It’s been a wild NFL season thus far, and we’re only three games in! Each week has brought surprise results, breakout performances, and everything in between. Who stood out in Week 3? Let’s take a look at some risers and fallers from the week that was in the NFL.
Stock Up: Kevin O’Connell, Matt LaFleur, Dan Campbell
Three of the four coaches in the NFC North are quickly establishing themselves as some of the best in the NFL. Kevin O’Connell has the Vikings playing some of the best football in the NFC, if not the NFL, and is doing so with Sam Darnold as his quarterback. Matt LaFleur has taken Malik Willis and figured out a way to win with him in back-to-back weeks. Dan Campbell has been doing a fantastic job in Detroit since taking over and has helped establish the Lions’ identity as a team that will always be tough to play against.
Year after year, it hasn’t really mattered who those three teams have trotted out onto the field, with those coaches in charge they’ve been competitive. Just look what LaFleur has done since losing one of the most talented quarterbacks in NFL history. Look what Kevin O’Connell has done with Darnold, Josh Dobbs, Nick Mullens, etc. Look how quickly Campbell has gotten the Lions into an NFC title game. Bears fans don’t have to look very far to see what a well-coached team looks like.
Stock Down: Matt Eberflus
Before this season, Matt Eberflus was tossed the keys to a very nice car and told to get behind the wheel. Maybe it wasn’t a Ferrari or a Porsche, but it also wasn’t a used Ford Pinto with 200,000 miles on it either. So far, he’s failed to even get that car out of the driveway. His team isn’t playing to its full potential. Sure, the defense has been pretty good, but he’s the head coach and is responsible for all three phases of the game. One of those phases has been a total mess, and game management has been an issue too.
When Week 1 was about to kick off, I mentioned that there are really no more excuses for Eberflus now. Now was his time to prove that, to steal a phrase from Eli’s Zach LaVine coverage, he could impact winning. So far, he hasn’t done that. One could argue he’s done the opposite. There is a lot of season left, but as of now it appears that the Bears are at a coaching disadvantage any time they play a divisional game, and that’s a problem that needs fixing. Can Eberflus change that? I guess we’ll find out.
Stock Up: Buffalo Bills
Could we be headed for a Bills vs. Vikings Super Bowl in the most cursed matchup in NFL history? If we crowned conference champions after three weeks, that would be the case!
Of course, it’s a long season, but Buffalo looks like a team on a mission so far in 2024. The offense looks as efficient and productive as it’s ever been under Josh Allen. While Stefan Diggs is still a very talented receiver, one might wonder if that was a little bit of addition by subtraction. Again, not to say Diggs isn’t very good. He’ll be great with C.J. Stroud, but sometimes both parties need a change of scenery.
Josh Allen is playing some of the best football of his career. All of the Bills’ playmakers are contributing offensively and don’t look at all stale or reliant on the big play like they were last year. Buffalo’s point differential is a +64 which is the best in the NFL, and leads the AFC by 39 points.
We’ll have a much better idea after their Sunday Night Football matchup with Baltimore this weekend, but right now they look to be the class of the AFC alongside the Chiefs.
Stock Down: Cincinnati Bengals
I don’t know who to point the finger at here, so we’ll just call out the whole team. Cincy looked flat as hell in its Week 1 loss to New England. Then they appeared to be back on the right track with a great performance in KC despite falling short. Now, they lose at home to a rebuilding Commanders team by allowing 38 points on Monday Night Football.
Jayden Daniels looked great and made some big-time throws, but that doesn’t excuse how poorly the Bengals played defensively. Offensively they feel like such a mixed bag, and the consistency we used to rely on from Joe Burrow has disappeared. I’m not sure what the problem is with the Bengals. Maybe it’s coaching. Maybe the roster isn’t quite good enough. Maybe it’s both. But if this continues, some big changes could be coming in the offseason.
Stock Up: Jayden Daniels
Just because the Bengals were bad doesn’t mean we should take away from anything Jayden Daniels did. That dude was spectacular on Monday Night Football in a hostile environment against a team that desperately needed a win. He played with no fear, no hesitation, and absolutely balled out. He was efficient with his arm and his legs. He was clutch when he had to be. And he was never afraid to just throw the ball toward his best player in the big moments when the Commanders needed to make a play. What an outstanding effort from Washington’s rookie quarterback.
Stock Down: Jacksonville Jaguars
Sorry if this feels like a Monday Night Football recap, but I’m not sure there’s a stock price in the NFL lower than where Jacksonville’s is. They just paid Trevor Lawrence BIG money, and he looks a bit lost right now. The rest of the team appears lifeless on both sides of the ball. Doug Pederson appears to be losing the team.
A few years ago we talked about how Jacksonville was ready to challenge for the AFC title after going into Kansas City in the playoffs and nearly taking down Patrick Mahomes. Now we’re recapping 47-10 losses on Monday Night Football and 0-3 starts in which the team has looked absolutely lifeless. Unfortunately, it looks like yet another rebuild could be coming for the Jaguars. The good news is, with the right coach and Trevor Lawrence, that might not be the longest reset.