Monday Hangover: Wild Week 3

Written by Sam DeCoste

Boy, did we need a week like this. From the 80 points scored by the Rams and 49ers on Thursday night, to the crazy finishes in Philadelphia, Detroit, and Chicago, there are so many storylines to dissect in this edition of the Monday Hangover. So let’s see if we can sum up one of the craziest football Sundays in recent memory.

In a City of Sleeping Giants

The Giants once again are in a free fall. They are one of five teams in the league who are in the dreaded abyss of 0-3, along with the likes of Cincinnati, Cleveland, the Chargers, and San Francisco. But the Giants may be the worst of the pack right now. 

Going into the fourth quarter of the Eagles game, the Giants were out of it in all honesty. But down 14-0, New York stormed back by scoring 21 unanswered points, before Philly stole the momentum back and kicked a 61-yard field goal to beat the Giants, in heartbreaking fashion. It's a shame in the sense that the Giants were out of it very early, but they rallied to keep themselves alive, but lose in such a deflating way. Not many kickers have kicked a 61 yard field goal in NFL history. Only nine kickers in NFL history have ever kicked a field goal that long. Jake Elliott is a rookie, and he won the game on that kick against the New York Giants! That's awesome, man. 

With this, the Eagles are 2-1 with games against the Chargers, Cardinals, and Panthers coming up. At the top of the NFC East right now, the Eagles look like they're ready to take the next step. They finished 7-9 for each of the past two seasons, despite starting 3-0 last season. But I believe in Carson Wentz, and I believe in Jim Schwartz's defense. It's a good time to be an Eagles fan.

It's not a good time to be a Giants fan. The Giants have not looked this bad since 2012, and the aftermath of winning Super Bowl XLVI. I know that it is only week 3, but realistically, the Giants have no chance. They're done. Stick a fork in it. The Giants' season is over. Don't @ me. The Giants won't be able to win a game without an offensive line, and they still don't have one. They can't protect Eli, and they can't run the ball. That is a formula for losing football. And the Giants' schedule only gets worse from here, with games against the Buccaneers, Broncos, and Seahawks upcoming. Let's talk about the Giants again in 2018, or in Week 4 Predix. Whatever comes first. 

New England Victorious, Yet Still Vulnerable

You may have lost this story with all of the buzz coming from the ending of Giants-Eagles, but the Texans and Patriots battled for sixty minutes. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, and leading Houston to an offensive showcase, scoring 33 points. It should also be mentioned that the Texans defense, with the likes of JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney on both edges, forced four fumbles, and Clowney picked one of them up and took it to the house. The game was back and forth, and Houston certainly had a chance to win. But, like Brady always does, he throws a touchdown pass to win the game in the dying seconds. This game was incredible in all honestly, and it reminds me of the Saints-Pats game back in 2013.

The Texans are 1-2, but they should hold their heads up high for how they played yesterday. I didn't give them any chance going to Foxborough, and I can tell you that not many other pundits did either. But they played really well in a really tough environment. Houston looks like they will be okay, and that they will go to the playoffs for the third straight season. The only problem is the Jaguars and Titans are both 2-1, and they look very good right now.

While the Patriots won yet again, it took them sixty minutes to put Houston away. I'm not so sure about the Patriots' chances of going all the way this season, given how dreadful their defense has been so far. The Patriots have the NFL's worst defense, giving up 461 yards per game, and surrendering 31 points in each contest. Their offense happens to be the league's best right now, and that is the reason they have won two games. But the Patriots are absolutely vulnerable at the moment, and you better believe that they are beatable. While they have a generous schedule in the short term, with games against the Panthers, Jets, and Chargers, the second half of the season is very tough on them. They go to Denver, to Mexico to play the Raiders, two games against the Bills and the Dolphins, and a late season trip to Pittsburgh. I'm not so sure how the Patriots will fix their defense, because it is not stopping anybody right now. 


That's Why We Play the Games

It is only week 3, yet there are two undefeated teams that remain. Yes, two! The Falcons and Chiefs have yet to lose a game. Plenty of the league's top dogs laid eggs on Sunday. 

The Broncos struggled in their first road game of the season, losing out in the end to the Bills, 26-16. The Steelers, in a game where they wee overwhelming favorites over the dreadful Chicago Bears, amazingly lost in overtime to Chicago. The 2-0 Ravens, who forced a league-high 10 turnovers in two games, surrendered 44 points in a blowout loss to the Jaguars in London. The Jets won a football game! Yes, the Jets dominate the Dolphins in a stout defensive performance, winning 20-6. And don't forget that the Seahawks lost to Tennessee as well.

This is a great week for the NFL, because so many underdogs won. Plenty of teams were given absolutely no chance of winning, or even keeping it close. But teams like the Bears, Bills, Jets, and Jaguars all won, in the same weekend. That is amazing. And folks, that is why we play the games. If the more talented teams won every game, then nobody would play the game. That is what makes sport so great, when underdogs with no chance shock everybody. It reminds us that no team is out of it, and you cannot afford to write anybody off.

The same goes for the best teams in the league, and you can't just buy tickets to see them play in the Super Bowl when it is still September. The Broncos, Steelers, and Ravens all sat at 2-0 going into their games, and now they all have to cope with their first loss of the season all week long. Even playoff teams from last year lost, including the Lions, Dolphins, and Seahawks. There was so much buzz about some of these teams, especially Denver and Pittsburgh. But maybe this is what they need, a humbling. Now they know that they are not invincible, and that even the best teams lose. Does this mean anything for the long run? Probably not, the big boys will still be there when it is all said and done. But what a week of football.


Division Through Unity

Now moving away from football, this weekend was an unprecedented occasion in the NFL. On Friday, President Trump called for league owners to fire players who kneel during the national anthem, calling it disrespectful to the flag. As you would expect, the entire league responded in inspiring fashion, in complete disagreement with the President. Many teams sent a message to Trump through their procedures to the national anthem. Most teams took knees, or stood but had their arms locked with one another. Some teams, including the Steelers, did not even participate in the anthem. The team stayed in the locker room. 

It was very inspiring to see how united the NFL was this past weekend. This is a very unusual and unprecedented period in American history, but the league responded in unity. While not everybody completely agrees with one another as to how to approach the national anthem, or protest it respectfully, or to protest the flag at all, we can respect one another's opinions. Our disagreements over issues like these can be so polarizing that they can completely divide a nation. But in life, you don't necessarily have to agree with everybody's opinion. That's the beauty of it. But as the players and league demonstrated, it doesn't matter if we disagree with each other. What matters is that we stay united, and respect one another. It was a great spectacle to see the league's response to Trump's derogatory comments, and it certainly sends a message back to the man upstairs.

Picture credit: https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/ap_giants_eagles_football_94074440.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1