Week 3 in the NFL was certainly one of the most unpredictable in the young season. The Seattle Seahawks lead the NFC West by two games and the Minnesota Vikings are one of the few 3-0 teams in the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers also lead the tight AFC North by two games.
The New York Giants and Carolina Panthers won a game before the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals. The New Orleans Saints offense could only score 12 points against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Dallas Cowboys can’t win games at home overnight.
This week’s overreactions from the Sunday afternoon games have some meat to the bone. Which are indeed overreactions and which are reality?
Malik Nabers is the best WR in 2024 draft class
Overreaction or reality: overreaction
Nabers is pretty good, that’s all. The Giants rookie wideout had another great daycatching eight passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Browns, showing he’s already a No. 1 wide receiver and injecting life into one of the most anemic offenses in football.
Through three games, Nabers has 23 catches for 271 yards and three touchdowns. His 37.8% target share is the fourth highest for any player through three games over the last decade, and his 271 yards receiving is the second most for a rookie through three games in franchise history.
Nabers has his case to be the best wideout in this class, but Marvin Harrison Jr. has 10 catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns through three games. This NFL The Rookie of the Year race may come down to Nabers and Harrison. They are both very good.
Sam Darnold is the best QB in the NFL after three weeks
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Not only are the Vikings 3-0 after Sunday’s win over the Texans, but Darnold has been one of the betting quarterbacks in the league. Of all the major quarterback statistics, Darnold is near the top.
Darnold leads the NFL in passing touchdowns (8), ranks second in passer rating (117.3) and is fourth in yards per attempt (8.4). Darnold is the fifth quarterback in the last 25 years to start 3-0 with eight-plus passing touchdowns in his first three starts with a team, and he is the first quarterback in Vikings history to win his first three games of the season and throw multiple. pass touchdowns in each of them.
The Vikings are getting a great quarterback from Darnold, setting up their defense to dominate games late. Without Darnold, Minnesota is not 3-0.
Saquon Barkley is the best signing of the NFL offseason
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Want a swing at who the NFL’s leading rusher is in three weeks? That would be Barkley, who scored the Eagles’ only two touchdowns in a win at New Orleans. Barkley finished with 17 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns for Philadelphia, increasing his totals to 351 yards and four rushing touchdowns on the season. He leads the league in rushing yards and is tied for the NFL lead in rushing touchdowns.
Responsible for two of the Eagles’ three wins, Barkley totaled more than 100 yards from scrimmage in each game. He was as good as advertised, and is the reason why the Eagles offense remains afloat despite all the injuries.
Who knows where the Eagles would be without Barkley?
Matt LaFleur should be NFL Coach of the Year
Overreaction or reality: Reality
How does LaFleur have so much success with Malik Willis, who looked like he would be out of the NFL after two seasons with the Titans. The Packers have won both of Willis’ starts, as the quarterback is completing 73.5% of his passes with 9.5 yards per attempt, two touchdowns and a 122.6 passer rating this season — in addition to his 114 yards rushing and a touchdown.
In Willis’ two starts, he completed 75.8% of his passes with a 126.3 rating. Willis is the fourth different Packers player with 200-plus passing yards, 50-plus rushing yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in a game. He wasn’t even on the Packers a month ago, instead as a cashed-up quarterback for the team he beat on Sunday.
What LaFleur did with Willis cannot be ignored. This is the best coaching job in 2024, even better than Kevin O’Connell with Sam Darnold.
Andy Dalton will be the Panthers QB the rest of the year
Overreaction or reality: Reality
This could be the slam dunk of the NFL season. Dalton is the first quarterback this season with 300-plus passing yards and 3-plus passing touchdowns in a game, and he has more 300-yard passing games in two starts over the last two seasons (2) than Bryce Young has in 18 beginnings (1).
Dalton threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers won their first game of the year, finishing with a 123.6 passer rating. Carolina scored 36 points after having 13 total over the first two weeks.
The Panthers have to go with Dalton moving forward — top pick be damned. Carolina is learning that there might be some talent on this team after all.
Mike McCarthy will not continue the season in Dallas
Overreaction or reality: overreaction
The Cowboys have looked very bad over the last two home games, getting off to slow starts in each of them. The Cowboys have been outscored 56-22 in their last two home games, looking like they will be blown out in Sunday’s game against the Ravens.
Here’s why McCarthy should last the season: Dallas still plays for McCarthy, as evidenced by scoring 22 straight points in the second half to make what looked to be a blowout ballgame. Garbage time or not, the Cowboys were a stop away form tying the game.
McCarthy is under fire with this 1-2 start, especially with both losses coming at home, but the Cowboys aren’t in trouble yet. Let’s see what happens on Thursday against the Giants.
CJ Gardner-Johnson is right that the Saints are pretenders
Overreaction or reality: overreaction
Gardner-Johnson was fired after Sunday’s win, saying in the locker room the Saints were “contenders” after scoring 12 points and gaining 4.0 yards per play. The Saints came into Sunday averaging 45.5 points and 6.9 yards per game, a hot start that didn’t last.
One game shouldn’t be the sign that the Saints aren’t as good as their offense has shown their first two games. The Saints will still have to live up to a three-game scoring average of 34.3 points (first in NFL) and 6.0 yards per play (sixth in NFL). They have a tough stretch with the Falcons, Chiefs and Pirates coming up.
Too early to call the Saints contenders after a loss that could have been a win. After all, Saints had the lead in the final two minutes.
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