The 7th Report Weekly Recap: NFL Regular Season Week 3

NFL regular season
On Sunday night, the Oakland Raiders visited the Washington Redskins in an NFL regular season matchup (Photo via Redskins.com)

There are so many take-a-ways after week three of the NFL regular season. One of the biggest is the unity NFL owners, coaches, and teammates showed after condescending remarks about the league. We will dive into that and much more including significant injuries, week three awards, best/worst plays from the weekend, current divisional standings, and other news around the league.

Let’s get rolling.

NFL Week Three Injuries

Unfortunately, the league saw many injuries this weekend. The Buccaneers, in particular, saw a slew of injuries that leave them vulnerable on the defensive side of the football.

Week Three Awards

Offensive Player of the Week: Tom Brady – QB – New England Patriots

Tom Brady leads all NFL quarterbacks with eight touchdowns so far this season.

Defensive Player of the Week: Melvin Ingram – OLB – Los Angeles Chargers 

He also added six total tackles in the game.

Offensive Honorable Mentions:
Kirk Cousins – QB – Washington Redskins (25/30 passing for 365 yards and 3 touchdowns)
Case Keenum – QB – Minnesota Vikings (25/33 passing for 369 yards and 3 touchdowns)
Stefon Diggs – WR – Minnesota Vikings (8 receptions for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns)

Defensive Honorable Mentions:
Terrance Mitchell – CB – Kansas City Chiefs (2 interceptions, 9 tackles)
E.J. Gaines – CB – Buffalo Bills (6 tackles, 1 interception)
Tre’Davious White – CB – Buffalo Bills (6 tackles, 1 interception)

Best/Worst Plays from the Weekend

There are always spectacular plays to choose from and week three is no different.

Best

Jake Elliott was drafted in the fifth round by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2017 NFL draft. Soon after, Elliott was cut. He was then signed by the Philadelphia Eagles just 13 days ago. On Sunday, with Caleb Sturgis season-ending hip injury, Elliott got the call with time winding down against the New York Giants.

Welcome to the league, rook.

Doug Baldwin ran a crisp route with a soft landing to score against the Titans on Sunday.

A perfect throw and catch by Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin.

Staying in the same game, DeMarco Murray gashed the Seattle Seahawks for the longest rush against the Seahawks since 2008.

With the good, of course, comes the bad.

Worst

With time running out before halftime, all Marcus Cooper Sr. had to do was run through the finish line. He didn’t and it cost the Bears six points.

Reminds me of DeSean Jackson when he was in Philadelphia.

Updated Divisional Standings

At the end of each week, I list the divisional standings around the league. Here is what they look like after week three.

AFC East

  1. Buffalo Bills (2-1)
  2. New England Patriots (2-1)
  3. Miami Dolphins (1-1)
  4. New York Jets (1-2)

AFC West

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)
  2. Denver Broncos (2-1)
  3. Oakland Raiders (2-1)
  4. Los Angeles Chargers (0-3)

AFC North

  1. Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
  2. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)
  3. Cincinnati Bengals (0-3)
  4. Cleveland Browns (0-3)

AFC South

  1. Tennessee Titans (2-1)
  2. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1)
  3. Indianapolis Colts (1-2)
  4. Houston Texans (1-2)

NFC East

  1. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
  2. Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
  3. Washington Redskins (2-1)
  4. New York Giants (0-3)

NFC West

  1. Los Angeles Rams (2-1)
  2. Seattle Seahawks (1-2)
  3. Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
  4. San Francisco 49ers (0-3)

NFC North

  1. Minnesota Vikings (2-1)
  2. Detroit Lions (2-1)
  3. Green Bay Packers (2-1)
  4. Chicago Bears (1-2)

NFC South

  1. Atlanta Falcons (3-0)
  2. Carolina Panthers (2-1)
  3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)
  4. New Orleans Saints (1-2)

Only two teams remain undefeated.

News Around the NFL

NFL Teams Respond to President Donald Trump

On Saturday, President Trump used an interesting choice of words to describe NFL players. However, after being criticized and slandered, how did NFL owners, coaches, and players respond? In unity. Below are videos and pictures of what sidelines around the league looked like during the National Anthem.

One veteran, Alejandro Villanueva, stood outside the tunnel for the National Anthem. His teammates chose to stand behind him inside the tunnel.

Here are some player’s responses to the President about Sunday’s protests.

Chris Collinsworth was extremely elegant with his word choice on Sunday Night Football when asked about Trump’s description of NFL players.

Two very respectable men in Tony Dungy and Benjamin Watson open up about what this situation means to them.

As a society, we need to listen more and speak less. It’s very evident this isn’t going away anytime soon. But the question still remains, where do we go from here?

Chris Long Donates Pay Checks

Chris Long, the Philadelphia Eagles defensive end, recently decided to donate his first six game checks of the NFL season to fund scholarships in Charlottesville.

Aaron Hernandez Update

Last week, Boston University performed an autopsy on Aaron Hernandez’s body. What they found left the outside world speechless.

Hernandez’s family will sue the New England Patriots and the NFL. More updates to come.

New Orleans Saints Trade Stephone Anthony

Two seasons ago, Anthony led the Saints in tackles as a rookie. This past week, he was traded for a fifth round pick to the Miami Dolphins.

Interesting Statistics to Know From Week 3

In this section, you will read a string of tweets that contain random, factual information that will allow you to become more knowledgeable in the NFL realm. Enjoy!

The 7th Report: Mini-Mailbag

Here are the questions you had for me this week.

HH: This is a very interesting question. I think he was put in a very tough situation. I have no military affiliation outside of a few family members that have served. From what I know, there seems to be an unbreakable bond between our men and women that serve with each other – just like there is an incredible bond between teammates. In this situation, Villanueva stood at the tunnel entrance in front of his Steelers’ teammates while they stood in the back of the tunnel. He addressed this yesterday. If I had to guess, he spoke to a few teammates pre-game and let them know that he loves and supports them, but also felt the obligation to honor those he served with.

HH: Thanks for a great question, Jeff. I would continue to stick with DeMarco Murray as the number one back for this season. However, it would be in the coaching staff’s best interest to feed Derrick Henry for the future. Murray inked a four-year extension in 2016, so he is in the second year of his contract. This is the year I would use him as trade bait. With Derrick Henry emerging as a force in this offense, the Titans can sell Murray for a high price. By keeping Henry, he is a young back with a very small cap hit to the team. If the Titans do not receive the pieces they want in the trade, keep him and use him until he wears down. The life of an NFL running back.

“What do you think of Jacksonville’s win yesterday? Do you think they are a legit contender in the AFC South?” – @AustinMesser

HH: Thanks, Austin! Jacksonville is such an interesting team. They are mightly inconsistent which doesn’t bode well over the course of a 16 game season. Have they surprised us? Absolutely. I don’t think they are quite a contender in the AFC South just yet. In order to play with the big boys, they are going to need a better quarterback. However, they do lead the NFL in point differential which is an important statistic. Let’s see if they can keep this pace up throughout the season.

“Post-Week 3 Playoff predictions and do you think Brady can continue to carry weak Patriots passing defense?” – @papasquat1425

HH: Gret question, Jake. Here are my week three playoff predictions. AFC: Chiefs, Patriots, Steelers, Titans, Raiders, and Ravens. NFC: Falcons, Vikings, Eagles, Seahawks, Packers, Cowboys. Really tough for me to leave the Buccaneers and Lions off the list, but those two could be interchangeable in the NFC wild card.

I do think Tom Brady can carry them because he has done it before. I think the Patriots defense is going to get better/healthier as the year goes along. Currently, they are giving up over 30 points a game and are ranked last in the NFL in points against (95). Belichick won’t allow this to go on for much longer. Schematically, they might have to change some things to get better matchups. Also, key pieces of their defense won’t be out much longer – Dont’a Hightower, Stephon Gilmore, Eric Rowe are nicked up but will soon be healthy.

“Do we sell Kareem Hunt” – E.J. Francis via Facebook

HH: Thanks, E.J. I don’t think so. This looks to be a perfect storm and I would ride it until the wave dies. Being a Cowboys fan, you know about the offensive genius Andy Reid is and now he has so many weapons to tinker with. The Chiefs show no signs of slowing down so if you were lucky enough to grab Kareem Hunt, I would keep him – especially in a keeper league.

“Can Gurly maintain this pace or slump back into his last season’s production?” – Will Richter via Facebook

HH: I appreciate the question, Will. Sean McVay, the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, is the x-factor here. The Rams have scored the most points in the NFL through the first three weeks and McVay’s offensive genius is why. As Goff continues to grow, so will Gurly’s production. Offensively, the Rams have turned over a new leaf and it doesn’t appear it will disappear anytime soon.

Thank you for taking the time to ask me questions! If you want your questions answered in next week’s “mini-mailbag”, tweet them to @the7threport. See you at the same time for week four of the NFL regular season.

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