Find out who are TRO's biggest winners and losers from Week 3's action.
via John McCall / South Florida Sun Sentinel
Week 3 was absolutely insane, so insane that even Taylor Swift was a part of it all. Find out who we have as the Week's biggest winners and losers right before we turn the page and dive into Week 4.
Winners:
1) Joshua Dobbs
via ESPN
After having been in the League since 2018, playing for a handful of teams, and being called into action as a spot starter in tough situations, Dobbs has landed in a situation in Arizona where everyone assumed he was the face of an organization trying to tank for Caleb Williams. Dobbs has stared the tank in the face, and has played some really good football so far this season. His most impressive performance coming this past week against one of the League's top defenses, while absolutely shocking the Dallas Cowboys in a game no one had Arizona making it out of the first quarter. Not only was this win unpredictable, but this was also the first career win as a starter for the former Tennessee Volunteer.
2) Dolphins Offense
via Rebecca Blackwell / AP Photo
70 points. The Dolphins scored 70 points in an NFL game. The most points scored since Lyndon B. Johnson was in the Oval Office. Each week, Miami schemes to match their opponent and absolutely expose their defense. This offense has been the League's best, finding different ways to beat whoever is in their way. They can run the ball with their stable of runningbacks, they can absolutely burn you over the top, or they can kill you by a thousand cuts, dominating the short and intermediate game. Even when the Fins sat their starters, their backups moved the ball effectively. It took all of the restraint in this team's power to not score the most points in NFL history, which they easily could have done.
3) Myles Garrett
via John Kuntz / Cleveland
Garrett absolutely tormented the Titans to the point where several individuals in Nashville are still probably having nightmares. His pass rushing became so dominant that Tennessee had to send two tight ends to follow Garrett around on the field. On one play in particular, Garrett switched sides twice, while both tight ends repeatedly followed him, eventually leading to the Titans suffering from a delay of game penalty. He finished the day with 3.5 sacks, and reminded everyone that he is a perennial DPOY candidate for a reason.
4) Shane Steichen
via Rob Carr / Getty Images
Not only does the first year head coach have his team sitting at 2-1 through three games, but he also just led them to a huge victory in Baltimore without quarterback Anthony Richardson playing. It wasn't the prettiest game, but the Colts were able to stifle a Ravens offense that has been clicking lately, and on the other side of the ball, Indianapolis struck when it mattered most, winning a tight game in overtime. Steichen has this team punching above its weight early, which is always the sign of a good coach.
5) C.J. Stroud
via AP Photo
Not only did C.J. Stroud pick up the first win of his career, but he did so against a good Jaguars team looking to defend its division title. Through three weeks, the number two overall pick is fourth in passing yards, behind only Kirk Cousins, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Matthew Stafford. He has yet to throw an interception, and he is the only rookie starting quarterback to play in all three games this year. Stroud is making a lot happen while being the fourth most hurried quarterback in the League so far and dealing with limited resources.
Losers:
1) Zach Wilson
via NBC Sports South Boston
Zach Wilson is killing the New York Jets. It's a shame because the organization did exactly what they should have by bringing in Aaron Rodgers. Not only would Rodgers be a short term fix for the Jets' quarterback woes, but he also would serve as a mentor to Wilson, helping shape him to be ready to take the reigns when the time was right. Unfortunately for Jets fans, the Rodgers injury has thrust Wilson back into action, and each week has been more than rough. This past week, despite the defense only allowing 15 points, Wilson couldn't move the ball, completing just 50% of his passes for 157 yards. He also isn't letting go of the ball to hit open receivers, and is just taking bad, unnecessary sacks. His performance is causing commotion within the locker room and the organization, and it will only be a matter of time before New York is forced to seek the help from a mediocre veteran.
2) Cowboys fans
via Arizona Sports
It seems like every year Cowboys fans beat their chest, letting the football world know that "this" is the year it all comes together. Normally, the rest of the football world has learned better, and expects Dallas to have its patented late/post season shortcomings. This year has been different, as it seems like everyone else bought in. Most of the football world had this Cowboys team pegged as a true Super Bowl contender. Through two weeks, that's exactly what this team looked like. Week 3 came along, Cowboys fans filled up the Arizona Cardinals stadium to hopefully watch their team pound an inferior opponent. The complete opposite happened, as the Cards took complete control of the game. Dallas looked horrendous in the redzone and seemed to never have a moment of confidence. The Cowboys seem to have a common theme of struggling to punch down to inferior opponents. They seem to lose a "bad" game or two (or three) every year that they have no business losing, which foreshadows their issues that resurface in the playoffs. There's still time for this year to be different, and no need to panic, but as far as Week 3 is concerned, that was an abysmal performance.
3) Josh McDaniels
via Getty Images
Down one possession (8 points), your offense drives down deep into the opposing team's territory with 3:15 left in the game, and you encounter a 4th and 6 on the Steelers' 25 yard line. Certainly with the momentum your offense is rolling with, the opposing defense on their heels, three timeouts in your back pocket, and weapons like Davante Adams, Josh Jacobs, Jakobi Meyers, and Hunter Renfrow you go for it, right?
Not if you're Josh McDaniels, who sent his field goal unit out. A Pittsburgh penalty on the Field Goal creates 4th and 1, which gives McDaniel the time to change his mind. The offense converts, and they run into a 4th and 4 on the Pittsburgh 8 yard line with 2:25 to play, down 8 points, with all three time outs. Now you have to go for it, right?
Not if you're Josh McDaniels, who sent his field goal unit out once again. They kick the field goal, cut it into a 5 point game, and don't get the ball back until there's 12 seconds on the clock. Las Vegas fell to 1-2 as McDaniels seat has to feel uncomfortably warm.
4) Commanders Offensive Line
via Syracuse
The Commanders were flying high coming into their meeting with the Buffalo Bills with a 2-0 record. Their offensive line did not even give them a chance to compete in this game. Buffalo dominated the line of scrimmage, accumulating 9 sacks and 14 quarterback hits. The constant pressure caused Sam Howell to absolutely melt, throwing away 4 interceptions. This game got ugly fast, which allowed the Buffalo defense to continue to tee off on this offensive line's poor performance. Performances like these from the offensive line will keep Washington out of the playoff picture.
5) Matt Eberflus
via BearsWire / USA Today
There's a lot of teams with things to figure out this season, and fast, but Chicago is the only team that really feels like a dumpster fire. Denver is a close second (ironically, these two will play each other this Sunday), but they at least have a veteran quarterback not playing terribly. Eberflus is in boiling hot water in just his second year. Bears fans were expecting some semblance of competence (some of them were unrealistically expecting way too much this year - i.e., Division title, playoffs, MVP considerations, etc.), but everyone expected more than what's been on the field. With his defensive coordinator having to step away due to a federal investigation, the offensive playcalling not suiting the skillset of the quarterback, the quarterback failing to show improvement from a year ago, and the team losing every game by double digits this season, Week 3's product on the field was the cherry on top. This team just looked defeated, like it is barely going through the motions, and we're not sure a turn around is in the cards.
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