Shameful Signal Calling

Playing quarterback in the NFL might be the toughest thing to do in sports.  Although some guys like Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady make it look easy, there were a few quarterbacks on Sunday that reminded us how difficult being an effective passer is.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick had quite possibly the worst day of his career…on any level.  Kaepernick took his team out of the game early as he threw a pair of first-quarter pick-sixes.  He would finish by completing just nine of 19 throws, for 67 yards, no touchdowns, four interceptions and he ran for the team’s only score in their 47-7 loss at Arizona.

“Very hard to see myself go out and play like that and hurt this team the way I did,” Kaepernick said. “I nullified all the efforts of every player on the field today.”

The Miami Dolphins had a big game at home against the Buffalo Bills, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill was not up to the task.  Tannehill was baffled by Rex Ryan’s defense, as he completed just 26 of 49 throws, for 297 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.  His quarterback rating of 59.7 was aided greatly by meaningless garbage time stats.

“Guys are frustrated,” Tannehill said after his team’s 41-14 loss. “We know we’re a better team than we’ve showed. There’s no panic, but definitely urgency to get this thing turned around.”

Kaepernick and Tannehill were recently granted sizable contract extensions and they need to be leaders on their respective teams, and the reasons why they win.  Not only did they not make plays, but they didn’t even give their teams a chance.

Cam Does It Again

Although Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers may be getting the headlines for being brilliant at the quarterback position (and rightfully so), Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton keeps proving that he’s worthy of the contract extension he received.

Newton completed 20 of 31 passes for 315 yards with a pair of touchdowns to tight end Greg Olsen and also ran for a score as the Panthers defeated the New Orleans Saints 27-22 on Sunday.

“Outstanding,” Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said of Newton’s performance. “He made a lot of good decisions.”

The former Auburn Heisman Trophy winner has his Panthers off to a 3-0 start as they are looking to make their third consecutive trip to the postseason.

Climbing Out Of A Hole

There were nine teams that entered Week 3 winless, and although the season isn’t completely over if they start 0-3, stats tell us that only two percent of teams that began 0-3 have made the postseason.

To put it simply, Week 3 was a must-win situation for nine teams.

• The New York Giants got back in the hunt with their 32-21 victory over the Washington Redskins on Thursday night, and their positive week came full circle when the Dallas Cowboys lost on Sunday to the Atlanta Falcons.  New York went from staring at oblivion to just one game out of first place.
• The Indianapolis Colts found themselves down 13 points in the fourth quarter to the Tennessee Titans, before scoring three touchdowns in just under four minutes to rescue their season.  Indy moved from a possible winless start to a four-way tie for first place in the AFC South at 1-2.
• The Philadelphia Eagles had to toughen up at Met Life Stadium and came away with a 24-17 victory over the previously undefeated New York Jets.  The Eagles forced four Jets turnovers and like the Giants, moved within a game of the first place Dallas Cowboys.
• The Houston Texans didn’t look all that impressive-at all- but found a way to get the job done in their 19-9 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to rescue their season and move into the all-way first-place tie.

Rest In Peace

As we mentioned previously, nine teams entered Week 3 winless, and an 0-3 start is basically a death penalty.

A few teams received their lethal injections on Sunday.

• The New Orleans Saints fought hard with Luke McCown playing for the injured Drew Brees, but they ultimately fell to Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, 27-22.  It’s legitimately time to wonder whether the Saints need to embrace a full rebuild.
• The Baltimore Ravens were involved in maybe the best game of the weekend, but they fell to the Cincinnati Bengals, 28-24, to fall to 0-3 for the first time in Ravens franchise history.  If any team is going to be able to climb out of this hole it’s Baltimore who has playoff pedigree and a big time quarterback.
• The Chicago Bears did what was expected of them.  They were crushed by the Seattle Seahawks, 26-0.  Chicago was shut out for the first time since 2002 and they didn’t look able to compete on the offensive side of the ball with backup quarterback Jimmy Clausen.
• Finally, the Detroit Lions appear like they’ll be taking the month of January off as they dropped their third straight to start the season, 24-12 against the Denver Broncos.  Once again, Detroit’s offense looked bad despite having an array of talented weapons.  At Football Insiders, we call that the Jim Caldwell effect.

Random Notes

• Seattle Seahawks rookie wide receiver Tyler Lockett is making general manager John Schneider look like a genius.  Lockett took the opening kickoff of the second half 105 yards to the house, which ignited the Seattle offense in their 26-0 victory over the Chicago Bears.
• A big story during the week was the injuries to starting quarterbacks Tony Romo, Drew Brees and Jay Cutler.  Two of the three understudies played well on Sunday as Brandon Weeden and Luke McCown did an admirable job.  Weeden completed 22 of 26 throws, for 232 yards with an interception.  McCown finished 31 of 38, for 310 yards with an interception.  Jimmy Clausen didn’t do so well, completing just nine of 17 throws for 63 yards while taking a pair of sacks.
• The Jimmy Clausen-led Chicago Bears had nine possessions on Sunday and all nine ended with punts against the Seattle Seahawks.
• The Tom Brady-led New England Patriots had nine possessions against the Jacksonville Jaguars where they didn’t take a knee and they scored on all nine possessions.
• Given the previous two facts, it’s safe for one to assume that Tom Brady is better at football than Jimmy Clausen.