Zoneblitz Week Three Notebook

The NFL got back to keeping its news on the field as opposed to off, at least for the most part, last week. The schedule wasn’t filled with barnburners, but there were a handful of decent games and, as always, some observations.

• What’s wrong with the Packers?: The Lions tried hard to give the game away, but the Packers still managed to come away with the loss. I expected the defense to struggle this year, but the offense has been pathetic, too. If Aaron Rodgers & Co. struggle again against the Bears, it might be time to hit the panic button.
• Will the real Eli Manning please stand up?: Eli was horrible in the preseason and into Week 1. But he has now looked like a solid QB for two straight weeks. I’m still not convinced it’s a trend, but it’s possible that he’s not one of the worst signal callers in the league.
• It’s Teddy Time: Matt Cassel’s broken foot set the stage for Teddy Bridgewater to take over as the Vikings’ quarterback of the future. He’ll have his ups and downs, but he looked poised under pressure. It looks natural for him to step up in the pocket and, while he’s mobile, he doesn’t have happy feet like Christian Ponder.
• Seahawks still own Broncos: Denver gave them a better game in week three than in the Super Bowl in February, but Seattle still came out on top. Peyton Manning’s physical skills are among the best all-time, but Denver doesn’t seem to have an answer right now for Russell Wilson.
• Cleveland is coming around. The Browns are just 1-2, but their losses have been close. Baltimore edged them by two last weekend. But Cleveland is going to be a tough beat for anyone this season.
• Geno is still a work in progress: I turned the Bears and Jets game off and on throughout Monday night. Early on I thought Geno Smith was starting to look like a QB with a future in the NFL. As the game progressed, however, there were some incredibly poor decisions and a couple misfires that, ultimately, kept New York from winning the game.
• Bucs are toast: Tampa Bay’s performance on Thursday night against division rival Atlanta was as bad a game as I’ve seen played in the NFL in years. 56-0 before the Falcons start recruiting people out of the stands to play defense the last eight minutes? There was no pride showed at all by the Bucs in that game. If that’s a sign of things to come, Lovie Smith isn’t long for Tampa. Losing is one thing. But that was pathetic.