That was probably the most kick returns I have seen by people not named Devon Hester in a long time.  It was an exciting week of NFL action.  If I didn’t mention your favorite player or team, it isn’t because I didn’t watch the game or research the game.  It’s because it would be impossible to mention every player or game in one newsletter.  Please don't get upset if I don't list something about your favorite player or team.  Simply mention it in the comments section, and I will try to address it.  I hereby present to you a recap of the third week in the National Football League. 

Standings

 AFC East                              NFC East
1.New England (3-0)          1.Dallas (3-0)
2.NY Jets (1-2)                     2.Washington (2-1)
3.Miami (0-3)                        3.NY Giants (1-2)
4. Buffalo (0-3)                     4.Philadelphia (1-2) 

 AFC South                          NFC South
1.Indianapolis (3-0)           1. Carolina (2-1) 
2. Houston (2-1)                 2. Tampa Bay (2-1)
3. Tennessee (2-1)            3. New Orleans (0-3)
4. Jacksonville (2-1)           4. Atlanta (0-3)

 AFC North                            NFC North
1.Pittsburgh (3-0)                1.Green Bay (3-0) 
2. Baltimore (2-1)                2.Detroit (2-1)
3.Cleveland (1-2)                3.Chicago (1-2)
4.Cincinati (1-2)                  4.Minnesota (1-2)

 AFC West                           NFC West
1. Denver (2-1)                   1. San Fran (2-1) 
2. San Diego (1-2)            2. Seattle (2-1)
3. Kansas City (1-2)          3. Arizona (1-2)
4. Oakland (1-2)                 4. St Louis (0-3)
 

MVP of the Week:  I would go with three Quarterbacks.  In no particular order, Brett Favre who engineered a 4th quarter comeback to beat the Chargers.  He went 28 for 45 for 369 yards and 3 touchdowns, against 0 picks.  He tied Dan Marino with 420 career touchdown passes.  Second, Tom Brady went 23 for 29 with 311 yards, 4 touchdowns and no picks.  The Patriots scored 38 points for the third consecutive week.  Third, Donovan McNabb, who silenced the HBO story with his play on the field.  He led the Eagles to 42 first half points.  He went 21 for 26 for 381 yards, 4 touchdowns and no picks.  He had a perfect 158.3 QB rating.  He probably could have thrown for 600 yards, had the Eagles not stopped throwing the ball in the second half.  Honorable mentions to Brian Westbrook, who had 221 rushing and receiving yards and had 3 touchdowns in the first half.  Kevin Curtis had 11 catches for 221-yards and 3 touchdowns.  He and Westbrook became the first teammates to have 3 touchdowns each in a half.  Kevin Curtis and Roy Williams became the first players to have 200-yards receiving in the same game.     

Game of the Week:  I would go with the game in Lambeau.  The game featured two 300- yard passers and 2 QBs that had 3 touchdown passes.  The Packers led 17-7, but gave the lead back on two touchdown drives, one at the end of the first half and one at the beginning of the second half.  The Packers offense moved the ball to the San Diego goaline in the 4th quarter, but failed to capitalize.  They got the ball back, and Brett Favre tied history with his 420th touchdown pass to Greg Jennings.  The Packers held on for the victory.  Honorable mentions to the Baltimore and Arizona game, which was won by Baltimore 26-23 on a field goal with 4 seconds left in the game.  Kurt Warner turned that into an interesting game, and may have created an early season QB controversy in Arizona.   Further mentions to Seattle and Cincinnati, which was one by Seattle 24-21 on a touchdown pass in the final minute, Hasselbeck to Burleson. 

Loser of the Weak:  Bulger, Holt, and Jackson.  After St Louis dropped their first two home games, they took the field against Tampa.  They lost 24-3.  Bulger passed for just 116 yards and had 3 interceptions.  Steven Jackson rushed for 115 yards, but failed to crack 4.0 yards per carry and failed to crack the endzone again.  He was injured in the 4th quarter.  Holt had 63 yards receiving and failed to crack the endzone.  The loss dropped St Louis to 0-3.  Honorable mentions to Rex Grossman.  195 yards 0 touchdowns and 3 picks in no way to keep your job.    Same for Drew Brees and his 4 interceptions and a fumble on Monday night.  Same for Matt Leinart, who went 9-20 for 58 yards and failed to score a touchdown.  Lee Evans added 1 catch and 7 yards to his season total of 5 receptions for 29 yards.  If he keeps up his current pace, he will have 27 catches for 155 yards and 0 touchdowns.  Finally Larry Johnson gave us 24 carries for 42 yards.  He is averaging 2.8 yards per carry for the season. 

The Bay of Pigs:  Kansas City and Minnesota gave us a thriller at Arrowhead.  Minnesota raced out of the gates to a 10-0 lead.  Normally that would be enough to keep the Kansas City offense behind for 2 games.  However, Kansas City found their jet fuel and scored 13 unanswered points, including a touchdown pass, which put the Chiefs ahead 13-10.  The 3-point lead proved to be too much for the Vikings, who had used up all of their offense in the first half. 

The Mike Martz Award (Excellence in Coaching):  Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs takes the honor this week.  The Redskins had a 17-3 lead at the half.  The Redskins forgot that you don’t get half a win for leading at the half.  The Giants scored 21 unanswered points to take a 24-17 lead.  The Redskins put together a late 4th quarter drive and reached the 2-yard line with less than a minute to play and no timeouts.  Campbell spiked the ball which I didn’t think was necessary.  Then Gibbs sent in the 3 tight end package and left his best player, Clinton Portis on the bench.  He called an incomplete pass play to Sellers.  Third down produced a Betts run that failed to get to the goaline.  The Redskins still had about 25 seconds left.  Instead of calling a play and executing it, they rushed to the line with a package that is not used to running no huddle.  They never appeared to get in sync.  The run went to the left and was stopped short of the goaline.  Gibbs did three catastrophic things.  1) He left his best player on the sideline at the most important part of the game.  2) He had a package in the game that was not used to going no huddle, 3) He called a running play on third down with no timeouts and a QB who has not been in that situation before.  Campbell clearly looked panic.  That caused the 4th down play to fail, because it was poorly executed.  While the Giants deserve a pat on the back for their shutout in the second half, this was just as much about how clueless the Redskins looked at the goaline as what the Giants did on the defensive side of the ball.   The smart play would have been to have Portis in the game.  Gibbs could have either run him or run play action for Cooley, a top tier tight end playing against a team that can’t cover the tight end.  Instead they lost with their best player on the bench. 

Hospital Visit:  Cedric Killings had a very serious neck injury in the loss to the Colts.  While he is able to stand, he did suffer a fractured neck.  Shaun Alexander has a cracked wrist, but is expected to play.  #### and Cutler were injured in the Broncos loss to the Jaguars.  Their availability is unclear.  Losman looks to be out for a couple weeks with a knee injury.  Delhomme doesn’t not need surgery on his arm, but his status is up in the air.  McAllister was injured in the Saints loss.  It is feared he tore his ACL and is out for the season. 

Overall Impressions of the Week that Was:

1) Something is wrong in San Diego, and it is not Norv Turner – The problem is the receivers and the offensive line.  LT isn’t gaining yards because he has 3 guys within a few yards of him at the line of scrimmage.  He has to run sideways very early in the play.  I am surprised he has as many yards as he does.  The line is simply getting blown off the point of attack.  The second problem is that no one respects the receivers and are crowding the box to stop Gates and LT.  Norv Turner is getting the blame, because he is the different part of this San Diego equation from last season.  However, the Chargers front office was complacent with last season’s success, and did nothing to sure up the weaknesses they had last season, mainly finding receivers.  While Davis was a first round pick, rookie receivers don’t produce consistent results, which has been evident in Davis’s case to start the season.  While I think Norv Turner is a very average coach, he can’t block defenders.  The Chargers need to stop feeling sorry for themselves and use their immense talents to win football games. 

2) St Louis and New Orleans are the biggest disappointment in the NFL – I can’t believe I thought these teams would have the two most explosive offenses in the NFC.  The Saints forgot how to block or throw the ball more than 20 yards down field.  The Rams can’t score any points.  These were teams that had divisional aspirations, and in New Orleans’ case Super Bowl aspirations.  They don’t look like they could win the Go.com Bowl, much less the Super Bowl.   The Saints are especially disappointing, because they have lost all offensive creativity.  They throw 3-yard passes to Bush and Johnson, and run up the middle with McAllister.  There is no offensive creativity and is showing in production.  This team needs the bye more than ever.  Tear up the playbook and start over.  Start drawing up plays that will stretch the field, and work on your blocking so Brees has time to make those throws. 

3) As a loyal Packer fan, Da Bears need to keep playing Rex Grossman – All joking aside, Lovie Smith has quite a decision to make.  Grossman has a 45 QB rating on the season and is playing awful.  The Bears made a catastrophic decision not to upgrade the QB position in the offseason.  The alternatives are not very promising either.  Go watch tape of 05 if you are really that crazy about putting Orton in the game.  As for Griese, why did Denver, Miami, and Tampa Bay release him?  The fact of the matter is that as bad as Rex Grossman is playing, he probably gives the Bears the best chance to win, this season.  The problem is that people on the offensive side of the ball are using Grossman as the scapegoat for the offense not performing.  The offensive line play is horrible, Benson is playing horrible, and the receivers are not getting open consistently.  They drop too many balls the few times they do get open.  If they continue to play the way they have no QB is going to be successful in the Bear’s offense.  Grossman has become the scapegoat for this offense’s shortcomings.  That’s not fair.  Clearly the Bears need to go in a different direction next season, something that will be easy to do with Grossman in the last year of his deal.  However, the Bears still have 13 games this season.  The other players have to look in the mirror and ask what they can do better to help this team win, instead of relying on a backup QB to save their season.  Until the other 10 guys on the offense start picking up their level of play, the Bear’s QB situation will be a mess, no matter who is behind the center. 

4) New England is the class of the AFC; Dallas is the class of the NFC – New England’s play speaks for itself.  Randy Moss looks like Randy Moss in 1998, Tom Brady looks like the best QB to ever play the game, and the defense is making plays.  In Dallas, the defense was shaky the first two weeks, but rebounded with a nice effort in week 3.  I would love to go with the Packers as the class of the NFC.  While the defense is better than the Cowboys, the Cowboys have much better balance on the offensive side of the ball.  The Packers are struggling to run the football.  The Cowboys are running, passing, and scoring 38.6 points per game.  The Cowboys get somewhat of a pass for their defensive problems, because Newman hasn’t been healthy.  While it is too early to tell if these teams will be playing this well in November and December, these teams are definitely positioning themselves to have special seasons. 

5) Pittsburgh looks to be fixed – If the Patriots weren’t beating their opponents by an average of 26.3 points per game, the talk of the league would be the Steelers.  While none of the teams they beat were elite NFL teams last season, neither were the Steelers.  Big Ben looks right again, Parker is a beast, and the defense is intimidating people again.  The Steelers look like they made all the right moves this offseason.  With the Bengals struggling, the Steelers and Ravens appear poised to contend for this division.  The Steelers have been much more impressive to start the season and appear to be the favorite. 

A Look Ahead:  With three games in the books, we are starting to have several teams that are in must win situations early in the year.  These are not necessarily the five best games, but the 5 most important games in shaping the various divisions around the NFL: 

1) Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) at NY Giants (1-2) – I would say this is a must win for both teams.  Both teams were in the playoffs last season.  Both teams expect to be again this season.  Both teams started (0-2).  The winner will have a 2 game win streak and be back to .500.  The winner will be ½ game behind the Washington Redskins, which they should feel pretty good about catching.  They will be only a game or two behind Dallas.  The loser goes to 1-3 and probably falls 3 games behind Dallas early in the season.  Both teams have fragile chemistry issues, especially the Giants.   If I were going to pick a team more able to recover from this loss, it would be the Eagles.  They are better coached and McNabb is a more proven leader than Eli.  I think with the issues surrounding Coughlin, this Giants are done if they drop to 1-3.  However, this is a divisional game that neither of these teams can afford to lose.   Winner:  Eagles

2) Chicago Bears (1-2) at Detroit Lions (2-1) – Detroit really needs this game.  Beating Oakland and Minnesota is one thing.  Beating a playoff contender is another.   In their first test against a playoff caliber team, the Lions failed miserably.  This is a chance to gain a win against a quality opponent and to destroy the confidence of the division favorite.  If they lose as convincingly as they did last week, people are going to have a lot of questions about the Lions early season success.  For Chicago, disaster mode has not struck yet.  They lost 2 games to teams that were fashionable Super Bowl picks to start the season.  Their season will be decided in the next two weeks.  Green Bay should beat Minnesota this week.  Then the Bears play the Packers in Lambeau next week.  If the Bears get swept, they would be 1-4, trailing the Packers by at least 3 games, probably 4 games.  If they win the next two weeks, worst-case scenario they are (3-2) and the Packers are (4-1).  If they are going to salvage their season, it starts by winning this week.  Winner: Lions

3) NY Jets (1-2) at Buffalo Bills (0-3) – This is a must win for the Jets.  The Jets went 10-6 last season and made the playoffs.  They started off with a brutal opening schedule, facing the Patriots and Ravens.  This is the second of the two teams in the division the Jets have to beat.  A victory puts the Jets at (2-2) and builds some good momentum.  A loss puts them in the cellar and probably 3 games back of the Patriots.  For Buffalo, they aren’t going anywhere, even if they win this game.  With Losman hurt and the offense struggling, they are just trying to pick up wins and build confidence for a young team that has really struggled to win games.  They need to get Lee Evans on track.  He has too much talent to have 5 catches for 27 yards in his first three games.  Winner: Jets

4) Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) at San Diego Chargers (1-2) – This is a must win for San Diego.  Kansas City isn’t going anywhere, even if they win this ball game.  For San Diego, this is the first of three consecutive divisional games.  The excuse in San Diego is that their record is the result of a tough opening schedule (7-2) overall for the Bears, Patriots, and Packers.  If the Chargers lose this ball game, that theory goes right out the window.  The loser of this game drops to 1-3 in the division.  The winner is 2-2, and feels that they have stopped the bleeding.  While teams are not eliminated in September, this is a big game for two teams that were in the playoffs last season.  Winner: Chargers

5) St Louis (0-3) at Dallas (3-0) – With Stephen Jackson out for the Rams, the hits just keep on coming.  The reason this game is so important for St Louis is that the Seahawks and 49ers are squaring off in a divisional match up.  With both teams at (2-1), the winner will be 3-1.  If the Rams drop to (0-4), they can pretty much start building for next season with a 3 game deficit this early in the season.  With a win, they can build some confidence and are only 2 games out of the division and one game back from second place.  For Dallas, this is an important game to start building a lead in the NFC East.   The Redskins have a bye, and the Eagles and Giants square off.  It is a chance to have a 1 & ½ game lead on the Redskins, and a 2 game lead on the winner of the Eagles v. Giants game.  When you are playing an injured and struggling team, you need to capitalize on that opportunity.   It doesn’t do any good to beat the Bears in Chicago if you follow it up with a loss to the winless Rams.   Winner: Cowboys

That’s all for this week.  Check in next week when I review another slate of NFL games.