Closing the Books on Week 3

The most important game of the week remains to be played, of course.  But at this penultimate moment in Week 3, let’s take a moment to reflect back on what has happened to date.

At the end of Week 2, we noted that much of the league was tied with a .500.  Not anymore.

Duh.

We’ll have to wait until the conclusion of Week 4, of course, to see whether such parity continues to prevail.  As it is now, though, what we do observe is that there are almost no undefeated or winless teams left.  I can’t recall a time when there were so few teams with a “0” in their record after only three weeks of play. 

The only two winless teams that remain are the hapless Cleveland Browns and the tragic New Orleans Saints.  If we were told on September 1 that two teams would be winless three weeks in, how many of us would have chosen that particular pair?  Indeed, when in the past five years have those two teams been linked together in any sentence?   

The Browns, of course, are a case of the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object.  In this case, the unstoppable force is the Midas touch that Mike Holmgren has enjoyed and employed everyone he has been.  The immovable object, meanwhile, is the pattern of hopelessness and losing that has characterized the Browns for so many years.  Certainly that has been their hallmark ever since they were reinvented back in 1999.  Their fans felt like the ultimate losers when the late Art Modell unthinkably moved their beloved franchise out of town in 1995.  And even when they were winning, back in the days of Bernie Kosar and Marty Shottenheimer or Brian Sipes and the Kardiac Kids, they still always seemed to lose in the end.  They haven’t really been winners since the days of Paul Brown, which is almost unbelievable.  The last pictures of the Browns as winners are in black-and-white.  And thus far, that pattern of losing has been more than Midas Mike has been able to overcome.

The Saints, of course, are a different sort of a case.  Their franchise had more of the “loser” reputation than any team in the NFL for a lot of years.  And then they turned it around, won a Super Bowl, and presented themselves as one of the league’s perennial powerhouses. Then came the scandal. Then came the punishments.  And now has come the losing – including Sunday’s unthinkable collapse at home at the hands of the also winless Kansas City Chiefs.  Could the “Ain’ts” be back?

Meanwhile, just three undefeated teams remain after three weeks.  And here, too, we find an unlikely combination:  the Arizona Cardinals, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Houston Texans.  The Cardinals and Falcons were both playing undefeated teams this past Sunday, and they both won their contests decisively.  Make room on their bandwagons.  The Texans, too, proved themselves to be balanced, poised, and potent as they went into Denver and beat Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

The 49er bandwagon, meanwhile, is not nearly so crowded as it was one week ago.  After impressive wins against the Packers and Lions, San Francisco was universally heralded as the best team in the league. 

Whoops.

Well, now the best team in the league has the same record as the Minnesota Vikings.  And the Vikings hold the tie-breaker!  As a Packer fan, I’m not nearly so scared of the Vikings as I am of the 49ers, and so I was pleased by yesterday’s surprising result. 

As I was also pleased by the astonishing result of the Lions-Titans game.  That game was not broadcast here in the Green Bay market, but I was keeping an eye on that score on my computer.  When the Titans were ahead by two scores late in the 4th quarter, I was surprised but pleased, and I began to relax.  But then, oh no!  Another miracle Detroit comeback!  Two quick touchdowns in less than half a minute, including an improbable onside kick recovery and a successful Hail Mary by the back-up quarterback.  Yikes!  It looked like the Lions were simply a team of destiny. 

Now, though, they just look like idiots.  And their fans must be seething. 

The dark side of the football fan within me is delighted to see Detroit languishing at 1-2.  And I am so pleased by some of the surprising company they have at that record:  specifically, I’m thinking of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots, two teams I deeply dislike.  Also at 1-2 on the young season are the two wundekind quarterbacks, RGIII and Andrew Luck.  With my distaste for hype, the dark side of me is pleased by their early struggles, as well.  And the fact that last year’s overhyped sensation, Cam Newton, is also at 1-2 does not make me shed any tears, either. 

It has been a fascinating season so far, and it was a truly notable and entertaining Week 3.  And the most important game of the week – at least for our purposes – remains to be seen.