NFL Regular Season Week 3 Recap

What an NFL Week 3. Some teams expected to contend for glory this season, like Houston and Arizona, were trounced by non-conference opponents. Other teams, like New Orleans and Jacksonville, appear to be getting ready for the off-season. Check out all the action of all in our NFL Week 3 recap!

Editor’s Note: Check out our NFL Week 3 Picks by Matt Ross and the Week 3 Betting Preview DS Williamson

NFL Betting – Regular Season Week 3 Recap

Houston 0, New England 27

Jacoby Brissett started for the Patriots at quarterback on Thursday’s NFL Week 3 game. No matter. It was New England’s defense that won the game for them. The D dominated QB Brock Osweiler and RB Lamar Miller. Houston is far from being the powerhouse that so many thought they’d be after the 2 and 0 start.

Minnesota 22, Carolina 10

Carolina scored the first 10 points in this match up. It was all downhill for the Panthers from there as Minnesota cruised to a workmanlike 22 to 10 win. Minnesota recorded 8 sacks. The Vikings offense is in good hands with Sam Bradford at QB. Minnesota is for real.

Arizona 18, Buffalo 33

Arizona was the darling of the betting world after Rex Ryan fired the Bills’ offensive coordinator and Arizona dominated Tampa Bay on both sides of the ball in Week 2. The score in this game can show you what can happen in a parity league like the NFL. The Cardinals looked like garbage, Carson Palmer threw 4 picks, while Buffalo easily handled one of the best teams in the NFC.

Detroit 27, Green Bay 34

The Packers’ offense finally got into a groove. QB Aaron Rodgers threw 4 TD passes and RB Eddie Lacey rushed for over 100 yards. Detroit’s offense wasn’t bad, though. Now it’s time to worry about Green Bay’s defense, which yielded 385 passing yards and 3 TD passes to Matthew Stafford.

Denver 29, Cincinnati 17

Denver QB Trevor Siemian went off on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. Simian passed for 312 yards and threw 4 touchdowns. Cincinnati hasn’t looked that great in two straight weeks while the Broncos look like the best team in the NFL. Bengals’ QB Andy Dalton was 21 of 31 for 206 yards and an interception.

Cleveland 24, Miami 30

The Dolphins were favored by 10 points. They didn’t cover the spread. They did win, but the defense gave up 24 points to Cleveland. Miami’s offense looks pretty good. It’s the defense that’s the issue. Cleveland finally appears to be on the right track. The Browns have been competitive for two straight games. Don’t be surprised if the Browns lock up their first win of the season against Washington in Week 4.

Baltimore 19, Jacksonville 17

Baltimore is undefeated after beating Jacksonville by 2 points in a pick game in Week 3. Baltimore still has that paper tiger feel to them. Jacksonville? There are so many ways to go with the Jags. I don’t know. To me, they should have at least 1 win this season. Going into Wembley Stadium, from where their owner originates, in Week 4 could be a blessing in disguise.

Oakland 17, Tennessee 10

Oakland’s defense finally stepped it up. The Raiders D gave up 34 points to New Orleans in Week 1. It gave up 35 points to Atlanta in Week 2. Holding Tennessee to only 10 points is a sign that the defense is starting to put it together. Tennessee played well in this game. The Titans, like Cleveland, look to be on the right track.

Washington 29, New York Giants 27

So much for the Giants’ defense. NYG’s defense was exceptional against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. In Week 2, the defense held the Saints to only 13 points. What happened versus Washington? Washington QB Kirk Cousins dominated the Giants’ secondary with 296 passing yards and 2 touchdowns.

Los Angeles Rams 37, Tampa Bay 32

This game was a huge surprise. It wasn’t surprising that the Rams beat Tampa Bay. The Rams defense is one of the better units in the NFL. What surprised me was how well the Rams offense played on Sunday. Los Angeles gained 137 rushing yards on the ground. They gained 183 net passing yards through the air. They scored 37 points. That’s the most amazing thing. Oh, and the best part for Ram fans is that the team is 2 and 1 this season.

San Francisco 18, Seattle 37

I haven’t decided if the score in this game was due to San Francisco’s defense being horrible or due to the light bulb going off for Seattle. Seattle did look much better on offense than they had in Week 1 and Week 2. The Seahawks rushed for 127 yards. Russell Wilson completed 15 out of 23 for 243 yards and a TD. Christine Michael was fantastic when rushing for 106 yards and scoring 2 touchdowns from 20 carries.

San Diego 22, Indianapolis 26

As only a -1.5 home favorite, Indianapolis covered the spread in this game. It was strange to see San Diego not take full advantage of an Indianapolis defense that had yielded 39 points to Detroit and 34 points to Denver. The Colts defense played well enough that Phillip Rivers, San Diego’s great quarterback, was held to 330 yards passing and zero touchdown passes. What was really surprising was how the Colts held San Diego’s rushing attack to only 37 yards from 17 carries.

Pittsburgh 3, Philadelphia 34

I had a feeling that Philadelphia was for real going into their Week 3 match up with the road favored Pittsburgh Steelers. I just didn’t think that they’d beat Pittsburgh as badly as they did. Coach Doug Pederson has already done a masterful job in Philly. The Eagles’ made the right choice by taking QB Carson Wentz with the second pick of the NFL Draft. Wentz plays like a veteran QB. His numbers are terrific. He’s thrown for 769 yards. He’s thrown 5 TD passes to 0 interceptions. Going into their bye week, the Eagles are 3 and 0. They’re also easily the best team in the NFC East Division.

New York Jets 3, Kansas City 24

Jets’ QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw 6 interceptions in this game. I watched all 6, twice, and I have to say that only 3 of the 6 passes were bad passes. Kansas City’s defense really gelled in Week 3 against a strong Jets’ offense. The Chiefs were all over the field, making tackles, knocking down passes, picking off passes, etc. It was a thing of beauty if you like defensive football, which I do. KC’s offense didn’t play all that badly, either. The Chiefs only rushed for 72 yards. But as I expected them to do, Alex Smith targeted TE Travis Kelce 7 times. Kelce caught 6 passes for 89 yards and a TD.

Chicago 17, Dallas 31

This should have been a much closer game. Chicago had no business allowing two rookies, QB Dak Prescott ad RB Ezekiel Elliott, to rock them as badly as they did. Prescott threw for 248 yards and a TD pass. He also rushed for 36 yards from 4 carries and scored a rushing TD. Elliott rushed the football 30 times for 140 yards. He caught 2 passes for 20 yards. Chicago, so far, looks like one of the worst teams in the NFL.

Atlanta Falcons 45, New Orleans 32

As crazy as it sounds, the Saints lost this game on Atlanta’s second possession. After forcing a 3 and out, a Saint’s player inexplicably ran into the Saints’ punt returner. The ball bounced off of one of the Saints’ players, setting up the Falcons in New Orleans’ red zone.

Here's the #Saints muffed punt that led to the #Falcons' first TD of the game. Add it to the blooper reel! #ATLvsNO #MNF pic.twitter.com/bJbb38QdN2

— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) 27 de septiembre de 2016

Once Atlanta tied the game, it was all over because New Orleans’ defense had no shot of stopping Atlanta QB Matt Ryan or the Falcons’ rushing attack. Ryan threw for 240 yards and 2 TDs. The Falcons rushed for a total of 217 yards. Devonta Freeman rushed for 150 yards. Tevin Coleman rushed for 42 yards and scored 3 touchdowns. Atlanta has a shot at the NFC South Division if Carolina continues to struggle.