NFL Week 3 Tuesday Whip-Around: Plenty of Unexpected Action in the NFL

While week three looked like it lacked an exciting match-up going into the week, several contests didn't stick to the script many thought they would follow. Analysts everywhere groaned as their predictions went awry, leading to a bad day for the prognosticators but an interesting day for football fans. In case you missed any of the action, here's a summary of the big lessons learned from week three:

Chiefs 26, Eagles 16

1. People can ask whether the Philadelphia offense was simply bad Thurday night or if the Chiefs defense is just that good. While the Eagles didn't have the best night, this defense is THAT good.
2. After two games without an interception Michael Vick returned to his turnover prone self, giving the Chiefs' defense the ball far too many times on a night where his defense stepped up for him.
3. Micheal Vick and Lesean McCoy continue to be hit hard in their new offense, McCoy had an amazing game but had to be taken into the locker room before halftime to have an injury examined. The Eagles' future health gets more troubling game by game.

Ravens 30, Texans 9

1. The Ravens defense is humming now after their opening day struggles, shutting down the Texans' attack and keeping them out of the end zone all game.
2. Joe Flacco stepped it up in this game when the offense was without Ray Rice, proving he's worth at least some of that big money contract.
3. The Texans finally slipped up after close calls in their first two games. Gary Kubiak's squad isn't dominating early like they did last year, and their third straight division title is very much in jeopardy.

Panthers 38, Giants 0

1. Superman was back on the field Sunday for the Panthers, as Cam Newton finally was able to get this offense clicking.
2. The Giants offensive line gave them absolutely zero chance for success Sunday, their non-existent running game had nowhere to go and Eli Manning was beaten to a pulp.
3. For the umpteenth time Tom Coughlin finds himself on the hot seat in New York, while Ron Rivera may have done enough to cool his seat down for a while.

Bengals 34, Packers 30

1. Cincinnati was able to win a close game at the end despite turning the ball over four times to the Packers. That's when you know you're legit.
2. Injuries keep piling up for the Packers, as Clay Matthews and James Starks were added to the pile of the walking wounded. Luckily, the Packers are now on their bye week, which should allow several of their key players to heal up.
3. Aaron Rodgers wasn't himself most of the day, he was hit early and threw his first multiple interception game since 2010. He had a heated exchange with coach Mike McCarthy on the sideline, but count of these two to have things figured out after the bye.

Cowboys 31, Rams 7

1. DeMarco Murray had the day many Cowboys' fans hoped he was capable of, rushing for 175 yards against the Rams.
2. Tony Romo really likes having a run game, as he was extremely efficient in the passing game when he didn't have to shoulder the offense himself.
3. The Rams' defense just hasn't been as good as advertised throughout the first few weeks, instead of a top tier unit it's merely been an average one.

Patriots 23, Buccaneers 3

1. Tom Brady is finally finding a rhythm with his new receivers, posting his best passer rating of the year Sunday (96).
2. Bill Belichick has his defense competitive again after leaning on the offense the past few seasons, meaning this team could be scary if the offense really gets cooking (they're still undefeated, after all).
3. Josh Freeman is playing to get himself benched. He's completed less than 50% of his passes in every game this year and you have to think before long rookie Mike Glennon is going to see the field (he was already warming up on the sideline Saturday afternoon).

Saints 31, Cardinals 7

1. As predicted, Jimmy Graham had a great day facing the Cardinals. They tried to cover him a number of different ways, but he beat them all and finished with nine catches for 134 yards.
2. Rob Ryan has given this defense a new swagger and it's getting big results on the field. This defense doesn't look that talented on paper, but it's clear that they believe they are.

Titans 20, Chargers 17

1. This day belonged to Jake Locker, who finished with 299 yards and a game winning drive that kept the Titans tied atop the AFC South.
2. The Titans continue to be underestimated and they continue to fight hard every game. The fight for a wild card spot looks pretty competitive in the AFC, but the Titans aren't going down easy.
3. Antonio Gates showed up for the Chargers (five catches for 55 yards) but their depth at receiver showed up when Eddie Royal didn't make an impact. Without him, they're basically out of receivers.

Lions 27, Redskins 20

1. RGIII posted his first points in a first half this season, as he continues to get better week to week, even though the Redskins' season looks to be slipping away.
2. RGIII started making plays with his legs again, and that unsurprisingly led to an extremely efficient day on the ground for Alfred Morris.
3. Nate Burleson showed he could be a great compliment to Calvin Johnson finally, finishing with 116 yards to Johnson's 115 (it doesn't look like that will last though, he broke his arm this morning in a car accident).

Dolphins 27, Falcons 23

1. Ryan Tannehill has steered his team to 3-0 despite shaky protection around him. Tannehill is making his move into the upper-echelon of NFL quarterbacks, get on the bandwagon while it's hot!
2. The Dolphins missed injured nose tackle Pat Solai against the Falcons, as they allowed over 130 yards on the ground which allowed the Falcons to control the clock most of the day.
3. The Falcons are not in great shape right now. Steven Jackson is out multiple weeks, Roddy White looks far from 100%, and Tony Gonzalez is still showing rust after missing most of training camp and preseason. If they can't get their act together fast the Saints are going to take firm control of their division.

Jets 27, Bills 20

1. Rex Ryan is having a lot of fun with his new defensive front. The Jets had eight sacks on the day from eight different players.
2. Geno Smith is struggling with turnovers, but he put on a good show Sunday after receiving a lot of criticism for his week two performance. If Smith can establish some consistency this Jets team could actually make some noise, despite being written off by just about everyone before the season (including me).
3. The Bills' offensive line struggled all game and CJ Spiller left early with a knee injury, which added up to a rough outing for rookie quarterback EJ Manuel. EJ is still having trouble pushing the ball up the field, and that's limiting what this offense is able to accomplish.

Seahawks 45, Jaguars 17

1. Well, this game was about as close as everyone expected it to be.
2. Travaris Jackson had a perfect passer rating and backup running back Christine Michael scampered through the Jaguars' defense. The Seahawks have crazy good depth.
3. Chad Henne lost his spot to Blaine Gabbert after the game, but in the scheme of things, does it really matter? The odds of either of them being around next year (or even on a roster) are slim.

Colts 27, 49ers 7

1. Trent Richardson didn't have a big impact on the field in his first game as a Colt, but it was clear his presence was enough to make Ahmad Bradshaw start to run angry (19 carries for 95 yards).
2. The Colts defense looked like the Seahawks did last Sunday, covering up all of Kaepernick's receivers and giving him no room to run.
3. Frank Gore was made after the game he didn't get the ball more, and he has a great point (11 carries for 82 yards). Unfortunately, his defense wasn't giving him the ball back.

Bears 40, Steelers 23

1. These defenses are very different when it comes to forcing turnovers. The Bears forced five against the Steelers while Pittsburgh has yet to record a takeaway all season.
2. Big Ben was asked to do far too much during Sunday's action. He made a lot of great plays with his natural elusiveness and threw for over 400 yards, but he turned the ball over too (four on the day, with another fumble that he recovered himself).
3. The Bears' offense still isn't lighting up the scoreboard, but they know when to step it up. With the Steelers starting to find their way back into the game, Jay Cutler led the Bears down the field to a touchdown, and the game was never in doubt after that.

Broncos 37, Raiders 21

1. Peyton Manning is waging an all out assault on the record books this year, he is on pace to shatter just about every major single season passing record right now, and has yet to throw an interception.
2. The Broncos split carries in the backfield, but Ronnie Hillman looked the best this game, as his speed allowed him to burst through quick holes that were formed by the Raiders trying to stop Peyton.
3. One week after having a "comeback" game, Darren McFadden made no impact Monday night, finishing with 12 carries for only nine yards.