Jaguars, Broncos and the other big disappointments of NFL Week 3

Week 3 of the NFL season featured some nail-biting finishes that fans are used to, and some good old-fashioned blowouts. In either type of contest, valuable lessons can be learned about the togetherness of a locker room and the potential to achieve great things later in the year. We’ll take a look at players and teams who would like to forget this weekend’s slate of games.

It was always going to be a tall order for the Giants to go into San Francisco and come out with a victory on Thursday Night Football. New York was missing several key players due to injury, but the 49ers put them away by literally running right through them. Time and time again, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle could not be brought down by Giant defenders in solid position.

The Saints were looking to secure their second road win in six days, and appeared to be well on their way to doing so. However, it seems like New Orleans lost a little of their swagger after Derek Carr went down with an injury. Even with Jameis Winston under center, they couldn’t control the clock or protect the lead against the Green Bay Packers, who came back and won.

The Jaguars were picked by many to make a leap in the AFC this season, but their drubbing at the hands of the Houston Texans left a lot to be desired. Jacksonville was outplayed in nearly every aspect. Perhaps the most embarrassing moment was conceding a kickoff return touchdown to Andrew Beck, a fullback for the Texans.

The Broncos are going to have a tough time shaking the historic beatdown they received at the hands of the Miami Dolphins. The fact that Miami could march up and down the field en route to a 70 point day points to how badly they mutilated Denver’s pride as the game got out of hand. Denver is going to really have to look itself in the mirror this week.

Of course, the Dolphins had a day that very few teams in the NFL have ever had. It is fair to wonder whether they should have packed it in after the game was well in hand, but they experienced such little resistance that the score kept ballooning. They had a chance to set an NFL record for points in a game, but ultimately decided to settle for 70 on the scoreboard.

New England came away with a hard fought victory against the New York Jets in Week 3, but the Patriots find themselves having to answer questions about Jones’ less than upstanding behavior. He was accused of striking Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner in the groin, which is the latest in a few incidents Jones has been involved with in his NFL career.

The Cowboys were a popular pick in survivor pools this week, as it was thought that they could defeat the Arizona Cardinals with minimal difficulty. It turned out that Arizona came to play, and Dallas vaunted defense had trouble stymying the Cardinals attack. It’s interesting to ponder how Trevon Diggs’ ACL injury in practice affected the team heading into the game.

It feels like the life and enthusiasm around the Chicago Bears is slowly being drained. Fields dazzled fans last year with his scintillating running ability, but admittedly needed to improve as a passer. It seems like he’s regressed in the rushing area, and is still not competent enough to guide a team down the field through the air.