We’re through Week 3 of the 2011 NFL season and there has been no shortage of extraordinarily great plays and, of course, extraordinarily bad plays. Week 3 was filled with great games, incredible individual and team performances as well as incredibly bad plays both by players and teams. Let’s take a look at the top five best and worst plays from the week, starting with ...
NFL Week 3, Best And Worst Plays: Comeback Victories And Missed Opportunities
From comeback victories to missed opportunities, here’s the top-five best and worst plays from Week 3 of the 2011 NFL season.
The Best
| No. 5: Torrey Smith First Catch, First TD (and then two more) |
Baltimore Ravens rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith had caught zero passes heading into week three's game against the St. Louis Rams. At the end of the game he had caught five passes for 152 yards, leading the Ravens' receivers on the way to a 37-7 victory over the Rams. The first catch of his career came with 12:26 left in the first quarter. The Ravens were on their own 26-yard line when Smith went streaking down the right sideline. Joe Flacco found him and heaved the ball his way. Smith caught it around the Rams' 45-yard line and from there it was an easy stroll into the end zone.
Smith did this two more times on the day not only gaining the confidence of his quarterback, but likely gaining the confidence of every fantasy football team owner in the world.
| No. 4: Steelers Defense Takes the Lead |
With just over five minutes left in regulation, the Steelers and Colts were tied 13-13 in Indianapolis on Sunday. The Steelers were trying to avoid falling behind in the AFC North, having already lost their season opener to Baltimore, and the Colts were trying to avoid going 0-3 without Peyton Manning. The Colts had the ball on their own 25-yard line in a second-and-three situation when this happened:
That was James Harrison that forced backup to the backup quarterback Curtis Painter to fumble the ball and of course you all know Troy Polamalu
| No. 3: McCoy to Massaquoi to Beat the Dolphins |
With only 48 seconds left in the game, the Dolphins were leading the Browns in Cleveland 16-10. The Browns had the ball on the Dolphins 14-yard line. It was first-and-10 and the Browns had one timeout left. None of that mattered because on the next play, the Browns took the lead.
That touchdown and extra point gave the Browns a one-point lead which they would hold on to in the remaining seconds of the game, making the Browns-Dolphins games one of many that ended with a comeback win.
| No. 2: Stafford and Johnson Set Up Game-Winning Field Goal |
The Lions were trailing their division rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, by a score of 20-0 at half time. However, in the second half they battled back, both on offense and on defense, to eventually tie the game at 23 when the last seconds fell off the clock at the end of regulation. The Lions won the coin toss in overtime and after a couple short plays, Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson made this happen:
That 40-yard pass from Stafford to Johnson set the Lions up for a Jason Hanson field goal to win the game in overtime, proving for a third week in a row that the Lions are the real deal.
| No. 1: Bills Beat the Patriots With Brains |
Yeah. The top play for the second week in a row has to go to the Buffalo Bills. The game was tied at 31 points with just over three minutes left to play in the game. After a couple big passing plays to Donald Jones and to Fred Jackson, the Bills had the ball on the Patriots one-yard-line. What they could have done was pushed the ball right into the end zone and taken a 38-31 lead with 90 seconds left in the game. However, the Bills know that Tom Brady and the Patriots offense can do a lot with 90 seconds. So, instead of scoring a touchdown, which I'm sure the Patriots would have allowed, they decided to kneel the ball, forced the Patriots to use their timeouts and run down the clock.
With just three seconds left on the clock, the Bills took a timeout and then kicker Rian Lindell came out on the field and put the ball through the uprights just as the clock ran out. The Buffalo Bills defeated the Patriots to remain undefeated.
The Worst
| No. 5: Enjoy that Paycheck, Chris Johnson |
So this isn’t necessarily a play as it is one players overall performance, but oh well. Chris Johnson made headlines this offseason by holding out for a new contract, which many believed he deserved. After being a top-five rusher in 2009 and 2010, including a 2,000-yard season in ‘09, Johnson finally got the top-five running back paycheck he felt he deserved but it cost him the preseason.
And now he’s paying for it.
Johnson only carried the ball nine times in Week 1 and was then held down by the Baltimore Ravens tough defense in week two, but in week three, against the Denver Broncos at home, he was supposed to break out. Instead he was held to 21 yards on 13 carries against the Broncos (a 1.6 yard per carry average). He was outplayed by Willis McGahee.
Johnson has to be the biggest fantasy disappointment so far this season.
| No. 4: Tony Romo and Phil Costa Not on the Same Page |
On Monday night, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and center Phil Costa weren't quite on the same page. In fact they probably weren't even in the same chapter or possibly they were reading different books. On four different occasions, Costa snapped the ball when Romo wasn't ready or not to where Romo was expecting to get the snap. Luckily for Costa, the Cowboys still won but those snaps didn't help the Cowboys move the ball. All four bad snaps caused the play to fail.
The Cowboys, thanks to the miscommunication between Romo and Costa, almost handed the game to the Redskins.
| No. 3: Grossman Fumbles |
With 38 seconds left in the Monday Night Football game against the Cowboys in Dallas, the Redskins were driving down the field. They were down by two points and only needed a field goal to win the game and they still had one timeout left. Rex Grossman was leading the offense and a last-minute Redskins victory looked possible -- until Grossman fumbled the ball.
On second-and-10 from their 43-yard line, Grossman rolled out to his left looking for a receiver. He didn't know Anthony Spencer had gotten past his blocker and was chasing him down.
Not only was Grossman not aware of who was around him but he didn’t even attempt to protect the ball, which was in one hand down at his side. It wasn’t hard at all for Spencer to strip the ball out of Grossman’s hands. The Cowboys recovered the fumble and the game was over. A professional quarterback needs to be able to protect the ball. Even if he takes the sack, the Redskins could have taken a timeout and still won the game.
| No. 2: Tom Brady Throws Four Interceptions |
In an incredible game between the 2-0 Patriots and 2-0 Bills, Tom Brady threw four interceptions, including three in the second half, allowing the Bills to battle back and eventually win by three points on a last-minute field goal.
Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in the league but the Bills proved that their record isn’t a fluke. Brady and the Patriots can blame themselves for losing the game.
Many Patriots fans may blame....
| No. 1: Chad Ochocinco Drops Game-Winning TD |
In the fourth quarter, the Patriots were trailing the Bills 31-24 and were in a third-and-four situation on the Bills’ 41-yard line. Tom Brady dropped back to pass, looked at his options and then found his receiver, Chad Ochocinco, who had beat his man and was streaking down the right sideline. Brady threw a perfect pass. No wide receiver could have asked for anything better.
The pass fell right over Ochocinco’s shoulder and then right between his forearms and down to the ground. Had Ochocinco caught that pass, he would have walked into the end zone without being touched and the Patriots could have won the game.
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