10 BIG Things From Weeks 3 In The NFL

  I know that I missed week 2, I apologize. But I'm back just in time to shed light on some things that I took away from week 3 of this bizarre NFL season.

1. Aaron Rodgers shouldn't play in home games - In his last five home games, dating back to last season, Aaron Rodgers has 1,505 yards passing, 14 passing touchdowns and no interceptions. What could be more impressive, he hasn't had a loss at Lambeau Field since week 1 of the 2012 season vs the San Francisco 49ers. After watching the Monday Night Football game, where he made a very good Chiefs defense look mediocre, I think it's time to actually give Aaron Rodgers a bigger test. They should only allow him to play away game because he makes these games at Lambeau Field look too easy.  Five passing touchdowns, over 300 yards passing, some crazy passes and a game that wasn't as close as the scoreboard shows.

2. The Bengals are maturing - It almost seems like the Bengals are have grown in front of our very eyes. I know that they've been pretty good over the past few years now and winning is no longer new to the team. But they showed that they can be resilient and play from behind when the clock is running low. After Baltimore to the lead late, I was almost positive it was over. However, the Bengals put the ball in the hands of wide receiver AJ Green as he caught the touchdown pass that gave the Bengals the lead and ended up being the winning touchdown. In the past, especially in away games, if the Ravens would've taken the lead that late in the game, it would've probably been a loss for the Bengals. This Bengals team seems like they're playing together and for one another. Also, having one of the most talented offenses in the league doesn't hurt them either. If the Bengals (3-0) keep this up they'll surely get that playoff win they've been dreaming about.

3.  Philbin has to be on the hot seat - After starting the season 1-2, the Miami Dolphins find themselves at the bottom of  a very tough AFC east division and the fashion in which they've lost the past two games has been almost embarrassing. First, they suffered a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 2. The Dolphins were on the road and Jacksonville is a young, tough team. We looked past that loss. Second, the home opener was spoiled and the Bills did anything they wanted to against this Dolphins team. Miami spent almost more than any other team acquiring players like defensive tackle Ndamukong Sue and tight end Jordan Cameron during the offseason. Joe Philbin has had ample opportunity to get this organization going in the right direction and right now they look as if they're headed down the road of destruction. In the opening game against the Redskins the Dolphins didn't look too impressive and they've looked worse every week, Joe Philbin must get it turned around or there could be a coaching vacancy in Miami.

4. Andrew got Luck-y in Tennessee - The Colts seem to be struggling this season, early on. Andrew Luck hasn't looked like himself and the additions of Frank Gore and Andre Johnson don't seem to really make an impact on the offense. Right now, the Colts (1-2) must find a way to get it going on the field. I'll admit they faced some really tough opponents in their first three games. I didn't expect Luck to get a win in the opener, on the road, to a very good Bills team. However, I didn't expect him to play so poorly the following week on Monday Night Football, at home, against the Jets. I did expect him to beat the Titans, he barely pulled it out. Through the first three weeks of action Luck has seven interceptions, leading the NFL. Am I surprised at this number?  No. Andrew Luck has always been a high-risk, high-reward type of player but we're use to seeing the rewards being higher because of his offense. I don't think the Colts are in trouble but I do know they need to figure things out fast because the AFC is looking tougher every week.

5. The Eagles defense has been more impressive than the offense - The Philadelphia had very high expectations this season from almost everyone. Chip Kelly traded his starting running back, Lesean McCoy; didn't re-sign his pro bowl receiver, Jeremy Maclin; signed the 2014 rushing leader, former Dallas Cowboy, Demarco Murray and signed former Chargers running back Ryan Mathews. Needless to say, this team was suppose to put up a lot of points in every game. It started out looking very bad for this defense in the opening half of the season against a high-powered Atlanta offense which is now known as the Julio Jones show; going into halftime the Falcons were leading 20-3, the Eagles couldn't seem to stop what the Falcons. The final score ended up being 26-20 and the Eagles loss the game after Jordan Matthews had the ball pop-up off of his chest and it was intercepted by a Falcons defender. The Dallas game in week 2 was a terrible outing for the offensive unit, Sam Bradford had two interceptions and lost a fumble. The defense actually had them in the game until the very of the game; the Cowboys offense only scored one time on the Eagles defensive unit. A three-interception day was really the highlight of the week 3 win verse the Jets. I know the offense actually looked like an offense and Bradford didn't look too bad; but the fact that the Eagles defense looked more impressive than the Jets' defense was what stuck out to me. The Eagles (1-2) have some ground to make up but it's fairly early in the season still and their division is still up for grabs.

6. Julio Jones is a machine - Julio Jones has been one of the premiere receivers in the league since being drafted and he hasn't seemed to be slowing up yet. Injuries have plagued the superstar receiver and some years he was almost forgot about when mentioning the top receivers in the game when he wasn't on the field. No one ever questioned his talent or his work ethic. He was just always one of those "if he were healthy" cases. Well he's healthy, at least enough to play.Through the first three weeks, Julio Jones leads the league in targets, receptions, receiving yards and is second in receiving touchdowns (tied with four other players). He has eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark in each one of the first three games. The Falcons (3-0) are off to a great start for one reason. Julio Jones.

7.  Pittsburgh is now the Mike Vick Show - During the Steelers/Rams game on Sunday, Steelers quarterback, "Big Ben" Roethlisberger suffered a leg injury and it's reported that he could miss 4-6 weeks before returning to the field. Michael Vick started in five games for the New York Jets in 2014 and in those five games he only saw victory in one, against his new team, the Steelers. In those five games Vick had three passing touchdowns and two interceptions. After the Jets chose not to re-sign Vick for the 2015 season it didn't seem as if the 35-year-old dual-threat quarterback would be on an NFL roster for the 2015 season. In late August, it was reported that the Steelers had signed Michael Vick to a one-year deal and it seemed like a signing that was only for insurance purposes and chances were that Vick wouldn't see the field, but he was a good piece to have for a practice team and his knowledge of the game wouldn't help to have in the locker room. Now, it's looking like Vick will have to dust off his cleats and do his best to keep this high-powered engine that is the Pittsburgh Steelers offense running strong.

8. The Raiders need to show me more - It seems as if an abundance of people are on this Derrick Carr and Raiders train. I don't have any doubts that they are a very talented and young team. I just think that this 2-1 record is a deceitful record. I do believe that they're very much improved and headed in the right direction as an organization. I also believe that they'll lose some close games this year. However, their two wins were against a Browns team that has no idea of who they want to play at quarterback and a Ravens team that is lacking in their secondary. I believe that their next five games should tell more about who they really are. Contender or Pretender? I'll take more pretender ... Let's not forget, they gave up over 300 yards passing to both the Ravens and the Browns and barely beat both teams.

9. There has to be a fountain of youth in Arizona - At first I didn't think anything of it when Carson Palmer came out on fire to begin the season, a 35-year-old quarterback is still pretty good ( i.e. Manning, Brady, etc.). And now Larry Fitzgerald has now had back-to-back 100-yard performances and five touchdowns in his last two games. I can't say I was too surprised by Fitzgerald, he's one of the greatest receivers of my time. But one thing put the icing on the cake for me. Chris Johnson had a 110 yards rushing on 22 carries and two touchdowns against a 49ers defense that did a pretty good job of containing Adrian Peterson in week 1. Where did this come from? He's looking more like CJ2k from Tennessee and less like the guy that we saw in New York with the Jets. If Johnson keeps this up, he could be a great addition and valuable piece to this Cardinals offense.

10. The AFC South is looking like the NFC South from 2014 - Every team in the AFC south is sitting at 1-2 and no team is really playing like they want to win the division. The Colts barely beat the Tennessee Titans; The Texans got their first win against a young and improving Buccaneers team; Jacksonville got routed by a blazing hot Patriots team and allowed half of a century to be put up on the scoreboard. At some point one of these teams has to figure it out, right?

There's still a great amount of football to be played, were only through three weeks of action, but the really good teams are starting to separate themselves from those who aren't as good and as the weeks go one the "fakes" will get exposed, as Drake would say.