Preseason Week Three Wrap-Up

The injury bug bit hard in the third week of the preseason across a bunch of assumed playoff contenders. There is now a good amount of worry for fans of a few teams about whether or not these so-called "meaningless games" have put a huge dent in their playoff hopes.

We'll see if it turns out that way. In either case, the 2008 preseason will probably ignite the debate about Goodell's proposal to expand the season to 18 games.

The 49ers have announced that J.T. O'Sullivan will be the starter for the regular season, which is probably just as good as starting anyone else.

The real question that emerges from this contest is whether or not the Bears' defense is ready for the prime time. They've given up more points than any team other than Washington, and the first-team defense played a decent amount of the game.

San Francisco is not expected to be a powerhouse team this year, so Bears fans have something to worry about...SAN FRANCISCO 37, CHICAGO 30.

It has been pretty hard to evaluate the Patriots', offensively, since Brady has been held out of all of the preseason games, but the defense is simply atrocious. The first team played the first half, and in that first half, the Patriots allowed three drives of 76, 73, and 71 yards—and two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Some would argue that the defense helped keep New England's unbeaten regular-season mark intact, with stunning stops against Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. Does anyone believe, from what we've seen so far, that they'll be doing the same this season?

McNabb had a good game, so did the rest of the Eagles team...PHILADELPHIA 27, NEW ENGLAND 17.

Matt Ryan was named the Falcons' starting quarterback, which is good news for Atlanta fans since he's going to be a Pro Bowler one day. He played very well. Vince Young, on the other hand, struggled.

Both defenses played well. It is hard to pin down, from the preseason games, Atlanta's season prospects, since they've jumbled their starting offense and defense a lot...ATLANTA 17, TENNESSEE 3.

Tony Romo and the Dallas offense got off to a good start against Houston, and with an easy schedule throughout the regular season, we can expect Dallas to match last season's success. But regular season success has never been a problem for Romo, it's the playoffs.

Kyle Kosier is out for a couple of weeks. Houston is still as bad as everyone expects them to be...DALLAS 23, HOUSTON 22.

Opinions about Green Bay's prospects, post-Favre, have either been that they are playoff-bound or doomed to the bottom of the division. To be honest, their preseason performance makes it hard to nail anything down definitively.

Aaron Rodgers was good, but the Packers defense wasn't. Denver is probably not going anywhere this season with Cutler at the helm, if preseason performance is any indication...GREEN BAY 27, DENVER 24.

Someone should tell Cleveland that they're supposed to be playoff contenders, because their preseason performance certainly does not allude to that fact. Derek Anderson got a concussion, Jamal Lewis pulled a hamstring against the Giants, and Brady Quinn was simply terrible in the former's absence. Detroit didn't play that well either...DETRIOT 26, CLEVELAND 6.

The Giants are the biggest victims of the injury bug this week. They lost Osi Umenyiora for the entire season, probably the most valuable played on their defense. The pass rush that made the Giants' defense so fearsome last year is pretty much lost.

There is talk of getting Strahan out of retirement, but even if they do, Tuck and Strahan are not as powerful as Tuck and Umenyiora.

There was a lot of hype about the Jets' performance in the game, but ignore it, it was the Giants' offense that really fell down. You certainly have to wonder about the defending Super Bowl champs...NEW YORK (AFC) 10, NEW YORK (NFC) 7.

Jason Taylor is down and probably won't play in the opener against the Giants. Washington's defense has been the reason that they're often mentioned as eventual playoff contenders, but that perception is rapidly evaporating.

I'll reserve judgment because they've played well in their first three games. I don't believe Carolina is as good as they were in this game, so I'll reserve judgement on them too...CAROLINA 47, WASHINGTON 3.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?