The Ringer - Everything You Need to Know About Week 3 of the 2018 NFL Season 2018-09-25T18:31:04-04:00http://www.theringer.com/rss/stream/176463472018-09-25T18:31:04-04:002018-09-25T18:31:04-04:00Lombardi’s Week 3 Reactions
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aQQgmfyWQ0GP48FPsDfzfgfXUSo=/0x0:3200x2400/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61542253/1039699870.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Lombardi and Tate discuss Big Ben vs. Fitzmagic, plus other takeaways from the week</p> <div id="WKMETF"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/27KlT2WFMfLxXTckwVYtOL" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="HqAqwf"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-ringer-nfl-show/episodes/967af5ae-5579-4f12-a361-bbaca7896949">Michael Lombardi and Tate Frazier discuss</a> the Steelers’ victory in Tampa Bay on <em>Monday Night Football</em>, pick some Week 3 standouts, and then give out some weekly awards.</p>
<p id="X1sozB"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fthe-ringer-nfl-show%2Fid1109282822%3Fmt%3D2">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-ringer-nfl-show">Art19</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/ringer-nfl-show">Stitcher</a> / <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/ringernflshow">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2018/9/25/17903420/lombardis-week-3-reactionsMichael LombardiTate Frazier2018-09-24T18:05:28-04:002018-09-24T18:05:28-04:00The Starting 11: We’ve Seen This Patriots Movie Before
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GNTy63TwC559y3jX8L_vcbSyOWI=/167x0:2834x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61526965/mays_starting_11_week_3_v2_getty_ringer.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images/Ringer illustration</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The concern trolls came for New England after Sunday night’s loss dropped the team to 1-2. But until proved otherwise, Tom Brady and the Pats are still a powerhouse in the AFC. Plus: The Rams and Chiefs look like Super Bowl contenders, and Calvin Ridley has emerged with the Falcons.</p> <aside id="jJOpOW"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 3 of the 2018 NFL Season ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/20/17882306/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-3-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="vOebho"><em>Welcome to the Starting 11. This NFL season, we’ll be collecting the biggest story lines, highlighting the standout players, and featuring the most jaw-dropping feats of the week. Let’s dive in:</em></p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="vDN1ZI">
<p id="fG1J6E"><strong>1. The Patriots are 1-2 after their 26-10 loss to the Lions on Sunday, and, rightfully or not, whispers about the “beginning of the end” are coming. </strong>For the second straight week, New England’s offense fell flat. The Pats managed just one touchdown against a Detroit defense that had given up 39 points per game over the first two weeks of the season, and Tom Brady completed just 14 of 26 passes for a measly 133 yards. After trading Brandin Cooks to Los Angeles this spring and losing Julian Edelman for four games due to a PED suspension, the Patriots entered the season with one of the thinnest receiver depth charts in the league. And through their first three games, the limitations of their unique offensive scheme have been evident. </p>
<p id="IwCWGm">New England relies on a combination of running backs and Rob Gronkowski to carry a bulk of its receiving load, using various personnel packages to exploit matchups and create separation in the open field. With no reliable vertical threats or receivers who can consistently make contested catches, this offense runs on Brady’s precision, and his calibration has been off these past two weeks. On a first-and-10 from the Lions’ 12-yard line early in Sunday’s third quarter, running back Rex Burkhead lined up in the slot on the right, with New England in an empty formation. The Pats got the matchup they wanted—Burkhead against backup linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin—and Burkhead quickly got open on a fade to the corner of the end zone. Brady overthrew him by a good 3 yards. Those types of plays are the backbone of this Patriots’ offense, and if Brady continues to miss those, this group is going to struggle. </p>
<p id="IWBDqr">But don’t expect that to happen. Sure, Brady is 41 years old, and at his age there’s always the possibility that a sudden decline is right around the corner, but we’ve been here before. Through three games this season, Brady is completing 64 percent of his passes and averaging 6.4 yards per attempt. In 2014, when the Patriots were 2-2 and coming off a blowout loss to the Chiefs on <em>Monday Night Football</em>, Brady was completing just 59.1 percent of his passes and averaging 5.8 yards per attempt. Rumblings about his decline started soon after. Then he went on to finish the season with more than 4,100 passing yards and 33 touchdowns, leading the Patriots to a 12-4 record and a Super Bowl win. There are some concerning aspects to Brady’s game right now; he’s completing 36.8 percent of his passes while pressured, and only Tyrod Taylor has been worse among qualified QBs. But this seems similar to the slow starts Brady and the offense have had over the years. </p>
<div id="HEVWp7"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/75A1KCoWUURNcp4h6VikDH" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="nPWf0P">Also in Brady’s favor are the additions—old and new—that he’ll get at receiver in the coming weeks. Edelman will return in Week 5, and former Browns wideout Josh Gordon joined the team last week via trade. Through three games, New England’s receivers have struggled to get separation and influence defenses vertically. In Edelman, Brady will get his most reliable pass catcher back in the fold, and Gordon’s speed could give this offense an element it’s been lacking since Cooks’s departure. Plus, Gordon’s presence down the field should give New England’s space players even more room to work with underneath. </p>
<p id="5NxTw9">Phillip Dorsett tied Rob Gronkowski for the team lead with five targets Sunday, but he finished with no receptions. On Brady’s final pass of the game, he was looking for Dorsett deep down the right sideline. Cornerback Darius Slay ran step for step with Dorsett down the field, and eventually the ball fell to the turf. That play was indicative of how futile the offense has looked so far this season, but more than likely, this is a minor blip that will be forgotten by December. Playoff competition at the top of the AFC is virtually nonexistent, and the situation will have to get much worse in New England before any fear starts to creep in.</p>
<aside id="JTptBw"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Year 2 QB Panic Index: How Concerned Should the 49ers, Texans, and Bears Be?","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/24/17896610/nfl-year-two-quarterback-panic-index-jimmy-garoppolo-mitchell-trubisky-deshaun-watson"}]}'></div></aside><p id="NuIrDr"><strong>2. The Vikings had the game from hell in their 27-6 loss to the Bills. </strong>Every so often, a team plays a game that seems dictated by Murphy’s law, and for Minnesota, one of those came Sunday against Buffalo. The Vikings dug themselves an early 10-0 hole as QB Kirk Cousins lost two fumbles deep in his own territory, and it only got deeper from there. Despite Cousins’s great start to the season, he had a rough day against Buffalo: Along with the fumbles, Cousins forced a pass over the middle to Latavius Murray midway through the third quarter that was intercepted, and he missed some touch throws that he’d made during his first two games with the team. </p>
<p id="ZGzNJC">Minnesota may have unraveled Sunday, but the Bills helped the process along. Most of Josh Allen’s passes in his first career start were short, simple throws designed to let his receivers make plays after the catch. But his ability to escape pressure and do damage as a scrambler led to some deflating moments for Minnesota’s defense. On a third-and-9 late in the first quarter, the Vikings brought a five-man pressure. Buffalo’s line and running back Chris Ivory picked up each rusher during the initial surge, which allowed Allen to squirm through the line into the open field. As he neared the first-down marker, Allen leapt <em>over </em>linebacker Anthony Barr and picked up the first down. Two key third-down conversions in the first half and the Bills’ first touchdown of the game all came on Allen scrambles.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Nbs-Ss6WFc-W-hfrkVnvxCflJLo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13149129/ezgif.com_optimize__87_.jpg">
</figure>
<p id="L2lQec">On the other side of the ball, Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes tormented the Vikings. Hughes was a terror off the right edge Sunday, finishing with one sack, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and a league-leading 10 hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. He was a fixture in the Vikings backfield, and teammate Lorenzo Alexander wasn’t far behind. They both had a big hand in Cousins’s forgettable day.</p>
<p id="3CwCpP"><strong>3. The Rams and Chiefs have emerged as the strongest teams in their respective conferences. </strong>Three weeks into the season, both of these clubs have rolled through opponents with terrifying ease. Kansas City put up 35<em> </em>points in the <em>first half</em> Sunday on its way to a 38-27 win over the 49ers. Rams QB Jared Goff cooked the Chargers defense and finished with 354 yards passing and three touchdowns in a 35-23 win. </p>
<p id="9tsuMn">I’m not sure how much is left to say about what Patrick Mahomes II has accomplished so far this year. The Chiefs offense is a <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/17/17869740/kansas-city-chiefs-patrick-mahomes-explosive-offense">weekly spectacle</a>, and he’s running the show about as well as any quarterback could. His 13-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Harris late in the second quarter against the Niners featured some advanced QB tactics: After looking off the free safety by focusing on the two receivers to his right, Mahomes came back to the other side of the field, where a wide-open Harris was sprinting up the seam. The team’s combination of explosive athletes, brilliant route designs, and high-level QB play has turned this group into an unstoppable force. </p>
<p id="ODJOT8">In the NFC, the Rams offer a fascinating point of contrast. While Kansas City deploys an endless array of staggeringly athletic talent, the Rams receivers survive on route-running savvy and a scheme that creates room for them to operate. Brandin Cooks is a burner who can threaten any defense over the top, but Robert Woods ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash before the 2013 draft and Cooper Kupp’s 40 time at the combine puts him in the <a href="https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/cooper-kupp">13th percentile</a> among receivers. Both guys thrive in head coach Sean McVay’s offense because of how well they understand spacing and angles and their ability to alter their speed at the right moments. Woods finished Sunday’s game with 10 catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns, and the Rams proved yet again that they can beat you with a different pass catcher any given week. </p>
<p id="lb6B6s">Goff has also shown significant progress in the past year under McVay’s tutelage. Some of the hole throws he made Sunday weren’t available to him last season. With 1:40 left in the second quarter, he placed a ball to Woods on the right sideline—just over cornerback Casey Hayward in the flat and just in front of the closing safety—that was about as picturesque a throw as an NFL quarterback can make. Goff is still only 23 years old. As he continues to improve, this offense should become even better than the unit that led the NFL in scoring last season. </p>
<p id="x5LcPB"><strong>4. The NFL’s enforcement of roughing-the-passer penalties has gotten out of control. </strong>This past offseason, the league instituted a new rule that would penalize defenders for using “most or all of their body weight” when hitting a quarterback. Defensive players are also now responsible for “avoiding landing on the quarterback” when taking him to the ground. The rule was created in part because of the hit that broke Aaron Rodgers’s collarbone early last season and kept him out for the majority of the year, which is ironic, because the Packers have suffered from its effects more than any other team this season. Against Minnesota in Week 2, Clay Matthews applied a clean-looking hit to Kirk Cousins that drew a flag, allowing the Vikings to continue their drive and send the game into overtime. Sunday, Matthews was flagged again for a textbook tackle on a sack late in the third quarter, just a few minutes after Redskins defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne wasn’t penalized for body-slamming Rodgers into the turf.</p>
<div id="0MUYcS">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClayMatthews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ClayMatthews</a> got flagged for this hit. Thoughts?!? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GBvsWAS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GBvsWAS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Packers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Packers</a> <a href="https://t.co/Uo5LoZ0W3o">pic.twitter.com/Uo5LoZ0W3o</a></p>— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichEisenShow/status/1043948984455163904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="e4cMBO">If that Matthews tackle violates a rule, then that rule is wrong. Trying to prevent defenders from picking up quarterbacks and driving them into the turf is a worthwhile effort, but legislating how much of player’s body weight falls onto the quarterback during a routine sack is not. During the Dolphins’ 28-20 win over the Raiders on Sunday, defensive end William Hayes tried to avoid falling on Derek Carr while completing a sack. Hayes’s last-second reaction caused his foot to twist in the turf, and the result was a torn ACL. Penalizing helmet-to-helmet hits and shots on defenseless receivers is beneficial to the game; whatever the league is trying to accomplish with this rule is not.</p>
<p id="OTdX28"><strong>5. With Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen both coming on in relief this week, all four top-10 QBs from this year’s draft seem poised to take over as their teams’ starters. </strong>I’m glad we got that months-long charade of coaches and decision makers around the league trying to convince everyone that their prized QBs would benefit from a season on the bench. That was fun.</p>
<p id="GytZEG">Even before Tyrod Taylor left Thursday night’s game against the Jets with a concussion, it was obvious that the Browns needed to hand the keys to Mayfield. Taylor was languishing in his first season with coordinator Todd Haley, and from the moment Mayfield stepped into the game in the second quarter, Cleveland’s passing attack transformed. The Browns drafted Mayfield no. 1 overall because they thought he was a transcendent talent in a crop full of stellar passers, and his first stint under center showed why. Mayfield fit throws into the tiniest of windows and shredded the middle of the defense. His confidence is overflowing, and he’s a better quarterback for it. Going to Mayfield got the Browns their <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/21/17887048/baker-mayfield-browns-jets-hue-jackson">first win in almost two years</a>, and it might have also saved their season. </p>
<p id="1xffz0">Rosen’s debut wasn’t quite as thrilling. The Cardinals waited until the 4:31 mark of the fourth quarter, trailing the Bears 16-14, to throw Rosen in against Khalil Mack and a stout Chicago defense. Rosen’s first drive—and Arizona’s hopes—ended with an interception by cornerback Bryce Callahan. It was an inauspicious start to Rosen’s career, but Arizona announced Monday that he’ll start against the Seahawks, so now he’ll have an entire week of practice to help breathe some life into this listless Cardinals offense.</p>
<p id="hRonXC"><strong>6. The decaying relationship between the Seahawks and Earl Thomas has created a wild situation in Seattle. </strong>This weekend, reports trickled out that the star safety skipped practice last week because of lingering frustration over his lack of a new contract. To make things even more interesting, Thomas picked off two passes on Sunday in the Seahawks’ 24-13 win over the Cowboys—the team that, earlier in the season, had reportedly tried to land him in a trade. Following one of those interceptions, Thomas bowed to the Cowboys’ bench, seemingly sending Dallas a proverbial middle finger for not following through with the deal. After the game, Thomas addressed the missed practices, <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24777012/seattle-seahawks-safety-earl-thomas-expects-fine-no-shows-practice">saying</a>, “I’m invested in myself. If they was invested in me, I would be out there practicing. But if I feel like anything—I don’t give a damn if it’s small, I’ve got a headache—I’m not practicing.” Well then! </p>
<div id="wPDosx">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Take a bow for that INT, <a href="https://twitter.com/Earl_Thomas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Earl_Thomas</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DALvsSEA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DALvsSEA</a> <a href="https://t.co/A3m6k7vZcE">pic.twitter.com/A3m6k7vZcE</a></p>— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/1044002942150307840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="dPEQA6">So, to summarize: Thomas skipped two practices, openly taunted an entire organization because they didn’t trade for him, and told reporters that if he didn’t feel like practicing, he wasn’t going to. I can’t recall a more bizarre week for an NFL player. Rather than following Le’Veon Bell’s blueprint of holding out and forfeiting game checks, Thomas is playing while openly trying to get himself traded. Seattle’s hands are tied because when Thomas is on the field, he’s still the best player on an otherwise shoddy defense. The Seahawks can’t afford <em>not </em>to play him, so the best they can do is hand out a few fines for skipping practice and move on. In a league where players don’t always have clear ways to gain leverage, Thomas is proving how invaluable he is while telling the Seahawks to go kick rocks. </p>
<p id="AWzIyB"><strong>7. The Lions’ young offensive playmakers are starting to figure out their roles, which is bad news for the rest of the NFC. </strong>In Sunday’s win over the Patriots, rookie running back Kerryon Johnson was the Lions’ <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/16/17867938/detroit-lions-games-without-100-yard-rusher-record">first 100-yard rusher in nearly <em>five years</em></a><em>. </em>The Auburn product finished with 101 yards on 16 carries while also adding two receptions. He got the same workload as bruiser LeGarrette Blount, who managed just 48 yards on the same number of carries. The Lions sport a multifaceted backfield with Johnson, Blount, and receiving back Theo Riddick, but Sunday’s game showed that it’s time to cede the majority of snaps to Johnson. Blount and Riddick have such defined roles that the offense becomes predictable when they’re in the game—Johnson’s abilities as a receiver allow him to do it all, and it’s clear that he’s the best hope for this ground game. </p>
<p id="ow5Kwj">The Lions’ pass-catching unit has continued to improve, as well. Kenny Golladay showed flashes during an injury-riddled rookie season in 2017, but this fall he’s fully emerged. Golladay tallied six catches for 53 yards and a touchdown against New England, his fourth consecutive game with either 100 yards receiving or a touchdown. And even in a group that includes Marvin Jones Jr. and Golden Tate, Golladay might be in the conversation as Detroit’s most dangerous receiver. At this point, Matthew Stafford has more viable pass-catching options than he knows what to do with. </p>
<p id="UGN1Nb"><strong>8. Calvin Ridley is the piece that the Falcons’ offense had been missing. </strong>The first-round pick out of Alabama finished with seven catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns in Atlanta’s 43-37 overtime loss to New Orleans on Sunday, and he’s starting to flame cornerbacks in the red zone. Ridley’s first touchdown of the day came on a nasty hesitation double move on the outside that left him wide open for an 18-yard score, and he worked cornerback P.J. Williams for most of the game. His route-running ability is already more fine-tuned than you’ll see from most young players. With Julio Jones attracting so much attention on the other side of the field, Ridley is often left in man-to-man coverage, and he’s shown just how much of a problem he can be in those situations. </p>
<div id="1MwrEI"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BBrNC5_uOXw?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="0bhlwT"><strong>9. This week in </strong><em><strong>tales of the tape</strong></em><strong>: The Rams use stacks and bunches to create space for their receivers better than any team in the league. </strong>Facing a third-and-6 late in the first quarter this week, the Rams came out in the shotgun with four wide receivers. After initially aligning in the slot on the left side, Cooper Kupp motioned across the formation and set up in a two-receiver stack with Robert Woods on the right side. At the snap, Kupp delayed his release to allow Woods to clear out the cornerbacks on that side. With Woods streaking down the seam, Kupp worked a quick angle route underneath, hauled in a short throw from Jared Goff, and gained 11 yards for the first down. It may seem like a simple concept, but these are the types of wrinkles that make the Rams so difficult to defend. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eJt1m57y7y1uW0xn2inILA3ngrY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13149139/ezgif.com_optimize__88_.jpg">
</figure>
<p id="vnyLLi"><strong>10. This week’s </strong><em><strong>line-play moment that made me hit rewind</strong></em><strong>:</strong><em><strong> </strong></em><strong>J.J. Watt looked like his old self on Sunday. </strong>Watt was flat-out dominant in the Texans’ 27-22 loss to the Giants. He collected three sacks, four tackles for loss, four QB hits, and a forced fumble while pummeling replacement right tackle Chad Wheeler. Watt’s quick inside swim move against the run is nearly impossible to stop when it’s timed right, and he had it working to perfection against the Giants. </p>
<div id="OwHnXE"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/poku1-pRWfo?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="vKLiZ7"><strong>11. This week in </strong><em><strong>NFL players, they’re absolutely nothing like us</strong></em><strong>: </strong>As if Mahomes needed any more help, Travis Kelce is out here making catches like <em>this. </em></p>
<div id="NOlB6d">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This Travis Kelce catch.... Amazing concentration. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiefs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chiefs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KCvsSF?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KCvsSF</a> <a href="https://t.co/CeYR5t1dcz">pic.twitter.com/CeYR5t1dcz</a></p>— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) <a href="https://twitter.com/SamuelRGold/status/1043930621058449410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/24/17897834/the-starting-11-patriots-tom-brady-bill-belichickRobert Mays2018-09-24T12:50:05-04:002018-09-24T12:50:05-04:00The Year 2 QB Panic Index: How Concerned Should the 49ers, Texans, and Bears Be?
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1JnuaLClOiht8HjtvjlUXU9ithA=/167x0:2834x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61521803/mays_qb_concern_getty_ringe.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images/Ringer illustration</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With Jimmy Garoppolo tearing his ACL on Sunday, and Deshaun Watson and Mitchell Trubisky putting up uneven performances through the season’s first three weeks, some underlying—and some obvious—issues are facing these three teams</p> <aside id="LDkQrc"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 3 of the 2018 NFL Season ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/20/17882306/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-3-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="OgwPVw">This summer, quarterbacks entering Year 2 with their respective teams were <em>the </em>story of the NFL preseason. Jimmy Garoppolo and Deshaun Watson seemed poised to take over the NFL after showing flashes of brilliance during their short stints as starters last year. The Bears brought in offensive-minded head coach Matt Nagy to spearhead the development of Mitchell Trubisky. And Patrick Mahomes II was set to take over a loaded Chiefs offense. </p>
<p id="FdfOMz">Now, three games into the 2018 season, these QBs are still the story of the year—for different reasons. Mahomes and the Chiefs are burning down defenses, but the 49ers, Bears, and Texans are in much more precarious spots with their passers. We may be only a few weeks into the season, but there’s reason to believe that the issues facing these clubs—some underlying, some obvious—may linger for the next 14 weeks, and beyond. So let’s take a step back and assess where San Francisco, Chicago, and Houston’s panic levels should be right now. </p>
<h3 id="SnEF0M">San Francisco 49ers </h3>
<p id="FWICma"><strong>Panic Level: </strong>DEFCON 1</p>
<p id="YZTgs3">After Sunday’s 38–27 loss to the Chiefs, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1043961477919584258">announced</a> that the team feared Garoppolo had torn his ACL — and that fear was <a href="https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1044304021027258376">confirmed on Monday</a> with an MRI. On a third-and-20 play late in the fourth quarter, the 49ers’ starting QB scrambled up the left sideline and, rather than ducking out of bounds at the first sign of trouble, tried to put a move on a defensive back. As Garoppolo planted his left leg, his knee buckled — the sort of non-contact injury that looks devastating even in the moment.</p>
<p id="Cf4ZFf">Now, Garoppolo’s season is over, and so too are the Niners’ wild-card hopes. San Francisco’s offense had sputtered over its first three games <em>with</em> Garoppolo under center, and though Shanahan can scheme receivers open as well as any play designer in football (see Kyle Juszczyk’s 35-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter on Sunday), that goes only so far. Turning to backup C.J. Beathard all but guarantees that the playoff dreams San Francisco held entering the season are dead.</p>
<div id="3rtQ2m"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/75A1KCoWUURNcp4h6VikDH" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="HzHO3v">If there is a positive way to spin this, it’s that even at full strength, Shanahan’s team wasn’t quite ready to make the leap. San Francisco lost starting running back and prized free agent Jerick McKinnon to a torn ACL in the preseason. Coordinator Robert Saleh’s young defense has produced some encouraging moments through three weeks, but glaring deficiencies still line that unit: second-year cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was benched last week against the Lions; Richard Sherman left Sunday’s loss in a walking boot after suffering a calf injury; and the Niners still lack a consistent pass-rushing presence on the edge. General manager John Lynch and his staff have a few defensive cornerstones in place, but watching Mahomes and the Chiefs light up that group for 35 points in Sunday’s <em>first half</em>, it’s clear that side of the ball is very much a work in progress.</p>
<p id="JQQnmO">The gloomy outlook on Garoppolo’s injury is that the Niners handed him <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/8/22/17765544/jimmy-garoppolo-49ers-john-lynch-kyle-shanahan">a five-year, $137.5 million contract this winter</a> — with a league-high $37 million cap hit in 2018 — and his first full season with the team is over after just three games. Getting a healthy Garoppolo back for the start of 2019 — with another draft class in the books and another offseason to add a couple more free agents (the Niners have about $30 million in cap room as it currently stands) — would theoretically put the team in position to get to the playoffs. But an injury of this nature complicates matters.</p>
<p id="2UhhG1">San Francisco’s franchise timeline was accelerated because of the way Garoppolo performed at the end of 2017, but this is still a QB who finished last year with just seven career starts to his name. Last season he used a truncated set of plays in an abbreviated version of Shanahan’s offense, and, as his uneven play over the first three weeks of 2018 has shown, the reps he was set to get this season would be crucial to his development. Garoppolo’s quick release and play-making ability jump off the screen, but his decision-making — both in taking care of the ball and processing information quickly to find the right receiver on time — needs plenty of work. And now that work will have to wait until next spring. Even discounting whatever lasting physical effects an ACL brings, this is just about the worst possible outcome for a Niners season that began with so much promise. </p>
<h3 id="8tmvOo">Houston Texans</h3>
<p id="nJMGVg"><strong>Panic Level: </strong>Moderate </p>
<p id="ZjX7O1">Texans fans should be less concerned about Watson and more worried about the team’s offensive infrastructure. Houston’s offensive line is a complete mess—the unit committed four false starts and three holding penalties in Sunday’s 27-22 loss to the Giants, and it allowed three sacks and 11 quarterback hits against a pass rush that was missing starting edge rusher Olivier Vernon and had shown no signs of life through its first two games. If this group couldn’t protect Watson on Sunday, then it won’t be able to in any game this season. </p>
<p id="pX2RbO">Independent of his line’s struggles, Watson also had a rough outing against the Giants. He bounced several throws intended for wide receiver Will Fuller, and Alec Ogletree’s interception on a deep pass intended for Lamar Miller early in the fourth quarter came on a bad throw and an even worse decision. But even with those errors, it’s difficult to separate quarterback-specific issues from the ones created by a passer facing a constant deluge of pressure. Through the first two weeks of the season, Watson had been pressured on an absurd 47.6 percent of his passes, according to Pro Football Focus, the highest rate in the league among qualified QBs. Think about that: On almost every other dropback in the first two games, Watson had a rusher in his face. He occasionally compounds that issue with how long he holds the ball, but his ability to extend plays and create still provides the Texans with their best chance to move the ball. It’s a Catch-22, and there’s no easy fix. </p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="zbvWIr"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Six Plays That Explain NFL Week 3","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/24/17895712/game-changing-week-3-plays-cam-newton-pat-mahomes-bills-defense"},{"title":"The Winners and Losers From NFL Week 3","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/24/17895144/winners-and-losers-week-3-buffalo-bills-new-england-patriots"},{"title":"Without Jimmy Garoppolo, the Niners’ Season Looks Finished ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/2018/9/23/17893950/jimmy-garoppolo-knee-injury-acl"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="sqxQja">This year is paramount in Watson’s progression as a structured QB, one who could move beyond the off-schedule mastery he showed last year and ascend to the next tier of NFL passers. But that plan can’t work when the offense’s structure is crumbling around him. Between Houston’s offensive line play and the team’s overall struggles to sustain drives, this system may be enough to short-circuit Watson’s maturation for the entire season. </p>
<p id="I0klpT">In the short term, there don’t seem to be any simple solutions to the Texans’ issues. They could try to swing a trade for a tackle before the deadline, but few teams have offensive line depth to spare. Fielding two starting-quality pass blockers on the edge can be difficult; finding a reliable piece further down someone’s depth chart is borderline impossible. </p>
<p id="wH79QR">So Houston will likely have to wait until the offseason to solve its O-line issue, leaving Watson to fend for himself behind this group for the next 13 games. The concern there is that, after spending an entire season dodging rushers and scrambling out of self-preservation, he might develop mental processing glitches and bad habits that become permanent. At 0-3, with postseason aims already slipping away, all the Texans can do the rest of this season is hope that Watson emerges from the year with no lasting impact to his progress.</p>
<h3 id="aVxCUN">Chicago Bears</h3>
<p id="rs2X3w"><strong>Panic Level: </strong>Steadily Growing </p>
<p id="LOhI6C">Trubisky didn’t come into the year with the all expectations of Watson and Garoppolo, but there were reasons to be optimistic about his chances in 2018. The Bears fired John Fox, who ran the least-QB-friendly offense imaginable, in January, and brought in Andy Reid disciple Matt Nagy. The team also overhauled Trubisky’s receiving corps, weeding out replacement-level pass catchers like Kendall Wright and bringing in Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Trey Burton in free agency. If Trubisky was going to improve on his shaky rookie season, he now had the pieces to make that happen. </p>
<p id="wiPazz">Through the first three games of the season, though, the returns have been troubling. Chicago pulled out an ugly 16-14 comeback victory over the Cardinals on Sunday to give the team a 2-1 record, but for the third week in a row, the defense did most of the work. Trubisky missed open receivers, failed to get proper air under a screen pass that wound up being tipped and intercepted, and still seemed to have issues moving beyond his initial option on a given play. He completed 24 of his 35 throws but averaged only 6.29 yards per attempt while botching plenty of simple passes. His tentativeness in the pocket is growing into a crippling problem. </p>
<p id="Z6xI42">Trubisky’s lack of faith in his decisions seems like it’s started to affect Nagy’s faith in his quarterback. The Bears made several conservative choices on Sunday, including kicking a field goal on fourth-and-2 late in the second quarter after<em> </em>the team had originally lined up on offense and <em>then</em> took a timeout. Nagy is naturally an aggressive play-caller, but with Trubisky struggling to this degree, he’s started to take a different tack. The Bears have been reining in their approach and tailoring it around their QB’s limitations, which is a disheartening reality with a no. 2 overall pick under center. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="u3tTxV">Chicago’s grind-it-out style may be viable with the way its defense is playing right now. Khalil Mack and Co. were excellent again on Sunday; the unit forced four more turnovers (bringing the season total to eight) and nearly had another game-sealing pick-six—this time off rookie QB Josh Rosen—that was called back. Because of that defense, the Bears are sitting atop the NFC North, but it’s hard to take much solace in the standings while Trubisky toils as a passer. It’s been only three games, and Nagy’s scheme is a lot to grasp for such an inexperienced quarterback, but we’ve seen enough to know it’s time to start worrying.</p>
<p id="t63ZzZ"><em>This piece was updated Monday afternoon after the 49ers confirmed that Garoppolo had torn his ACL and would miss the rest of this season.</em></p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/24/17896610/nfl-year-two-quarterback-panic-index-jimmy-garoppolo-mitchell-trubisky-deshaun-watsonRobert Mays2018-09-24T09:26:14-04:002018-09-24T09:26:14-04:00The Six Plays That Explain NFL Week 3
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Y2RdXtaFBgCWHdDI40lURiYKLmY=/0x0:2667x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61518121/DannyKellyMoments_week3_AP_Ringer.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>AP Images/Ringer illustration</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Cam Newton has returned to the style that won him an MVP. Plus, the Colts made a very curious quarterback move, and the Bills defense is good?</p> <aside id="Jll0qw"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 3 of the 2018 NFL Season ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/20/17882306/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-3-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p class="p--has-dropcap" id="f4r8CE">Another wild NFL Sunday is in the books. For the third straight week, we got a sprinkling of unbelievable outcomes to go with a handful of exciting, back-and-forth battles: The Bills, who came into the week looking like the clear-cut worst team in the NFL (and as 16.5-point underdogs), <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/23/17893652/we-take-it-all-back-josh-allen-is-good">dominated the über-talented Vikings on both sides of the ball in a 27-6 win</a>. The Titans, with zero healthy quarterbacks, scored nine points ... and still beat the AFC powerhouse Jacksonville Jaguars. The <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/23/17893916/patrick-mahomes-ii-vocabulary-kansas-city-chiefs-san-francisco-49ers">Patrick Mahomes II–led Chiefs offense held off the 49ers</a>, the Redskins knocked off the Packers, the Falcons and Saints traded the lead nine times in a barn-burning overtime New Orleans win, and the Panthers outlasted the Bengals 31-21. The weekend slate featured nonstop action, but some moments were more pivotal than the rest. Here are a few of the biggest game-changing plays from Sunday’s action, along with what they can tell us about both the teams involved and the season at large.</p>
<div id="lFipx4"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/75A1KCoWUURNcp4h6VikDH" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<h3 id="TBQJqz">Cam Newton Scores on a QB Keeper </h3>
<p id="cFkp1V">Leading the Bengals 21-14 with 5:39 to go in the third quarter, the Panthers turned to an old, reliable red zone staple to get into the end zone and effectively seal themselves a win. Running behind pulling guard Greg Van Roten, quarterback Cam Newton kept the ball on a zone-read option play, weaving effortlessly through traffic before bulldozing through a defender to reach pay dirt. </p>
<div id="W9Z9Ph">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Superman already has 4 today <a href="https://twitter.com/CameronNewton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CameronNewton</a> <a href="https://t.co/r4VE7hVCZL">pic.twitter.com/r4VE7hVCZL</a></p>— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) <a href="https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/1043938792984342528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="cVrWHT">That 5-yard dive gave Carolina a commanding 28-14 lead and <a href="https://live.numberfire.com/nfl/6960">pushed its win probability to a near-lock at 92.2 percent</a>, according to numberFire’s model. That was Newton’s second rushing touchdown of the day—a demoralizing dagger for the Bengals defense that was emblematic of a theme that’s emerged for the Panthers over the first three weeks of the season: letting Newton be Newton. </p>
<p id="mSDlqb">Gone is all that talk of limiting carries, like we heard from Ron Rivera during the <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20173399/cam-newton-not-sure-carolina-panthers-plan-run-less">2017 offseason</a>. Newton scoffed at that idea at the time, stating that his ability to run is his “edge,” while adding, “<a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/70693/cam-newton-didnt-get-the-memo-about-running-less-this-season">Are you really going to expect a lion not to roar</a>?” Carolina didn’t live up to Rivera’s stated goal, as Newton went on to rack up career highs in rush attempts (139) and yards (756) and scored six touchdowns with his legs last year. And this season, with new offensive coordinator Norv Turner at the helm, the Panthers seem to have fully re-embraced the fact they have a transcendent, unique dual-threat quarterback as the focal point of their offense. </p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="cA251X"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Winners and Losers From NFL Week 3","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/24/17895144/winners-and-losers-week-3-buffalo-bills-new-england-patriots"},{"title":"How Much Should You Overreact to the Patriots’ 1-2 Start?: A Helpful Guide ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/24/17895002/new-england-patriots-slow-start"},{"title":"We Don’t Have the Vocabulary to Describe What Patrick Mahomes II Is Doing","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/23/17893916/patrick-mahomes-ii-vocabulary-kansas-city-chiefs-san-francisco-49ers"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="QLUqtZ">The season’s young, but Newton’s on pace for a career high in rushes (9.3 per game), isn’t far off his career pace in yards (725), and, with three rushing touchdowns in three games, is off to a 16-score pace as a runner, which would surpass the NFL record he set as a rookie (14). Projecting season-long numbers off a three-game sample is often foolhardy, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Newton’s pace never slows. His combination of size, explosiveness in the open field, and pure power—paired with the mathematical advantage that option football creates—makes him damn-near unstoppable as a runner. Last season Newton <a href="https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1012761629539426304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1012761629539426304&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpantherswire.usatoday.com%2F2018%2F07%2F01%2Fcam-newton-dominated-other-qbs-on-read-option-runs-in-2017%2F">led all quarterbacks in read-option yards per attempt</a> (14.6, 4-plus yards more than anyone else). That play, along with quarterback power runs, quarterback draws, the triple option, and the entire catalog of Carolina’s QB-run menu makes him <a href="https://twitter.com/WillBrinson/status/1043914637601894400">perhaps the most dangerous red zone player—ever</a>. That might sound hyperbolic, but consider this: After adding two more TDs Sunday, Newton has 57 <a href="https://twitter.com/fbgchase/status/1043943633026777088">career rushing scores</a>, which places him second among all <em>players</em> since he came into the league in 2011. Oh, and he can throw the ball, too. </p>
<div id="1kOUDO">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">ICYMI: Cam Newton is impossible.<br><br>Here are all players with at least 20 rushing TDs (Y-Axis) or 20 passing TDs (X-Axis) since 2011. Cam is in blue. <a href="https://t.co/lMPTY29ycR">pic.twitter.com/lMPTY29ycR</a></p>— Football Perspective (@fbgchase) <a href="https://twitter.com/fbgchase/status/1044007088530362369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="kggGUM">With help from running back Christian McCaffrey (<a href="https://twitter.com/fbgchase/status/1044015388516904961">who’s averaged 143 scrimmage yards a game</a> this year) and receiver Devin Funchess (14 catches, 185 yards, one touchdown on the season), Newton’s on pace for career highs in passer rating (99.7) and completion percentage (67.4). Most importantly, he’s been consistent week to week. Newton looks to be in command of the Panthers offense in a way that we haven’t seen since his 2015 MVP season. </p>
<h3 id="EwB1Po">Patrick Mahomes II Throws a Touchdown to Sammy Watkins</h3>
<p id="NGvfaa">The Chiefs remind me a little bit of peak Mike Tyson: In each of their first three games, they’ve come out at the proverbial opening bell throwing a flurry of haymakers. In Week 1, the Chiefs built an early 14-3 lead on the Chargers. In Week 2, they jumped all over the Steelers, running out to a 21-0 lead. And Sunday, they had the Niners on the ropes before the end of the first half as they built a commanding 35-7 second-quarter lead that included this play, a 12-yard catch and run by Watkins. It gave the Chiefs a <a href="https://live.numberfire.com/nfl/6961">99.2 percent win probability</a>. </p>
<div id="Jnf1Vu">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Clemson?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Clemson</a> star Sammy Watkins scores his first TD with the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiefs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chiefs</a> <a href="https://t.co/GbGdpMfenS">pic.twitter.com/GbGdpMfenS</a></p>— Daren Stoltzfus (@DarenStoltzfus) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarenStoltzfus/status/1043938822906630144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="zohO9c">That play probably should’ve been the de facto knockout blow for the Chiefs, but San Francisco kept fighting. Like the Steelers last week (who battled back to tie the game at 21 at the half before <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/16/17867530/patrick-mahomes-ii-is-off-to-the-best-start-for-a-qb-ever">succumbing to Mahomes’s power</a>), the 49ers made things interesting as the game went on, cutting the lead to just 11 late in the third quarter. After <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2018/9/23/17893950/jimmy-garoppolo-knee-injury-acl">Jimmy Garoppolo left the game with a knee injury</a>, backup C.J. Beathard tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end George Kittle that would’ve cut the lead to seven with 5:27 to go if it hadn’t been called back on a questionable offensive pass interference penalty. The Niners opted for the field goal, and that’s as close as they got to the Chiefs, who ran out the final 5:12 to preserve the 38-27 win.</p>
<p id="lIik5K">That type of game flow—jump out to a big early lead then hold off the comeback in the second half—could end up being an every-week occurrence for Kansas City this season (and the whole start-hot-then-fade pattern <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2018/1/7/16859140/andy-reid-kansas-city-chiefs-titans-postseason-choker-narrative">might be a little too fitting for an Andy Reid–coached team</a>). With Mahomes under center, the Chiefs offense is an absolute buzz saw. But their defense is one of the league’s worst: Through three weeks (and prior to Monday night’s matchup between the Steelers and Buccaneers), Kansas City’s given up a league-worst 474 yards a game, 6.7 yards per play, and 30.6 points per game (both third worst). Right now, the Chiefs look like the team to beat in the AFC, but unless they get more from their porous defense, they’re going to need Mahomes to keep up his torrid early-season pace. Then again, with the way that Mahomes has played thus far, that might not be a problem. </p>
<h3 id="EhORrJ">Jared Goff Hits Robert Woods for a TD</h3>
<p id="hrfmON">Over the first two weeks of the season, the Rams offense was nearly as impressive as the Chiefs offense, <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/drivestatsoff">leading the league in yards per drive and drive success rate</a> while ranking second behind K.C. in points per drive. But where the two teams differed was on defense, and L.A.’s star-studded group had given its offense a nice security net, holding the Raiders to 13 points in the opener and shutting out the Cardinals in Week 2. </p>
<p id="tB29zj">Sunday, Jared Goff and Co. got a little taste of what Mahomes goes through each week. With cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib on the bench nursing leg injuries, the Chargers’ top-flight offense pounced: They chipped away at the Rams’ early 21-6 lead with a Melvin Gordon touchdown just prior to the half, then cut the subsequent 28-13 lead to eight with a 20-yard touchdown strike from Philip Rivers to Mike Williams. </p>
<p id="ziMV0x">But Sean McVay’s group kept the pedal to the metal, orchestrating a 12-play, 77-yard drive on their next possession, capping it with this 6-yard TD strike to Robert Woods. </p>
<div id="Cmdkl6">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another Goff touchdown. This one to Robert Woods. He's been excellent outside of the Derwin pick. <a href="https://t.co/JoT7swKsG4">pic.twitter.com/JoT7swKsG4</a></p>— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLFilmStudy/status/1043991800111747072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="riEzaw">That pushed the Rams’ <a href="https://live.numberfire.com/nfl/6966">win probability to 95.5 percent</a> and served as the final blow to the Chargers’ comeback hopes. On the drive, Goff completed passes to Woods, Todd Gurley, and Brandin Cooks, methodically moving the ball down the field while eating up nearly five minutes of third-quarter clock. A lot of teams might tighten up in that situation, but the Rams just kept doing what they’ve done all year, sealing the win to move to 3-0. In the game, they racked up 521 yards, 33 first downs (tied for most by any team this year), and went 8-of-11 on third down. They’ve now got an NFL-best plus-66 scoring margin, and if that doesn’t adequately paint a picture of an offensive machine that chews up and spits out opposing defenses, this might:</p>
<div id="kwLOmT">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lowest three-and-out percentage in the NFL through three games:<br><br>3) Chiefs 25.0%<br>3) Raiders 25.0%<br>3) Bengals 25.0%<br>2) Buccaneers 20.8%<br><br>1) Rams 6.9%</p>— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) <a href="https://twitter.com/billbarnwell/status/1044094714495029248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<h3 id="5frGGN">Matt Milano Picks Off Kirk Cousins</h3>
<p id="etvGqv">For Vikings fans hoping for a second-half comeback—or for everyone else expecting a Bills second-half meltdown—this play all but put those thoughts to bed. Milano’s interception at the 9:30 mark of the third quarter was a good microcosm of Buffalo’s remarkable day on that side of the ball: Defensive end Eddie Yarbrough brought pressure off the edge, forcing Cousins to get rid of the ball quickly and into coverage. The pass got to running back Latavius Murray just as he was sandwiched by Milano and Tremaine Edmunds, popping the ball free and into the waiting lap of the Bills linebacker. </p>
<div id="MkLLBq">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="fr" dir="ltr"> Matt Milano intercepte Kirk Cousins ! Les <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoBills?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoBills</a> se régalent <a href="https://t.co/i5uzzs2por">pic.twitter.com/i5uzzs2por</a></p>— NFL France (@FirstDownFR) <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstDownFR/status/1043940229655220224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="wfV4Gm">That play was the final nail in the Vikings’ coffin, pushing Buffalo’s <a href="https://live.numberfire.com/nfl/6957">win probability to 95.6 percent</a>. After coming into the week <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef">30th in defensive DVOA</a> and tied for last in points allowed, Buffalo’s defense held Cousins to 5.4 yards per attempt, forced three fumbles (recovering two), and racked up three sacks, five quarterback hits, and 10 passes defended. </p>
<p id="VCIaly">The biggest story of the day might be that <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/23/17893652/we-take-it-all-back-josh-allen-is-good">rookie quarterback Josh Allen looked more than competent</a> against one of the most talent-packed defenses in the NFL, but the way the Bills defense performed was almost as shocking. It swarmed to the ball. It out-hit their opponent. It got its hands into passing lanes. It made big plays. It looked nothing like the unit we saw in the first two weeks. The NFL is so weird. </p>
<p id="zDTo3h">But the Bills’ sudden about-face on defense might be more than just a fluke. After head coach Sean McDermott took play-calling duties away from Leslie Frazier in the second half of the Bills’ loss to the Chargers last week, <a href="https://billswire.usatoday.com/2018/09/23/watch-sean-mcdermott-awards-leslie-frazier-game-ball/">Frazier responded on Sunday</a> by dialing up a much more aggressive game plan, pumping energy into a lethargic group and unlocking some of its playmakers. Veteran pass rusher Jerry Hughes came alive, grabbing a sack, two QB hits, and a forced fumble. Defensive tackle Kyle Williams grabbed a sack of his own. Safety Micah Hyde and cornerback Tre’Davious White each knocked down a pass, and rookie first-round linebacker Tremaine Edmunds racked up a team-high 10 tackles. The Bills defense was never as bad as it looked during the first two weeks of the season, and its performance Sunday resuscitates what had looked like a lost season.</p>
<h3 id="o273ye">Albert Wilson Scores 74-Yard Touchdown on a Sweep</h3>
<p id="mDwds5">With a Xavien Howard <a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/miami-dolphins/post/_/id/27669/introducing-xavien-howard-lockdown-hero-for-3-0-dolphins">end zone pick</a>, the Dolphins took back the ball with 2:54 left in the fourth quarter holding a slim 21-17 lead over the visiting Raiders. Head coach Adam Gase’s goal at that point, I assume, was to salt away the rest of the clock with a chains-moving, game-ending drive. Instead, following a 6-yard run by Frank Gore to open the possession, this happened:</p>
<div id="k15nKJ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">SO. MUCH. SPEED.<br><br>And high fives! <br><br> : CBS <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinsUp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FinsUp</a> <a href="https://t.co/7hlgqs9VOp">pic.twitter.com/7hlgqs9VOp</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1043953505797472256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="r1GW3n">In a fly-sweep motion before the snap, Wilson took this “pass” around the corner and downfield for 74 yards untouched (apart from a high five from his teammate Jakeem Grant at the 15-yard line), pushing the Dolphins’ lead to 11 and effectively sealing the win. </p>
<p id="1bER1V">That play put a bow on an unexpected offensive performance in which Gase reached a little deeper into the playbook and pulled out some looks that stressed the Raiders defense and showcased the talents of some of his most explosive athletes. Grant had scored on a mirror image of that same play late in the third quarter, in fact:</p>
<div id="b2yWb1">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jakeem Grant "receiving" touchdown <a href="https://t.co/QjbNlMreeO">pic.twitter.com/QjbNlMreeO</a></p>— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLFilmStudy/status/1043942554834796546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="5O20TF">And midway through the fourth, Gase dialed up the Dolphins’ <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/philly-philly-or-philly-special-20-eagles-explain-latest-trick-play">version of the Philly Philly</a>, the Philly Special variation that the Eagles ran in Week 1. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill took the snap and handed the ball to Gore, who tossed it to Wilson as he ran what looked to be an end-around play and then threw downfield to a streaking Grant for the touchdown. </p>
<div id="zfRrMp">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trickery! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dolphins?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dolphins</a> WR Albert Wilson takes the reverse and finds Jakeem Grant for a 52-yard TD<a href="https://t.co/NQZoQr0QTY">pic.twitter.com/NQZoQr0QTY</a></p>— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1043949439071801344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="TEM7de">As offenses spread out and seek to create mismatches in space, speed is an increasingly important factor in the modern NFL; just look at the Chiefs’ record-setting group. Well, the Dolphins have quietly assembled an explosive group of their own. Wilson <a href="https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/stats/top-plays/fastest-ball-carriers/2018/3">registered an NFL-best top speed of 21.74 miles per hour on that 74-yard touchdown scamper</a>, and that open-field prowess is why Miami signed him over the offseason. The former Chief finished tied for third among receivers last year in forced missed tackles after a reception (15), per Pro Football Focus, and averaged 7.5 yards after the catch (second). Since coming into the NFL in 2014, he <a href="https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/fantasy-football-metrics-that-matter-first-down">ranks first among all wide receivers in missed tackles forced per reception</a>. Grant, meanwhile, might be one of the fastest players in the league. He ran a 4.38 at his pro day in 2016, and the 5-foot-7, 169-pound dynamo brings the ability to score from anywhere on the field on any given play. Add in deep threat Kenny Stills, running backs Kenyan Drake and Kalen Ballage, and tight end Mike Gesicki—all of whom came into the league with elite athletic profiles—and the Dolphins offense has speed to burn. More importantly, Gase seems to be figuring out how to exploit it. </p>
<p id="u9lLnG">At 3-0, the Dolphins and sit atop the AFC East. They’re 10-1 in Tannehill’s last 11 starts, dating back to 2016. Oh, and the defense, which <a href="https://twitter.com/fbgchase/status/1043951693883473922">led the NFL in opponent passer rating</a> coming into the week, might not be as bad as people think either. </p>
<h3 id="lBT8kf">Jacoby Brissett Throws Incomplete on Hail Mary Into End Zone</h3>
<p id="jyY9xq">The fact the Colts brought their strong-armed backup quarterback into the game to toss up a failed last-second bomb isn’t an indictment of Andrew Luck in 2018 and beyond. But it does drive home the idea that Indianapolis is going to continue to handle Luck’s surgically repaired shoulder with kid gloves—and that a dink-and-dunk offense appears to be the new normal. </p>
<p id="K3CG7O">In the Colts’ 20-16 loss to the Eagles, Luck completed 25 of 40 passes for 164 yards (4.1 yards per attempt) and one touchdown. That wasn’t much different than what we saw in weeks 1 and 2, and, on the year, Luck’s <a href="https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/stats/passing/2018/all#average-intended-yards">average intended air yards</a> sit at 5.5 per throw, the second shortest leaguewide, while his average <a href="https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/stats/passing/2018/all#average-completed-yards">completed air yards per throw</a> (3.4) is tied for the NFL low. Here’s what that pass offense looked like Sunday, <a href="https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/list/all/indianapolis-colts/season/week/andrew-luck/LUC524055/2018/3/pass">from NFL Next Gen Stats</a>:</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A pass chart for Andrew Luck of 2018 Week 3 at Philadelphia" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nNEK_rVzyoqFLKVg_pc0KtMLYTI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13144817/pass_chart_LUC524055_2018_reg_3_1537738359212.jpeg">
</figure>
<p class="c-end-para" id="w87mIY">The lack of a vertical element isn’t exactly a death sentence. Coming into this week, Indianapolis ranked third in plays per drive (6.62) and eighth in points per drive, according to Football Outsiders. But Sunday, the Colts managed just 209 total yards and went 2-for-12 on third down. In the long run, the dink-and-dunk style could put a bigger burden on both Luck and his receivers, backs, and linemen to execute play to play and drive by drive. It’s not easy to put together the types of 10-play scoring drives that style of play might require.</p>
<p id="iv3T8c"><em>An earlier version of this piece incorrectly stated that Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was not calling defensive plays on Sunday. Frazier had his play-calling duties reinstated this week after having them stripped in Week 2.</em></p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/24/17895712/game-changing-week-3-plays-cam-newton-pat-mahomes-bills-defenseDanny Kelly2018-09-24T02:08:16-04:002018-09-24T02:08:16-04:00How Much Should You Overreact to the Patriots’ 1-2 Start? A Helpful Guide.
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/__-T4wJIB-bAYtMBO3ComnfDpks=/0x0:2667x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61516417/patriots_overreact_getty_ringer.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images/Ringer illustration</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The team has certainly had slow Septembers before, but they don’t usually feel like this </p> <aside id="vZHtHc"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 3 of the 2018 NFL Season ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/20/17882306/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-3-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="wxA0kJ">All across New England, Patriots fans are quietly whispering among themselves. One week after Tom Brady was outdueled by the half-man, half-meme Blake Bortles, Bill Belichick was out-coached on <em>Sunday Night Football</em> by his protégé Matt Patricia as the Pats lost to the Detroit Lions 26-10. New England has started the season 1-2 in humiliating fashion, and they’ve done it while looking decidedly un-Patriot like, as the players they pulled off the scrap heap this offseason look like scrap, and their whole is no longer greater than the sum of its parts.</p>
<p id="oRk8G7">With the Patriots already two games behind in the AFC East and in danger of—no, I’m sorry, we can’t do this. These are <em>the New England Patriots</em>, winners of 14 of the past 15 AFC East titles, hosts of five of the past seven AFC championship games, and contestants in three of the past four Super Bowls. They have the best coach and quarterback of all time. Are we actually going to freak out about their demise in September? If you too are unsure of how to meld what you’ve seen through three weeks with everything we know about the NFL, here’s a handy guide on whether or not to overreact to New England’s slow start.</p>
<h4 id="2IMGeP">Definitely Don’t Overreact: The Patriots Have Done This Before</h4>
<p id="L1F52K">[<a href="https://twitter.com/netw3rk/status/1043171154704232449"><em>Stephen Jackson exhaling smoke on Instagram voice</em></a>] <em>Let me teach you some history, youngin’. </em></p>
<ul>
<li id="LnQY6B">In 2001, the New England Patriots started 1-3, finished 11-5, and won the Super Bowl. </li>
<li id="eH6pWm">In 2012, the Patriots started 1-2, finished 12-4, and made the AFC championship game. </li>
<li id="OtTdM8">In 2014, the Patriots started 2-2, including a humiliating <em>Monday Night Football</em> loss against the Chiefs. The team finished 12-4 and won the Super Bowl. </li>
<li id="BNvwdG">Last year, the Patriots were humiliated in the season opener by the Chiefs, finished 13-3, and nearly won the Super Bowl. </li>
</ul>
<p id="w2chS6">The Patriots are the best dynasty in football history not because of how they start, but because of how they finish. They are the class of the league at adjustments, both in-game and in-season.</p>
<p id="FcoKM1"><em>History doesn’t repeat, but it sure does rhyme, youngblood. </em></p>
<h4 id="cddsJ8">Overreact: It <em>Is</em> Different This Time Though, Right?</h4>
<p id="aIFbPD">The Patriots have started slow before, but never quite like this. Their 2012 team that began 1-2 lost those two games by a combined three points, whereas this Patriots team has lost by a combined 27. It’s the first time New England has lost in back-to-back games by double digits since 2002. </p>
<p id="wV53br">Worse, this start isn’t entirely shocking. The Patriots entered this year with more roster questions than any Pats team in years—who are their wide receivers? Can they protect Brady? Will the defense remain a sieve?—and none of those questions have been answered entering Week 4. Brady is 41, and this team is going to be his heaviest lift to date.</p>
<h4 id="rbGxd6">Calm Yourself: The AFC East Is Still Trash</h4>
<p id="Hffbeh">Even the Pats’ biggest haters aren’t predicting a cliff dive, and that may be the only way the team blows the division. Yes, the Bills thrashed the Vikings on Sunday, the Dolphins are one of the four remaining undefeated teams, and the Jets have looked OK, but you and I know none of this will stop the Patriots from taking the AFC East. Even a mediocre season (by New England standards) will still capture the division crown and potentially even a bye in an AFC that has a precipitous drop at the top after the Chiefs. </p>
<p id="ZcC7d4">Once in the playoffs, New England’s postseason experience is such a huge advantage that just getting to January makes them the favorite to make it to the AFC championship game. Even if the team is slightly worse, their road to the conference title runs downhill.</p>
<h4 id="rBP2GN">Undeniable Fact: The Offense Is Lifeless and Has No Playmakers Beyond Gronk</h4>
<p id="54tdhF">It doesn’t matter how well Brady plays if he has nobody to throw to. After trading Brandin Cooks, letting Danny Amendola leave in free agency, and losing Julian Edelman to a suspension, the Patriots have the thinnest wide receiver group in football. Their wideouts combined for a whopping four catches on 10 targets for 43 yards on Sunday night, Rob Gronkowski has been mostly thwarted each of the past two weeks, and the team’s strategy of compensating with pass-catching running backs has not gone how Pats fans nor Rex Burkhead fantasy owners envisioned. </p>
<p id="lrd5in">After Gronk and Chris Hogan, the team is relying on receivers Phillip Dorsett, who could barely get playing time with the Colts before the Jacoby Brissett trade, and Cordarrelle Patterson, who is a special teams player. Meanwhile, rookie Sony Michel was pressed into lead-back duty as New England’s primary ball carrier and didn’t do a great Dion Lewis impression.</p>
<p id="Q4UEVq">All of that combines into an inability to control the game. The Patriots went three-and-out on their first three drives against the Lions and had the ball for only 20:45, barely half of Detroit’s 39:15. The Patriots can’t control the game if they can’t control the clock.</p>
<h4 id="GM6DeE">Don’t Overreact: They’ll Add Two Playmakers Soon</h4>
<p id="XfeNlH">The offense has missed their playmakers more than anticipated, but Edelman will return in two weeks, and Josh Gordon, who was inactive on Sunday night, should play soon. Defenses have been free to bracket Gronkowski without repercussion because none of their receivers have been able to beat one-on-one coverage. It’s hard for Gronkowski to make an impact (four catches for 51 yards on Sunday) when defenses can do this against him. </p>
<div id="PIVpp8">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lions weren't gonna let Gronk beat 'em. Doubled him like they were blocking for a punt returner <a href="https://t.co/TLSoRoTC6A">pic.twitter.com/TLSoRoTC6A</a></p>— New Account (@ftbeard_17) <a href="https://twitter.com/ftbeard_17/status/1044059162341044224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="4SnAtK">Teams won’t be able to devote so much attention to Gronk when Gordon and Edelman get in the lineup. There’s certainly risk with each—Edelman is 32 and returning from an ACL injury, while Gordon has struggled to stay on the field his entire career—but their presence will open up the field horizontally and vertically, creating passing windows for Gronkowski, and in turn opening rushing lanes for Michel.</p>
<h4 id="TLmanQ">Definitely Overreact: The Defense Hasn’t Been Able to Get a Stop for Two Years</h4>
<p id="SwpNVb">While the Cooks trade garnered more reactions, Belichick’s questionable personnel decision-making is even more visible on defense. The front seven, led by Dont’a Hightower and a ragtag group including Kyle Van Noy, Keionta Davis, Danny Shelton, Deatrich Wise, and Lawrence Guy, has not been doing its job. The team just allowed the Lions’ first 100-yard rusher in 50 years (OK, it was five, but it feels like 50) and hit Matt Stafford only once on Sunday. Hightower has proved to be a liability at times, which has highlighted the 2016 decisions to trade away defensive end Chandler Jones (who would have been quite handy in Super Bowl LII) and linebacker Jamie Collins (who would have been a much more prominent “what if” had the Patriots lost to the Falcons in Super Bowl LI). </p>
<p id="pYDPB3">The defense forced just two punts on Sunday night, which comes just one week after it forced only three punts against the Leonard Fournette–less Jaguars. This is distressing news for Pats fans after New England had an entire offseason to fix a defense that forced one punt against Nick Foles and Philadelphia in the Super Bowl, but made only one significant personnel change by losing defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to Detroit. Belichick may be a Hall of Fame coach, but his recent history as general manager may have dug a hole so deep that even he can’t climb out of it. </p>
<h4 id="lDVM2l">Keep Calm: Count the Rings</h4>
<div id="nE7pe7"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 53.7924%;"><iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/3oriOafgCGbCjVI7S0?html5=true&hideSocial=true" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="jgeERr"></p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/24/17895002/new-england-patriots-slow-startDanny Heifetz2018-09-24T01:45:10-04:002018-09-24T01:45:10-04:00The Winners and Losers From NFL Week 3
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PlLS3cBHtqC4DxBnTSO82HvasiQ=/167x0:2834x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61516317/ShermanWinnersLosers_923_getty_apimages_ringer.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images/AP Images/Ringer illustration</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Bills pulled off the biggest upset of the century and the Patriots fell on their faces. Those are just two of the ways the league made no sense this week.</p> <aside id="YFB2kf"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 3 of the 2018 NFL Season ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/20/17882306/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-3-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="O34W2R"><em>Every week this NFL season, we will celebrate the electric plays, investigate the colossal blunders, and explain the inexplicable moments of the most recent slate. Welcome to Winners and Losers. Which one are you?</em></p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="tieMhE">
<h3 id="DDTkJQ">Winner: Nonsense</h3>
<p id="3t47zZ">This was the third week of the NFL season, and one where the idea of the league making sense officially fell apart.</p>
<ul>
<li id="2cJsLL">The Patriots—you know, the team that wins the Super Bowl every year, every day, every hour, every minute, the team that has won the Super Bowl 7,000 times—lost to the previously winless Lions. It’s the first time the Patriots have lost back-to-back games by double digits since 2002. The Lions, you may remember, got completely rocked by the Jets in Week 1, with Matt Stafford throwing four interceptions. The Jets, you may remember, have not won the Super Bowl 7,000 times, and in fact, lost to the Browns on Thursday. The Browns went 0-16 last year, and now they have a transitive-property win over the Patriots. And a better record—1-1-1 is better than 1-2.</li>
<li id="AtOfu8">The Jaguars beat the Patriots last week in an AFC championship game rematch. This week, Jacksonville lost 9-6 to the Titans. Tennessee started Blaine Gabbert due to an injury to Marcus Mariota, then played Mariota, who was still injured, after a first-quarter injury to Gabbert. An injured mashup QB named Blarcus Gabriota is officially a better quarterback than Tom Brady.</li>
<li id="HBMEgW">And last but not least, the Buffalo Bills pulled off the biggest upset in decades. Yes, the Bills! Buffalo was 0-2, having lost 47-3 to the Ravens and trailed 28-3 against the Chargers. The Vikings made the NFC championship game last year and were at home. This is why the Bills were 17-point underdogs. </li>
</ul>
<p id="Dbv1ri">But the Bills won! They became <a href="http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/24774007/buffalo-bills-shock-unbeaten-minnesota-vikings-pull-largest-nfl-upset-23-years">the largest underdog to win since 1995</a>. And they didn’t just win—they won by <em>21.</em> Underdogs of at least 15 points had a 4.2 winning percentage since 1990, <a href="https://twitter.com/billbarnwell/status/1043943718544437249">with no wins by more than seven points</a>. The Bills won by three dang touchdowns. Buffalo looked legitimately great. The Bills didn’t allow any points until the fourth quarter. Josh Allen jumped over a guy.</p>
<div id="PxQQGU">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Josh Allen, track star. <a href="https://t.co/OSheUoD2tN">pic.twitter.com/OSheUoD2tN</a></p>— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanDFischer/status/1043918702360461312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="0W6dMv">Josh Allen is 6-foot-5! You ever seen an oak tree jump? </p>
<p id="z1kutV">A week ago, I said the Bills were <a href="https://twitter.com/rodger/status/1041390806035099649">“a football disaster.”</a> Today they beat a Super Bowl favorite, comfortably, on the road, with <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/4/25/17277580/draft-qb-thoughts-baker-mayfield-lamar-jackson-josh-allen">a quarterback I called “bad at throwing”</a> posting a 111.2 QB rating. Is it possible that I was wrong? That I should reconsider my previously held opinions? That I know literally nothing about football and should just shut up all the time in hopes that nobody will notice that I’m so stupid and bad? That sounds possible, but, uh, I think it would be easier for us to just say the NFL is total nonsense and move on and not think about it too much.</p>
<h3 id="i1SCrT">Loser: Vontae Davis</h3>
<p id="GcPXSB">Last week <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/17/17868696/winners-losers-week-2-vontae-davis-ryan-fitzpatrick-keelan-cole">we praised Davis for retiring at halftime of a Bills game</a> instead of putting his body on the line for the sake of a team doomed to weekly demolition. But now that the Bills are America’s Team, the situation is flipped. Now we know what the Bills’ problem was: It was Vontae Davis. </p>
<p id="jw7og6">Before Davis retired, the Bills played six quarters and were outscored 75-9. Since Davis retired, the Bills have played six quarters and have outscored the opposition 41-9. Never mind that Davis didn’t even play in the Bills’ Week 1 game—just being on the roster caused Nathan Peterman to post a 0.0 QB rating in that game. </p>
<p id="pkNFZl">This same scenario happened in<em> Friday Night Lights</em>—quarterback Ray “Voodoo” Tatum walked out of a Dillon game at halftime, revealing that it was actually Voodoo’s negative energy holding the Panthers back, and after that they went undefeated and made the state championship game, where they played Voodoo Tatum’s new team. So, when Vontae Davis comes out of retirement to play for another team, look for that squad to play the Bills in the Super Bowl. </p>
<h3 id="QMjQ3j">Winner: The High Five</h3>
<p id="2IOoEy">The high five is a replacement-level celebration. You can high-five your uncle, your boss, your teacher, 3-year-olds, and some particularly talented dogs. It can only be botched by the squarest of squares. It is unimpressive, especially compared to <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/10/20/16506780/nfl-best-touchdown-celebrations">more complex and fun football celebrations</a>. The only time the high five seems to be of note is <a href="https://deadspin.com/tom-brady-left-hanging-forever-and-ever-1488487448">when somebody gets left hanging</a>.</p>
<p id="jPVixg">However, as Dolphins wide receivers Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant proved Sunday, sometimes context can turn even a mundane celebration into something spectacular:</p>
<div id="Le9vI0">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">SO. MUCH. SPEED.<br><br>And high fives! <br><br> : CBS <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinsUp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FinsUp</a> <a href="https://t.co/7hlgqs9VOp">pic.twitter.com/7hlgqs9VOp</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1043953505797472256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="X3U1x2">High-fiving itself might not be cool—but high-fiving <em>during a touchdown?</em> Crossing wide receivers <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/9/25/16357408/ohio-state-players-high-five-during-game">are actually coached to high-five each other when running mesh</a>, but this is different.</p>
<p id="YsXZxP">The degree of difficulty on this play is ridiculous. The Dolphins needed to run a play so successful that two receivers could have the ball miles beyond any opposing defenders. They had to be running in the same direction with no responsibilities—no moves left to make, no defenders left to block—nothing to do besides match speeds and slap skin.</p>
<p id="jCdBwx">This is the most technically complex method of performing a relatively simple gesture since Lieutenant Pete Mitchell <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUZxSf_P2r0">flipped the bird to a MiG pilot during an inverted dive</a>. Wilson also threw a touchdown in the Dolphins’ win, but rebranding a mundane celebration is probably the most important thing he did.</p>
<h3 id="wFQ6SI">Loser: Clay Matthews</h3>
<p id="V6i3Dy">Matthews was called for four roughing-the-passer penalties in the first nine seasons of his career. He’s been called for three in the first three weeks of this season, thanks to the league’s new emphasis on penalizing sacks where pass rushers land on top of quarterbacks. Last week, Matthews’s <a href="https://deadspin.com/a-bullshit-penalty-let-the-vikings-tie-the-packers-1829095434">regular-looking sack was flagged,</a> turning an interception into a first down, allowing the Vikings to continue a drive that tied the game. This week, he was flagged for this. </p>
<div id="q9hpgy">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Roughing the passer. Clay Matthews may actually kill a referee at this point <a href="https://t.co/ta9zJqrAOO">pic.twitter.com/ta9zJqrAOO</a></p>— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteBlackburn/status/1043945662407208966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="CNFXTq">As with last week’s tackle, it’s not clear what Matthews is supposed to do here. His hit is near perfect—he doesn’t lead with his head, hits Alex Smith in the midsection (not high enough to hit his helmet, not low enough to endanger his knees), wraps Smith with his arms, and tries to get his body weight off of Smith as quickly as possible after the tackle. Perhaps he could have learned to levitate at the exact moment Smith’s body touched the ground. </p>
<p id="YaEgAV">But the league’s officiating office has stressed that the calls against Matthews have both been accurate, because Matthews is landing on the opposing quarterback with his body weight. Last week’s hit was reportedly added to <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-ridiculous-clay-matthews-roughing-the-passer-penalty-was-correct-will-be-teaching-tape/">the teaching tape</a>, and after this week’s hit, the league tweeted about how <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLFootballOps/status/1043948315040264192">the call was correct</a>. (It was a tweet that will go down in ratio history—at time of publication, it had 500 retweets, 1,500 likes, and a stunning 8,700 replies.)</p>
<p id="lNTyWK">I refuse to believe that the league has actually made the types of hits Matthews is making illegal. They’re safe—or at least as safe as any football hit can be—and wouldn’t be considered illegal on running backs or wide receivers. So it’s my understanding that the NFL is just penalizing all sacks by Clay Matthews. What a tough situation he’s in—his job is to sack people, but he’s also not allowed to sack people. </p>
<h3 id="pKUZwO">Winner: Bill Belichick</h3>
<p id="Ns7ttr">Last week I put the Patriots’ coach into the losers column, which was a mistake. Bill Belichick is a genius, and I am but a pathetic writer who is not fit to wash Belichick’s hoodie. (Side note: it appears nobody is fit to wash Belichick’s hoodie. That thing looks dirty as hell.) So this week, I am making him a winner out of penance.</p>
<p id="1FSZmo">There’s really only one thing in between Belichick and universal acceptance as the most brilliant coach or person ever to live: His assistant coaches have all sucked as head coaches. The Belichick coaching tree includes massive failures Al Groh, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Jim Schwartz, and Nick Saban, whom nobody has heard of since he quit the Miami Dolphins in early 2007. Maybe this shows that Belichick is such an overwhelming genius that his assistants are useless. Maybe it shows that all of New England’s success comes because of Tom Brady, rather than Belichick’s system. Let’s stick with the latter, because it’s more fun.</p>
<p id="8B8Kn8">Anyway, new Lions head coach Matt Patricia got off to a start we’d expected from Belichick disciples, going 0-2, including a blowout loss to the Jets. The Patriots coach had to do something to save his reputation—and he did, letting the Lions pull off a stunning upset on <em>Sunday Night Football</em>. </p>
<p id="sX3Vkq">Brady threw for just 133 yards, his fewest in a non–Week 17 game since 2013. The Lions had a 100-yard rusher for the first time since 2013. And Detroit won 26-10. Truly masterful work from Belichick, whose reputation is unblemished now that Patricia is no longer a winless coach.</p>
<h3 id="tb7Z7p">Loser: The Guy Who Had to Block J.J. Watt</h3>
<p id="WdO2no">The Giants’ starting right tackle was Ereck Flowers, whose season highlights include getting beaten <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/1043823304493158400">so badly he had to trip the defensive end sprinting past him</a> and <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/09/nfl-ereck-flowers-calais-campbell-giants-jaguars">the time he thought Calais Campbell relied more on speed than power</a>. (Campbell, who barely lost last year’s Defensive Player of the Year vote, is 6-foot-8 and weighs 300 pounds. He is not a speed guy.) So this week, the Giants replaced him with Chad Wheeler. Flowers was a top-10 pick in 2015; Wheeler went undrafted in 2017. Neat!</p>
<p id="hOll5Q">Unfortunately, Wheeler’s first start of the season was against the Texans. Who have a guy named J.J. Watt. </p>
<div id="beJjcc">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watt gets round Wheeler and swats the ball out of Eli's hands in about two seconds flat here. Unreal. <a href="https://t.co/JfsMD2de7H">pic.twitter.com/JfsMD2de7H</a></p>— Gordon McGuinness (@PFF_Gordon) <a href="https://twitter.com/PFF_Gordon/status/1043930071210315778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="vs1maY">Congrats, you’re starting! Now you have to stop this guy:</p>
<div id="JAvaml">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Friendly reminder that <a href="https://twitter.com/JJWatt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jjwatt</a> is very very very very very good. <br><br> : FOX <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Texans</a> <a href="https://t.co/gPICJMfymr">pic.twitter.com/gPICJMfymr</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1043943674223058944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="yw8Kcw">Due to injuries, Watt hadn’t recorded a sack since 2016. He had three Sunday, blowing past Wheeler again and again and again. But Wheeler survived his trial by extremely strong guy—here’s <a href="https://twitter.com/MSGNetworks/status/1043977624392019968">video evidence that he’s alive</a>—and life will only get easier. </p>
<h3 id="G6wuwA">Winner: Efe Obada</h3>
<p id="DBYwE6">You probably hadn’t heard of Panthers defensive end Efe Obada before he made his NFL debut Sunday. After all, he’d never played a pro game. He didn’t play for your favorite college team, or in the same conference as your favorite college team, or at a high school in your home state. Obada was born in Nigeria, moved to the Netherlands as a child, and <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/de-efe-obada-makes-panthers-amazing-odds-including-homeless-child-182001544.html">was homeless in London at the age of 10</a>, abandoned by the person who was supposed to help him adapt to life in his new home. Four years ago, a friend convinced him to join a local American football team in England. The level of competition wasn’t high, but at 6-foot-6 and with incredible athleticism, Obada was hard to miss. </p>
<p id="1POp9W">Obada joined the Panthers as part of something called the NFL’s International Pathway Program, <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000935595/article/8-international-players-added-to-nfl-rosters-for-2018-season">which gave teams an extra offseason spot on their practice squads</a> if they were willing to use it on an inexperienced rando from overseas. While the majority of players in the Pathway Program got cut at the end of the offseason, Obada was one of just two (along with Eagles draft pick Jordan Mailata, who is from Australia) to make his team.</p>
<p id="CQaHjO">And he had himself a game:</p>
<div id="3IlYDK">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IDP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IDP</a> Need to do some looking into on Efe Obada <a href="https://t.co/6Qn8swnXsE">pic.twitter.com/6Qn8swnXsE</a></p>— Mike Woellert (@Mike_Woellert) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mike_Woellert/status/1043952088680665088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<div id="V5rSO5">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">That Efe Obada INTERCEPTION <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeepPounding?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeepPounding</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CINvsCAR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CINvsCAR</a><br><br> <a href="https://t.co/FOM01AVuMc">pic.twitter.com/FOM01AVuMc</a></p>— Gridiron (@Gridiron) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gridiron/status/1043938934559043585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="wHIToQ">Obada got a sack, an interception, and <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24775624/efe-obada-carolina-panthers-awarded-game-ball-interception-sack">a game ball</a>. (He would’ve had a forced fumble, but officials ruled Andy Dalton’s arm was moving forward on the pass.)</p>
<p id="d8PGgG">The performance is awesome for Obada—it’s truly amazing that somebody who had never even <em>seen</em> a football game four years ago just had a sack and an interception in a live NFL game. But it also could be huge for the development of the game in other countries. With Obada’s productive game, NFL teams can see that developing foreign talent isn’t just part of some useless initiative to please the league office or win a few dozen fans in some far-flung country where their team will never play. There are amazing athletes around the world who, with the right coaching, can help NFL teams win games. </p>
<h3 id="6JIAF5">Loser: The Josh Rosen Plan</h3>
<p id="ZCrCPo">Through two weeks, all indications pointed to the Cardinals having the worst offense in football, and yet the team seemed set to continue with starter Sam Bradford instead of rookie Josh Rosen. The team wanted Rosen to develop at his pace, even if that meant the team would take some bumps along the way. Then on Sunday, Bradford blew the game against the Bears. After leading the Cardinals to a 14-0 lead, Bradford threw two picks and lost a fumble. </p>
<p id="VdREVS">With Arizona trailing 16-14 and under five minutes to go, the Cardinals ditched the plan. In came Rosen. And he, uh, did not play well:</p>
<div id="s4cS28">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">When you pick off a pass with 1:10 left in the game and holding a 2-point lead, maybe you need a nickname.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHIvsAZ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHIvsAZ</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DaBears?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DaBears</a> <a href="https://t.co/fl4ahVxBmd">pic.twitter.com/fl4ahVxBmd</a></p>— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1044007689402167298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="4wHqLi">Rosen had an opportunity to throw a Hail Mary for the win. Except, he didn’t really have much of an opportunity—the Bears made the unusual decision to blitz on the Hail Mary, sending six rushers at Rosen. His receivers didn’t even get downfield before he was crushed.</p>
<div id="Kuz32d">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chicago didn't give Josh Rosen a chance for a Hail Mary on the game's final play as the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bears?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bears</a> sack the Arizona rookie to complete a 16-14 win over the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AZCardinals?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AZCardinals</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHIvsAZ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHIvsAZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/MPrMkmntRz">pic.twitter.com/MPrMkmntRz</a></p>— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) <a href="https://twitter.com/DuaneRankin/status/1044007906566426624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="vzfGA8">I strongly endorse rookies playing over subpar veterans. And I get the idea with playing Rosen—Bradford obviously couldn’t get the job done, and it would’ve been really cool if Rosen had pulled out the win! <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/21/17887048/baker-mayfield-browns-jets-hue-jackson">Look at Baker Mayfield</a>, the new king of Cleveland! </p>
<p id="GY0hWK">But while it was a neat idea, the execution was unfortunate. A kid who had only infrequently practiced with the first team was thrown into the most critical moments of a game. He had no time to adjust—he was forced to lead his team to victory or get eaten alive by Khalil Mack. It was like driving a car for the first time in the final lap of a NASCAR race. It backfired, and now Rosen is saddled with some of the responsibility for a defeat in his very first pro game. </p>
<h3 id="pm9p2o">Winner: Steve Sarkisian</h3>
<p id="4aFMcT">The Falcons seemed doomed after their opening-night loss to the Eagles. Yes, they had excellent offensive talent, with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Devonta Freeman, but those people were coached by offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Sark’s inability to coach in the red zone has become legendary. The Falcons scored touchdowns on 64.6 percent of their red zone opportunities in 2016 with Kyle Shanahan as OC; that dropped to 49.2 percent in Sarkisian’s first year in Atlanta, with the season ending just a few feet from Philadelphia’s end zone in the divisional round of the playoffs due to some confusing play calls by Sark. That appeared to carry over into 2018, as Atlanta went 1-for-5 in the red zone against the Eagles, the game once again ending just a few feet from Philadelphia’s end zone due to some confusing play calls by Sark. How could anybody trust <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2017/2/7/14533830/steve-sarkisian-atlanta-falcons-alabama-offensive-coordinator">the one dude who managed to lose a game at Alabama</a>?</p>
<p id="lUkkKs">But Sarkisian has killed the red zone monster. Since Week 1, the Falcons have scored touchdowns on every one of their eight trips inside the 20-yard line, including 28 points off of four trips to the red zone Sunday against the Saints.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="HWU1PF">Of course, the Falcons still lost, 43-37 in overtime, but at least it wasn’t Sark’s fault this time.</p>
<p id="cS0vkh"><em>An earlier version of this story included the incorrect draft year for Ereck Flowers. He was a top-10 pick in 2015, not 2017. </em></p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/24/17895144/winners-and-losers-week-3-buffalo-bills-new-england-patriotsRodger Sherman2018-09-23T17:59:09-04:002018-09-23T17:59:09-04:00We Don’t Have the Vocabulary to Describe What Patrick Mahomes II Is Doing
<figure>
<img alt="San Francisco 49ers v Kansas City Chiefs" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/G0hYh1HqXseELWWJ-piE7jYYzXo=/282x0:4775x3370/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61512773/1038557920.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Chiefs passer breaks a record every week, and he’s only four games into his career</p> <aside id="b3Z1BK"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 3 of the 2018 NFL Season ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/20/17882306/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-3-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="fZadpU">I don’t know how to describe Patrick Mahomes II anymore, and my job is to describe things that happen in football. But please don’t blame me, because Mahomes is making things tough—there is simply no frame of reference for what he is doing. Through three games, Mahomes has 62 completions on 93 attempts (66.6 percent) for 896 yards, 13 touchdowns, and zero interceptions, a run that has annihilated opposing defenses and the vocabulary we use to describe short-term greatness. </p>
<p id="GvD9PS">Mahomes was off to <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/16/17867530/patrick-mahomes-ii-is-off-to-the-best-start-for-a-qb-ever">the best start to a career in NFL history by far</a> through his first three games—including his Week 17 start last year in which he had zero touchdowns. His passing numbers and win totals dwarf the mythical starts of other young QBs like Andrew Luck, Carson Wentz, and Deshaun Watson. Even Robert Griffin III, another Roman-numeral-suffixed Big 12 quarterback treated as a messiah at the beginning of his career, doesn’t come close. Griffin had roughly half the touchdowns as Mahomes does and two losses to start his famous 2012 season.</p>
<p id="CN9eyf">Not only can Mahomes not be compared to other quarterbacks at the beginning of their careers, but he can barely be compared to other quarterbacks at any stage of their careers. In this week’s edition of “What record did Patrick Mahomes break on Sunday?” he set a new record of 13 touchdown passes through three games, breaking Peyton Manning’s 2013 record of 12, and Mahomes did it by halftime. That comes after he set the record for passing touchdowns through two weeks against the Steelers with six touchdown passes against just five incompletions (only Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Nick Foles have had at least six touchdown passes and fewer incompletions than TDs in a game before) while also <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/11/17844496/patrick-mahomes-ii-is-here-to-save-the-deep-ball-and-destroy-the-nfl">saving the art of the deep ball</a>. He’s breaking records every week, and there is no end in sight. </p>
<p id="Z1e0ya">Mahomes is on pace for 4,778 passing yards, zero interceptions, and 69 passing touchdowns. Even if the interception mark doesn’t hold, those figures would shatter the single-season record for touchdowns (55) set by Peyton Manning with the Broncos in 2013 when Manning was 37 years old. Even if Mahomes’s pace comes down by a full touchdown per game, he’ll set the NFL record for passing touchdowns. He is 23. </p>
<p id="WlkZwa">We’re left turning to other sports to put this in context. Kansas City’s offensive approach is reminiscent of the Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns under Mike D’Antoni and executed by Steve Nash, whose spacing, scoring, and blatant disregard for defense ushered in a new offensive era in the NBA. For another basketball comparison, Mahomes’s air attack is similar to Steph Curry’s emergence in 2015-16 as the best shooter of all time. </p>
<p id="M8p7BV">As for how Mahomes is doing this, much of the answer may lie in baseball. Mahomes was drafted as a pitcher by the Detroit Tigers, is the son of an MLB pitcher, and <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/09/14/patrick-mahomes-kansas-city-chiefs-andy-reid?utm_campaign=themmqb&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social">has credited his time at shortstop for his ability to throw darts off-balance</a>. You can certainly see his shortstop roots on this touchdown pass against San Francisco on Sunday. </p>
<div id="bL76N5">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">You're not going to stop <a href="https://twitter.com/PatrickMahomes5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@patrickmahomes5</a> and the <a href="https://twitter.com/Chiefs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chiefs</a>! <br><br> : FOX <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChiefsKingdom?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChiefsKingdom</a> <a href="https://t.co/bXIe30xL0j">pic.twitter.com/bXIe30xL0j</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1043923100797038592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="e3r3EL">Perhaps Mahomes’s success may inspire football coaches to scout baseball players the same way teams targeted basketball players at tight end to find Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham. </p>
<p id="QJtFHR">Mahomes’s numbers are almost like he never left the Big 12, and they may foreshadow an <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2018/8/14/17685080/air-raid-offense-mike-leach-lincoln-riley">Air Raid, spread coast revolution</a>. Head coach Andy Reid deserves a mountain of credit for the Chiefs’ 3-0 start for his openness to <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/1/5/16853446/afc-playoffs-influential-offense-andy-reid-kansas-city-chiefs-college-spread">embrace these new concepts</a>, his ability to scheme receivers open for Mahomes to hit, and for turning Alex Smith into the best deep-ball passer in 2017. If other offenses follow Kansas City’s lead, Mahomes may one day be seen as the forerunner of a new era of football in which receivers are always open with the right read and a rocket arm.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="1HoEbe">If we must look to the NFL for a comparison, it’s somewhere between <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/17/17869740/kansas-city-chiefs-patrick-mahomes-explosive-offense">the Greatest Show on Turf</a> and the 2007 New England Patriots. It’s always dangerous to compare a team to the best in the history of the sport (and it’s still too early for that), but that is just how uncharted this territory is. Kansas City’s next three games come in Denver, against the Jaguars, and against New England in Foxborough. If Mahomes emerges from that stretch with these numbers still intact, we’ll have to invent a new language to talk about this team—because I’m already running out of ideas and there are 13 games left.</p>
<p id="iRQ8wQ"><em>An earlier version of this piece miscalculated Mahomes’s completion percentage through three games and incorrectly stated the mark would break the record for completion percentage. It also misstated that Brady, Manning, and Foles had all had six-TD games with fewer than five incompletions; they had fewer incompletions than TDs. </em></p>
<p id="bdJGOL"></p>
<p id="jxepzL"></p>
<p id="clVN8Y"></p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/23/17893916/patrick-mahomes-ii-vocabulary-kansas-city-chiefs-san-francisco-49ersDanny Heifetz2018-09-23T17:49:29-04:002018-09-23T17:49:29-04:00Without Jimmy Garoppolo, the Niners’ Season Looks Finished
<figure>
<img alt="San Francisco 49ers v Kansas City Chiefs" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SeracBYyLCohDXi_FpvcI1XDy2U=/245x0:4161x2937/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61512679/1038650934.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>San Francisco’s $137.5 million man was carted off on Sunday with a brutal-looking knee injury. But even as the team fears the worst, the future’s still bright in the Bay. </p> <aside id="jTYBS6"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 3 of the 2018 NFL Season ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/9/20/17882306/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-3-of-the-2018-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="xkRDyS">I had the 49ers circled as a team to not overreact to early. San Francisco faced <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2018/9/6/17825412/nfl-toughest-easiest-early-schedule">one of the tougher early schedules</a>, was breaking in a newish quarterback, and, after losing Jerick McKinnon to an ACL tear on September 4, would have to engineer a new running game. It was conceivable that the team would start out slow and still come on strong later in the season to compete for a playoff spot.</p>
<p id="tmRxuL">Now may be time to overreact, at least in the short term. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was carted off the field after a noncontact knee injury in the fourth quarter of the 49ers’ 38-27 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. Here’s a video in which you can see Garoppolo’s knee buckle—don’t hit play if you’re of the faint of heart:</p>
<div id="VK3DP3">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jimmy G's left knee buckles <a href="https://t.co/tA5nqGEYf1">pic.twitter.com/tA5nqGEYf1</a></p>— Kevin Jones (@Mr_KevinJones) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mr_KevinJones/status/1043959351193436160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="tJ4GKL">The exact extent of the injury won’t be known until an MRI test can be run on Monday, but 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan fears that Garoppolo tore his ACL:</p>
<div id="dUIaze">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers fear Jimmy Garoppolo tore his ACL. MRI on Monday, per source. “It doesn’t look good,” said one 49er.</p>— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1043961477919584258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="ef43YU">An ACL tear would end not only Garoppolo’s season, but the 49ers’ as well. Garoppolo’s backup is second-year pro C.J. Beathard, who completed 54.9 percent of his passes for four touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 69.2 passer rating in seven games of action last year. Backup quarterbacks may seem invincible after Nick Foles’s Super Bowl run, but we’ve already seen what San Francisco looks like with Beathard, and it’s ugly.</p>
<p id="K13DTs">While the Niners were one of the most hyped sleepers entering the season, the cracks were already showing through their first three games as they’ve gone 1-2. The offense struggled against the Vikings, and the defense looked slow against the Lions and the Chiefs. Without Garoppolo under center, the team’s hopes of a late-season run to the playoffs are virtually extinguished.</p>
<p id="T0HgZQ">If there’s any hope for the 49ers, it’s that any injury to Garoppolo—whether season-ending or not—does not affect the team’s long-term outlook. San Francisco still has a player they believe to be a franchise quarterback under contract, will have the <a href="https://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space">seventh-most cap space</a> next season, and has one of the NFL’s offensive wizards as their head coach. This season could already be a lost one, but the 49ers’ rebuild is continuing apace. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="hdmYwV">Even if it is an ACL tear for Garoppolo—who was handed a five-year, $137.5 million deal this offseason—the fact that it is happening in September means that he should be available by the start of next season without issue. This isn’t like when Carson Wentz went down last December and the Eagles had to start this season without him. By next September, Garoppolo and McKinnon should both be back, and the 49ers can use some draft capital and cap space to put some more pieces around their franchise passer. The future in San Francisco may not come today, but it should next year. </p>
https://www.theringer.com/2018/9/23/17893950/jimmy-garoppolo-knee-injury-aclRiley McAtee