Reflections on the 2024 NFL Season: Weeks 2 and 3 in Review

Well, who expected the NFL to look like this at Week 3? 

Sure, teams in the AFC like the Kansas City Chiefs start off strong with a 3-0 start, but the Pittsburg Steelers surprised everyone with their 3-0 start given the quarterback controversy between Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, as well as the Steelers’ offense this season and lack of touchdowns. 

 

The Chiefs have won all of their games by one score, and they continue to show signs of struggle. Chiefs fans know that feeling all too well and it’s still their team manages to overcome the odds and when their division goes the AFC championship game and win the Super Bowl thanks to Patrick Mahomes and their team. 

 

The Baltimore Ravens surprised everyone with an 0-2 start to the season, their first since Lamar Jackson took over as quarterback. Yet they managed win their first game against the Dallas Cowboys. 

 

The Cincinnati Bengals, meanwhile, are going in the opposite direction. They also lost their first two games just like the Ravens, but after a disappointing loss to the Washington Commanders, they now sit at 0-3. 

 

Aside from the Houston Texans, expected to be a good team this season under C.J. Stroud, the rest of the AFC South sat at 0-2 entering Week 3. The Indianapolis Colts managed to get their first win against the Chicago Bears, bringing their record to 1-2. In contrast, the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars fell to 0-3 after embarrassing blowout losses to the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills respectively. 

 

If those other teams don’t shape up, the Texans will have no competition when it comes to clenching their division, even after their own embarrassing blowout loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3. 

 

In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints showed they are a dominant team to deal with after scoring over 40 points in their big win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. However, they weren’t able to knock off the Philadelphia Eagles in week three as they lost 15-12. 

 

It’s clear that the Saints struggled to carry on their successful performance and they have a lot to work on if there are two clenched third division against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kirk Cousins lead Atlanta Falcons. Carolina Panthers, however, will have a hard time competing as their team continues to struggle and benched second-year quarterback Bryce Young after their 0-2 start this season in favor of back up quarterback, Andy Dalton. 

 

As it turns out, the Panthers didn’t give the help, time, and experience he needed in order to be a starting quarterback. Yet with Andy Dalton at the helm, the Panthers beat the Los Vegas Raiders and now sit at 1-2 as they prepare for Dalton’s revenge game against the 0-3 Bengals. 

 

The Cowboys also showed that they still have work to do in order to improve their offense and defense after a 1-1 start. Week 3 proved that as well, but with a different result. Despite trailing 28-6 going into the fourth quarter, the cowboys game back to make it an interesting game, losing only 28-25 to the Ravens in Week 3. The Cowboys’ players didn’t give up on themselves, each other, or their fans and team. They kept going. 

 

Considering that the Cowboys lost 28-25 after being down 28-6 going into the 4th quarter in Week 3 after a blowout loss to the Saints in Week 2, there were some good things that happened late in the game. The players didn’t give up, they kept going. Now they can build off of that and do better next time, especially at their next home game. 

 

The lack of a breakout running back for the Cowboys is proving to hurt because our teams could just cover the passing game without worrying about the Cowboys running backs just like we saw running back Derrick Henry even quarterback Lamar Jackson play against the Cowboys. 

 

If the Cowboys and tent compete this year, they’re going to have to step up their run game and improve on the defense. 

 

The Chicago Bears demonstrated that Caleb Williams needs a lot of experience if he’s going to be their franchise quarterback. Their strong defense can’t win them games all by themselves. A 19-13 loss to the Texans on Sunday Night Football in Week 2 proved that, along with a Week 3 loss to the Colts. There’s only so much that the defense can do for them. 

 

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings under Sam Darnold sit at 3-0 atop the NFC North (who would have guessed that after losing J.J. McCarthy), while the Green Bay Packers try to keep up at 2-1, hoping that Malik Willis can keep their team together and has the same success Cowboys backup quarterback Cooper Rush had in keeping his team’s playoff hopes alive when Dak Prescott got injured a few years ago. With Packers win against the Titans, it appears that it doesn’t matter who the Packers quarterback is. They are still a threat in the NFC North.

 

Despite starting 1-1, the Arizona Cardinals looked like a rejuvenated team with rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr., proving himself as a good receiver in their 41-10 win against the Rams in Week 2. Losing 20-13 to the Detroit Lions out a dent into the Cardinals’ run. 

 

However, like we saw with the Cowboys and Ravens, a 1-2 record doesn’t spell doom for the entire season three weeks into the season. 

 

Injuries plagued the Los Angeles Rams to a disappointing 0-2 start, with star wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua missing games due to injury. 

 

And yet, the Rams were able to make a comeback when against the San Francisco 49ers, who have also experienced a lot of injuries on their team. 

 

One of the biggest surprises is the 1-2 San Francisco 49ers. Injuries to stares Deebo Samuel and Christina McCaffrey have hurt the defending NFC Champions, culminating in a 27-24 heartbreak loss to the division rival Rams, giving them the same record as the Rams and Cardinals in the NFC West. 

 

Just like the Cowboys and 49ers, there are plenty of good teams with losing records going into Week Four.

 

As long as the 49ers, Rams, and Cardinals could stay healthy and play good football for the rest of the season, they still have a shot to beat the 3-0 Seahawks for leading their division. 

 

Three weeks into the regular season, the 2024 NFL Season is proving to be a crazy one. 

 

Who could have imagined that after Week 3 that the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers would join the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills as the only unbeaten teams left on top of their conferences? 

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