NFL teams taking course in Week 3

Depending on what team you saw or follow, you may have seen some shifts toward respectability or some plunges into the basement of the NFL standings. Whichever way you look at it, week 3 provided some intriguing moments. Let's get to it, shall we?

Kansas City @ Atlanta

Talk about two rebuilding teams on an entirely different path. As the Falcons drubbed KC at home in the Georgia Dome 38-14 on Sunday, Atlanta was able to witness two of their biggest offseason acquisitions in QB Matt Ryan and RB Michael Turner turn in solid performances as Herm Edwards' lack of coaching and personnel skills was put on display in another ugly loss. You're going to tell me there isn't anybody out there that's better than Tyler Thigpen? Talk about a Brooks Bollinger-type decision! It's also nice to see John Abraham back on top of his game as he's been healthy so far through the first three weeks. On another note, Larry Johnson probably wishes he never signed an extension with the Chiefs as it appears to be only getting worse for the Carl Peterson-Herm show.

Detroit @ San Francisco

I've said it before and I'll say it again: time to bench Jon Kitna. The Lions are going nowhere with him as he's took immobile and to indecisive to have behind center in that offense. Why not take chances on either Drew Stanton, who I believe is a former 2nd or 3rd round pick from Michigan State, or Dan Orlovsky, former UConn standout who's been with the Lions for 3-4 season? It's not as if the defense the O out, either. Let's not kid ourselves: The Lions defense was average at best WITH Shaun Rogers, but now that Big Baby is suiting up in Orange and White the Lions are now such a lackluster unit that they've failed to put the clamp down on J.T. O'Sullivan and OC Mike Martz, who wound up getting the last laugh as they trodded off the field after their 31-13 win.

St. Louis @ Seattle

37-13. St. Louis is atrocious in every phase of the game. They're so bad that guys named Michael Bumpus are scoring on them. I don't need to go any further into this game. It would just be pointless if I were to do so.

Houston @ Tennessee

I now, along with every NFL fan in America, should take the Titans' defense very seriously after helping Tennessee cruise to a 37-12 win over the hapless Texans. After another ugly performance, perhaps Gary Kubiak will be thinking inserting Sage Rosenfels into the lineup in hopes of sparking a Texans squad that has been blown in two ugly losses thus far. Also, where is this improvement that was talked about so frequently this offseason? The only guy who's appeared to show up for the '08 campaign is Mario Williams. As for the Titans, all Kerry Collins needs to do is revert to at least a half of his 2000 self and keep handing the ball off to Chris Johnson and LenDale White.

Note: Kevin Mawae's still got it. I don't think it's ridiculous that he should at least be considered for the Hall of Fame someday.

Oakland @ Buffalo

Oakland had a victory in Buffalo within their reach as sophomore quarterback JaMarcus Russell fired one over the middle to speedster Johnny Lee Higgins for an 84 yard score. With poise in confidence, however, Trent Edwards led the Bills downfield with about 4 minutes remaining in the game to put kicker Rian Longwell in position to nail the game winner and held on for a 24-23 win. They've got a stout defense, quick options on the outside on offense and a multi-talented HB in Marshawn Lynch with a young, cold-blooded QB--what else could you ask for from a Bills team that was on the cusp of making a wild card run in 2007? I have to admit I wasn't a big Buffalo believer before the season began but they've definitely impressed this AFC East advocate thus far. Concerning the rumors in Oak-Town about Lane Kiffin's job security, I think they'd making foolish decision to fire a man that has kept Oakland competitive (something that went missing from 2003-06) in the majority of the games he's coached for the Silver and Black. He's just finding out what JaMarcus Russell can do, so why not at least let the man get acclimated to HIS quarterback--no sense of bringing in another guy who might not want to keep the former Tiger as his signal caller.

Tampa Bay @ Chicago

The tale of two sides. "What a comeback win!" the Bucs are probably saying about their 27-24 OT victory against the Bears. "We let it slip away" the Bears are probably proclaiming as they let their own comeback go to waste. Despite the loss, it's apparent the Bears' run defense is back in full effect and Kyle Orton, who did throw a ghastly INT to defensive end Gaines Adams who returned it for a long score, does give the Bears their best chance to win. Like the Chargers, the Bears are enduring some comeback heartbreak after letting the Panthers creep back from a 10 point defecit last week in Carolina and folding in overtime against the Bucs. Sunnier days should be ahead for both clubs--all that happened was two good teams got together to play and somebody had to lose.

Pittsburgh @ Phildelphia

Calling Alan Faneca! Calling Jeff Hartings! It's almost as if Pittsburgh's offensive line never knew what to expect as the Eagles' front four unleashed 9 sacks (either 8 or 9, I don't feel like looking it up) against Big Ben and his bum shoulder. If that wasn't enough for the Steelers, Stewart Bradley and Co. completely shut down Willie Parker and the Steelers' rushing attack. Memo to Mike Tomlin: Take the diaper off Rashard Mendenhall, he's not made of glass. On a down note for the Eagles, Brian Westbrook limped away with an ankle injury that appears "day-to-day." If Westbrook is out for maybe a game, the Eagles will survive but any more time than that and they might have to rely even more on Donovan McNabb, who looks he might (just might) be able to shoulder the load this year.

Carolina @ Minnesota

Content vs. desperate usually doesn't equate to a fair match. That's exactly the way this game played out as the Vikes were just more desperate for a win as the Panthers probably felt content at 2-0 after sneaking out of San Diego with a last-second win and a comeback victory at home over the Bears. Keep in mind that the Vikings will get Bryant McKinnie back from suspension in week 5, so that should only bode well for Gus Frerotte, Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor and even Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice, who may have just a little more time to get open with Mt. Mckinnie protecting battering ram's blindside. (if you can't figure out the battering ram reference, please look to your right)

Miami @ New England

Talk about a "WTF!?" game. Who knew the Dolphins were looking to go all Hog Formation on the Pats by having Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams in the same backfield. Good to see Chad Pennington being his old accurate self against a team that has haunted him for so long. Now, the question of Matt Cassell's ability remains as does the entire mental state of the New England Patriots. Will Cassell be good enough to keep up with the new-look Buffalo Bills? Reports from the Boston Herald are saying that Randy Moss appeared to isolate himself from the offense on the sideline during their 38-13 loss. If this keeps up, I honestly wouldn't be suprised to see him try to walk off the field as they're enduring another loss before Bill Belichick catches him trying to escape in the corner of his eye, stops him and kicks him straight in the balls. I'm just kidding, I don't think that'll ever play out but wouldn't it be funny if it did?

Cincinnati @ New York Giants

Two things to take away from this game:

1. The Giants are for real and so is their defense

2. The Bengals aren't the worst professional football team in the state of Ohio

On a side note, the quarterback class of Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger may be something football historians look back on say, "That might be the best QB draft of all time."

Cleveland @ Baltimore

How bad does Derek Anderson have to play before being yanked to the sideline? This team is aching for Brady Quinn, who was thought to be the savior before Anderson conjured up a Pro Bowl season in 2007. As for the Ravens, who pounded Anderson and the rest of the Browns during a 28-10 win, they're looking more like the squad in 2004 who made the playoffs with a ferocious defense and Kyle Boller, who was playing Billick Ball as a rookie before he went down with an injury. I'm not saying Joe Flacco is Boller, who I think didn't get quite a fair shake in Baltmore under Brian Billick. And I'm not certainly not saying he's any better than Boller was when he was a rookie. But, his inexperience only foreshadows the offensive catastrophe that will be Baltmore's offense throughout the season, something that has plagued this team for so long.

Arizona @ Washington

The Redskins have owned the nomadic St. Louis, Phoenix and Arizona Carinals for awhile now so seeing Washington being able to take advantage of the Cards at Fed Ex Field for a 24-17 shouldn't come as a huge surprise. What is suprising, however, is how Washington's offense has taken off since being beaten down by the New York Giants in week 1. Santana Moss appears poised to have a big season since his first year in Washington as does Jason Campbell, who's learning a new offense under his 5,000th offensive coordinator the past 6 seasons. If Arizona wants to win the NFC West, they must stop beating themselves in crucial moments in close ball games. The expectations of good things are there in Arizona, and rightfully so, but they can't afford to come away empty in games like these.

New Orleans @ Denver

Reggie Bush figures to be the centerpiece of the Saints' offense for years to come, and so far in 2008 Bush has done nothing thus far to make New Orleans shy away from that idea. (besides his facscination with taunting like a jackass, but still, you get the point) As explosive as their offense is, the Saints' D is anything but as their offseason acquistion Jonathan Vilma, who has ranked in the top of the NFL in tackles since his days as a 4-3 'backer with the Jets, and the rest of his mates have been beaten for one big play after another. On the other hand, Jay Cutler continues to impress everyone as he and Brandon Marshall look as lethal of a combination as Romo-to-Owens or Manning-to-Marvin (the 2000-2006 editions, of course). The Broncos' defense is lackluster much like the Saints', however, which will be a setback for them some weeks when the offense will struggle. Oh, and by the way, Martin Gramatica sucks.

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis

Just when everybody starts writing off the Jags for the '08 campaign, kicker Josh Scobee boots them right back into relevance. Although they've been a mainstay in the AFC playoff race for quite awhile now, maybe it's the Colts' turn to take their turn on their couches during January and February as the rest of the American Football Conference gets a try. But seriously, how many times is Bob Sanders going to get hurt? When healthy, the guy is as good as it gets at the safety position but the Colts might want to look into another long-term solution before Sanders' healthy problems bite Indy in the backside down the road. Same to you, Dallas Clark.

Dallas @ Green Bay

Green Bay is a fine team, don't get me wrong. But they just happened to run into the NFL's biggest buzzsaw of the 2008 season in the Dallas Cowboys. When you watch the Cowboys play and examine their roster, it's hard for anyone to come up with a weakness. Play-making quarterback? Check. Two running backs that run similarly to Jim Brown and Bobby Mitchell of the late 1950s Cleveland Browns? Check. A hoss tight end? Check. Mammoth offensive line? Check. I haven't even gotten to their enigmatic WR and their talented defense, so I'll just leave it at that.

New York Jets @ San Diego

Monday Night Miracle? More like Monday Night Meltdown for Brett Favre and the Jets as they were whopped 48-29. You had to have known coming into this game that the Chargers were going to give it their talented all before fading into the sunny San Diego sun (my bad for the illiteration). As for the Jets, it's obviously apparent that they, particularly Favre, are still trying to gel as an offense as he was seen on MNF throwing to the wrong team on numerous occasions. The only thing boding well for the Jets heading into Calvin Pace's Redemption Song next weekend against the Cardinals are the following three factors:

1. They're playing at home

2 Kris Jenkins, who left with a shoulder/back (who really knows?) injury during the SD game and didn't return, should be okay to start against Arizona. His presence alone should force Edgerrin James into a pretty crappy day.

3. The fact that the Jets were able to move the ball against San Diego (albeit it was a Chargers D that was playing mostly prevent) in the fourth quarter with a spread set. This may have allowed Favre to find some comfort with talented targets Jerricho Cotchery, Laveraneous Coles, Chansi Stuckey and speedy rookie Dustin Keller.

There, I feel better venting about the horrible loss to the Bolts. And there's week 3 for you, in a nutshell.