Alex's Six: A NFL Column

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Welcome to the first edition of Alex’s Six: A NFL Column! Before you enjoy Monday Night Football give this a read for some analysis on the biggest topics from NFL Sunday.

Holy cow Week 3 of the NFL season did not disappoint! Some big wins for teams, NFL records being broken, and entertainment on full display yesterday put all football fans in heaven for hours. Nobody could have said it better than Aaron Rodgers himself after leading a game-winning drive against the San Francisco 49ers, “How can you not be romantic about football, man”. Although I lost in all three of my fantasy football leagues, I was left satisfied knowing it was an enjoyable Sunday! Let’s dive into my 6 biggest talking points of week 3 of NFL Sunday.

Rookies looking like Rookies

Thanks to Justin Jefferson and Justin Herbert, some fans have grown impatient with the development process. Every athlete has their own different way of developing and the timetable is different as well. Those players go through growing pains which lead to them having days that you just can’t wait to be over This was on full display yesterday for the 4 starting rookie QBs.

Let’s get started in Duval County where the Jacksonville Jaguars reside as they took Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. While the fans got a burst of excitement because of Jamal Agnew’s 109-yard KICK SIX before the end of the first half, there were mixed emotions about the performance of the first overall pick Trevor Lawrence. When you’re dubbed the “best QB prospect since Andrew Luck” there are is going to be a lot of pressure on your shoulders to play well.

Lawrence finished the game with 22/33 with 219 yards, 1 passing touchdown, and with 2 picks(One was returned to the house by the Cardinals). Not exactly dazzling to the eye but he had some good throws especially his only touchdown of the day.

The Jaguars went into halftime with the lead but unfortunately by the end of the 3rd quarter, the Cardinals had regained the lead because of a poor pass from the first overall pick.

Lawrence is the first QB to throw 7+ INT in his first 3 career games since Deshone Kizer did back with the Cleveland Browns in 2017. That year the Browns went 0-16, Yikes. Lawrence has 7 interceptions on the year, the same amount as fellow rookie Zach Wilson.

Wilson, a kid from Draper, Utah is now the face of the New York Jets. After Sam Darnold couldn’t work,( let’s be honest it was Adam Gase’s fault) Wilson had to be the guy. So far he has been the guy leading the worst offense in the NFL. The Jets traveled to Denver but came away with nothing, literally nothing as they were shut out by the outstanding Broncos defense.

I don’t blame the kid for these bad games much as he hasn’t been horrible but the rest of his team has. He has no protection whatsoever. He leads the league in sack yardage with 118 yards lost and to put the cherry on top, he is also leading the league as the most sacked QB with 15 in 3 weeks. It’s going to be a long, rough season for this kid.

This tweet right here perfectly pictures the state of the Jets:

From one sacked QB to another we head over to Cleveland for the much-anticipated debut start for Justin Fields. Bears fans grew impatient with head coach Matt Nagy for naming Andy Dalton the starter, but after suffering a knee injury against the Bengals, Dalton would be sidelined for week 3.

There comes a moment and time where the reality of life just hits you to the core, for Justin Fields that was last Sunday. We talked about Zach Wilson leading the NFL as the QB that has been sacked the most, just wait till hear bout what happened to poor Justin.

Fields was sacked 9 times (the most in a game by any QB since 2015), lost 67 yards on those sacks, and threw for 68 yards on 6 completions. I feel for all the Bears fans watching this game and expecting to see Fields flourish as he got the reigns to the offense. It was hard for anyone to really evaluate his performance knowing he wasn’t given the circumstances to be put in a successful position. Matt Nagy is not going to be that guy to solve the offensive problems.

Heading to our last rookie QB starter in Foxborough, Massachusetts to visit the Patriots-Saints game. Mac Jones had performed very efficiently through 2 games but had his biggest test against Dennis Allen and the Saints defense.

It was a rough game for the former Alabama QB as coming into the game he had no interceptions but afterward had 3 to his name. The Patriot’s offense was just out of wack this game highlighted by Mac Jones leading the team in rushing yards. Josh McDaniels is treating Jones as if he were Dak Prescott by having him throw 51 times yesterday. A lot needs to be fixed on the offensive side of the ball before the Patriots face Tom Brady next week.

Tucker breaks the record and the hearts of Detroit fans

Justin Tucker now holds the NFL record for the longest field goal in NFL history at 66-yards. Not only did it break an NFL record but also won the game for the Baltimore Ravens. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Justin Tucker now holds the NFL record for the longest field goal in NFL history at 66-yards. Not only did it break an NFL record but also won the game for the Baltimore Ravens. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Justin Tucker has been the most dominant kicker in the NFL for the past decade and it was only right for him to break the NFL record for longest Field Goal. Matt Prater held the record at 64 yards previously before and it for 8 years.

The Ravens struggled all game to get going offensively and had one final drive to win the game. Credit to the Lions defense for containing the running game and giving their team a shot to win. The Ravens had a 4th and 19, the Lions had one final play to close the game. Lamar Jackson found an open receiver in the middle of the field and the Ravens still had life. Lamar took one more snap to throw the ball away to chew the clock before a moment in NFL history.

Like every big moment, there was some controversy. The play right before Tucker went to go make the kick, the CBS play cock (which we are assuming was in sync with the game clock) was at 0 for about 2 seconds before the Ravens got off that play. If the refs had called a 5-yard delay of game penalty, the Ravens would have to attempt a hail mary instead of a field goal to win the game. You can be the judge on if the Lions were robbed.

The end of an era Approaches in pittsburgh

The Steelers fall to 1-2 after losing to their division rivals the Cincinnati Bengals. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The Steelers fall to 1-2 after losing to their division rivals the Cincinnati Bengals. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Last year the Pittsburgh Steelers fell off the rails at the end of the regular season which was capped of by a loss in the playoffs to the Cleveland Browns. With Big Ben Roethlisberger returning for another year and showing huge signs of regression, what could go wrong this year.

The Steeler’s offense is extremely reliable on the passing game as the run is not a factor as it’s so easy for other teams to shut down without a problem. On Sunday Ben threw 58 times and scoring 1 touchdown with 2 picks. Running back Najee Harries led the team in receptions and yards (A good thing if you have him in fantasy) but only mustering 40 yards on the ground.

Balance is important for anything you do in life and the Steelers have none. Their rushing attack ranks dead last in the NFL in total yards (159) and yards per attempt (3.2). Meanwhile, the air attack is in the top 3 of passes attempted yet 23rd in total passing yards so far into the season. To put that into perspective Tampa and Las Vegas rank higher on passes attempted and both teams are in the top 10 in total passing yards. It seems like Big Ben’s time in the NFL could be coming to a disastrous end.

The chiefs are in danger

The Charges defense did well to contain the exposive Kansas City offence. on the road. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

The Charges defense did well to contain the exposive Kansas City offence. on the road. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

The expectations for the Chiefs were no different than last year; win your division and go to the Super Bowl. Three weeks into the NFL season and it looks the division is up for grabs.

The Chargers under new head coach Brandon Staley came to Arrowhead and were able to contain the Kansas City offense when it came to big plays down the field. They got 4 turnovers on the day that shut down any momentum that this Chiefs team was trying to build. Mahomes and the offense got one final drive to win the game but the last-second hail mary was incomplete. The Chargers got a big win and put KC at the bottom of the division standings.

Kansas City has won the division for 5 straight years without a problem but now the competition has caught up to them. The Broncos and Raiders stay undefeated so far this year while the Chargers look capable of winning any game this season.

The Chiefs have some problems to address defensively as they are second-worst in containing the run, have allowed the most rushing touchdowns so far this year, are in the bottom 3 of total yards allowed, and are tied with the Detriot Lions for most points allowed through 3 weeks. It’s entirely possible that the KC could miss the playoffs with how tough the rest division is looking.

LA Rams the top contender so far

The Matt Stafford led Rams have not disappointed as the Rams start the year 3-0. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

The Matt Stafford led Rams have not disappointed as the Rams start the year 3-0. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

Sean Mcvay has found his QB. After trading away Jared Goff, expectations were high for the Rams to look good this year. In 3 weeks it looks like the Rams are in midseason form.

When looking around the NFL before the season, there were only 4 teams that looked like real contenders heading into the season; Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Green Bay, and the LA Rams. Out of those 4 teams, the LA Rams have looked most dominant.

Watching Stafford show off the arm strength in his deep passes downfield is what the Rams lacked last year. Not to mention that Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey are playing at a high level on the defensive end.

The Rams know how to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and showed it on Sunday. The weak secondary of Tampa was exposed in the passing game. Their lack of depth at that position saw Stafford pick them apart. The inside pass rush disrupted the Buccs offense and rattled Tom Brady. I’m confident in saying this because most should agree: The Rams look like the best football team in the NFL.

performer of the week: Alexander Mattison

With Dalvin Cook ruled out of week 3, Mattison stepped up big time for the Vikings. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

With Dalvin Cook ruled out of week 3, Mattison stepped up big time for the Vikings. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

This Column will have a Performer of the Week award every week, the only rule is that it can’t be a QB because they already get enough attention. For the first edition of this award, Alexander Mattison performance against the Seahawks wins it.

Mattison put up 112 yards on 25 carries and 59 yards on 6 receptions with 1 touchdown. The Vikings ripped apart the Seattle Seahawks defense with Mattison being the main catalyst. The offense as a whole played well as the running game opened up the playbook (take note Pittsburgh) and kept the Seattle defense on its toes.

Mattison loves to put up big numbers against Seattle. Last year he ran for 112 yards on the ground in Seattle but Russel Wilson would have a game winning drive to end the game.

He guided the Vikings to a win and with Dalvin Cook out due to injury he preformed to the same level as the Pro Bowl running back. For that reason he’s my performer of the week!