NFL Week 3: What to watch for
Every week, some teams and their situations stand out above the others.
This weekend, the New England Patriots return home for the first time since losing in Week 1 to the Kansas City Chiefs. The opponent is the Houston Texans, a group some believed would win the AFC South for the third consecutive season going into September. While some maintain that train of thought, others have jumped from the bandwagon. Houston has scored two touchdowns in as many games, and despite being 1-1, has looked generally underwhelming.
Will the Texans be able to move the ball against a New England that has twice allowed more than 400 yards of offense? Additionally, how does Deshaun Watson look in his second start? While it’s not a referendum on his career, Watson needs to be capable if Houston is going to get back into the playoffs and make some noise.
On the other coast, we have the Los Angeles Chargers trying to get in the win column against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chargers have lost both of their games on the final play, twice missing a field goal that would have either sent the contest to overtime to won it outright. Now, Los Angeles takes on the Chiefs, perhaps the most impressive team in the league to this point.
The Chargers should be able to feed Keenan Allen the ball when he lines up in the slot, but will that be enough to open up the offense? Melvin Gordon was limited this week in practice with a knee injury, and the offensive line is a MASH unit. Also, how will the Chargers stop the trio of Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill? If Los Angeles is going to get back into the playoff race, it’ll need to have some great answers to tough questions.
Finally, can the Detroit Lions finally get over the proverbial hump against good teams? The Lions are playing host to the Atlanta Falcons and have a chance to both get to 3-0 and stay on top of the NFC North. Since Matthew Stafford was drafted first-overall by Detroit back in 2009, the Lions are 5-46 against teams with a winning record.
If Detroit is going to finally become a real contender, it has to beat some of the established elite. The Falcons certainly belong in that category having reached the Super Bowl last year. If the Lions can’t find a way to get the job done, there is going to be ample fodder about how they are good, but never good enough. it will be hard to argue, especially considering the team’s history which includes exactly one playoff win since 1957.
