What a weird, wild week of football in the NFL. We’ve got one team, one quarterback and one head coach in both categories for our Week 3 edition of Winners and Losers.
WINNERS
Miami Dolphins
No team since 1966 had put up 70 points in an NFL game until the Dolphins did it in Week 3. Miami ran all over the yard against the Broncos and dominated every time they touched the ball. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns, while running backs De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert combined for over 350 total yards and EIGHT touchdowns. With the speed that Miami has all over the field, it’s going to be really hard to stop this offence. Keep in mind, they did all this on Sunday without Jaylen Waddle on the field, who is probably the best WR2 in the league. Miami is legit this season, and they made sure everyone knows it with the largest win in a very long time.
C.J. Stroud
C.J. Stroud has gotten better every week and after Sunday’s performance against the Jaguars, he’s clearly the top rookie QB in the NFL right now. Of course, Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson weren’t even playing, but Stroud deserves the nod nonetheless. In the Week 3 win, the former Ohio State Buckeye went 20/30 for 280 yards and two touchdowns. In his last two games, he’s thrown for 664 yards and four scores with no interceptions.
Obviously, the Texans are letting the kid throw the ball a ton, and so far, it’s gone pretty well in Houston. He may not have any household names around him at receiver, but Robert Woods, Nico Collins and the exciting rookie Tank Dell have proven to be more than capable. It’ll be very interesting to see how this offence takes the momentum of this week into next week’s clash with the 2-1 Steelers.
Jonathan Gannon
The Arizona Cardinals were supposed to be tanking this year but that may be on hold after the team’s stunning win against Dallas on Sunday. After two tough losses to open the season, Jonathan Gannon got his first victory as a head coach as the Cardinals shocked the NFL world in a 12-point win over the Cowboys. Gannon has done a tremendous job with the roster he’s been given, and without a fourth quarter collapse in Week 2, they’d be 2-1 right now. Joshua Dobbs has ran the offence surprisingly well, and James Connor is clearly still a reliable running back in the NFL.
Obviously, the players are the ones on the field getting it done, but a lot of credit has to go to the coaching staff for Sunday’s game plan. Gannon’s defence held the Cowboys to just one touchdown and Ceedee Lamb to four catches. They basically dared Dak Prescott to beat them through the air without Lamb, and Prescott couldn’t do it. Now that other teams will get to watch this tape, it’ll be interesting to watch how defenses play the ‘Boys moving forward. Did Gannon expose some weaknesses in Dallas or was it just a bad game?
Honourable Mention: Jordan Love
Chicago Bears
Every time you think the Bears have hit rock bottom, they find ways to go lower. After a whirlwind week that included a coach resigning under suspicious circumstances, Justin Fields possibly blaming his head coach on the offensive struggles and thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment being stolen from the team, the Bears found themselves down 34-0 in Kansas City at HALFTIME. It’s clear that Justin Fields has actually regressed from last season, and if he can’t at least find some success in the run game again, there’s a chance he could end up on the bench very soon.
If all of this was expected, it would be a little easier to stomach for Bears fans. Unfortunately, many saw this squad as one that could take a serious jump this season and instead, they’re as bad as ever.
Zach Wilson
Much like Chicago, the Jets have been severely disappointing this year after a ton of hype was put on the team in the offseason. This time, however, they have a major injury to Aaron Rodgers to point to as basically the sole reason for their failures. Despite Robert Saleh’s continued confidence, Zach Wilson is proving each and every week that he cannot be a starter in the NFL right now. Jets legend Joe Namath made his thoughts clear after the Week 3 loss to the Patriots, and they’re the same we’ve been hearing from Jets fans everywhere for some time now. There are things he does well and exciting plays he can put on tape, but for Zach Wilson, continuing to learn from the bench is necessary right now.
Sean Payton
After suffering two straight losses to the Raiders and Commanders by a combined three points, how much worse could Sean Payton’s start as coach of the Broncos get? A lot worse, apparently. In what was the most embarrassing beatdown in recent memory, the Broncos went into Miami in Week 3 and allowed the Dolphins to score SEVENTY points. After throwing Nathaniel Hackett and last year’s coaching staff under the bus before the season, Payton has failed to get a win in his first three games. As a reminder, Hackett’s Broncos were 2-1 after three weeks last season. Now, Denver heads to Chicago this week in a game where the loser will be considered the worst team in the league. Things continue to go south for the Broncos.
Honourable mention: Dallas Cowboys / Sam Howell
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