Some great individual and team efforts happened around the NFL in Week 3.
Arizona Cardinals: Chandler Jones
Chandler Jones had a pair of sacks and for the second time in three games. Jones sacked Kyle Allen in the first quarter, stripped the ball and recovered it on the Arizona 26. Jones’ 43 sacks since joining the Cardinals in 2016 are the most for any NFL player over that span.
Atlanta Falcons: Austin Hooper
The Falcons had to put the ball up after falling behind. One of the beneficiaries was TE Austin Hooper, who caught 6 passes for 66 yards and a pair of TDs. Always easy to focus on Matt Ryan and Julio Jones but Hooper deserves accolades.
Baltimore Ravens
Mark Ingram gave the Ravens a huge game in their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Heisman winner from Alabama had 16 carries for 103 yards and equaled a team-record with 3 rushing TDs. He also grabbed 4 passes for 32 yards in an all-around effort.
Buffalo Bills: Frank Gore
The venerable veteran had 14 carries for 76 yards and the game-winning TD with less than 2 minutes left as Buffalo went to 3-0 by sending Cincinnati to its third straight loss. The 36-year-old RB had 88 yards in his first two games as a Bill and came close to equaling that against Cincy.
Carolina Panthers: Kyle Allen
Cam who? Kyler who? Kyle Allen stepped in and led the Panthers to a road victory over Arizona with a sterling performance. The QB from Texas A&M threw for 261 yards and 4 TDs. He got a boost from Christian McCaffrey, of course, who rushed 24 times for 153 yards and a score.
Chicago Bears: Taylor Gabriel
The Bears’ defense was sensational against Washington. However. WR Taylor Gabriel was also brilliant. He caught 3 TD passes in the second quarter. Gabriel became the third player in MNF history with 3 receiving TDs in the first half (2016 Dwayne Allen, 1995 Jerry Rice).
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Mixon
The running back from Oklahoma scored a TD on a pass from Andy Dalton as the Bengals overcame a 14-0 deficit to tie the game with the Bills in the fourth quarter. Unfotunately for Cincy it was not enough. Mixon had 15 carries for 61 yards and a pair of receptions for 34 yards, including the 1-yard TD.
Cleveland Browns: Nick Chubb
Not much to choose from as Cleveland fell to 1-2. Beware the hype. Nick Chubb delivered, however, carrying the ball 23 times for 96 yards.
Dallas Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard
It almost isn’t fair how porous the Dolphins’ defense is. This week it allowed both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard to crack the century mark. Nothing new for the star from Ohio State, Elliott, who had 125 yards on 19 carries. Pollard, the rookie, added 103 yards on 13 carries.
Detroit Lions: Marvin Jones Jr.
Detroit wideout Marvin Jones Jr. caught 6 passes for 101 yards and a TD, which proved to be the difference as the Lions improved to 2-0-1. The last time the Lions did not have a loss through 3 games was 2011 when they were 3-0. Also, a nod to Jamal Agnew, who had an 100-yard kickoff return and a 24-yard punt return in the 27-24 victory at Philadelphia
Denver Broncos: Phillip Lindsay
The Broncos fell to 0-3 but Phillip Lindsay continues to deliver. The second-year RB was rough and tough as he rushed 21 times for 81 yards and a pair of TDs. Lindsay added 4 receptions on 5 targets for another 49 yards.
Green Bay Packers: Preston Smith
The story in Green Bay has become its defense. Preston Smith had half of the Packers’ 6 sacks against Joe Flacco in a 27-16 win over Denver. Smith also had a pair of TFLs. Za’Darius Smith also had a pair of sacks and 2 TFLs.
Indianapolis Colts: Jacoby Brissett
The Colts improved to 2-1 as Jacoby Brissett had another solid game. The QB who is replacing Andrew Luck was 28-of-37 for 310 yards and a pair of TDs as Indy surged to a 20-3 halftime lead and held off Atlanta.
Jacksonville: Sacksonville
Would be easy to keep up with the fad and go with rookie QB Gardner Minshew II. However, credit here is due to the Jaguars’ defense, which had 9 sacks. Three of those belonged to Calais Campbell as Jacksonville made it a miserable Thursday for Marcus Mariota & Co.
Kansas City Chiefs: Andy Reid
Patrick Mahomes won the battle with Lamar Jackson. He could be the pick every week. Let’s go with Head Coach Andy Reid, who has won 10 straight September games with Kansas City.
Los Angeles Chargers: Keenan Allen
Talk about dependable hands. Keenan Allen had 13 receptions for the Chargers in their loss to the Houston Texans. Allen went for 183 yards and a pair of TDs on 17 targets.
Los Angeles Rams: Cooper Kupp
Cooper Kupp had a pair of TD receptions among 8 grabs for 112 yards as the Rams went into Cleveland and came away with a 20-13 victory.
Miami Dolphins: Matt Haack
Miami has been outscored 133-16 in its first 3 games. Nothing much to praise so Matt Haack, the Dolphins’ punter, earns some pub with 5 kicks that averaged 43.8 yards, including a pair inside the 20.
Minnesota Vikings: Dalvin Cook
Dalvin Cook rushed 16 times for 110 yards and a TD and caught another 4 passes for 33 yards as the former Florida State star continues to blossom and stay healthy in Minnesota.
New England Patriots: Jake Bailey
Could go with Tom Brady, who was his usual excellent self with 28-of-42 for 306 yards before exiting. However, the Jets have enough issues on offense without a punter pinning them inside the 20 a handful of times. That’s exactly what Jake Bailey did. He had 7 punts overall for a 44.3 average.
New Orleans Saints: Teddy Bridgewater
Not too big of a spot to step in for Drew Brees on the road against Russell Wilson and Seattle. Teddy Bridgewater was 19-of-27 for 177 yards and 2 TDs. He got help from TDs by the defense and special teams in a special game for a QB who got his first victory as a starter since the final week of the 2015 season.
New York Giants: Daniel Jones
All the rookie from Duke did in his first start was lead an amazing comeback for the Giants in their squeaker over Tampa Bay. The Giants trailed 28-10 at halftime before outscoring the Buc, 22-3 in the second half. Jones was 23-of-36 for 336 yards with a pair of passing TDs. He added two rushing TDs, including the game-winner on a fourth-down play with 1:16 left. Jones became the first Giant QB since Jeff Hostetler in 1991 to rush for 2 TDs in one game. Matt Gay of Tampa Bay helped things along, missing a potential game-winning field goal from 34 yards. There is some kind of luck the Giants have when it comes to possible game-winning field goals being missed on the field in Tampa. See Norwood, Scott and the 1991 Super Bowl.
New York Jets: Jamal Adams
It was late and meaningless, which has become a rendundacy for the Jets. Jamal Adams, however, after a week of stirring controversy did pick off a Jarrett Stidham pass and return it 61 yards for a TD in the loss to New England.
Oakland Raiders: Darren Waller
The Raiders fell behind as they fell to 1-2. That had Derek Carr going airborne and he looked for tight end Darren Waller often. Waller caught 13 passes for 134 yards on 14 targets. A bright spot on an otherwise dismal day in Minnesota.
Philadelphia Eagles: Miles Sanders
The Eagles fell to 1-2 and were unable to get to Matthew Stafford of the Lions. Miles Sanders had 13 carries for 53 yards and 2 receptions for 73.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Devin Bush
Devin Bush was Pittsburgh’s No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The rookie showed why against SF as he had 11 tackles, including 9 solos. A bright spot on a team that has fallen to 0-3.
San Francisco 49ers: DeForest Buckner
DeForest Buckner led the way for the San Francisco defense with 7 solo tackles and a sack as San Francisco improved to a surprising 3-0.
Seattle Seahawks: Tyler Lockett
While Russell Wilson threw for 406 yards on 32 completions in 50 attempts, Tyler Lockett deserves accolades for his 11-catch, 154-yard, 1-TD performance. Lockett was targeted 14 times in the loss to New Orleans.
Tennessee Titans: Brett Kern
Not a good week for Tennessee. No sacks and the offense didn’t come alive until it was too late. So, Brett Kern, the Titans’ punter, had a big job. He punted 8 times for a 46.5 yard average and half of the boots were inside the 20.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans
The All-Pro wideout went off against the Giants. The former Texas A&M great had 8 catches for 190 yards and 3 TDs, all in the first half. Special mention has to go to Barrett Sallee, who had 4 sacks and has 8 in the first 3 games.
Washington Redskins: Terry McLaurin
The rookie from Ohio State is one of the few bright spots on Washington. He had 6 catches for 70 yards and a TD in the loss to Chicago. Terry McLaurin becomes the first player in NFL history with 5 receptions and a TD grab in each of his first three games.
