It was another exhilarating week in the NFL with shocks, twists, turns and the smashing of headsets. TIBS News looks at the major takeaways from the week of action.
The Philadelphia Eagles might be the best team in the NFL
Ever since Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts entered the league, there have been questions of his ability to lead a successful NFL team. Those questions have been put to bed this season as he has led his team to a 3-0 start. Hurts has thrown four touchdowns and only one interception for 916 yards with 167 rushing yards which has the Eagles at the top of the yardage totals for the season so far, averaging 447 yards a game.
There is no clear No 1 receiver in Philly. Normally, this would be a bad thing, but in this case, it’s a great thing as they have two No 1 targets in AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. After trading for Brown, it was expected that he would be the No 1 target and in week one, that was right. But in week three, Smith had a career-high 169 yards with a touchdown in Philly’s 24-8 win over the Washington Commanders.
However, it isn’t just the offence that is playing great, the Eagles defence has found its groove. They sacked Commanders QB Carson Wentz nine times, six in the first half alone. The unit struggled in the first week against the Lions but have massively improved despite losing Derek Barnett to a season-ending injury.
Somehow the Denver Broncos are 2-1
The Broncos made headlines in the offseason after trading for star QB Russell Wilson, raising the expectations for this season, but through three weeks they have looked shaky and have stumbled their way to a 2-1 record.
Their defence continues to be their identity. The Broncos’ defence has overcome poor field position situations and have surrendered just 36 points through three games. And on Sunday they even pitched in with two points after forcing a safety in Denver’s 11-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Their defence closed out the game with an interception by linebacker Jonas Griffith.
However, it’s been a struggle for Wilson and the Denver offence. Head coach Nathaniel Hackett decided it was too risky to play his starters in the pre-season and while it hasn’t impacted the defence, it clearly has the offence. Wilson in particular has looked dreadful on occasion, with just two touchdowns in three games. In an ultra-competitive division, you have to be worried if things don’t change soon.
The Jaguars are the real deal
Despite it being against a banged-up Chargers team, Jacksonville’s 38-10 clobbering of the LA Chargers showed that they are a very real threat to teams.
It was their first road game victory in 19 games, showing how much progress this team has made under new head coach Doug Pederson. Thirty eight points is the most this Jaguars franchise has scored in two years, combine that with excellent ball control while their defence is forcing turnovers, this team can beat anyone when they put it all together.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence is starting to show why he was so coveted coming out of Clemson two years ago. The second-year QB has thrown multiple scoring passes in back-to-back games for the first time in his career and has only thrown a single interception. He has been more decisive in his reads and throws and seems very comfortable in Pederson’s offence.
Lawrence will face a tough test as the Jags face the red-hot Eagles team in week four.
By Charlie Parker
