NFL Smiles and Cries: Week 3

With another Sunday in the books in this young NFL season, it’s time to sort out the good from the bad. We have pre-season favorites stumbling out of the gate (Pittsburgh, Tennessee), and we have surprise teams establishing themselves as contenders (Cincinnati, New Orleans). Though it’s still too early to make any concrete predictions, the time for wild speculation and conjecture is still here. Here are your smiles and cries for week 3

Smiles

• Detroit Lions – Hats off to Jim Schwartz and the Detroit Lions for snapping their league-worst 19 game losing streak yesterday. It was a run of futility for the ages, punctuated by their 0-16 2008 campaign. Though it doesn’t signal a miracle turnaround, it’s good to see them finally go home with a W.

• Brett Favre and Greg Lewis – The Vikings-49ers contest turned out to be much more competitive than this analyst figured possible, and the ending didn’t disappoint. With seconds remaining, Favre rifled a 32 yard strike into the back of the endzone, which landed firmly in the hands of Greg Lewis, giving them a 27-24 win. It was another Favre miracle, which will be followed by endless replays and people declaring Favre the Greatest Human Being Who Ever Lived….wait, maybe this should be in the cries section of this article.

• San Francisco 49ers – Despite leaving Minnesota with a loss, the 49ers took another step forward in being declared the favorite in the NFC West. Coach Singletary has really changed the attitude of this team, and the perception of them is on the upswing. An ankle injury to Frank Gore does threaten to torpedo their efforts though.

• New York Giants – Another win for the G-Men. Beating Tampa Bay is no longer much of an accomplishment, but the Giants looked dominant doing it. This team is as good as any in the NFC, and figure to be a factor late in January.

• New Orleans Saints – When your offense scores 27 points and it feels like a disappointment, you know you’ve set the bar pretty high. The Saints look reminiscent of the 2007 New England Patriots so far this season, scoring points at a rate comparable with most basketball teams. With Drew Brees filling in for Tom Brady in the best quarterback in the league discussion, a questionable defense appeared to be the only thing standing between the Saints and a Super Bowl run. After allowing only 7 points yesterday (on a fake field goal), the Saints seem to have it all now. If only they had bright lime green jerseys too.

• Aaron Curry – Aaron Curry has only played 3 NFL games. If his learning continues at it’s current pace, he’ll be a pro-bowler by the end of his fourth game. He still appears a little lost at times, but his speed and power is frightening. The young Seahawk linebacker practically stopped the Bears by himself on one series during the second half of yesterday’s game, dropping Matt Forte for a loss of 3 on first down and getting a strip sack of quarterback Jay Cutler on third down. The Defensive Rookie of the Year award already belongs on Curry’s mantle.

• Indianapolis Colts – After bombarding the Cardinals on the road last night, the Colts appear on their way to yet another 10 win season and a playoff appearance. The offense, despite losing starting wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez until November, is scoring at a very efficient rate. The running game and defense are still a problem, but we can worry about that when they lose a game. They appear to have the easiest route to a division title in the league so far.

• Denver Broncos – Somehow, this team is 3-0. After rookie coach Josh McDaniels did everything he could to destroy this team in the off-season, they have come out playing hard and winning games. Though it’s true they haven’t played anybody particularly difficult yet, the confidence they are gaining from this fast start is real. A home game against Dallas next week will be the first big test for them.

• Cincinnati Bengals – With a road win in Green Bay last week and a home victory against the Steelers yesterday, the Bengals are a miracle ending in week 1 away from being 3-0. They have a stingy defense, and their running game is much improved thanks to the surprising start of Cedric Benson. If they can stay consistent, the Bengals all of a sudden appear to be on the verge of making some noise in the strong AFC North

Cries

• Jim Mora and TJ Houshmandzadeh – Hey coach, blaming a tough loss against the Bears on your kicker is not okay. It is true that he missed two kicks, but he also made the other four he attempted. Seneca Wallace proved he is still too mistake prone to consistently lead a team, and the play-calling yesterday was atrocious in the second half. Perhaps Mora should realize the problem here is not Mare missing kicks, it’s the fact he had to attempt six kicks in the first place. TJ Houshmandzadeh talked all week about dominating the Bears after he felt slighted by their refusal to bid on his services this last off season. 4 catches, 35 yards and a lost fumble is not dominant. Maybe it’s time to stop talking and do something on the field TJ.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Another embarrassing loss for the Bucs. Their once feared defense has become a playground for opponents. They surrendered over 200 yards rushing yesterday to the Giants, and were shut out on offense. This team is a complete mess and there’s no hope for a turnaround anytime soon. I refuse to believe this series of events happens with Jon Gruden running this team.

• Washington Redskins – Well, someone had to do it. The Redskins earned themselves the dubious honor of stopping the league’s longest losing streak in their loss to Detroit yesterday. Though much of the blame will fall unfairly on coach Jim Zorn, the real problem here was their defense, which at one point allowed a 99 yard touchdown drive to Detroit. There’s no margin for error in the NFC East, and the Redskins are already being left behind.

• JaMarcus Russell – In three games this year, Russell has completed 41% of his passes with one touchdown and four interceptions. His quarterback rating is below 40. I don’t even need to tell a joke or talk about how he’s the worst quarterback in the league, the stats are hilarious enough. The Oakland Raiders will never field a winning team with this man playing quarterback.

• Tennessee Titans – They’ve gone from Super Bowl contender to 0-3. Teams that start 0-3 don’t go to the playoffs, it’s not a scientific fact, it’s just the way it goes. You can’t really recover from being 3 games behind the Colts this early in the season. I have faith they will eventually crawl out of the AFC South cellar, but their hopes of playing in January have vanished.

• Cleveland Browns – I figured I would finish the Cries section with the worst entry yet, the hopeless Cleveland Browns. Being a Brown fan right now must be the most masochistic, soul crushing thing a man can endure. Eric Mangini is possibly the worst coach in existence right now. You don’t need to take a cloak and dagger approach with your quarterback situation when one guy won’t throw more than five yards and the other has the ability to SACK HIMSELF in the red zone. Maybe they should punt on third down. Maybe Josh Cribbs should play quarterback and throw it to himself. This team needs to be completely re-built, starting with the front office and coaching staff. If you ever feel down about your own team’s chances this year, turn on a Browns game, and see what the worst-case scenario actually is.