NFL Week 3: Arizona, Atlanta And Houston Remain Undefeated

While controversy dominated the conversation, there were plenty of other ups and downs across the country. The week started on a sad note when legendary NFL Films co-founder Steve Sabol passed away after a lengthy fight with brain cancer. Teams paid tribute to Sabol, who is widely credited with shaping modern professional football.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Week 3 in the NFL. Join us for a look back at some the week’s most memorable moments.

After somewhat of a down week last Sunday, the NFL was back up again yesterday, and all is right with the world.

Week 3 NFL Ratings

The vaunted 49er defense struggled in the Metrodome and allowed the Vikings to pile up 25 first downs and hold the ball for 33:28. Minnesota converted 7 of 14 third downs and averaged 4.5 yards per play.

Despite the loss, David Fucillo of Niners Nation believes that things aren’t so bad in San Francisco. The 49ers likely needed a reality check.

Was Week 3 the worst showing yet for the NFL’s replacement referees? Maybe. From Baltimore to Oakland, the Keystone Kops were on the field in full force, blowing calls, giving away timeouts and letting physical football games turn into dangerous sparring matches.

It was enough to provoke Peter King in his Monday Morning Quarterback column this week:

Levi Damien of Silver and Black Pride finds that McFadden and the offensive line looked comfortable with the zone for the first time this season. Unsurprisingly, that paid off with an improved rushing attack.

For all your Raiders news, visit Silver and Black Pride.

Cardinals blog Revenge of the Birds finds that the improved play at the outside linebacker position is a big reason for Arizona’s success on the defensive side of the ball.

For all your Cardinals news, check out Revenge of the Birds.

Brandt Snedeker won the FedEx Cup this weekend, and there was no room for him in the column. Needless to say, ‘twas a helluva weekend.

What are we to make of Broncos-Texans? Right now, after a 31-25 win over Denver that didn’t feel that close, the Texans look like the best team in the NFL. Never mind the fact I said that about the 49ers last week. This time, I (kinda) mean it. They have a great defense like the Niners, but more explosive weapons on offense and a quarterback who can throw the ball far.

Tennessee fans were expecting many wide open games this season, and that’s exactly what they got on Sunday. The Titans racked up 437 yards of total offense, but they also gave up 583 to Detroit in the 44-41 overtime victory. It was the first win of the season for Tennessee.

Over at Music City Miracles, the fans were absolutely ecstatic after the win. Here’s a quick highlight from the recap:

(Photo via Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE)

Injuries to star players are piling up

If there was one theme of Week 3, it was injuries. Star players from were dropping like flies out there. Read the detailed analysis of the key players in our injury report wrap-up.

Jay Gruden was given top billing on Sunday evening when Cincy Jungle looked at exactly who deserved credit for the Bengals’ big win. In fact, Josh Kirkendall even went as far as to say that it was the “Jay Gruden Game of the Year.”

It’s great that the coordinator is being given credit for his success on Sunday afternoon, but even better that the Bengals were able to execute on some of his more intriguing play calls.

Week 3 is best described as a learning experience for the NFL’s rookie quarterbacks. All four first-year signal callers in action on Sunday lost. Ups and downs come with the job description - the unwritten part - for players making the jump from college to the NFL, and playing quarterback is the steepest transition of any gig in football. (Except for replacement referees, apparently.)

(Photo via Dale Zanine, US PRESSWIRE)

As SB Nation’s Canal Street Chronicles noted following New Orleans’ 27-24 OT loss to Kansas City, the Saints’ defense is off to the third-worst starts in modern league history:

QUARTERBACKS

RUNNING BACKS

Here is the latest from Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.

If further evaluation does indicate a turf toe, Wells could miss substantial time. These kind of injuries have a tendency to linger over the course of a season, and that’s the last thing the Cardinals want.

It was a day of mixed emotions in Oakland, where Raiders fans were filled with jubilation at their first victory of the season, knocking off the lauded Steelers, but there was plenty of concern too when WR Darrius Heyward-Bey suffered a serious injury and was taken to the hospital. Hood also being forced to leave capped off a slate of late games where injuries were all too prevalent.

Houston would bear down and salt the game away on their final possession, as Schaub hooked up with Johnson for a key first down, which allowed the Texans to run the clock down to 33 seconds before having to punt the ball back to Denver.

Fantasy Stud

In three games Jacob Tamme has caught 10 passes for 87 yards and a TD. While he may not be the kind of tight end who stretches the field, he has been the most reliable pass catching option Denver have at the position. Currently listed as ‘questionable’, we wait to see his status moving forward.

In 14 NFL seasons, Stokley has accumulated 4,733 receiving yards and 34 touchdowns.

For more on the Texans, be sure to visit Battle Red Blog and SB Nation Houston. And, for additional coverage on the Broncos, head over to Mile High Report and SB Nation Denver.

Just look how much fun these ladies are having.

For more on the Denver Broncos, be sure to visit Mile High Report, while Battle Red Blog is the destination for all things Houston Texans.

Medical staff were being very cautious, leaving him on the turf for the better part of ten minutes while they stabilized his neck, and just removed him from the field on a back board. It’s too early to speculate on the severity of the injury, though given the cautiousness of the staff it doesn’t look good. However, he just gave a thumbs up to the crowd in Oakland, and appears to be moving which is a wonderful sign. Leading up to this point he was having a solid game, catching a touchdown early to keep the game in Oakland’s reach.

According to Steve Corkan of the Contra Costa Times, Heyward-Bey was taken to a local hospital via ambulance for examination, and observation.

Fantasy studs/duds: Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzalez weren’t bad fantasy players Sunday. Ryan went 30 of 40 on his passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Gonzalez hauled in nine catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Odds/Gambling: The Chargers were actually supposed to win this game, according to the NFL Week 3 OddsShark chart, but San Diego failed to protect the home field.

That’s Rivers giving the punt a backhand and storming off. Never change, Philip.

Clayborn injured his right knee hustling on one of four sacks for the Tampa Bay defense in the losing effort.

The Tampa Bay Times reported that Clayborn was wearing a brace on his leg. The Bucs don’t exactly have the depth to replace Clayborn, having lost Da’Quan Bowers to an Achilles injury earlier this year. But here’s why Bucs Nation says the loss of of Clayborn might not be as bad as it seems for the Bucs:

The loss of Church is a blow to the Cowboys defense, which ranked ninth in the NFL in yards allowed and 14th in points allowed entering Sunday’s games. Dallas is giving up 292 yards and 22 points per contest.

For all your Cowboys news, visit Blogging The Boys and SB Nation Dallas. Check out SB Nation’s NFL hub for other scores and news updates.