After Week 3’s conclusion, teams and players have been exposed: The magic of Fitzpatrick has died down, Blake Bortles is not as a good as some thought and the highest paid quarterback is 1-1-1. What was also exposed is that the “improved” rules by the NFL is not all that improved.

Winners

5.Giants offensive live

The replacement of Ereck Flowers worked. Eli Manning’s whole game changed when Chad Wheeler was on the line. Manning had zero turnovers, 297 yards and 2 touchdowns giving Saquan Barkley a break from scoring all the tkme. Barkley still got his yards having another 100+ yard game alongside Odell Beckham Jr. What a difference one adjustment made for this team and it was against JJ Watt & Houston Texans defense. The battle of the NFC East always starts early.

4.Kansas City Chiefs

I’m still unsure about this team. Granted Patrick Mahomes is shining right now but it seems like the Chiefs are barely winning games even when he puts up 4+ touchdowns a game. Chiefs are number one in the league when it comes to points (39.3) but are on the bottom defensively except when it comes to stopping the 3rd down conversion (1st). Chargers, Steelers and 49ers all have okay defenses. I would love to see what the Chiefs are capable of against a Jaguars, Rams, Browns or Bears kind of defense.

3.LA Rams

They are currently the best team in the league right now. Offensively, they’re 1st in third down conversions, 3rd in total yards and points, 4th in passing yards and 6th in rushing yards. Their defense is top 10 in all categories except stopping the 3rd down conversion (21st). Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib being out due to injuries may hurt the Rams down the road especially this Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings.

2.Adrian Peterson

The 33-year old running back no one wanted because he’s “washed”. Well he’s sitting at the 5th spot for the most rushing yards in the league right below Todd Gurley, Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliot and Matt Breida and he’s 10 + years older than all four of them. His 120 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Packers gave the Redskins another win placing them second in one of the most controversial divisions in the league.

1.Rookies: Josh Allen & Baker Mayfield

Both rookie quarterbacks got their teams their first win of the season and one of the wins was against “one of the best” defenses in the league. The Bills were surrounded by a black cloud after the starting quarterback Nate Peterman didn’t work out, corner back Vontae Davis quits during halftime and Allen struggled in his debut. That changed when Allen went all in against the Vikings defense scoring 3 touchdowns (1 passing, 2 rushing) giving the Vikings their first real loss of the season. Mayfield broke the Browns curse and won Cleveland their first game in 600+ days after Tyrod Taylor went out with a concussion. Mayfield will be starting in Week 4 and Allen gained some respect in Buffalo. Not bad for their first W.

Losers

5.Raiders

The winless Raiders were not expecting this beginning. It’s only Week 3, but losing to Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins was definitely not expected. I won’t be surprised if the Cleveland Browns are favorites in this matchup for week 4. There were also reports that Jon Gruden and the Raiders organization are not on the same page and he’s causing a divide in the front office. Gruden must fix this soon. This is not Gruden Quarterback Camp.

4.Vikings

What happened? You went from being considered one of the best teams in the NFC to being a fluke. Whoever put money on the Bills won big time as the Vikings “top defense” crumbled against Josh Allen and Bills defense stopped the dynamic duo: Adam Theilen and Stefon Diggs. I do take Dalvin Cook not playing into consideration but when it comes to rushing yards, Bills defense is ranked 5th in the league. It wouldn’t of made a difference.

3.Tyrod Taylor

He only had two things to do: stay healthy and win a game. The injury prone quarterback suffered a concussion and gave the number one draft pick the opportunity to take over. Baker Mayfield won the Browns their first game and the starting quarterback spot. If Mayfield struggles in the next few weeks, there may be a change but no one is expecting the Browns to be playoff contenders.

2.Roughing the Passer Call

Clay Matthews has been drilled with this call and per physics, it’s impossible to do what the NFL is asking. Coincidentally, the new call is because his quarterback Aaron Rodgers got his collarbone broken in 2017 when Anthony Barr landed on him. Dolphins defensive lineman William Hayes tore his ACL because of this new rule as he tried to stop himself from landing on Derek Carr a certain way. CBS claims the committee is uncomfortable with the new call and they should be. There have been 34 roughing the passer calls already and Week 4 starts tomorrow. Last year, only 16 roughing the passer were called in the first three weeks.

1.A $137.5M tear

Tom Brady’s protege gave the 49ers high hopes when he won 5 games straight to end the season last year. He’s living his best life with the 49ers giving him the biggest contract (at the time), dating porno stars and wins in Week 2. Niner fans were content with Jimmy G & their 1-1 record since Week 1 was against the Vikings defense. Jimmy G was determined to win week 3 but his effort caused a season ending injury as he tore his ACL. Now the 49ers have to search for a quarterback again (they won’t consider former Niners QB Colin Kaepernick) and watch their 41,950,000 dollars for Jimmy G this season go down the drain.