Week 3 is nearly done but before we seal it up with TWO Monday Night Games between the Saints-Panthers and the Browns-Steelers, we’re going to look at the big takeaways from each game.
Giants 12 49ers 30
Winner: Brock Purdy
Purdy remains undefeated as a regular season starter. Purdy doesn’t have a high ceiling, but he’s usually reliable for two touchdowns. With Brandon Aiyuk out, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle got the bulk work as receivers on the 49ers side.
Loser: Giants receivers
The G-Men took a big step back in Week 3 after their comeback win against the Cardinals. They were behind the 8 ball early–again– down 6-17 at the half. You would think that the Giants would be in passing mode, but Daniel Jones refuses to throw downfield. He completed 13 of his passes to his receivers for just 77 for an average of 5.90 yards per reception.
Ravens 19 Colts 22
Winner: Zack Moss
Jonathan who? For the second week in a row, Moss was a winner, rushing 30 times for 122 yards. He also caught two passes for 23 yards and a touchdown. By the way, if Jonathan Taylor’s stint on the IR just a way for him to hold out on the team, he loses leverage with each dynamic performance out of Moss.
Loser: Any Ravens player not named Lamar Jackson
This was one of those random games where the only Ravens player who did anything significant was Lamar Jackson. He targeted 31 passes to eight different receivers for 202 yards, but all of them were held scoreless and most fell short of 40 yards receiving (Zay Flowers had 48 yards). The running backs didn’t fare better, as Gus Edwards was second in rushing (with 51 yards) to Jackson’s 101 yards and two touchdowns. Melvin Gordon ate into 10 of Edwards’ potential carries for 32 yards.
Winner: Mat Gay / Loser:Â Justin Tucker
Justin Tucker is a human after all. You never think for a second that Tucker is ever going to miss a kick when the game is on the line. He lined up for a 61-yard field goal with one second left in regulation. For most mortals, a 60-yard field goal tests the limits of their leg strength. For Tucker, it’s a chip shot, so to everyone’s surprise, he walked away in the shadow of Matt Gay. The Colts kicker kicked field goals including a 53-yarder in overtime to leave Baltimore on the shoulders of his teammates.
