NFL 2002 NFL - Week 3

[Stealth bomber]

Panthers, Saints, and Chargers continue to surprise; Dolphins finally break Jets hex.

Philadelphia 44, Dallas 13
Green Bay 37, Detroit 31
New England 41, Kansas City 38 (OT)
Carolina 21, Minnesota 14
Miami 30, NY Jets 3
New Orleans 29, Chicago 23
Cleveland 31, Tennessee 28
Indianapolis 23, Houston 3
Denver 28, Buffalo 23
San Diego 23, Arizona 15
San Francisco 20, Washington 10
NY Giants 9, Seattle 6
Atlanta 30, Cincinnati 3

Monday Night: St. Louis at Tampa Bay

 

[DEVO]

Re: NFL scores, week 3

Originally posted by Stealth bomber

Atlanta 30, Cincinnati 3

Does beating the Bengals constitute a victory, or is it just saving face?? I'd hate to be the team that loses to them.

 

[The Hippie]

And the Rams have lost their 3rd straight.

Tampa Bay 26, Rams 14. Tough to make playoffs from 0-3.

Warner is struggling, 4 or 5 interceptions again, plus Faulk has strained neck muscles and didn't return for the second half. They play Dallas next, should win their first (sorry Hat ), but then play Oakland in Oakland, a very real chance of going 1-4. Are they gone, or can they turn it around and still make the playoffs?

 

[TheCrane]

Re: Re: NFL scores, week 3

Originally posted by DEVO


Does beating the Bengals constitute a victory, or is it just saving face?? I'd hate to be the team that loses to them.

The way theyre going Im sure the Jets could find a way....

 

[oh_my_hat]

Couple of highlights / lowlights for me:

Ricky Williams 24/151 2TD's
(he is on fire and so are the Dolphins)

Lamar Smith 154 yards

Tory Brown NE 16 Rec / 176 yards
(what a huge day). 16 Catches!!

Cowboys have their butts handed to them

Owens option pass play that turned into a reverse and 38 yard TD. Amazing.

Donovan McNabb 354 total yards & 4 TD's against my boys

Tom Brady over 400 yards and a 70% completion rate for the season so far. Impressive.

Daunte Culpepper wanting to punch Randy Moss' head in on the sidelines after an insipid attempt to catch the ball....PRICELESS

 

[oh_my_hat]

Week 3 review from Sportsline (Prisco)

Week 3 Review: Panthers in unusual company
Sept. 23, 2002
By Pete Prisco
SportsLine.com Senior Writer

One of these is not like the other.

We know the game, and now it applies to the NFL's unbeaten. So which of the six 3-0 teams is the oddball?

It has to be the Carolina Panthers.


The Saints' 3-0 start is impressive enough to make QB Aaron Brooks flip.(AP)
First-year coach John Fox has his team tied with the New Orleans Saints for first place in the NFC South. The Panthers were expected to be the doormat of that division and one of the league's worst teams. Now three games in, the Panthers are the surprise of the entire league.

Going into Minnesota and beating the Vikings isn't what it was a couple of years ago, but the Panthers' come-from-behind upset of the Vikings at the Metrodome is still impressive. Even when feel-good story quarterback Rodney Peete finally came down to earth with two first-half interceptions, the Panthers were able to overcome it.

They got 154 yards from running back Lamar Smith, who in the preseason seemed likely to get replaced until DeShaun Foster went down with an injury.

"You guys keep using that word surprise," Fox said. "Nothing surprises me. Am I pleased? Am I happy? Am I proud of where our team is? Yes. But not surprised."

He's the only one. The Panthers' schedule does start to get a little tougher next Sunday when they travel to Green Bay, but anything the Panthers do after this start is gravy. Are the playoffs a possibility?

Probably not, but at least when they return back to play at home Oct. 6 against Arizona, they won't have as many empty seats.

Credit Fox and his staff (defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio will be a head coach in two years). They have this team playing hard and playing well. When you can win three games with Peete taking snaps, that's an accomplishment.

As for the other remaining 3-0 teams, all except Miami have been tested at some point thus far. Several got it Sunday.

New Orleans, another surprise entry among this group, had to rally from 20-0 down to beat the Bears on the road. They have now beaten three playoff teams to open the season, two of those on the road. The combined .708 2001 winning percentage of their first three opponents is the toughest for any team that has started 3-0 since the AFL-NFL merger.

New England, which had waltzed to victories in its first two games, was shredded by the Chiefs running game in a 41-38 overtime victory at home.

That type of test could prove to help the Patriots get back to their grunt-like ways instead of being viewed as the clear class of the league.

The Chargers needed a defensive stand late Sunday to hold off Arizona, while Denver has played two tough games, including Sunday against the Bills.

This 3-0 group is an interesting one. There are three surprises (Carolina, San Diego and New Orleans) and three teams most had picked to make the playoffs in the Dolphins, Patriots and Broncos. The Raiders, who had a bye this week, could join the 3-0 group next week with a victory over Tennessee.

You can bet your last dollar, though, none of these 3-0 teams will run the table. But these fast starts by some of these teams -- especially Carolina -- have proved that no matter what the experts think, nobody really knows.

Are the Panthers legit? Time will tell. Only then will we know if they really are like the others.


Prisco's points

Remember when some stupid columnist picked Tom Brady as the most overrated player in the NFL? Who was that guy? What a moron. Brady has proved to be everything and a whole lot more so far. Playing in an up-tempo offense, he appears perfectly suited to that style. Brady threw for 410 yards and four touchdowns as the Patriots beat the Chiefs 41-38 in overtime. Brady struggled early but given the freedom to spread out the Chiefs and throw 54 passes, he was outstanding the rest of the way. Brady is for real. By the way, Brady should take receiver Troy Brown out for a beer or two sometime this week. Brown had 16 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown.
Interesting thought: If the Patriots had lost, would the skeptics have said they lost because their pass offense didn't allow them to protect a lead? That's the dumbest argument against a passing team that we hear. If a team scores 38 points in regulation, it's supposed to win the game. When the Houston Oilers blew that 35-3 lead in the playoffs to the Bills several years back, everyone blamed the run-and-shoot. Thirty-five points in the first half and the offense is to blame? Dumb argument.
Isn't it funny how a team like the Giants can go to St. Louis and move the ball at will against what's supposed to be a pretty good defense and then come home against a bad defense in Seattle and score three field goals? That's the NFL, folks.
Think Dan Snyder might want to rethink that big-money contract he gave Marvin Lewis? The Redskins defense was shredded by the 49ers run game Sunday in their 20-10 loss. Lewis, the highest-paid assistant, sure hasn't put his stamp on this unit yet. By the way, let's forget that LaVar Arrington for NFL defensive player of the year hype. We hate to say we told you so, especially considering the Brady item above, but we told you there were a lot of personnel people who thought he was overhyped entering the season. Were they right?
The Falcons could easily be 3-0. They lost two close ones in the final seconds to the Packers and Bears. If they had won those games, the NFC South could claim three 3-0 teams plus Tampa Bay, which plays Monday night. And to think most thought this to be an awful division before the season.
Is it me, or does the ball look like a laser when it comes off the arm of Buffalo quarterback Drew Bledsoe? The Bills were slowed some Sunday by Denver, but they are going to score a lot of points.
Give me 11 Sammy Knights and I'll beat you every time. Knight, the Saints' strong safety, saved Sunday's victory with a late interception. He is the patron saint of those players that don't get drafted since no team picked him coming out of Southern Cal. A linebacker in college, they thought him too slow for safety and too small for linebacker. They never measured his heart or his play-making skills.
Wonder if someone will blame Steve Spurrier for poisoning the 49ers' food. Seventeen 49ers had stomach problems heading into Sunday's game with the Redskins. Quarterback Jeff Garcia had to leave because of his troubles. Somehow the 49ers were able to pull through and win 20-10. How they do it: With the runs, er, run. San Francisco rushed for 252 yards. Maybe they told the backs the closest toilet was in the end zone. Run to relief.
Kansas City running back Priest Holmes is certainly not a one-hit wonder. Think the Ravens regret letting him walk? The guy is tough inside the tackles, and has the speed to rip off big runs.
What has happened to Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper? Two years ago he was on the verge of joining the elite in the league. Now he's struggling. It was interesting to see how animated he got on the sidelines Sunday, yelling at Randy Moss. He has made one of the major regressions at quarterback, but there has to be a reason. Is it poor coaching? Is it Moss? Whatever it is, he isn't the same player.
Can we please stop all the talk Kelly Holcomb should start in Cleveland? If you look up journeyman in the dictionary, his picture would be there. Tim Couch showed against the Titans why he is the starter. That comeback victory Sunday could be the breakout game for Couch.
Didn't Titans coach Jeff Fisher run a marathon this spring with the idea he could use it to teach his team how to finish? Maybe he ought to do a 3/4 marathon next time. His team always stops before the end anyway.
It's going to be tough for Emmitt Smith to get that record if the Cowboys play from behind all the time. What has happened to the defense? The Eagles offense isn't that good, yet they made the Dallas defense look terrible.
Best late pickup: Eagles receiver Antonio Freeman. He showed Sunday he can still run.
Somewhere former Saints general manager Randy Mueller has to be smiling. His former team is 3-0 and he helped assemble it. Mueller will be back in the league next year. He is spending time with his family in the Seattle area and should have a job next year. Which one? The top possibilities are Detroit, when Matt Millen goes back to the TV booth, and Seattle after Mike Holmgren is let go. At least Mueller is still getting paid by the Saints.
If calling plays is an art, Jets offensive coordinator Paul Hackett is on the level of that drawing your kindergarten kid brought home last week. At some point, doesn't coach Herman Edwards have to address this?
There were three tight ends drafted in the first round. None of them, Jeremy Shockey included, is playing better than Miami's Randy McMichael. The Dolphins took McMichael in the fourth round out of Georgia. He lasted that long because there were doubts about his blocking. There are none about his receiving skills. McMichael caught five passes for 79 yards and a touchdown Sunday for the Dolphins. He now has 11 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns. McMichael has the ability to get deep, which is key to beating two-deep zones. He got deep for a 36-yard catch against the Jets. Fantasy players might want to try and scramble and add him to their rosters.
The Patriots have to be thrilled they are 3-0, but what the Chiefs did to their defense Sunday has to be a red flag of sorts. Holmes ran through them for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Super Bowl teams don't get gashed like that, even by a good back like Holmes. Bill Belichick is too good a coach for that to continue.
Let's stop the fawning over the cover-2 defenses. It really isn't that tough to beat, especially if you can pass protect. The middle of the field is stealing in that defense.
Close only matters in slow dancing and grenades. That's too bad for Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg, whose team finally showed up Sunday against Green Bay. Just playing close won't let him keep his job.
Player of the week: How can we go against Brady? Over 400 yards and four scores is good enough.

Flop of the week: Dallas defense. Did they forget there was a game Sunday?

Surprise of the week: That the Jets didn't show up. Jinx? It's over now, baby.

Team on the rise: The Browns. If Dwayne Rudd had kept his helmet on, they'd be 3-0, too.