Articles or links in this newsletter may contain affiliate links (#AFF). We may receive a commission on any sales we generate from them. Learn more |
| Welcome to the latest outing to the Endzone, our weekly NFL newsletter that swaps six points for NFL chat - and lots of it.
So Week 3 is in the books and we are down to just two, yes two, unbeaten teams as the Dolphins and Eagles continue to taste nothing but victories in their 2022 campaigns.
So grab yourself a brew, take a couple of minutes and see who else had a weekend to remember...
|
| The Good should be renamed The Great this week, as that is just what the Eagles were in their divisional beat-down against the Commanders.
In a four-quarter match-up the Eagles needed just one to dismantle their former quarterback Carson Wentz, as 24 second-quarter points – and seven sacks on Wentz throughout the afternoon – meant the Eagles were unplayable on both sides of the ball.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (above) took over under centre for Philadelphia and at the time questions were asked if that was the right move: Wentz once was a MVP favourite after-all. But Hurts, who threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in this one, as well as adding 20 yards on the ground, put all those questions behind him as he showed MVP form of his own in a statement win for the boys in Green.
Joining the Eagles in The Good column this week are the Jaguars, who continue to show new life under new head coach Doug Pederson. The Jags were on the sharp end of a lot of jokes last year, and deservedly so, but they are the ones laughing this season, especially after a 38-10 win against the Chargers.
True the Chargers are hurting injuries wise; when aren't they though? But the Jags managed to inflict more pain on LA quarterback Justin Herbert and his fractured rib cartilage by dominating on both sides of the ball in an impressive victory. Trevor Lawrence continued to show why he was taken number one overall last year with 260-plus yards and three touchdowns, while Travon Walker and the defence are showing that they could be back to the 2017 Jags levels of dominance before too long.
Rounding off The Good this week are the Ravens, who were too much for the Patriots to handle in a high-scoring affair on Sunday. The Patriots pride themselves on being a team that likes to run the ball and managed to do that well against a Ravens team that has been torched through the air at times this season, but even with three rushing touchdowns there was nothing the Pats could do to stop Lamar Jackson in a 37-26 defeat.
Jackson is showing why he is after a league-defining contract next summer as he threw four touchdowns, ran for 100-plus yards and ran in another on the ground. With Jackson in this kind of form the Ravens will be a force for any team to handle going forward.
|
| It is not very often that a team makes it into The Bad section after a win, but step on down the Chicago Bears. Taking on a Texans team that was equally bad, the Bears got themselves a win, but some serious questions now need to be asked when it comes to the direction the offence is taking under second year QB Justin Fields.
Fields threw just 17 times in the win with only eight of them being completions (and two interceptions) as he was given little to no help by a weak offensive line, coupled with issues holding the ball too long. A strong running game led by back-up Khalil Herbert - who went for 157 yards and two touchdowns - saved the Bears, who will need to improve the passing side of their offence before it becomes another wasted season for Fields.
Joining Fields and the Bears in The Bad column this week is another team who got a win – but who also have questions to answer after getting it. The Bills against the Dolphins was billed as the game of the weekend and during the first half, it looked like it was living up to the hype with the teams locked at 14-14.
But before the break an ugly incident involving Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (above) - during which he went to ground and stumbled numerous times while getting up, classic indicators of a potential head injury - looked like it had spelled the end of the game for the former Alamaba man.
That was not the case, though, as he appeared again after half-time, with the Dolphins citing a back injury as a the reason for a loss of balance for Tua – an ugly episode that is under investigation from the league – but one the quarterback rose above to help lead the Dolphins to a crucial divisional win.
Rounding up the bad this week are the Broncos and the 49ers who between them put up just 21 points on Monday morning, two of which were from a safety, in what was one of the poorer combined offensive showings of the season.
Jimmy G and Russell Wilson bpoth have their critics, what with Jimmy just coming back into the fold for the 49ers and Wilson having a laboured start somewhat with the Broncos, but both will be looking to bounce back as the weeks go on - especially with the offensive talent at their disposal.
|
