THE NFL STORY: WEEK #3

So Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Washington, and the NY Giants are all 0-3. Okay, NOW your fans can panic.

THE SCORE:
KANSAS CITY (3-0) 26
Philadelphia (1-2) 16
THE STATS: Andy Reid 3-0 start with Chiefs.
THE STORY: I know they don't actually have this award, but if they did, to whom would you give a "Comeback Coach of the Year" award?


THE SCORE:
San Diego (1-2) 17
TENNESSEE (2-1) 20
THE STATS: Tennessee QB Jake Locker 23-37-299-0-1 TD, 96.6 rating.
THE STORY: Neither team stands much chance in very difficult divisions of a very difficult conference.


THE SCORE:
CLEVELAND (1-2) 31
Minnesota (0-3) 27
THE STATS: Cleveland QB Brian Hoyer 30-54-321-3-3 TD, 68.5 rating in 2nd NFL start.
THE STORY: True fact: With only 5 NFC teams having a winning record, Minnesota's 0-3 record leaves them only 1 game out of a wild card berth at this point.


THE SCORE:
Tampa Bay (0-3) 3
NEW ENGLAND (3-0) 23
THE STATS: Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman 43-94-571-3-2 TD, 59.3 rating over first 3 games.
THE STORY: After a poor start, the Buccaneers have benched Josh Freeman. Time to add Mike Glennon (rookie, North Carolina State) to 
your fantasy roster.


THE SCORE:
Houston (2-1) 9
BALTIMORE (2-1) 30
THE STATS: Houston triple threat: Arian Foster 54 yards rushing, Andre Johnson 36 yards receiving; Matt Schaub 194 yards passing.
THE STORY: Ravens defense hasn't allowed a touchdown since opening week 49-27 loss to Denver.


THE SCORE:
St. Louis (1-2) 7
DALLAS (2-1) 31
THE STATS: Dallas RB DeMarco Murray 26-175-1 TD.
THE STORY: Dallas is the only NFC East team to win a game in the past two weeks.


THE SCORE:
Arizona (1-2) 7
NEW ORLEANS (3-0) 31
THE STATS: New Orleans TE Jimmy Graham 9-15-134-2 TD.
THE STORY: Saints have started 3-0, virtually wiping out the memory of last year's 7-9 clunker in the wake of the NFL suspensions. This makes 2012 a lost year for the Saints. Kinda like when Bobby was killed off for a year on Dallas. Or every year that Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France.


THE SCORE:
DETROIT (2-1) 27
Washington (0-3) 20
THE STATS: Detroit 2 receivers with 100+ yards (Nate Burleson (6-116); Calvin Johnson 7-115-1 TD).
THE STORY: NFC East now an NFL-worst 3-9 on the season.


THE SCORE:
Green Bay (1-2) 30
CINCINNATI (2-1) 34
THE STATS: Teams evenly split 8 turnovers.
THE STORY: This is how Cincinnati won the game, according to the official boxscore, the final score coming with 3:47 remaining: "Johnathan Franklin rushed to the right for no gain. Johnathan Franklin fumbled. Reggie Nelson recovered fumble and returned for 6 yards. Reggie Nelson fumbled. Terence Newman recovered fumble and returned for 58 yards."


THE SCORE:
NY Giants (0-3) 0
CAROLINA (1-2) 38
THE STATS: NY Giants offense: 10 first downs, 150 total yards, Eli Manning sacked 7 times.
THE STORY: The Manning with the worst record at Thanksgiving has to do the dishes. Eli is already shopping for the Dawn.


THE SCORE:
Atlanta (1-2) 23
MIAMI (3-0) 27
THE STATS: Miami trailed in time of possession 37:09 to 22:51, and led for only 38 seconds.
THE STORY: If I had told you that one of these teams would start 3-0, and one would start at 1-2....


THE SCORE:
INDIANAPOLIS (2-1) 27
San Francisco(1-2) 7
THE STATS: Indianapolis just 1 penalty, 1 sack given up, 0 turnovers.
THE STORY: Giving up 15 more points per game than you score. Is this any way to get back to the Super Bowl?


THE SCORE:
Jacksonville (0-3) 17
SEATTLE (3-0) 45
THE STATS: Seattle TE Zack Miller 2-5-2 TDs.
THE STORY: Turns out that the 19.5 point spread wasn't enough.


THE SCORE:
Buffalo (1-2) 20
NY JETS (2-1) 27
THE STATS: NY Jets 20 penalties for 168 yards.
THE STORY: The Jets had so many penalties, its a wonder that they didn't get sanctioned by the NCAA.


THE SCORE:
CHICAGO (3-0) 40
Pittsburgh (0-3) 23
THE STATS: Chicago defense INT for TD, fumble return for TD.
THE STORY: Chicago was the only NFC team to beat an AFC team (AFC wins the weekend (1-6).


THE SCORE:
Oakland (1-2) 21
DENVER (3-0) 37
THE STATS: Denver 31 first downs to 13 for Oakland.
THE STORY: Peyton Manning has thrown for only 5 TDs since his opening week 7 TDs. Time to sell him in fantasy.

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THE NFL STORY: WEEK #2

So Pittsburgh, NY Giants, and Minnesota all started 0-2. Oh, and Cleveland. So some things *can* be explained.

THE SCORE:
NY Jets (1-1) 10
NEW ENGLAND (2-0) 13
THE STATS: New England: 0 turnovers to 4 for Jets.
THE STORY: Say, didn't you used to be Tom Brady?


THE SCORE:
SAN DIEGO (1-1) 33
Philadelphia (1-1) 30
THE STATS: San Diego WR Eddie Royal 7-90-3 TD.
THE STORY: Chargers win helps put AFC already at +4 over the NFC.


THE SCORE:
Cleveland (0-2) 6
BALTIMORE (1-1) 14
THE STATS: Baltimore 21 2nd half points after being shut out in 1st half.
THE STORY: Cleveland quickly becoming the favorite of suicide pool players everywhere.


THE SCORE:
Tennessee (1-1) 24
HOUSTON (2-0) 30
THE STATS: Houston WR DeAndre Hopkins 7-117-1 TD, game winning TD catch in OT.
THE STORY: First 100 yard receiving game since 2010 by a Houston WR not named Andre Johnson. Johnson lost in 4th quarter due to concussion.


THE SCORE:
MIAMI (2-0) 24
Indianapolis (1-1) 20
THE STATS: Miami 0 penalties, just 1 turnover.
THE STORY: Indianapolis averaging a decent 4.4 yards per rush from its running backs, so of course, they go and trade a 1st round selection for Trent Richardson, who averages 3.5 yards per rush in his 2-year career.


THE SCORE:
Carolina (0-2) 23
BUFFALO (1-1) 24
THE STATS: Buffalo DE Mario Williams 4.5 sacks.
THE STORY: Things I looked up: Cam Newton only 1-5 in career in the opening two weeks of the season.


THE SCORE:
St. Louis (1-1) 24
ATLANTA (1-1) 31
THE STATS: Atlanta just 36 yards rushing in the win.
THE STORY: Falcons needed the win just to be the only team in the division with a win besides New Orleans (2-0).


THE SCORE:
Washington (0-2) 20
GREEN BAY (1-1) 38
THE STATS: GB QB Aaron Rodgers 34-42-480-0-4 TD, 146.0 rating.
THE STORY: It was like a playoff game, with both teams trying to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start.


THE SCORE:
Dallas (1-1) 16
KANSAS CITY (2-0) 17
THE STATS: Dallas just 37 yards rushing.
THE STORY: Andy Reid gets to shake his 2-0 record in front of Eagles fans when he returns to Philly in Week #3.


THE SCORE:
Minnesota (0-2) 30
CHICAGO (2-0) 31
THE STATS: Teams combined for as many turnovers (7) as penalties (7).
THE STORY: Minnesota punter Jeff Locke had 3 punts for an impressive 56.7 yards per. This is why I think punters should be used in fantasy football.


THE SCORE:
NEW ORLEANS (2-0) 16
Tampa Bay (0-2) 14
THE STATS: New Orleans TE Jimmy Graham 10-179-1 TD.
THE STORY: Saints open with two wins over division rivals Atlanta, Tampa Bay. #ImportantGames


THE SCORE:
Detroit (1-1) 21
ARIZONA (1-1) 25
THE STATS: Detroit more penalty yards (101) than rushing yards (49).
THE STORY: 3rd team in 4 years puts Carson Palmer very near "journeyman" status.


THE SCORE:
Jacksonville (0-2) 9
OAKLAND (1-1) 19
THE STATS: OAK K Sebastian Janikowski 1 XP, 4-5 FG (46, 30, 29, 29).
THE STORY: We'll give OAK QB Terrelle Pryor (15-24,126-0-0, 76.0 rating; 9-50 rushing) some props for the win, but not much else.


THE SCORE:
DENVER (2-0) 41
NY Giants (0-2) 23
THE STATS: DEN QB Peyton Manning: 30-43-307-0-2 TD, 105.5 rating;
NYG QB Eli Manning 28-49-362-4-1 TD, 53.3 rating.
THE STORY: New story says that Archie does have a favorite son. And this week, it is Peyton.


THE SCORE:
San Francisco(1-1) 3
SEATTLE (2-0) 29
THE STATS: Seattle defense: 5 turnovers, 3 sacks, safety, 3 points allowed.
THE STORY: Advantage: Seahawks


THE SCORE:
Pittsburgh (0-2) 10
CINCINNATI (1-1) 20
THE STATS: Cincinnati RB Giovani Bernard 8-38-1 TD rushing; 1-27-1 TD receiving.
THE STORY: Steelers have scored only 19 points in first two games, which is enough to win some games, but then you need a good, ya know, defense to go with it.

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THE 2013 NFL STORY: WEEK #1

So Bruno Mars has been signed to be the halftime entertainment at the Super Bowl. Really? That's how far down we've come? Who's next? That kid I saw in the subway station?

THE SCORE:
Baltimore (0-1) 27
DENVER (1-0) 49
THE STATS: DEN QB Peyton Manning 27-42-462-0-7, 141.1 rating.
THE STORY: Peyton Manning had 7 touchdowns. That's as many touchdowns as the entire NFC South scored.


THE SCORE:
NEW ENGLAND (1-0) 23
Buffalo (0-1) 21
THE STATS: New England WR Julian Edelman 7-79-2 TD.
THE STORY: Tom Brady completed passes to guys with names like Amendola, Edelman, Vereen, Thompkins, and Hoomanawanui. And I'm not making up any of them, even Hoomanawanui.


THE SCORE:
TENNESSEE (1-0) 16
Pittsburgh (0-1) 9
THE STATS: Pittsburgh 32 net yards rushing, 2.1 average.
THE STORY: Strangest score at any point in any NFL game, ever: 2-0 after 3 seconds were played. Official play description: "Pittsburgh kicked off, Darius Reynaud returned kickoff for 1 yard loss. Safety"


THE SCORE:
Atlanta (0-1) 17
NEW ORLEANS (1-0) 23
THE STATS: NEW RB Darren Sproles 8-22 rushing, 6-88 receiving, 1-23 KR, 4-7 PR.
THE STORY: It was nice to see New Orleans coach Sean Payton back on the sidelines after his year-long suspension. Nah, not really.


THE SCORE:
Tampa Bay (0-1) 17
NY JETS (1-0) 18
THE STATS: NYJ QB Geno Smith 24-38-256-1-1, 80.6 rating in NFL debut; 50-yard game-winning FG drive with just :34 remaining.
THE STORY: There's not much quarterback controversy when your starter, Mark Sanchez, is as banged up as he is. But give this thing time, and lets see where Geno Smith takes the Jets.


THE SCORE:
KANSAS CITY (1-0) 28
Jacksonville (0-1) 2
THE STATS: Teams combined for 20 punts and one safety.
THE STORY: Andy Reid era begins in Kansas City. He's your problem now.


THE SCORE:
Cincinnati (0-1) 21
CHICAGO (1-0) 24
THE STATS: CHI CB Charles Tillman 2 interceptions, 41 return yards.
THE STORY: Bengals complete a sweep for the AFC North -- all four teams lost.


THE SCORE:
MIAMI (1-0) 23
Cleveland (0-1) 10
THE STATS: Cleveland 1-14 on 3rd down conversions.
THE STORY: Amazingly, Miami had more points (23) than rushing yards (20).


THE SCORE:
SEATTLE (1-0) 12
Carolina (0-1) 7
THE STATS: SEA QB Russell Wilson 25-33-320-0-1 TD, 115.7 rating.
THE STORY: Carolina not looking any better than last year (7-9) in an NFC South division that looks better than last year.


THE SCORE:
Minnesota (0-1) 24
DETROIT (1-0) 34
THE STATS: DET RB Reggie Bush 21-90 rushing; 4-101-1 TD.
THE STORY: If you eliminate his early 78-yard TD run, MIN RB Adrian Peterson was only 17 for 15 yards (0.9 yards per rush)


THE SCORE:
Oakland (0-1) 17
INDIANAPOLIS (1-0) 21
THE STATS: Indianapolis WR Reggie Wayne 8-96-1 TD.
THE STORY: Oakland just 4 wins from matching last year's total. They probably won't get there.


THE SCORE:
Arizona (0-1) 24
ST. LOUIS (1-0) 27
THE STATS: STL K Greg Zuerlein 1-1 XP, 4-4 FG (36, 25,38, 48)
THE STORY: Teams combined for just 12 wins last year. Of which, 2 were against each other.


THE SCORE:
Green Bay (0-1) 28
SAN FRANCISCO(1-0) 34
THE STATS: SF lead time of possession 38:35 to 21:25; more yards 494 to 385.
THE STORY: SF WR Anquan Boldin was 13-208 yards and 1 TD. So who are the people in the 4% of the leagues in the Yahoo fantasy football system that don't own Boldin?


THE SCORE:
NY Giants (0-1) 31
DALLAS (1-0) 36
THE STATS: NY Giants 6 turnovers to 1.
THE STORY: Love the idea of opening the season with divisional rivalry games. Only the NFC East figured this out.


THE SCORE:
PHILADELPHIA (1-0) 33
Washington (0-1) 27
THE STATS: PHL LeSean McCoy 31-184-1 TD.
THE STORY: Eagles fans happy again. Not because Chip Kelly and the Eagles won their first game of the season; they are just happy that Andy Reid is gone.


THE SCORE:
HOUSTON (1-0) 31
San Diego (0-1) 28
THE STATS: Houston wins on late field goal, but leads :00 of game time.
THE STORY: The traditional Monday Night late game opener draws a 9 rating on the East Coast. That's 9 people who stayed up to watch it.


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