3 Things We Have Learned After Week 3 in the NFL:
1. The Cincinnati Bengals are for real.
Sure, after a couple decades of being the Bungles, the Bengals have now made three straight playoff appearances and become relevant in the NFL, but the three straight first round exits have caused the Bengals fans to lose hope in Andy Dalton and the rest of the squad. The 2014 Bengals seem to have a different swagger to them, however.
Through three weeks the Bengals have beaten the Falcons, Titans and Ravens and just rattled off their eleventh straight home win. The most impressive of this year’s team is that they have no weaknesses. They have one of the top five defenses in the game. They have one of the brightest young stars in the game in A.J Green. The running attack is lethal with stud back Giovanni Bernard and rookie Jeremy Hill.
Many people thought they could struggle for the first part of the season with the departure of Coordinators Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer. Instead, Hue Jackson has the offense firing on all cylinders. Andy Dalton’s playoff struggles have been staggering tossing only one touchdown to six interceptions. This season he looks poised to take his game to the next level. Everyone soon forgets that someone by the name of Peyton Manning lost his first three playoff appearances as well, and many pundits were wondering if he could win the big game. Maybe one day we will be looking back at Dalton and wondering how we ever doubted him. It looks good in the Queen City for the Bengals to finally win a playoff game–something they haven’t done since 1990.
2. Something smells fishy in the Bay Area.
At the onset of the preseason the San Francisco 49ers were one of the three favorites in Las Vegas to hoist the Lombardi trophy this year. A Navorro Bowman injury, an Aldon Smith suspension and turmoil in the front office had started to leave a few question marks heading into week one.
Three weeks later the team looks in disarray. In all three games the team headed into half-time with commanding leads before collapsing in the second half. The defense looks out of sorts as it allowed 21 unanswered second half points against the Chicago Bears, 17 unanswered against the Dallas Cowboys and 17 unanswered against the Arizona Cardinals. The offense has disappeared all-together at half time and may as well have stayed in the locker room. In three contests they have scored a total of three points in the second half. Colin Kaepernick seems lost. He is an athletic freak that could go off for a huge game at any moment, but his erratic play leads me to believe the Niners will be on the outside looking in this season in the NFC West.
3. O Brady, where art thou?
The New England Patriots are a high powered offense that can put up 40 points on whim. Tom Brady and company pile up the points continually. There only concern is scoring more than their opponent, as the Patriots defense is full of holes and can give up close to 40 points on any given day as well.
Wait…..Rewind the tape!
2014 has turned out to be a complete 180 from seasons past.
Am I missing something? Tom Brady looks like he has aged five years since he played in the playoffs eight short months ago. His completion percentage has hit rock bottom and he is over throwing open targets on many occasions. The offense is struggling to put up 20 points on any given day. But, somehow, the Patriots are still 2-1 and in the thick of things. The defense has turned into a juggernaut. They have allowed the fourth fewest points in the league to start this season. The scary thing for you Patriot haters is that you know Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Shane Vereen and Steven Ridley will start to gel and the offense will begin to click. If the defense can even half resemble the defense they have been so far…Look out.
There are many other things we have learned thus far. Some good, some bad. As teams start to find out who they are, the 2014 season is shaping up to be an epic year. Enjoy the ride.
Look for my weekly “Picks Against The Spread Column” column coming soon.
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