Quick Six: 6 Takeaways from Week 3 of the NFL Season

1. The Rams are clearly the best team in the NFL right now

While they aren’t the only 3-0 team, after their dismantling of the Buccaneers defense and holding Brady and that explosive Tampa offense in check, it’s clear that the Rams are the best team in the NFL right now. Matthew Stafford has looked like an MVP candidate while playing the best football of his career, Cooper Kupp has looked like a top 5 WR this year, and the defense hasn’t taken a step back from the dominance that they showed last year. As long as this team can stay healthy and develop a consistent running game, nothing is going to keep them out of the super bowl come February.

2. The Bears problem was never Andy Dalton

Many were shocked when the Bears announced Andy Dalton would be the starter over Justin Fields for the season opener. After Dalton sustained an injury in the week 2 bout against Cincinnati, many fans had a glimpse of hope that they would finally see Fields breakout in his first start. As you could see, that was not the case. He was harassed throughout the entire game and didn’t stand a chance against the Cleveland defense. That game showed the Chicago’s problems go way beyond the QB play. This is a team in need of a total rebuild on offense if they want to see success.

3. The Packers are just fine

It made sense for Packers fans everywhere to panick after the trouncing they took in New Orleans and even after defeating Detroit, there were still quite a few questions. But after Sunday nights win against San Francisco, no questions or concerns remain. Rodgers did what he does best, leading Green Bay into field goal range in 35 seconds before Mason Crosby did what he did best, drilling the game winning field goal to send the Packers home as winners. Davante Adams looked like the best WR in football catching 12 passes for 132 yards and a score. The Packers remain a prime threat in the NFC.

4. The Cowboys are the best team in the NFC East

Every writer can admit when they’re wrong, and that is the case for me right now. I thought the top 2 teams in the NFC East were Philly and Washington and the only thing I thought the Cowboys would be contending for was a top 5 pick in next year’s draft. Sage to say, I was wrong. Dallas’ offense has looked as good as advertised, averaging 30 points per game. But the surprise of the season has been the stellar play of the defense. If you ignore the Tampa game, a game in which they still forced 4 turnovers, they defense has stepped up to the occasion big time. Trevon Diggs already has 2 picks 3 games into his sophomore season, Micah Parsons has been phenomenal as a pass rusher in place of the injured Demarcus Lawerence, and even linebackers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander-Esch have stepped up big time. If this defense can stay around the 10-15 range league wise, the Cowboys are going to be a dangerous team come playoff time.

5. The Vikings are a sleeper team in the NFC

Vikings are an interesting team, although they currently sit at 1-2, they are field goals away from sitting at 3-0. They looked great against Seattle even without their best offensive player in Dalvin Cook. The defense hasn’t been amazing, but they’ve been doing enough to put Minnesota in positions to win football games. The offense is still a top 10 offense in the league and this is a team that can rattle off consecutive wins at any point and time and they have a good enough coach in Mike Zimmer that can allow them to be a real wild card threat come playoff time.

6. The Steelers must move on from Big Ben if they want to have a shot this year

I look at Pittsburgh’s roster and i see a very talented roster. They are loaded at the WR position, Najee Harris has been the best rookie back in the NFL, and the defense is still a top 10 defense in the league led by DPOY candidate TJ Watt. But even with all that talent, this team is stuck in mediocrity because they have arguably the worst starting QB in the NFL. Big Ben already has dwindling arm strength which limits how much Pittsburgh can spread the ball around but then throw in the fact that noe his accuracy is below average and you have a QB that is going to run his offense right into the ground. I know Dwayne Haskins isn’t the most trustworthy QB and probably isn’t that much of an upgrade over Big Ben, but you have to be willing to try anything if you want your team to be a contender instead of a pretender.