Sixteen more games went into the books and I’m feeling good about the gameplay, although the numbers say there’s probably still too much punting and not quite enough of everything else.
Week three averaged 38.8 points per game (it was 44.2 in the real week three, and 43.6 for the season). We had 1.3 interceptions and 0.9 fumbles per game (real life was 1.6 and 1.1).
The replay winner matched the actual winner in 11 of the 16 games. But, the better team won in the replay in four of the five games.
Week 3 recaps:
San Francisco 27, New York Giants 9: The Giants got field goals on three of their first five possessions, but that would be it. Brock Purdy threw touchdown passes to Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, Jake Moody kicked two field goals, and the 49er defense returned a fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. (actual: San Francisco 30-12)
Baltimore 24, Indianapolis 10: Gus Edwards’ second touchdown run put the Ravens ahead 17-3 in the third quarter. The Colts cut it to 17-10 at the end of the third on a touchdown pass from Gardner Minshew to Alec Pierce. But Baltimore responded immediately with a Lamar Jackson-to-Mark Andrews TD pass. Indianapolis failed to move the ball on its final three possessions. (actual: Indianapolis 22-19)
Cleveland 14, Tennessee 13: The Titans kicked two early field goals, and then the Browns got a touchdown to make it 7-6 after one quarter. It stayed that way until the third, when a Cleveland fumble led to a Ryan Tannehill-to-Tyjae Spears TD pass and a 13-7 lead for the Titans. The Browns continued to stumble offensively until their final possession, when Deshaun Watson drove them down the field and hit Amari Cooper with a game-winning touchdown pass. (actual: Cleveland 27-3)
Detroit 27, Atlanta 23: This game had a crazy finish. It was 10-10 at halftime (including a kickoff return for a touchdown by the Lions’ Khalil Dorsey) and stayed that way until the fourth quarter. The Falcons made two field goals to go up 16-10. The Lions then made a field goal to cut it to 16-13. There were then three lead changes in the final three possessions of the game. Desmond Ridder had a pass intercepted and returned for a Detroit touchdown, putting the Lions ahead 20-16. Ridder led a drive that was capped off by a Tyler Allgeier TD run, moving the Falcons back in front 23-20. But the Lions moved the ball downfield quickly on the game’s final possession, and Jared Goff found Sam LaPorta for a game-winning touchdown pass. (actual: Detroit 20-6)
Green Bay 36, New Orleans 10: The Saints kicked a field goal on their first possession of the game, and then the Packers scored the next 30 points in the contest. Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes and Anders Carlson made three of four field goal attempts. (actual: Green Bay 18-17)
Houston 16, Jacksonville 3: Not a lot of offense in this one. The Texans kicked two field goals to take a 6-0 lead at halftime, then scored the game’s only touchdown in the third quarter on a C.J. Stroud-to-Dalton Schultz pass. Jacksonville got on the board with a field goal early in the fourth quarter, but Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn then knocked his third field goal through the uprights to account for the final scoring. (actual: Houston 37-17)
Miami 41, Denver 14: The Dolphins led 14-7 at halftime and blew the game open by scoring the next 24 points. Tua Tagovailoa threw three touchdown passes, two to Tyreek Hill, and Raheem Mostert ran for two scores. (actual: Miami 70-20)
Los Angeles Chargers 31, Minnesota 13: The Vikings kicked a field goal on their first drive, but didn’t score again until the fourth quarter. In the meantime, the Chargers ran off 24 straight points, including a punt return for a touchdown by Derius Davis and two Justin Herbert touchdown passes. Herbert would add a third TD pass in the fourth quarter to make it 31-6. (actual: Los Angeles 28-24)
New York Jets 26, New England 6: The Jets’ defense helped win the day, limiting the Patriots to two field goals while forcing three turnovers and making a safety. Breece Hall both caught a touchdown pass and ran for one for New York. (actual: New England 15-10)
Buffalo 20, Washington 10: The Commanders took a 10-0 lead at the start of the third quarter, but then the Bills scored on four straight possessions to attain all 20 of their points. Josh Allen tossed a pair of touchdown passes. The Bills defense forced four turnovers. (actual: Buffalo 37-3)
Seattle 49, Carolina 20: The Seahawks scored early and often, collecting touchdowns on seven of their 11 possessions. Geno Smith threw five touchdown passes, two of them to D.K. Metcalf. It was 28-20 midway through the third quarter but Seattle then scored three more times. (actual: Seattle 37-27)
Dallas 40, Arizona 13: Dak Prescott threw six touchdown passes, including three to Brandin Cooks and two to CeeDee Lamb. About the only thing that went badly for Dallas was kicker Brandon Aubrey, who missed two extra points and a short field goal. How did the Cowboys lose this one in real life? (actual: Arizona 28-16)
Kansas City 31, Chicago 3: The Chiefs had four punts and a turnover on their first five possessions as the game stayed scoreless for a while. But Kansas City got a touchdown on its final possession of the second half, which started a run of five scores in six drives. Rashee Rice caught three of Patrick Mahomes’ four touchdown passes. (actual: Kansas City 41-10)
Las Vegas 26, Pittsburgh 19: Points were scored on each of the first seven drives, giving the Steelers a 16-13 lead early in the second quarter. But it was pretty quiet after that. Las Vegas tied it at 16 at halftime. Both teams traded field goals midway through the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh got into the red zone on its final possession but was stopped on fourth down. Las Vegas drove the length of the field and got a game-winning touchdown run from Josh Jacobs. (actual: Pittsburgh 23-18)
Philadelphia 10, Tampa Bay 0: Fans of the punters enjoyed this one. The Eagles got a 55-yard field goal in the second quarter, and finally got the ball in the end zone in the fourth quarter on a Jalen Hurts 1-yard run. All 12 Buccaneer possessions ended in punts. (actual: Philadelphia 25-11)
Los Angeles Rams 20, Cincinnati 17: The Rams stole this one by scoring 17 fourth-quarter points. LA trailed 10-3 heading to the fourth quarter. The Rams kicked a field goal to make it 10-6, but a Bengal touchdown made it 17-6. The Rams came back with their first touchdown. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow was then picked off, and the Rams cashed in with a go-ahead 1-yard touchdown run by Kyren Williams. The Bengals’ last chance ended in midfield on a fourth-down fail. (actual: Cincinnati 19-16)
Week 3 Standings
AFC East: BUF 3-0, MIA 2-1, NYJ 1-2, NE 0-3
AFC West: DEN 2-1, LAC 2-1, KC 1-2, LV 1-2
AFC North: BAL 3-0, CLE 2-1, PIT 1-2, CIN 0-3
AFC South: HOU 2-1, IND 1-2, TEN 1-2, JAX 1-2
NFC East: DAL 3-0, PHI 2-1, WAS 0-3, NYG 0-3
NFC West: SF 3-0, SEA 2-1, ARI 2-1, LAR 1-2
NFC North: DET 3-0, GB 3-0, MIN 2-1, CHI 0-3
NFL South: NO 2-1, ATL 1-2, TB 1-2, CAR 0-3
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 