Top 10 Biggest Surprises in the NFL During the 2014 Season

Three games into the season, the National Football League has experienced way more than its fair share of wacky unexpected moments.

Most of the news generated around the league seems to come from off-the-field incidents, whether it's suspensions to players like Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy for domestic violence, or the tragic death of former Titans kicker Rob Bironas. 

On the field, though, there are still plenty of storylines and plenty of surprises.

Raise your hand if you thought Brian Hoyer and Austin Davis would be among the league's most effective quarterbacks. (Raise your hand if you had even heard of Austin Davis a month ago.)

Who thought that powerhouses like Green Bay, New Orleans and San Francisco would turn in such slow starts to the season? And who will emerge in a wide-open NFL as the league's Super Bowl favorite?

Below I look at the top 10 biggest surprises of the 2014 NFL season. 

1. Weakness of the league's top teams. 

There is no clear-cut best team in the National Football League. There are three undefeated teams (Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles), but none of the three has been particularly dominant. 

The Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos each have a loss already. Green Bay, New Orleans and San Francisco just aren't the same dominant bunch they've been in past seasons. New England has troubles on the offensive side of the ball. 

Quite simply, it's a wide-open race in both leagues, and the first three weeks have made that very clear. 

2. Gus Bradley's defense, Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Defensive guru Gus Bradley, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks, was basically given a pass for his first year as a head coach, despite the Jaguars ranking 28th in points allowed. What's the excuse this year? 

Through three games, the Jaguars have easily the worst defense in the league. They've allowed 34 to the Eagles, 41 to the Redskins and 44 to the Colts. Those are some pretty good offenses, but it doesn't excuse the performance of Bradley's defense.

3. Le'Veon Bell, Running Back, Pittsburgh Steelers. 

A solid rookie season saw Le'Veon Bell rush for 860 yards and eight scores, but a minor concern was his relatively low yards per carry (just 3.5). Bell has quieted all doubters three games into the year, as he's rushed for 315 yards on 5.9 yards per carry. This includes a dominant 21-carry, 147-yard performance against the Carolina Panthers.

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"Let met just say this, I would take Le'Veon Bell over any RB in the league right now." -- @LT_21 on Total Access

— Chris Wesseling (@ChrisWesseling) September 23, 2014"

4. Cleveland Browns, Offense.

Give credit to Brian Hoyer, a 28-year-old former undrafted free agent quarterback who managed to beat out former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel for the Week 1 starting job. 

Hoyer's thrown for 716 yards and three scores in three games. He hasn't committed a turnover and he's led the Browns to 27, 26 and 21 points. In his first game, the Browns overcame a 24-point second-half deficit only to lose on a walk-off field goal. Against New Orleans in Week 2, Hoyer led the Browns to a come-from-behind walk-off field goal.

At this rate, Manziel may never get his chance to start.

5. New England Patriots, Offense.

It's seriously hard to believe that just two years ago, the New England Patriots scored a league-high 557 points. They're a league-average offense three games into the year, and it really doesn't seem like that's a fluke.

The biggest reason for the Patriots' decline on the offensive side of the ball? Tom Brady.

The two-time MVP has completed just 58.8 percent of his passes this year. He's averaging a paltry 5.5 yards per attempt. And his 82.9 passer rating ranks just 23rd in the NFL. 

It doesn't help that Brady lacks a true No. 1 receiver. But he does have Rob Gronkowski back, and he's still Tom Brady. It's becoming obvious that the 37-year-old is entering the decline of his career. 

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

6. St. Louis Rams, Defensive line. 

The vaunted St. Louis Rams defensive line was expected to be the bright spot for a struggling team this season. Although the Rams are playing better than expected, thanks to third-string quarterback Austin Davis, they're receiving virtually no help from their pass rush.

Robert Quinn signed a massive contract before the start of the season, but he's been a total non-factor on the field. Chris Long is injured. And preseason standout Ethan Westbrooks hasn't carried over his success from August. Rookie Aaron Donald has recorded the team's only sack in three games. 

That's right. A ferocious pass rush that features the likes of Quinn, Long and Donald is on pace to finish the season with exactly five sacks. 

7. LeSean McCoy, Running Back, Philadelphia Eagles.

The NFL's rushing champion in 2013, LeSean McCoy boasted this offseason that he could rush for 2000 yards during the 2014 season. That's a clip of 125 yards per game, and if he somehow received 333 carries (he had 314 in 2013), he'd need to average 6.0 yards per carry. That's almost unsustainable.

Through three games, it's safe to say that McCoy has no chance of reaching his 2000-yard goal. He's rushed 60 times for 175 yards (2.9 yards per carry), including a 20-carry, 22-yard performance in Week 3 that ranks among the worst single-game rushing performances in league history.

Playing behind an offensive line that's missing left guard Evan Mathis, center Jason Kelce and right tackle Lane Johnson, it won't get any easier for McCoy. 

8. Lovie Smith, Head Coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Veteran head coaches aren't supposed to lose games 56-14 (and it was 56-0 at one point in the third quarter) just three games into a coaching stint with their new team.

It's undeniable that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the worst team in the league this season. They're starting a 35-year-old journeyman at quarterback over last year's most impressive rookie quarterback, and they're already without offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford (illness) and their top defensive player, Gerald McCoy (broken hand).

With 13 games remaining in the season, Football Outsiders already gives the Bucs a 35.9 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick. 

9. Austin Davis, QB, St. Louis Rams.

The league's biggest surprise at quarterback this season has been Austin Davis, the third-string quarterback for the St. Louis Rams. Davis was thrust into action after injuries to both Sam Bradford and Shaun Hill. 

Simply put, Davis has responded. He led the Rams to a last-minute victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 and lit up the Dallas Cowboys for 327 yards and three touchdowns in Week 3. 

Just 25 years old, Davis has 13 more games to establish himself as the next franchise quarterback for the Rams. 

10. Joe Haden, Cornerback, Cleveland Browns.

The Cleveland Browns rewarded cornerback Joe Haden with a massive five-year, $68 million contract this past offseason. He's rewarded them with the three worst games by any cornerback in the National Football League. 

Pro Football Focus shows that Haden has allowed a ridiculous 155.3 passer rating, the highest-mark in the game. He's also committed three penalties and his struggles against the run mean that he's the 94th-ranked out of 96 corners in the game.