The Good, Bad and Ugly of NFL Week 3

The NFL continued its topsy-turvy season in a weekend which featured six blowout victories, six games decided in the final minute and three overtime games.

Three previously undefeated teams took a beating, as the San Francisco 49ers lost by 11 points on the road to the Minnesota Vikings, the Philadelphia Eagles got burned by the Arizona Cardinals, and the San Diego Chargers looked inept at home against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots lost on last-second field goals, Greg Schiano continues his unwavering determination to change the way teams handle the victory formation, and then there was the chaos and confusion at the end of Monday Night Football that gave the Seattle Seahawks a 14-12 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

Once again, it’s time to have a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from Week 3.

The Good: Torrey Smith

Less than 24 hours before Torrey Smith was to play against the New England Patriots, he was informed that Tevin Smith, his younger brother, was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Smith briefly left the team to attend to his family and then made the decision to play in the Baltimore Ravens' game Sunday night. Not only did Smith play in the game, he had a stirring performance.

Smith caught six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns. After the game, head coach John Harbaugh dedicated the victory to Tevin and the Smith family.

The Bad: Mike Vick & Eagles Offense

Mike Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles offense continued to play with fire, and they finally got burned in the desert. The Arizona Cardinals converted three Eagles fumbles into 14 points and completely dominated the game.

Vick was responsible for two fumbles and only managed to complete 46 percent of his passes. The Eagles were held without a touchdown for the first time since the Dallas Cowboys shut them out in the 2009 season finale.

The Ugly: The End of Monday Night Football

By now, we’re sure you have all seen the play at the end of Monday Night Football that gave the Seattle Seahawks a 14-12 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

For those who have not, there was a controversial touchdown (interception) catch by Golden Tate as time expired. It is clear that the Packers' M.D. Jennings intercepted the ball and then Tate got a hand on it as they came to the ground. One official called it a touchdown, while another one gave the signal to stop the clock (see below).

Both former and current players, along with celebrity and media members took to Twitter to voice their displeasure in attempts to get the league to end the lockout of the NFLRA.

The NFL had hoped that there would not be a controversial call that affected the outcome of a game, and unfortunately (unless you are a Seahawks fan) this was that call. Hopefully, this is will be enough for the league to end the lockout and bring back the regular officials.

The Good: Jamaal Charles

One week after Jamaal Charles rushed for three yards against the Buffalo Bills, he exploded for 233 yards rushing on 33 carries that included a 91-yard touchdown run. That touchdown put him in the Kansas City Chiefs record books, as it was the longest rushing TD in franchise history.

Charles also added another 55 yards receiving on six catches. He was responsible for over 56 percent of the Chiefs' total yards from scrimmage.

The Bad: Steven Jackson & Rams Offense

The Rams were completely inept on offense this week. Running back Steven Jackson is playing like a shell of his former self. He rushed for 29 yards on 11 carries and had two receptions for five yards.

Not that quarterback Sam Bradford fared any better: He threw two interceptions and barely managed to complete 50 percent of his passes.

The Rams did not score a touchdown and scored six points off of two Greg Zuerlein field goals.

The Ugly: The Rest of the Replacement Refs

Monday Night Football's controversial ending was not the only issue for the replacement officials. They had another horrendous outing in Week 3.

From Jim Harbaugh being granted a challenge after first calling a timeout (not once, but twice), to the improper spotting of a penalty in the Lions/Titans game, these officials are just not getting the job done.

Sure, the regular officials make mistakes too, but not the simple mistakes these replacement officials have been making over and over again.

Complaining about them is not going to help, but hopefully the NFL finds a resolution soon and allows the regular officials back on the field.

The Good: Jake Locker

Quarterback Jake Locker shocked the Detroit Lions with a huge game for Tennessee. Locker completed 69 percent of his passes, going 29-of-42 for 378 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, Locker had zero turnovers.

Locker also added another 35 yards rushing and made some stellar throws, including a 61-yard touchdown bomb to tight end Jared Cook and a 71-yard strike to wide receiver Nate Washington.

If Locker was in danger of losing his job, he certainly did enough to earn himself a few more starts.

The Bad: Panthers Rushing Attack

The Panthers' rushing attack spiraled downward this week in their 36-7 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Their 60 yards of rushing was not as bad as their 10-yard output from Week 1, but it was still far from ideal.

It did not help that running back Jonathan Stewart did not play in the game due to an injury, but clearly the Panthers' running game was not ready for prime time.

The Ugly: Chris Johnson

Last week, Chris Johnson was in the bad category. This week, he is downgraded to ugly after managing a skimpy 24 yards on 14 carries for a 1.7 average.

After three weeks, Johnson has amassed a total of 45 yards on 33 rush attempts. CJ2K has become CJ200.

The Good: Chris Clemons & Seahawks Defense

Chris Clemons and the Seattle Seahawks defense were relentless in their pursuit of quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Monday Night Football. Clemons had four tackles for a loss on the night to go with four first-half sacks on Rodgers.

The rest of the Seahawks defense sacked Rodgers four times, bringing the Packers QB down a total of eight times in the first half.

The high-powered Packers offense was averaging 22.5 points per game. The Seahawks held them to 12. 

The Bad: Season-Ending Injuries

There were plenty of injuries in Week 3 of the NFL, and although the leagues top two rushers (C.J. Spiller and Reggie Bush) are certain to miss some playing time, the following players are certain to be out for the rest of the season.

New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis will miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear.

Dallas Cowboys safety Barry Church sustained a torn right Achilles tendon and is facing season-ending surgery.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Austin Collie was placed on injured reserve after suffering a ruptured patella tendon in his right knee.

The Ugly: Packers Offensive Line

They allowed eight sacks of Aaron Rodgers in the first half alone, and the Seattle defense was able to put another 10 hits on Rodgers.

This unit also gave up 10 tackles for a loss and were penalized for offensive holding twice.

Rodgers was running for his life most of the night, and the offensive line was the reason why he did not look as sharp as usual.

The Good: Maurice Jones-Drew

So much for the holdout.

Maurice Jones-Drew showed that he was and is ready to be a bigger part of the Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive plans.

Jones-Drew rushed for 177 yards on 28 carries and had two catches for 16 yards. He also scored on a 59-yard touchdown run.

Can you image how he would perform if the Jaguars actually paid him?

The Bad: Randy Moss

Talk about a silent homecoming. Many pundits were expecting San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Randy Moss to put up huge numbers in his return to Minnesota.

Instead, he laid an egg.

Moss finished the game with just three catches for 27 yards and was only on the field for about 35 percent of the 49ers' offensive snaps.

Not the day Moss (or anyone else) was expecting.

The Ugly: Saints Defense

For the second consecutive week, the Saints defense makes the ugly section.

This week, they allowed the Chiefs to gain 510 yards of total offense. After Drew Brees and the Saints offense handed them a 24-6 lead late in the third quarter, the New Orleans defense allowed Kansas City to put up 18 straight points to force overtime, during which they could not stop the Chiefs getting into field-goal range.

This clearly is not the same aggressive defense that used to force turnovers by the boatload. Even L.A. Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke agrees. 

"

Not saying Saints defenders easing up, but they lack recklessness that once caused so many turnovers..like they know they're being watched

— Bill Plaschke (@BillPlaschke) September 23, 2012

"

The Good: Titans Special Teams

Late in the first quarter, the Tennessee Titans returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown after Darius Reynaud threw a backwards pass to Tommie Campbell, reminding everyone of the Music City Miracle.

Campbell had a convoy in front of him and was never touched on the return.

Then, later in the fourth quarter, after the Detriot Lions had taken a 27-20 lead on a Nate Burleson touchdown catch, Reynaud returned the ensuing kickoff 105 yards for a TD to tie the game at 27.

And although kicker Rob Bironas missed two field goals earlier in the game, he finished 3-of-5 and made his final kick of 26 yards in overtime to give the Titans the win.

The Bad: Jim Schwartz

After the Tennessee Titans had kicked a field goal in overtime to take the lead, 44-41, the Detroit Lions marched down the field and were staring at a 4th-and-1 from the Tennessee 7-yard line.

Head coach Jim Schwartz decided to go for the first down instead of kicking the game-tying field goal and continuing play in overtime. Quarterback Shaun Hill tried a quarterback sneak and was stuffed short of the line to gain.

Schwartz admitted to the mistake and said (via the Detroit Free Press) that they were trying to draw the Titans offsides. Either way, Schwartz should have just kicked the field goal and tried to come up with a way for his team to play defense.

The Ugly: Cowboys Penalties

The Dallas Cowboys won the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they also added another 13 penalties this week. That makes them the most penalized team in the NFL after three weeks.

Dallas is averaging 10.3 penalties per game and is on pace to finish the season with 165. That number would obliterate the team record of 141 penalties set in 1998.

The biggest offenders are Tyron Smith and Doug Free, with six penalties each.

The Good: Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson’s stat line from the game against the Washington Redskins speaks for itself. He was all over Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Johnson had five solo tackles (four for a loss), one pass defensed, six total tackles, seven QB hits and three sacks.

He was constantly in the Redskins backfield causing havoc, and his back-to-back sacks on Griffin III near the end of the first quarter changed the complexity of the game.

The Bad: Cam Newton

Maybe the “sophomore slump” is Cam Newton’s kryptonite as his roller-coaster season continues. Newton threw three interceptions at home against the New York Giants.

He did not look comfortable in the pocket, and even his touchdown run looked odd. Newton finished the game with six yards rushing on six carries and a passer rating of 40.6, and he was sacked twice.

Those are not Superman-like numbers.

The Ugly: Golden Tate

For the second consecutive week, Golden Tate finds himself in the ugly category. Except this time, it’s not for his performance on the field, it’s for his actions off it.

Golden Tate was the recipient of a generous call at the end of the Monday Night Football fiasco. However, instead of moving on from the controversy quietly, Tate had to go and deny a push-off on Packers cornerback Sam Shields. 

While the NFL’s integrity level diminishes as they continue to use replacement officials, Tate’s integrity level is completely gone. 

The Good: Andre Brown & Ramses Barden

The New York Giants got titanic performances from two unlikely sources on Thursday night. Running back Andre Brown (replacing an injured Ahmad Bradshaw) had a huge game, rushing for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Ramses Barden (playing for the injured Hakeem Nicks) caught nine of the 10 passes thrown his way and finished the night with 138 yards receiving.

If both Brown and Barden continue to play like this for the Giants, then Bradshaw and Nicks can make sure they are 100 percent healthy before they return to the field.

The Bad: Bill Belichick Grabbing Official

Soon after a last-second field goal by rookie kicker Justin Tucker gave the Baltimore Ravens a 31-30 victory, Bill Belichick grabbed a replacement official as he left the field.

Yes, you wanted clarification on whether the final kick was going to be reviewed.

Yes, they have made plenty of mistakes.

Yes, they are replacement officials.

But you simply cannot ever put your hands on an official—period. Belichick should expect a fine, if not a one-game suspension from the NFL.

The Ugly: Joe Philbin

When will coaches learn? Sometimes you hurt yourself by calling a timeout to ice a kicker.

That’s exactly the lesson learned by rookie head coach Joe Philbin in Miami. With a little over six minutes left in overtime, Philbin opted to call a timeout to try and ice Jets kicker Nick Folk.

Folk’s first attempt was blocked by the Dolphins, but Philbin’s timeout gave him another chance. With new life, Folk nailed the 33-yarder, and the Jets escaped Miami with a 23-20 overtime win.

The Good: Ryan Succop

OK, let’s end with an extra good selection this week. Who says kickers can’t get honored in this section?

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop was perfect against the New Orleans Saints. He made all six field-goal attempts, including a 43-yarder to send the game into overtime and a 31-yard try to win the game.

Not bad for a kicker!