Surprises, Thrillers Highlight Week 3: Why the NFL Season WIll Be Full of Action and Surprises
In the NFL, three teams currently reside undefeated. Green Bay, Buffalo, and Detroit. Now, if I had told you that before the season, you'd think I was crazy.
For Green Bay, probably not. The defending champs are returning basically the exact same team with the exact same quarterback, and even though New Orleans and Chicago stood in their way, the Packers simply find ways to win.
But the Lions and Bills?
Nobody expected Buffalo to knock off New England. Not many expected Detroit to beat Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Minnesota. The Bills and Lions did.
This year, will the unexpected actually happen? The Bills, Lions, Raiders, and all other small-market teams to blitz the playoffs? Nobody expects it.
Surprising things happen. The Eagles have been sloppy, and the so-called "Dream Team" isn't living up to expectations. Matt Ryan and Eli Manning have thrown back-to-back four touchdown games on Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
The Minnesota Vikings looked great in the first half of all their games. The thing is, they also blew a double-digit lead in all their games. Detroit rallied from down 20-0 to stun the Vikings as Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford were unstoppable.
And of course, the Bills. They dominated Kansas City in Week 1, but they fell behind 21-3 to Oakland. Then, Ryan Fitzpatrick showed up.
Fitzpatrick threw for three scores, including the game-winner with fourteen seconds left...on fourth down! And with New England in town, he worked that magic.
After rallying his team from down 21-0, Fitzpatrick hit Fred Jackson over the middle, and he got what was initially ruled a touchdown. The call was overturned, but Buffalo was grateful.
They would kneel to milk the clock, and a penalty on the Patriots lost any chances of New England winning. Rian Lindell drilled a field goal, and the Bills won.
How about the NFC West? The Rams look sloppy, letting rookie Torrey Smith catch three touchdowns on them, but the 49ers, not so much.
Maybe San Francisco struggled in Cincinnati, but the defense was spectacular. Alex Smith and Vernon Davis played well, and rookie Kendall Hunter ran for the only score as the Niners held on for a 13-8 win.
The Arizona Cardinals were a lot worse, however. They let Seattle and their depleted offensive line take them down, as Tavaris Jackson's amazing 12-yard scoring run and Kam Chancellor's game-sealing interception were the highlights of that one.
In another low-scoring battle, the Buccaneers prevailed over the defending NFC South champion Atlanta Falcons, as the defense picked up Josh Freeman.
Matt Ryan and the Falcons were hit hard, as the Buccaneers blitzed worked to perfection. Josh Freeman ran for a score, and the final there was 16-13 in favor of Tampa Bay.
New Orleans and Houston put on a show at the Superdome, as Drew Brees threw for three touchdowns, the game-winner to Lance Moore included. The Saints and Bucs are tied for the NFC South lead.
The other team in the NFC South is the Panthers, who won thanks to Cam Newton's touchdown pass to Greg Olsen. Newton played his worst game, but piled on another touchdown pass and his first win.
For Green Bay, probably not. The defending champs are returning basically the exact same team with the exact same quarterback, and even though New Orleans and Chicago stood in their way, the Packers simply find ways to win.
But the Lions and Bills?
Nobody expected Buffalo to knock off New England. Not many expected Detroit to beat Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Minnesota. The Bills and Lions did.
This year, will the unexpected actually happen? The Bills, Lions, Raiders, and all other small-market teams to blitz the playoffs? Nobody expects it.
Surprising things happen. The Eagles have been sloppy, and the so-called "Dream Team" isn't living up to expectations. Matt Ryan and Eli Manning have thrown back-to-back four touchdown games on Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
The Minnesota Vikings looked great in the first half of all their games. The thing is, they also blew a double-digit lead in all their games. Detroit rallied from down 20-0 to stun the Vikings as Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford were unstoppable.
And of course, the Bills. They dominated Kansas City in Week 1, but they fell behind 21-3 to Oakland. Then, Ryan Fitzpatrick showed up.
Fitzpatrick threw for three scores, including the game-winner with fourteen seconds left...on fourth down! And with New England in town, he worked that magic.
After rallying his team from down 21-0, Fitzpatrick hit Fred Jackson over the middle, and he got what was initially ruled a touchdown. The call was overturned, but Buffalo was grateful.
They would kneel to milk the clock, and a penalty on the Patriots lost any chances of New England winning. Rian Lindell drilled a field goal, and the Bills won.
How about the NFC West? The Rams look sloppy, letting rookie Torrey Smith catch three touchdowns on them, but the 49ers, not so much.
Maybe San Francisco struggled in Cincinnati, but the defense was spectacular. Alex Smith and Vernon Davis played well, and rookie Kendall Hunter ran for the only score as the Niners held on for a 13-8 win.
The Arizona Cardinals were a lot worse, however. They let Seattle and their depleted offensive line take them down, as Tavaris Jackson's amazing 12-yard scoring run and Kam Chancellor's game-sealing interception were the highlights of that one.
In another low-scoring battle, the Buccaneers prevailed over the defending NFC South champion Atlanta Falcons, as the defense picked up Josh Freeman.
Matt Ryan and the Falcons were hit hard, as the Buccaneers blitzed worked to perfection. Josh Freeman ran for a score, and the final there was 16-13 in favor of Tampa Bay.
New Orleans and Houston put on a show at the Superdome, as Drew Brees threw for three touchdowns, the game-winner to Lance Moore included. The Saints and Bucs are tied for the NFC South lead.
The other team in the NFC South is the Panthers, who won thanks to Cam Newton's touchdown pass to Greg Olsen. Newton played his worst game, but piled on another touchdown pass and his first win.
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