With week three of the NFL in the books, there are some tough, Vince Wilfork-sized questions that need to be addressed. And with a power shift in the league standings eminent, we may be on our way to one of the most exciting football seasons since the lowly 2001 Patriots found their win producing machine that is Tom Brady. But for now, here are my key stories on this early season:
Which team is going to take the AFC East this season?
You could throw all four teams in the AFC East into a hat, pick one out, and only if Miami was chosen would I laugh in your face. With the Buffalo Bills scraping out a hard fought win against the Patriots in Week 3 (34-31), NFL analysts could honestly say that the Bills are a threat to the power structure in the East. The only undefeated team in the AFC, the Bills, are putting up points as if their lives depended on it. Led by the only Harvard-produced quarterback in the history of the NFL, Ryan Fitzpatrick, the team leads the league in Points For (113). And Fitzpatrick’s dominance (9 touchdowns in 3 games) is turning Stevie Johnson into one of the top-tier wide receivers in the game. As we’ve learned in previous years, however, the Patriots and the Jets cannot be counted out. Brady looks the best he has since his record setting 2007 season (despite his four interception performance against the Bills) and Jet’s head coach Rex Ryan will motivate his team to perform at its full potential unless he devours them first. Improving the defense should be keys for the Pats and Jets and will put pressure on the Bills to crumble.
Are the Lions for real?
The Detroit Lions are 3-0? Before the season started, I would have had to pinch Matthew Stafford to wake him up from a dream. Instead, the Lions quarterback has thrown for just under 1000 yards (977), completed 9 touchdown passes, and earned himself a passer rating of 110.7, which is astounding when considering his career passer rating of 75.8. Some fans might say the Lions were bound to become competitive after their winless season in 2008. The team has improved steadily each year, going 2-14 in 2009 and 6-10 in 2010. If there’s one thing that has helped the Lions to a 3-0 start it is the ease of their schedule. With wins over Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Minnesota, the Lions’ opponent record in their first three games stands at 2-7 (the Bucs contributing the two wins). That should not diminish their thrashing over the Chiefs in which they won 48-3, but tests against the Cowboys this week, the Falcons in week 7, and two versus the Packers later in the season will show the true colors of the Lions. Come back to me midseason.
What’s going on in Philadelphia?
Michael Vick is feeling the pressure. After deservingly winning the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2010, Vick has a lot of potential to live up to in the 2011-12 season. And right now, he isn’t doing that. And trust me, more people than just Michael Vick are upset. I took Vick in the third round of my fantasy draft and his lackadaisical play is part of the reason my team is 1-2. He looks hesitant in the pocket, the Eagles offensive line collapses faster than the Red Sox in September, and he’s overthrowing receivers left and right. Not to mention how injury prone he is when scrambling. The way for Vick to get his head on straight and lead the Eagles to some wins is by giving the ball to running back LeSean McCoy at least 25 times a game. Right now McCoy only has 57 rushing attempts in 3 games but is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. If I were an Eagles fan, I would want McCoy to have the ball, especially in crunch time. He became the first Eagles rusher to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards since Brian Westbrook in 2007 and he’s improving each year. If McCoy is utilized properly, defenses won’t know whether DeSean Jackson is going to blow by the cornerback or McCoy is going to pound it up the middle and run for 80 yards. I wouldn’t worry too much in Philadelphia.
Matt Stafford leads the 3-0 Lions (photo from web)
Can the Colts win without Peyton Manning?
Simple answer: Nope! The start of the Indianapolis Colts’ season is clear evidence that Peyton Manning is the backbone of this team. Scratch that. He IS the team. Without Manning, offensive players such as Reggie Wayne and Joseph Addai immediately are relegated to practice squad status. There is no replacement for Manning, especially with the likes of Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter. Collins turns 39 in December making him an ancient artifact of the NFL and Painter resembles the odd love child of Clay Aiken and Jude Law (seriously, look up his player profile page on ESPN.com). Manning threw for 4,700 yards and 33 touchdowns last season while leading the Colts to a 10-6 record and their ninth straight playoff berth. Yet by losing the first three games of the season, it will be difficult for the Colts to beat out the Houston Texans who will likely win the division. Colts fans, pray for Peyton, otherwise pray for a winless season and the #1 draft pick.
Is the NFC West or the AFC West the worst division in the league?
I’ll keep this one short for the sake of importance. The NFC West has a combined record of 4-8 while the AFC West boasts a 5-7 record. In this scenario, I would give the edge to the AFC only because of the lack of a
powerhouse team in the NFC West. San Diego has the potential every year due to the leadership of Philip Rivers, and the running back duo of Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert is underrated. In the NFC West, the Cardinals will take the division if Kevin Kolb and Larry Fitzgerald can form the chemistry Fitzgerald had with Kurt Warner on their way to winning the NFC Championship a couple years ago.
In Fine Print: In order to level out the playing field in a youth football league, the “Madre Hill rule” bans eleven-year-old Demias Jimerson of Malvem, Arkansas from scoring a touchdown if he has already scored three times and his team has a lead of 14 points or more. If I could invest in pop warner football players like I could stocks, I’d put my money on Demias.•
