more of the workload. It’s worth noting, however, that some of Moss’ rushes came in garbage time. Singletary had more carries in the opening half, but dropped a pass on the initial drive.

The only semblance of offense the Redskins generated came on 73-yard Antonio Gibson receiving touchdown. That produced the only real points Washington scored in this contest. One other early touchdown came on an odd play in which a kickoff was blown backward by fierce wind to give the Redskins a very short field. The other touchdown came in garbage time.

Gibson’s long touchdown saved his fantasy owners from seeing their running back have a horrible day. Gibson mustered only 31 yards on 12 attempts otherwise.

Heinicke was dreadful in this contest. The numbers don’t look bad – 14-of-24, 212 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions – but keep in mind that he had a 73-yard score that was all Gibson. His other touchdown came at the very end of the game when the Bills stopped trying. Heinicke’s first pick occurred because he stared down his defender, resulting in a short field that allowed the Bills to score easily. The second interception was heaved into very heavy traffic. Heinicke’s afternoon could’ve been much worse, as he had a potential pick-six that was dropped.

Gibson led the team in receiving, edging out Terry McLaurin and his four catches for 62 yards. Logan Thomas (4-42) caught a late touchdown, but hurt his team with a lost fumble that set up the Bills with an easy score.

Titans 25, Colts 16

It was a surprise when Carson Wentz was deemed healthy enough to play in this game after suffering two sprained ankles the prior week. Wentz, however, looked like he had two sprained ankles while playing against the Titans, as he struggled to maintain any sort of offense in this contest. Wentz barely completed half of his passes, while his team converted on just three third downs. Wentz missed some easy throws he usually makes, including a potential touchdown pass to Michael Pittman. He was occasionally limping around in the pocket especially after trying to escape pressure. Wentz seemed like he could barely move, which makes Frank Reich’s decision to start him very questionable, especially when considering that the Colts won’t have to give up their first-round pick if Wentz plays fewer than 75 percent of his snaps this year.

The only reason this game was close was the incomptence of Ryan Tannehill and Chester Rogers. Tannehill threw three touchdowns in this contest, but he and Rogers nearly killed their team with a pair of horrible interceptions. Tannehill’s first pick went right to Darius Leonard after holding the ball forever in the pocket. This set up a touchdown for the Colts, while Tannehill’s second pick was the result of a Rogers drop. It gave Indianapolis a field goal. Thus, the Colts produced just six points when not converting Tannehill turnovers.

Ultimately, Derrick Henry led his team to a victory. He trampled the Colts for 113 yards on 28 carries while also catching three passes for 31 receiving yards. He constantly gave Tannehill easy passing opportunities, allowing him to complete 8-of-10 passes in the second half. Tannehill also ran well, scrambling five times for 56 rushing yards.

Tannehill’s final numbers looked like this: 18-of-27 for 197 yards, three touchdowns and the two picks. He lost A.J. Brown to a first-half hamstring injury, and it showed in the early going when he made those mistakes. However, he deserves credit for cleaning up his act late in the game.

Despite Brown being sidelined, Julio Jones didn’t do very much. He caught three passes for 47 yards, with all that production occurring in the opening half. Jones barely played in the second half, which may have been because he got banged up while trying to chase down a defender following the Rogers-induced interception. Meanwhile, Nick Westbrook picked up all the production. He caught four balls for 53 yards and a touchdown, but lost a fumble inside the Indianapolis 5-yard line. He made up for it later with a drawn interference flag on Xavier Rhodes, who, like Wentz, didn’t appear to be fully healthy in this contest. Rhodes came out of the game on a couple of occasions right before Tannehill tested him deep in Westbrook’s direction.

Going back to the Colts, Wentz finished 19-of-37 for only 194 yards. The good news is that he didn’t aggravate his injury, but Wentz, as discussed earlier, shouldn’t have played. He was limping around, and he had trouble connecting with his receivers on throws he would usually convert. Of course, it didn’t help that Wentz lost his top offensive lineman, Quenton Nelson, to an injury.

Only two Colts logged more than 31 receiving yards: Pittman (6-68) and Nyheim Hines (5-54). As mentioned, Pittman was in position for a touchdown, but Wentz missed him. Zach Pascal (2-31) struggled despite seeing seven targets, one of which was a dropped pass in the end zone. Parris Campbell (2-9) was also guilty of a drop.

Hines ended up scoring, but did so as a runner. He rushed for 25 yards on six attempts, while Jonathan Taylor gained 64 yards on 10 tries. Taylor didn’t get much of a chance to run the ball because of the constant deficit, but he at least converted a pair of fourth-and-1 opportunities on the same drive.

Chargers 30, Chiefs 24

Despite what the final score says, the Chiefs appeared as though they would blow the Chargers out of the water in the opening half. Their first three drives all advanced into the Chargers’ 30-yard line, and given how efficient and explosive Patrick Mahomes and his weapons are, the score easily could’ve been 21-0 to begin the contest. Instead, the Chiefs gave the game away.

It’s unclear why Mahomes threw a no-look pass on the opening drive, but he did so to Marcus Kemp. The reserve receiver didn’t expect the pass, so the ball bounced out of his hands and into the arms of Asante Samuel Jr. The Chiefs advanced into the red zone on the next possession, but Tyreek Hill fumbled, setting up a Charger touchdown following the return. The next Kansas City drive also concluded with a fumble, as Clyde Edwards-Helaire coughed up the ball at the 30-yard line. Another nice return set up the Chargers with another touchdown. The Chiefs, who could’ve been up 21-0, were suddenly trailing 14-0.

Despite all of these blunders, it still seemed as though the Chiefs would be able to win this game. Possessing the ball in a 24-24 tie, Mahomes appeared as though he would lead his team to a victory. Instead, Mahomes inexplicably heaved a deep pass off his back foot, which was easily picked. The Chiefs had somehow transformed into the Chargers, constantly killing themselves with unforced errors. The Chargers, conversely, converted with a touchdown after screwing up a fourth-and-4 play that was ruined by a false start. Thanks to a sketchy DeAndre Baker pass interference, Justin Herbert kept the drive alive and eventually found Mike Williams in the end zone for the game-winning score.

This was the biggest victory of Herbert’s young career thus far. He nearly beat the Mahomes-led Chiefs in his NFL debut, and he slew his new arch nemesis in his second attempt. Herbert was brilliant, going 26-of-38 for 281 yards and four touchdowns.

Two of Herbert’s touchdowns went to Mike Williams, who hauled in seven of his nine targets for 122 yards. Keenan Allen (8-50) secured another of Herbert’s touchdowns.

Austin Ekeler snatched Herbert’s other score. He caught all six of his targets for 52 yards while rushing for 55 yards on 11 carries. The Chiefs once again had major issues stopping the run.

While Ekeler was great, Edwards-Helaire nearly doubled his rushing total. He ran for 100 yards on 17 carries to go along with two catches for nine receiving yards and a touchdown. It was a nice bounce-back performance from last week, though the aforementioned fumble was one of many Kansas City mistakes that cost them this victory.

Speaking of blunders, Mahomes threw the two interceptions, as both bookended this game. He went 27-of-44 for 260 yards and three touchdowns otherwise. Mahomes was terrific at times, but the two mistakes crushed his team.

Travis Kelce led the Chiefs in receiving, catching seven of his 11 targets for 104 yards. Hill (5-56) didn’t do as much to redeem himself from his early fumble.

Somehow, neither Kelce nor Hill caught Mahomes’ touchdowns. The scores went to Edwards-Helaire, Mecole Hardman (3-33) and someone named Jody Fortson (2-7).

Saints 28, Patriots 13

Mac Jones drew plenty of acclaim by not throwing an interception in his first two games. That was bound to end at some point, and his first two picks of his professional career effectively decided this defensive struggle of a game. The two blunders weren’t even Jones’ fault; the first pick occurred as his arm was hit as he released the ball, which sailed into the arms of P.J. Williams, who brought the turnover back to the New England 10-yard line. James Winston was able to convert with a touchdown to Marquez Callaway, which he heaved as he was falling down. The pass was inexplicably complete, giving the Saints a double-digit lead heading into halftime.

The second pick occurred right after intermission. Jones’ pass to Jonnu Smith was dropped, and it popped into the arms Malcolm Jenkins, who ran the turnover back for six. Suddenly down 21-3, the offensively challenged Patriots couldn’t overcome such a large deficit.

Jones finished 30-of-51 for 270 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, with the final pick occurring on New England’s final offensive snap when Jones was just trying to make something happen. He also somehow led his team in rushing with 28 yards on six scrambles.

Despite the loss and the three turnovers, Jones had a mostly positive performance. He didn’t just dink and dunk; most of his throws had plenty of air yards attached to them, especially on third-and-long opportunities. For example, he fired a ball 15 yards in the air on a third-and-16. On a later third-and-8, his pass sailed 10 yards. There were only a couple of occasions in which Jones settled for Alex Smith-type dump-off passes on third down, and those usually involved heavy pressure.

That said, Jones made some mistakes. He misfired on two potential touchdowns. One was an overthrow in Kendrick Bourne’s direction, while the second saw him display poor mechanics in the pocket, leading to an inaccurate toss to Nelson Agholor. Jones also took a bad sack in field goal range where he held on to the ball too long. Still, Jones was impressive considering that this was just his third start.

With the Patriots constantly in a deficit, Damien Harris didn’t get to accomplish much. He rushed just six times, picking up 14 yards in the process. James White didn’t get to do much either because he left the game with a second-quarter hip injury.

Jones’ lone touchdown was thrown in garbage time to Bourne, who caught six of his eight targets for 96 yards, as he picked up extra targets with White hurt. He barely edged out Jakobi Meyers for the receiving lead, with Meyers snatching nine of his 14 targets for 94 yards. Hunter Henry (5-36) was next on the list. Jonnu Smith, meanwhile, had a dreadful afternoon. He caught just one of his six targets for four yards, and he was guilty of three drops, including one that turned into Jones’ initial interception.

As for the Saints, Winston’s production almost mirrored his Week 1 performance without all the touchdowns. Winston simply wasn’t asked to do much, as he threw 30 fewer times than Jones did. Winston didn’t make any mistakes, going 13-of-21 for 128 yards and two touchdowns, though his one score to Callaway could’ve been intercepted.

Speaking of Callaway, he led the Saints in receiving with four grabs for 41 yards and the touchdown. The only other Saint with more than 30 receiving yards was Deonte Harris (3-31).

Alvin Kamara caught Winston’s other touchdown. He had a great performance, catching three passes for 29 receiving yards to go along with his 89 rushing yards on 24 carries.

Falcons 17, Giants 14

The winner of this game would actually be a true loser because of draft positioning, so the Giants appeared as though they would “lose” this game when Saquon Barkley leapt into the end zone to put his team up 14-7 in the fourth quarter. Matt Ryan drove down the field to potentially tie this affair, but appeared to throw an interception right to Adoree Jackson in the end zone. Jackson dropped the ball, which ended up “winning” the game for the Giants.

Thanks to Jackson’s dropped pick, the Falcons were able to score a touchdown soon after, thanks to a drawn interference penalty by Kyle Pitts. The Giants had a chance for the “game-losing” field goal on the ensuing possession, but Daniel Jones was strip-sacked to disrupt the possession, taking a hit because he didn’t see the pass rusher. Ryan took over with 1:50 remaining, and he was able to quickly move into field goal range with a pair of 25-yard passes, including one to Pitts. Younghoe Koo drilled the 40-yard field goal to give the Falcons a “defeat” for the first time all year.

Ryan had some late-game heroics and finished with a nice stat line: 27-of-36 for 243 yards, two touchdowns. However, Ryan’s numbers were misleading. He made a number of mistakes and should’ve thrown multiple interceptions. He fumbled on a strip-sack right before halftime to cost his team some points, and he also saw two potential picks that were dropped, including the aforementioned Jackson gaffe.

Ryan didn’t have much time in the pocket once again, so he had to unload quick passes to Cordarrelle Patterson, which would explain why the kick returner led the team in receiving. Patterson’s six catches for 82 yards eclipsed Calvin Ridley’s eight receptions for 61 yards. Twenty-five of Patterson’s receiving yards came on the final drive in which he caught a ball at the line of scrimmage and advanced down the field because of a missed tackle. As for Ridley, he was guilty of a drop that was nearly ruled a fumble.

Pitts, meanwhile, nearly went catchless in this game, as he didn’t have a reception until the fourth quarter. He ended up with a pair of catches for 35 yards, with a 25-yarder occurring after Patterson’s on the final possession. He also drew the aforementioned interference flag in the end zone to give Atlanta new life after Ryan’s dropped interception.

While Patterson led the team in receiving, he also rushed seven times for 20 yards. He cut into the workload of Mike Davis (12-50), who is obviously the superior runner. The Falcons ran Patterson on an early third-and-1, and he was predictably stuffed.

Barkley barely edged out Davis for the rushing lead in this contest. He ran for 52 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts, and he also caught six balls for 43 receiving yards. He made some nice cuts on a 15-yard run, though he had a 19-yard reception negated by an ineligible man downfield.

Jones did some running as well. He scrambled eight times for 38 rushing yards. His passing numbers were fine – 24-of-35, 266 yards – but more was expected from him in a very easy matchup. His fourth-quarter strip-sack was one of the primary deciding factors in this game. Another was a horrible sack taken in an early trip into the red zone. The Giants had to settle for a field goal on that drive.

A report Sunday morning suggested that Kenny Golladay would lose snaps this week. Instead, Golladay led the team in receiving with four catches for 64 yards. He also drew an interference flag in the end zone. That said, Golladay sat out an entire series in the second quarter.

With all the receiving talent the Giants have, you’d expect Sterling Shepard (2-16), Kadarius Toney (2-16) or Evan Engram (2-21) to finish second on the team in receiving. Instead, it was Collin Johnson, who hauled in five of his seven targets for 51 yards. The reason for this was Shepard suffering a hamstring injury early in this game. Darius Slayton also hurt his hamstring. Engram lost a fumble.

Bengals 24, Steelers 10

The Steelers were able to beat the Bills on opening weekend, but that victory seems like years ago. Following a surprising loss to the Raiders last week, the Steelers couldn’t redeem themselves versus the Bengals. They suffered their second-consecutive home loss as favorites, and this game wasn’t even as close as the final score indicates.

Pittsburgh has numerous problems, with one huge one being the ineptitude of the offensive line. Ben Roethlisberger had no time to throw in this contest, which led to multiple turnovers. His first interception occurred because he was hit as he released the ball. The second was the result of pressure forcing Roethlisberger to throw late across his body. He didn’t see the linebacker, who snatched the pick. Late in the fourth quarter, when Roethlisberger had a chance to cut the lead to one score, he took a big sack to disrupt the drive, which ultimately led with a dump-off pass on fourth-and-10.

Roethlisberger ended up throwing for 318 yards on 38-of-58 passes, but much of that came in garbage time; Roethlisberger logged just 92 passing yards in the opening half. He threw a touchdown, but his two interceptions were crushing for Pittsburgh’s efforts of avoiding a 1-2 record.

With Roethlisberger having no time in the pocket, he had to unload passes quickly to Najee Harris. That would explain why Harris caught a ridiculous 14 of his 19 targets for 102 receiving yards. Harris needed those receiving numbers to help his fantasy owners because he was able to rush for only 40 yards on 14 carries.

Aside from Harris, no Steeler logged more than 33 receiving yards, save for Chase Claypool, who caught nine passes for 96 yards. Claypool left the game with an injury and then returned, only to leave the game again. JuJu Smith-Schuster (3-25) also left the game with an injury, but didn’t return. Rookie Pat Freiermuth (3-22) caught Roethlisberger’s only touchdown, but dropped a pass in the red zone.

Moving on to the Bengals, it seemed as though Joe Burrow would have the same type of performance like his counterpart. Burrow threw an early interception on a high pass that was deflected. However, Burrow was extremely sharp otherwise. In fact, he misfired on just three other occasions.

Burrow finished 14-of-18 for 172 yards, three touchdowns and the early interception. He didn’t face as much pressure as usual because the Steelers were missing T.J. Watt, Ali Highsmith, Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu.

Two of Burrow’s three scores went to Ja’Marr Chase, whose preseason drops seem like they happened a million years ago. Chase, who caught four balls for 65 yards, now has four touchdowns in three NFL games.

Elsewhere in the Bengal receiving corps, Tyler Boyd (4-36) also caught a touchdown. No one else had more than 26 receiving yards, as Tee Higgins missed this game with an injury.

Joe Mixon didn’t score a touchdown, but ran well against a Pittsburgh defense that is usually stout versus ground attacks. Mixon gained 90 yards on 18 carries.

Cardinals 31, Jaguars 19

The Cardinals ended up winning this game by double digits, but things looked extremely dicey for a while. It started when the Cardinals, up 7-6, inexplicably called for a 68-yard field goal. Matt Prater was predictably short, and a Jacksonville special-teamer Jamal Agnew caught the kick inbounds and took it back for a 109-yard touchdown return. It seemed like the Cardinals would rebound quickly against the lowly Jaguars, but Murray heaved an interception into double coverage in the third quarter, and then DeAndre Hopkins dropped a pass on third down. The Jaguars, meanwhile, scored on a James Robinson rushing touchdown to establish an inexplicable 19-10 lead.

It appeared as though the Cardinals, perhaps looking ahead to the Rams game next week, would fall to the horrible Jaguars. Then, reality set in. The Cardinals scored on a touchdown drive, and then Trevor Lawrence threw a pick-six when he fired a pass off his back foot on a flea-flicker play. The Cardinals suddenly were up by double digits, which was a lead that was insurmountable for the Jaguars, who saw Lawrence commit another turnover in the fourth quarter.

Murray won this game, but somehow didn’t throw a touchdown against a Jacksonville secondary missing multiple cornerbacks. Still, he misfired on just six occasions, going 28-of-34 for 316 yards and the aforementioned interception. He added 19 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven scrambles.

One of the reasons why Murray didn’t throw a touchdown was Hopkins’ health. Hopkins wasn’t 100 percent heading into this game, and it showed. He caught three of his six targets for 21 yards, and he also dropped a pass, as previously mentioned. His day would’ve been a bit better had a 20-yard reception of his not been negated by offensive pass interference. Instead, it was A.J. Green (5-112) and Christian Kirk (7-104) who did the heavily lifting in the passing game. Conversely, Rondale Moore did very little, generating just four net yards on three touches.

Another reason for Murray’s lack of touchdowns was that James Conner vultured a pair of scores. Conner wasn’t very efficient, however, as his 11 carries went for 43 yards otherwise. He outgained Chase Edmonds on the same number of attempts (26 yards), but Edmonds caught seven passes for 49 receiving yards.

As for the Jaguars, Lawrence had another uneven performance. In addition to the aforementioned pick-six, Lawrence threw another interception in the red zone, though that was tight end Jacob Hollister’s fault because a dropped pass of his sent the ball into the arms of an Arizona player. Lawrence was charged with another turnover of his later, however, as he fumbled the ball in the red zone. However, it wasn’t his fault because James Robinson accidentally knocked the ball out of his hands.

Lawrence went 22-of-34 for 219 yards, one touchdown and the three turnovers. He was sacked on just two occasions, but faced lots of pressure behind his horrible offensive line. Lawrence took a number of crushing blows in this game, including one instance in which he was decked on a third-and-7, causing a poor throw. He then saw a potential interception of his dropped when he took another crushing blow. The offensive line affected him on another third down when heavy pressure forced him into a zero-yard checkdown on third-and-5. Another such instance forced Lawrence into an overthrow for what should’ve been a deep gain in the opening half. As you can tell, Jacksonville is in dire need of some better blocking to help its young quarterback.

Lawrence’s lone touchdown was thrown to D.J. Chark, who caught three passes for 49 yards. He trailed only Marvin Jones (6-62) in the box score. Jones was nearly responsible for an interception, as a miscommunication he had with Lawrence led to a dropped interception on the opening drive. Laviska Shenault (4-48) didn’t have negative yardage like last week.

Jacksonville’s best fantasy producer ended up being Robinson. Despite accumulating just eight rushing yards in the opening half, Robinson concluded the game with 88 yards and a touchdown on just 15 attempts.

Ravens 19, Lions 17

By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: When the Cardinals allowed that field goal touchdown at the end of the first half, I tweeted, “Trying a 68-yard field goal is a fireable offense.” A 66-yard field goal is OK, apparently!

After the Ravens’ comeback win over the Chiefs last Sunday night, they may have been taking this game lightly thanks to the Lions getting rolled on Monday Night Football. Lamar Jackson played well overall, but Baltimore was sloppy with dropped passes and poor pass coverage on D’Andre Swift that almost let this win escape. The Ravens got lucky when the incompetent NFL officials missed a delay of game on the final drive that gifted them five yards, and Justin Tucker hit an NFL record 66-yard field goal on the final play of the day to give the Ravens the win. If the same kick had been attempted from 71, it would have fallen short.

Both defenses played well for the majority of the first half, managing a series of third-down stops. Eventually, Jackson got Baltimore moving by hooking up with Mark Andrews to set up a field goal. Late in the first half, Jackson found Devin Duvernay in busted coverage for a 19-yard touchdown. Baltimore should have added another touchdown, but Marquise Brown dropped two long passes, including a would-be touchdown, so Baltimore took a 10-0 lead into the half.

To open the third quarter, Jackson found Andrews for a 41-yard gain, and that led to another field gaol. Detroit finally put a scoring drive together using Swift in the passing game, and to finish the drive, Swift plunged into the end zone. Jackson kept moving the ball, hitting a 24-yard completion to Andrews and picking up yards on the ground to set up another Tucker field goal. That gave the Ravens a 16-7 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Midway through the fourth, Swift ripped up the Baltimore defense on catches out of the backfield while Jamaal Williams (12-42-1 rushing, 2-25 receiving) ran well on the ground and plunged into the end zone to put Detroit down 16-14. After getting sacked by Alex Anzalone, Jackson was under more pressure and threw a terrible pass that was intercepted by Amani Oruwariye.

Jared Goff found a rhythm, hitting Darren Fells for 24 yards and Kaliff Raymond (6-68) for two catches that totaled 41 yards to get to the 14-yard line with two minutes remaining. The drive stalled, but Ryan Santoso hit a 35-yard field goal to put the Lions up 17-16. Jackson was left with 64 seconds and zero timeouts. After a Charles Harris sack, Jackson converted a fourth-and-19 to Sammy Watkins (4-68) for 36 yards. The Ravens got lucky on one of the final plays as the play clock hit zero and the referees did not notice the delay of game. Those gifted five yards made a huge difference on the final play of the game, as Tucker kicked a 66-yard field goal that hit the cross bar and bounced through the uprights.

Jackson completed 16-of-31 passes for 287 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He ran for 58 yards on the ground to lead the Ravens in rushing.

Andrews led the Ravens in receiving with five catches for 109 yards.

Goff completed 22-of-30 passes for 217 yards.

Swift ran for 47 yards and a touchdown while catching seven passes for 60 yards.

T.J. Hockenson was held to 10 yards on two catches.

Raiders 31, Dolphins 28

By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: Phew. I thought the Raiders were going to score on that final drive in overtime. Peyton Barber looked like Jim Brown on that possession.

Last December, the Dolphins dealt the Raiders a crushing loss to kill the latter’s playoff hopes. In this revenge game though, the Raiders came away with an overtime win that could end up proving valuable in the playoff race in the loaded AFC West. Derek Carr continued his excellent play, while Jacoby Brissett led a few comebacks for Miami. Eventually, Carr was too good to be denied, producing two scoring drives in overtime, which were the difference.

Things started poorly for the Raiders, as they had a drive going into Miami territory, but Carr was not on the same page with tight end Foster Moreau, who stopped on his route when Carr thought he would keep running. Landon Roberts intercepted the pass and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown. The Raiders later went for it on fourth-and-1 and were denied, which set up the Dolphins up at the Las Vegas 34. A few plays later, Malcolm Brown gashed the Raiders defense for a 24-yard touchdown run.

After a Las Vegas punt was downed inside the 1-yard line, Casey Hayward was able to snuff out a pass to the flat to Jaylen Waddle (12-58) and pick up a safety. It was superb play by Hayward and a bizarre call on Miami’s part. A completion to Henry Ruggs (4-78) set up a 50-yard field goal for Daniel Carlson, and the Dolphins’ lead was cut to 14-5. Las Vegas got the ball back and put together a 95-yard drive, with two receptions to Henry Ruggs for 44 yards, and the drive ended with a short touchdown pass to fullback Alec Ingold. Jacoby Brissett led a drive right before halftime, but Jason Sanders banged a field goal attempt off the upright, leaving Miami with a 14-12 lead at intermission.

To open the third quarter, Carr had Ruggs running wide open for a long touchdown, but he overthrew the pass incomplete. Carr simply shrugged off the mistake to move the ball and cap the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow (5-77-1) after he juked Xavien Howard to get open near the goal line. Carr was hot from there, throwing perfect passes to Darren Waller and Peyton Barber for 23 yards each. Barber would finish the drive by diving over the scrum from a yard out for a touchdown. Daniel Carlson, however, missed the extra point, and that proved to be huge because it allowed Miami to force overtime with a two-point conversion.

After allowing 25 unanswered points to Las Vegas, Brissett used his legs on a few key plays to set up a field goal that cut the Raiders’ lead to 25-17. Miami forced a punt and came close to midfield, but Brissett was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1.

Once the Dolphins got the ball back, they moved into Raiders territory, and a pass interference call on Trayvon Mullen in the end zone gave Miami a first-and-goal with about a minute remaining. On fourth-and-goal, Brissett scrambled and dived into the end zone. The two-point attempt was completed to Will Fuller and sent the game into overtime.

Carr hooked up with Ruggs to get to midfield and then Bryan Edwards to get to the 20, but the drive stalled and Carlson kicked a field goal to put the Raiders up 28-25. Brissett responded with his own drive, converting a fourth-and-20 with a 27-yard pass to Mike Gesicki, and shortly later, Jason Sanders tied the score at 28 with a 50-yard field goal. Carr hit Bryan Edwards for a 34-yard reception, and then Peyton Barber moved the ball inside the 10. As overtime expirede, Carlson hit a field goal for the win.

Carr was 26-of-43 for 386 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

With Josh Jacobs out with an injury, Barber carried the load, taking 23 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown.

Edwards led the Raiders in receiving with 89 yards on three catches. Waller had five receptions for 54 yards.

Brissett completed 32-of-49 passes for 215 yards.

Myles Gaskin ran for 65 yards on 13 carries.

Gesicki led Miami in receiving with 10 catches for 86 yards.

Broncos 26, Jets 0

Poor Zach Wilson has endured some extremely difficult matches to begin his career. He battled the Panthers’ highly ranked defense to open the season, then matched wits with Bill Belichick last week. His latest game was against Vic Fangio and Denver’s terrific defense. Wilson was consequently throttled in yet another multi-turnover disaster.

Wilson didn’t quite heave four interceptions this time. Instead, he tossed two picks, and only one was his fault. The first interception occurred when Wilson stared down his receiver for a long time. The second came in the final minute when a ball bounced off the hands of Braxton Berrios. Wilson, who went 19-of-35 for 160 yards and the two picks, never had a chance behind his offensive line, enduring five sacks. It didn’t help that his receivers dropped a few passes. That said, Wilson often looked confused and unsure of himself in the pocket, so it didn’t help that he constantly saw pressure.

Denver’s offense, conversely, did whatever it wanted to against the Jets’ beleaguered defense. They doubled up the first down count, 22-11, and had more than twice the number of yards, 342-162.

New York had no answer for Teddy Bridgewater, who misfired on just six occasions. He went 19-of-25 for 235 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown, but wasn’t guilty of any mistakes either.

Bridgewater didn’t fire any touchdowns because his running backs did all the work in that regard. Both Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams found the end zone. Gordon outgained Williams by a wide margin, 61-29, with Gordon having six more carries (18-12). Williams, however, did more as a receiver out of the backfield, catching three of his four targets for 33 receiving yards. Unfortunately for Willams and his owners, he had a chance for a second touchdown near the end of regulation, but lost a fumble just shy of the goal line.

With the Broncos running so much, only one Denver player logged more than 37 receiving yards. That was Tim Patrick, who secured all five of his targets for 98 yards. Courtland Sutton (5-37) had a big letdown from last week. Hamler (1-28) barely did anything because he suffered a knee injury after taking a big hit near the sideline.

Given that Wilson was struggling so much, his leading receiver accumulated just 41 yards. Corey Davis did this with five catches on 10 targets, but dropped a pair of passes. Elijah Moore (3-22) missed a chunk of this game with a concussion.

With the Jets in a big deficit, they couldn’t run the ball very much. Michael Carter gained 24 yards on nine carries, but dropped a pass. Still, he saw way more work than Ty Johnson (3-17), while Tevin Coleman was a healthy scratch.

Rams 34, Buccaneers 24

Dak Prescott exposed Tampa Bay’s secondary in the season opener, but couldn’t quite beat the Buccaneers because his defense had no answer for Tom Brady. Matthew Stafford had the luxury of seeing his great stop unit limit the Buccaneers, so it was up to him to slice through Tampa Bay’s troubled defensive backfield. Stafford did just that, as he commanded his team to a 3-0 start.

Stafford was excellent after a slow start in this contest, torching the Buccaneers’ injury-ravaged secondary with numerous deep shots. Tampa, already down Sean Murphy-Bunting, lost Jamel Dean in the second quarter, which really sparked Los Angeles’ offense. Dean’s absence allowed Stafford to go 27-of-38 for 343 yards and four touchdowns.

The Rams’ offense began slowly, as Stafford fired behind Cooper Kupp on the opening drive. Kupp then dropped a pass that would’ve became an interception had Dean not let the ball go through his hands. Stafford missed Desean Jackson deep twice on a couple of occasions, one of which occurred because his arm was hit upon releasing the ball. Meanwhile, Tyler Higbee fumbled, but was lucky his teammate recovered. After that, however, the Rams caught fire and became unstoppable versus Tampa’s injury-ravaged secondary.

With Stafford performing on a high level in the final three quarters, the defense came up with enough stops on Tom Brady to help the Rams win this game. Brady threw for 432 yards and a touchdown on 41-of-55 passing, but much of that came in garbage time. Brady saw lots of pressure, and it didn’t help that he was missing Rob Gronkowski for a chunk of this game. Already missing Antonio Brown, Brady was down to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, both of whom had difficult matchups against the Los Angeles secondary.

Of all the firepower in this game, it’s truly remarkable that Desean Jackson finished with the most yards from scrimmage. He caught three passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, and Stafford barely missed him two other deep scores. Kupp, meanwhile, rebounded from his early drop to snatch nine of his 12 targets for 96 yards and two touchdowns. He also drew an interference flag. At this pace, the Stafford and Kupp breakfasts will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Elsewhere in the Rams’ receiving corps, Robert Woods (3-33) continued to pale in comparison to Kupp’s production, as he and Stafford aren’t quite clicking very well. Van Jefferson (4-42) and Higbee (5-40) even outgained him, with the latter scoring a touchdown.

Evans led the Buccaneers in receiving with eight catches for 106 yards, while Godwin (6-74) scored on a 2-yard rushing touchdown. Gronkowski (4-55) left for the locker room early in the third frame after taking a crushing hit, but eventually returned at the end of the same quarter. He dropped a deep pass earlier in the game.

Neither team was able to run well in this game. Sony Michel (20-67) found no success against Tampa’s stalwart front, while Leonard Fournette (4-8) was eclipsed by Brady and his 14 rushing yards and touchdown.

Vikings 30, Seahawks 17

Russell Wilson was on fire early in this game. He scored points on his first three drives, with Minnesota having no answer for him and his deep throws. When Chris Carson dashed into the end zone, Seattle established a 17-7 lead. And yet, the team failed to score a single point after that.

Wilson’s offensive line was a big problem in this game. The Vikings constantly swarmed the backfield, disrupting drives. Seattle was missing two blockers, which would explain how Minnesota was able to apply so much pressure. As a result, Wilson tallied just 80 passing yards in the second half. Wilson’s final numbers weren’t bad – 23-of-32, 298 yards, one touchdown – but almost all of his production happened on the first three drives.

The Vikings, meanwhile, also started hot offensively, but never slowed down. Kirk Cousins was spectacular, torching Seattle’s beleaguered secondary with ease. The Seahawks’ dead pass rush put no heat on Cousins, who had all the time in the world to rip through the defense.

Cousins finished 30-of-38 for 323 yards and three touchdowns. It’s remarkable what Cousins is doing despite the status of his offensive line, which has been missing its left tackle in each game. If the Vikings had a winning record, people would be talking about Cousins as an MVP candidate.

Cousins didn’t have the luxury of handing off the ball to Dalvin Cook in this game, but it didn’t matter because the Vikings have one of the top backups at the position. Alexander Mattison was stellar in relief of Cook, rushing for 112 yards on 26 carries and also catching six balls for 59 receiving yards.

Mattison’s receiving yardage was good for third on the team, with Justin Jefferson (9-118) and tight end Tyler Conklin (7-70) finishing ahead of him. Both caught touchdowns, as did Adam Thielen (6-50).

The Seahawks had just one productive receiver, with D.K. Metcalf securing six of his nine targets for 108 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Lockett (4-31) wasn’t as productive, thanks to an injury he suffered in the second half.

Carson, as mentioned, scored a touchdown in the opening half. He gained 80 yards on 12 carries. He suffered a hamstring injury and barely played in the second half.

Packers 30, 49ers 28

The Packers won and the 49ers lost, but the true losers of this game were the officials. Jerome Boger’s crew botched this contest brutally, calling horrendous penalties on both teams. Nearly every single deep pass of Aaron Rodgers’ resulted in a pass interference, no matter how close the San Francisco defender was to the receiver, or how catchable the ball happened to be. For a while, the Packers’ only big plays came on deep interference flags. Meanwhile, Davante Adams took a crushing blow to the head. Adams’ eyes looked dead as he was down on the ground, yet no flag was thrown.

Ultimately, Rodgers didn’t need the help of the officials on his final possession. The 49ers scored too quickly on their last offensive drive to go up 28-27. With less than a minute remaining, Rodgers connected with Adams on gains of 25 and 17 to put his team into field goal range. Mason Crosby connected on a 51-yard kick to win the game.

Adams helped lead the team to victory, but there will probably be some scrutiny about the Packers dodging concussion protocol. There’s no doubt that Adams was concussed after his crushing hit, yet he barely missed any time. The Packers needed him to get the win, and he came up big with his 12 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown, but an investigation will likely be conducted into Green Bay’s handling of the situation.

The fact that Rodgers was able to go 23-of-33 for 261 yards and two touchdowns was remarkable. Rodgers was missing two starting offensive linemen versus San Francisco’s stout pass rush, yet he had way more time than expected. Remember, all the yardage Rodgers tallied from the interference flags is not included in his stat line.

Aside from Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling (3-59) led the Packers in receiving. He also caught Rodgers’ other touchdown. Allen Lazard was next, but caught just one early pass for 42 yards.

Aaron Jones rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. He shared snaps with A.J. Dillon (6-18). The 49ers haven’t been able to stop the run all year, which is puzzling, given all the talent on their defensive line.

The Packers were also projected to struggle versus the run, yet Trey Sermon barely got anything on the ground; he rushed for just 31 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

Jimmy Garoppolo had severe struggles at times, but got his act together on his team’s final offensive drive. Garoppolo went 25-of-40 for 257 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also was credited with a lost fumble on a weird backward pass that fell out of his hands while spinning around on a fourth-quarter drive. The turnover gave the Packers a key field goal. The final possession likely delayed Garoppolo from being benched in favor of Trey Lance, who scored on a rushing touchdown just prior to halftime.

Garoppolo’s two touchdowns went to Brandon Aiyuk and Kyle Juszczyk, both of whom caught four passes for 37 yards. Aiyuk should’ve scored twice, but dropped a ball in the end zone. George Kittle (7-92) led the 49ers in receiving, while Deebo Samuel (5-52) was next on the stat sheet.

Cowboys 41, Eagles 21

The Eagles suffered some major injuries last week against the 49ers that spoiled a potential upset. Those injuries also played a huge role in this game that saw the Cowboys dominate from start to finish.

Defensively, the Eagles sorely missed Brandon Graham, one of the top defensive linemen in the NFL. San Francisco didn’t tally a single point before Graham’s exit last week, but then scored 17 points in a half plus the final drive prior to intermission. In this game, Graham’s absence hurt the Eagles’ run defense, which surrendered some big gains to the Dallas running backs. Graham’s injury, combined with the safeties playing deep to prevent Dak Prescott from torching the secondary, allowed the Cowboys to rush for close to 200 yards.

Ezekiel Elliott nearly hit the century mark, gaining 95 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. He was robbed of a third score via replay review. Elliott, who also caught three passes for 21 receiving yards, posted monstrous numbers considering that he shared the workload with Tony Pollard (11-60). Things only got worse late in the game for the Eagles when Fletcher Cox suffered an injury.

Offensively, Philadelphia hasn’t been the same without Brandon Brooks. An elite guard, the Eagles’ record without Brooks is far worse than it is with him while he’s been on the roster. They’re now 0-2 without him this year, as rookie replacement Landon Dickerson hasn’t come close to living up to his second-round billing just yet. Making matters worse, the Eagles were also missing left tackle Jordan Mailata. Their injury-ravaged offensive line, which also lost Isaac Seumalo in the fourth quarter, couldn’t protect Jalen Hurts whatsoever. Hurts, as a result, barely had any time in the pocket, as Philadelphia’s offense was discombobulated the entire evening.

Hurts’ final numbers weren’t bad, as he went 25-of-39 for 326 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. However, some of this, including one of the touchdowns, occurred in garbage time. Hurts’ first interception was an underthrown pass, while the second was a telegraphed throw that Trevon Diggs took it back for six. Hurts didn’t play well, but he can’t be entirely blamed for his offense’s ineptitude, given how the offensive line struggled versus Dallas’ front.

Dak Prescott played a great game, misfiring on just five occasions. He went 21-of-26 for 238 yards and three touchdowns. The only mistake he made in this game occurred early in the evening when he held on to the ball way too long in his own end zone. He was strip-sacked by Javon Hargrave, and the ball was recovered by Cox for the Eagles’ only touchdown until it was 27-7.

The Eagles had severe issues covering Dallas’ tight ends. The primary player at the position, Dalton Schultz, caught six passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. This shouldn’t have been a surprise, given the Eagles’ constant problems at linebacker.

Excluding Schultz, Ceedee Lamb led the Cowboys in receiving, as he caught three passes for 66 yards, which includes a 44-yard reception on the initial drive. Lamb was nearly credited with a touchdown, but was tackled at the 1-yard line. He also drew an interference flag. Amari Cooper (3-26) didn’t do much.

Philadelphia’s receiving yards leader was also a tight end. Dallas Goedert paced the team with two catches for 66 yards, followed by Zach Ertz (4-53) and Jalen Reagor (5-53). DeVonta Smith struggled with three catches for 28 yards.

The Eagles were in a constant deficit, so they couldn’t establish the run. Still, it doesn’t excuse Miles Sanders having just two carries, which he turned into 27 yards. Sanders also caught three passes for 28 receiving yards.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

2024 NFL Mock Draft

2024 NFL Betting Futures: Draft Props

NFL Hot Press: 2024 NFL Draft Week Rumors – Wednesday

NFL Free Agent Signing Grades – Latest Signing Grades for 2024 NFL Free Agency

2024 NFL Mock Draft – Round 1 (1-16) – Charlie Campbell

2024 NFL Mock Draft: Major changes in all seven rounds updated for draft day – April 25

NFL Game Recaps: Week 3, 2021

Related News