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NFL takeaways: Week 3

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Roar Rookie
1st October, 2020
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Week 3 of the NFL season is now in the books, and there was plenty to take out of it, from the duel between former MVPsPatrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson to Dak Prescott and the Cowboys taking on Russell Wilson and the Seahawks.

Then there was Carson Wentz and the Eagles struggling against Joe Burrow and the Bengals and Aaron Rodgers continuing his great run of form.

There was plenty to digest after this week’s games, so here are some of my takeaways from Week 3.

No run game, no Baltimore
Everyone knows the Ravens are one of the best teams running the football, but as we saw this week, if they fall behind by a couple of scores, you take them out of their game plan. Baltimore is built for running the football – that’s how they win games. If you ask Lamar Jackson to constantly throw the football to win you the game, the Ravens will struggle, and we saw how that looked against the Chiefs – not pretty. Did we finally see the blueprint to neutralise Jackson and the Ravens?

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Russell Wilson is leading the MVP race
As a Cowboys fan it pains me to relive the game against the Seahawks, but sometimes you just have to acknowledge just how good Wilson is. The guy is a stud of a quarterback and he showed his quality against a banged-up Dallas defence. Although he was not at his absolute best, he still put on a show, going 27/40 for 315 yards and five touchdowns to take his side to a 3-0 start and solidify his standing as one of the best in the league.

Carson Wentz is a shadow of his former self
It’s been a horrible start to the season for Wentz and the Eagles. Not winning a game in the opening three weeks and poor quarterback play has some of the Eagles faithful campaigning for Jalen Hurts to start and bench Wentz. That is a big call to make for someone who you just gave a six-year, $153 million deal to. With the 49ers, Steelers and Ravens in their next three, the pain will only increase. Make no mistake about it, Carson Wentz Eagles career is on the clock.

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Dan Quinn will not last the month
Another week, another Atlanta Falcon choke. Last week it was a historic failure against the Cowboys, this week it was a loss to the Chicago Bears in which they were outscored 20-0 in the last quarter. To have it happen once is inexcusable, but to have it happen twice in two weeks is unforgivable. Many pundits were stating that Quinn should have been sacked last week after the Dallas debacle, and then they go and blow it against the Bears. Up next is Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, and if they get blown out, Dan Quinn will be looking for another job.

Patrick Mahomes is on a whole different level to everyone else
For some reason, if anyone had any doubts about just how good this guy is, look no further then his performance against Baltimore. It was nearly the perfect game from the former MVP and Super Bowl winner. Mahomes went 31/42 for 385 yards and four touchdowns in a virtuoso performance as he outgunned Lamar Jackson and took his team to a 3-0 start. I get the feeling that if any AFC team has any hopes of going to the Super Bowl, they will have to go through Arrowhead.

So close yet so far for Dallas
Yet again it was another game there for the taking and the Cowboys fell flat. Dak Prescott once again played well, but it wasn’t’ until they got down by multiple scores that the Dallas offence looked good. Their defence let them down once again, with ten penalties and their failure to stop Wilson with a banged-up secondary and rookies. They have the talent, sure, but at some point it needs to translate into wins and not close losses. At the time of writing Earl Thomas is still on the market after his Texans move fell through. Jerry Jones make the call.

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