The Week 3 slate brought a reality check for some, and some glimmers of hope for a couple of the NFL’s winless teams. It also featured some significant moments for a couple of coaches and quarterbacks.
TAKE IT @Saquon!
65-YARD RUN FOR THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/644j4kcyAQ— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 22, 2024
The Baltimore Ravens got their first win of 2024, and so did the Andy Dalton-led Carolina Panthers. The Minnesota Vikings continue to assert themselves, Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles avoided disaster, and the Pittsburgh Steelers might have found their quarterback. The Athletic NFL writers Tim Graham, Ted Nguyen and Dan Pompei share their thoughts on all of these storylines and more.
Is there a fundamental problem with the Cowboys or was this just one of those games (which happened to come after another one of those games)?
Graham: The Cowboys’ rollicking rally salvaged a bleak performance, and in many respects that will be enough to beat back the wolves at Jerry Jones’ door. But let’s not be fooled: This team lives on the brink of disaster. Maybe the Cowboys enjoy it a little too much — drama, coda, high theater.
Dallas has suffered humiliations in three of its past four games, dating to Green Bay’s playoff upset at Jerry World. The lone victory during that stretch was over Cleveland on opening day. Big whoop. Jones revels in his Cowboys being a larger-than-life show, and right now they’re trash TV.
Some might wonder if Mike McCarthy is on a short leash, but if the Cowboys made a switch this season it would be the shortest Dallas coaching tenure since Wade Phillips 14 years ago. That’s also the last time Jones fired a head coach during a season, and those Jason Garrett teams produced plenty of embarrassing results.
If anything, Jones has proven a glutton for such punishment. Down 28-6 in the fourth quarter, Dak Prescott started to resemble the NFL’s highest-paid player. He was 13 of 25 for 187 yards and two touchdowns in the final period, but the defense had been trampled down so badly there was not enough time to come all the way back.
Nguyen: This isn’t just one game; the Cowboys have been gashed on the ground since last season. In the 2023 NFC divisional round, they gave up 143 rushing yards to the Packers. Last week, they gave up 190 yards on the ground to the Saints. This week, they gave up a mind-boggling 274 yards rushing to the Ravens.
They had a chance at getting the ball back and completing a 22-point comeback but they couldn’t stop the Ravens from running out the clock. They’re too light up front, and that is a fundamental problem that doesn’t look solvable. Mike Zimmer wants to play two deep coverages but he may have to start getting an extra safety in the box. The idea behind playing soft coverage with light boxes is you concede an efficient run here or there, but the Cowboys are giving up explosives regularly.
Pompei: There is no shame in a three-point loss to the Ravens in September. But the Cowboys’ loss on Sunday was magnified by their loss to the Saints the week before. If they had taken care of business against the Saints, the loss to the Ravens would have been a blip for the Cowboys. Their reality now is a 1-2 record, and they are too talented to be 1-2. The Cowboys should change the optics in the next two weeks with games against the Giants and Steelers. Given the expectations for this team, Dallas needs to win both.
In light of what the Carolina Panthers just did in Vegas with Andy Dalton under center, has Bryce Young already made his last start for the Panthers?
Pompei: We’ve seen the Dalton show before. And we all know he doesn’t have a great supporting cast. So there will be turmoil in Carolina. That could lead to another quarterback change, even if the Panthers have told themselves and others they are moving on from Young. If we know one thing about David Tepper, it’s that he’s mercurial — he hasn’t shown conviction in any decisions regarding the Panthers. If Tepper and the Panthers truly are done with Young, they will get what they can for him in a trade. Unless that happens, he is in play to start again.
Graham: True story: I was walking onto the field before Carolina played Buffalo in the preseason and found myself behind a guy with “Dalton” on the back of his jersey, and it dawned on me: Andy Dalton’s not only still in the league, but also he’s dressing for the preseason finale. He ended up not taking a preseason snap, but he was out there today against the Raiders on the road and looked like he never missed a beat.
Dalton, who will turn 37 next month, made only his second start in 21 months. Young turned just 23 this summer, but you can’t help but imagine him starting for Carolina without Dalton getting hurt. What a notion! The Panthers traded four draft picks (one turned out to be No. 1 overall) and receiver D.J. Moore to the Bears to move up eight slots to select Young, despite serious questions about his 5-foot-10, 204-pound frame. Young has played even smaller than that. Dalton shouldn’t look transformative, yet there he was in victory formation at the end of a game in which the Panthers’ offense looked fresher than it has in years.
Nguyen: It seems that way. When you bench the No. 1 pick this early into a season, it sure seems like there’s no going back to him. With the dramatic difference that the Panthers got with competent quarterback play, the franchise can fully justify the benching.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that Young’s time in Carolina is over, and Adam Schefter added that the team will likely wait until the offseason to trade Young — but why wait if you’re done with him? The decision seemed to be made before this week, but the game in Vegas might have moved the needle a little more toward the give-up-on-Young side of the meter. Either way, chances are slimmer than the quarterback himself that the Panthers turn back to him.
Is it time to re-think the Vikings as a Super Bowl contender?
Graham: The Vikings are a fun story because the much-maligned Sam Darnold is enjoying moments in the sun, and the combination of Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson has been must-see TV. But let’s throw some bouquets at Brian Flores’ defense.
Minnesota entered Sunday ranked third in points allowed and top-10 in both yards per carry and yards per pass attempt. With help from U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings annihilated the AFC South favorites on Sunday. They tormented C.J. Stroud with two interceptions and four sacks, and they’ll have the Texans’ offensive line flinching tonight in their sleep.
Get a load of outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, who recorded three sacks against his old club and played a large part in Houston’s offensive line committing four straight pre-snap O-line penalties at the end of the first half, turning a third-and-4 at Minnesota’s 25-yard line into a punt. Four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil was flagged three times apiece for false starts and illegal formations. Minnesota stopped four runs behind the line and let Cam Akers gain just 2.3 yards per carry.
Nguyen: Flores’ defense has a boom-or-bust nature and the Vikings still live on aggression and causing confusion, but it’s hard to deny how good they’ve been. Last week, they shut down the 49ers and this week, they had Stroud, who is normally very good against the blitz, completely flustered. This is Stroud’s first multi-interception game in which he was also sacked four times in his career.
The Vikings’ offense is explosive on the ground and through the air — sixth in explosive play rate — but the old careless Sam Darnold does show up from time to time. Kevin O’Connell has been excellent calling plays. I think they have a formula to win a lot of games and maybe make noise in the playoffs, but until we see Darnold string together some elite games, it’s hard to say that they’re Super Bowl contenders. And that’s not a knock on the Vikings and their excellent start to the season, but it will take more to put them in that tier.
Pompei: The Vikings are better than almost anybody thought they would be. That’s about as far as we should go after three games. Two of their next three are against the Packers and Lions — we will have a much better feel for them then. Being excellent for 17 games is a much different challenge than being excellent for three, and January is a long way away. But it probably wouldn’t be wise to doubt that O’Connell will continue to get the best from Darnold, and if Darnold keeps playing the way he has, the Vikings should be a playoff contender. And history tells us every team in the playoffs is a Super Bowl contender.
Does Sunday’s win over the previously unbeaten Saints cool down Nick Sirianni’s seat, or does the uneven offense and fourth-down backfires keep the heat turned high?
Graham: We know how it works in Philadelphia, where winning sometimes isn’t nearly enough. Sirianni got too cute, and that’s borderline unforgivable. One long Saquon Barkley run and Vic Fangio’s defense bailed out the head coach.
You have to cut Sirianni some slack with an already bruised roster that got beaten up some more on Sunday, losing All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson and leading receiver DeVonta Smith to head injuries. All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay also left the game late. But the fake Brotherly Shove gaffe right before halftime and being shut out for three quarters isn’t going to cut it in Philly, let alone the NFC East. Sirianni had better hope his luck lasts because he won’t last much longer if he keeps coaching cute.
Nguyen: It certainly cools down his seat but the Eagles have been very good for most of this season. They dropped a bad game against the Falcons but they could easily be sitting at 3-0 right now. The defense has potential to improve as it continues to learn Fangio’s system. The run defense was excellent against the Saints, who were incinerating teams.
The offense is handicapped by Jalen Hurts’ inability to get the option game going and the absence of A.J. Brown, but Kellen Moore has been able to dial up explosive play calls at the right time. Sirianni has had several questionable fourth-down decisions — ones that the analytics would even recommend against (like going for it on fourth-and-1 instead of kicking a field goal at the end of the first half).
The Eagles are dealing with injuries and they’re adjusting to new coordinators on both sides of the ball, but this team looks too talented to falter. However, the standard for Sirianni might be to contend for the Super Bowl with the roster the Eagles have.
Pompei: The seat of the Eagles’ coach is always hot, right? This is the organization that fired Andy Reid even though he clearly was one of the best head coaches in football, and the one that fired Doug Pederson three years after he led them to one of the most improbable Super Bowl championships in history. High expectations and a roster that most would say is loaded won’t help Sirianni’s job security. But it’s kind of crazy to talk about considering the Eagles are 2-1 and Sirianni has a 36-18 record as their head coach. If the Eagles fire Sirianni, his wait to become a head coach somewhere else won’t be long.
Do the Steelers have their quarterback in Justin Fields?
Nguyen: The Steelers are 3-0 and Fields has made improvements in every game. He’s had multiple big throws wiped away by questionable penalties in the first two games. His game against an extremely stingy Chargers defense was by far his most impressive of the season. He completed nearly 80 percent of his passes — he threw several short passes but that was part of the gameplan against one of the best pass rushes in the league. Fields made downfield throws in key moments.
The most impressive part about his start to the season is his ability to avoid sacks, which has been the biggest struggle of his career. Despite poor pass blocking, Fields has only been sacked six times in three games. If he had a bad game against the Chargers’ defense, it might have been easy to hand over the reins to Russell Wilson in Week 4 — but I don’t think there’s any way you can do it now.
Graham: The Steelers have had quirky success with backup quarterbacks in the past. But this dude is no Mason Rudolph, Duck Hodges or Tommy Maddox. As maddening as Fields was in Chicago, he has been wonderful so far in Pittsburgh, an organization that won’t force a player into a gig just because it’s paying him. The Rooneys and Mike Tomlin will stick with whomever has earned it.
Fields has been effective at avoiding sacks and turnovers, throwing his first interception today. You certainly can’t argue with 78 percent accuracy (or with passing and rushing for touchdowns against the Chargers on Sunday). If the Steelers still believe Wilson, who will turn 36 in a couple months, remains their best chance to win, then more power to them, I suppose. But I believe the Steelers’ leadership is smarter than that. Besides, as Crash Davis once said, you never (mess) with a streak. Wilson will have to wait.
Pompei: The Steelers have their starting quarterback for their game against the Colts next week because you don’t bench a quarterback who is 3-0 unless the player he’s being replaced with was performing at a much higher level prior to his injury. (That wasn’t the case with Wilson.) But it’s a safe bet that Wilson is going to start games for the Steelers this season, maybe in the not-too-distant future.
It’s also possible Fields will reclaim the starting job at some point. Fields has a history of up and down performances. Maybe he’s becoming more consistent in his fourth season and in a new environment, but that remains to be seen. Unless Fields (or Wilson if he replaces him at some point) is consistently outstanding and the team keeps winning, there will be a possibility of change.
Is it good or bad for Caleb Williams to be taking all these lumps early on?
Pompei: Taking lumps is never a good thing for a young quarterback. How has it worked out for Bryce Young? Getting playing experience is good, but there must be validation at some point. There has not been much so far for Williams. He hasn’t had much help from play calling, blocking or the running game. And he hasn’t helped himself much either. Williams and the Bears offense need to crawl before they walk, and they often look like they’re trying to fly. Having a more conservative approach would help everyone.
Nguyen: I don’t think it’s ideal to put a quarterback who wants to take his time to create behind this offensive line, but I don’t think you can reverse course after naming Williams the starter at this point. He isn’t playing as poorly as his numbers suggest, and he’s impressively handling a lot of the Bears’ pre-snap operation while getting better.
He hasn’t been able to get the ball downfield in the past couple of weeks but he threw for 363 yards today and found a rapport with Rome Odunze, who had 112 yards — that’s progress! In a perfect world the Bears block better, but as long as Williams is improving, you have to play him. Even when the lumps come, you have to play him.
Graham: There are lumps and then there are lumps. Although the Bears’ offensive line isn’t doing him many favors, Williams isn’t exactly getting the David Carr or Archie Manning treatment yet. This has been precious experience for Williams, and you don’t want him to be thrown into the Bin of Demoralization alongside Bryce Young as players who’ve already lost their jobs as kids and need to have their confidence built back up.
Williams already has a victory under his belt and has been showing those flashes of brilliance you’d expect. He threw for 363 yards today, the kind of fat stat line that will keep Chicago (and fantasy managers) excited and not on the verge of booing him out of town. Bears fans have to hope his TD toss to Odunze today is just the start of a beautiful relationship. Give Williams all the opportunities. He’s doing fine so far.
(Top photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)