Tuttle’s Takes: Week 3 Surprises and Storylines

By Emily Tuttle

Begging my hotspot to work, I pulled up my beloved streaming service in the car on Sunday at 1 p.m. to watch week three of the NFL unfold. Soon, everyone in the car with me would tire of my yelping and wish my hotspot hadn’t worked.

It is early in the season; teams are desperate to establish themselves, and young players try to avoid being cast aside as a bust. Week three was filled with underdogs triumphing, veterans looking like they have returned to their prime, and the importance of who is calling the shots. 

But before we get too far, here are a few significant results:

Vikings beat Texans 34-7

Steelers beat Chargers 20-10

Broncos beat Buccaneers 26-7

Giants beat Browns 21-15

Rams beat 49ers 27-24

Panthers beat Raiders 36-22

Seahawks beat Dolphins 24-3

Chiefs beat Falcons 22-17

Jets beat Patriots 24-3 

Looking at these scores, it is difficult to establish who is for real and who is hiding behind the facemask of the young season. There are some early contenders and some who should already be scouting for top draft picks this April. 

Undefeated Teams:

Among those favorites are the five undefeated teams: the Vikings, Steelers, Seahawks, Chiefs and Bills. Based on last season, I did not expect this hot start from the Vikings, Steelers or Seahawks, and I wonder if their success will continue. As a diehard Eagles fan, I sure hope the Steelers lose their success before week 15. 

As for the Vikings, the seemingly washed-up Sam Darnold has bounced around the league since he was drafted third in 2018 and was placed on the proverbial shelf of mediocrity. That was until the Vikings dusted him off.

Patrick Mahomes is still Patrick Mahomes, so the Chiefs continue to dominate. As far as the Bills, let’s just say fans haven’t stopped jumping through tables. 

These teams started hot, but many were still looking to get on the right track. 

Upsets:

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix came up with his first win as Denver beat Tampa Bay as a six-point betting underdog. Nix totaled 263 yards and a rushing touchdown, proving his way in the league after an 0-2 start. 

But the Broncos weren’t the only team that messed up parlays this week. The Giants beat the Browns after a litany of errors plagued Cleveland, and the Rams beat division-rival San Fransico after the 49ers choked away a halftime lead.  

Kyle Shanahan’s Niners were 50-0 when leading by 14 in the second half but lost their perfect record to Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford in an improbable Rams victory. After high off-season expectations, a rattled 49ers squad starts the year off 1-2.

In the Niners defense, it seemed like half of their roster was on IR, with key players like George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Christian McCaffery sitting out.

Still, the Rams’ McVay was pumped up in the post-game press conference, entering the room with expletives tumbling out of his mouth in excitement. After their underdog victory, the Rams drew a line in the sand and avoided a winless start. 

While the Vikings have surprisingly excelled with Darnold under center, that isn’t the whole story. Thanks to defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Vikings’ defense has proved versatile and physical. Their blitz options and disguised coverage seem promising enough to stifle even the strongest offenses.

Things that make me smile:

Anyone who has watched football for years loves to see veterans like Aaron Rodgers and Andy Dalton lead their teams to victory and show that they “still got it.”

I can just picture my dad smiling at the screen, talking about how Rodgers looks like his old self, minus the Packers jersey.

In New York, Rogers gave a vintage performance against the Patriots in his debut at Metlife Stadium, bringing the Jets to victory. Coming off last season’s Achilles injury, the veteran quarterback looked like he hadn’t missed a step—although he surely missed many with that injury.

In Carolina, fans were shocked as Andy Dalton took over for Bryce Young and became the first quarterback to total 300 yards and three touchdowns this season. Young had not thrown a touchdown in his previous four starts, while Dalton did so before halftime. I question what the Panthers will do with their quarterback debacle. Is Young fully to blame for the team’s dim state that began before he was on the scene?

We fans ask questions like these every week, chatting with friends about the team’s status while our emotions for the rest of the day ride on each play. Next week, I plan to split-screen my laptop once again, forgetting about my homework on the left and locking in on RedZone on the right. 

Emily Tuttle is a sophomore journalism major and the sports editor for Cedars. She is passionate about Philly sports, weight lifting, and all things silly.