$.01--It wasn’t the best game of the week, yet Pittsburgh’s 12-6 win in St. Louis had the most notable development of the NFL week.

In the third quarter, Ben Roethlisberger got clipped low (and cleanly) by Mark Barron as he tried to throw a pass and stayed down. Clutching his left knee, Roethlisberger was in obvious distress. Preliminary reports cite an MCL or PCL injury, depending on which source you believe, and an MRI on Sunday night will determine the severity. At minimum, he’s out for Pittsburgh’s next game, a Thursday nighter with desperate rival Baltimore.

The 2-1 Steelers are now Michael Vick’s team. They didn’t need Vick to do anything, and he didn’t. Vick was 5-of-6 but sacked twice. That was enough to beat the punchless Rams, who have a stellar defensive line but are subpar at every other position group. It will not be enough for Pittsburgh to thrive long-term sans Roethlisberger, however.

It’s not doom and gloom. LeVeon Bell returned, and the offense still has Antonio Brown at wideout. The line is playing pretty well, too. If Vick can avoid turning the ball over, they can survive in the odd AFC playoff race if it’s only a few weeks in relief.

As for the Rams, this game epitomizes why they’re not to be taken seriously. The stadium was no more than 60% full, and at least half the crowd in downtown St. Louis was Pittsburgh fans.

 

A fireworks mishap inside the Edward Jones Dome (yes, inside fireworks, what could go wrong?) delayed the start of the game almost half an hour. The Rams' offensive line, which is essentially five right tackles all playing at the same time, couldn’t protect skittish Nick Foles or create any sort of holes (16 RB carries for 37 yards, 12 came on one play) in the run game. As is their chosen fate with Jeff Fisher at head coach, expect the Rams to look fantastic in NFC West divisional games and look like, well, “this” with rearranged letters against everyone else. 

$.02--The Cincinnati Bengals are 3-0. In the arduous process of getting there, they dropped the Baltimore Ravens to 0-3.

This was the kind of game Andy Dalton is supposed to lose. Alternately, Joe Flacco pulls rabbits out of hats like this one all the time. It’s why the prevailing narrative is Flacco is a winner and Dalton is the reason the Bengals have no chance.

It’s time to re-write the narrative. Dalton was poised and determined. He made great decisions with the ball and delivered big plays when his team needed him the most. On the game-winning drive, he artfully dodged in the pocket to find Gio Bernard in the left flat for a big gain. Dalton knew from the second he stepped to the line he had A.J. Green in an ideal matchup on the winning TD throw, and he delivered.

Sure, there were missteps. Dalton fumbled on an early Elvis Dumervil sack, and C.J. Mosley scooped it up and scored Baltimore’s first TD. A bad underthrow on a fade to Green in the end zone got picked off by Jimmy Smith, blowing a red zone opportunity.

It sure seems like this is a different Dalton. Having Marvin Jones as a legit No. 2 wideout and Tyler Eifert as a seam-stretching tight end certainly helps, but there is tangible confidence with Dalton’s demeanor and attitude. Boomer Esiason mentioned it in the pregame, and fellow Bengals players talk about it too.

I understand the skeptics who demand playoff proof before buying Dalton stock. He was the AFC Offensive Player of the Month in October of 2013, and that season ended with a humiliating playoff loss to San Diego. The two prior seasons ended with humiliating playoff losses to Houston, and last year’s playoff run also ended with a middling performance in Indianapolis. My suggestion to those folks: buy low. I see no reason not to buy into these Bengals as one of the two best teams in the AFC with New England, and I don’t see any reason why that won’t remain the status quo between now and January.

$.03--Carolina is 3-0 after fending off the New Orleans Saints, now 0-3. These Panthers might be the most underappreciated undefeated team in NFL history.

Think back a month. It was hard to find any credible prominent (and yes those are mutually exclusive terms) NFL analyst who gave Carolina much of a chance to win more than six games all year. They’re halfway there, even without top wideout Kelvin Benjamin and with top RB DeAngelo Williams running in Pittsburgh now.

What we’re seeing is the evolution of Cam Newton from sporadic greatness to a more even-keeled very good level. Cam has ironed out the lows in his game, exactly what his underwhelming supporting cast needs from him. I loved his decision making throughout the day. He threw for 315 yards on 31 attempts, including a deep bomb to Ted Ginn several yards behind what New Orleans considers “coverage”.

Cam is in complete control. It shows on plays like his bootleg TD run. He was good down the stretch and good on third down. Newton was sharp enough when the Carolina defense wasn’t, and when Josh Norman stepped up and made a huge INT in the end zone to seal the win, the quarterback was rewarded with the win.

It’s time to put Newton in the MVP conversation. I’m not saying he should be above Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer or Julio Jones at this point, but if Cam keeps playing this well and Carolina keeps winning, Cam Newton should get a great deal of credit. Let’s see if a skeptical media seemingly predisposed to dislike him gives it to him.

$.04--Atlanta kept the NFC South as the only division with two 3-win teams with a stirring comeback victory in Dallas. In doing so, Julio Jones catapulted himself to the top of the NFL wide receiver pantheon.

Jones has reached the rare air where the entire defense knows he’s getting the ball and still cannot do anything to stop him. Here’s what No. 11 has done in the first three weeks:

Opponent

Targets

Catches

Yards

TDs

Philadelphia

11

9

141

2

NY Giants

15

13

135

0

Dallas

20

12

164

2

Total

46

34

440

4

That puts Jones on pace for 2,346 yards on 245 targets and 181 receptions. As you might have guessed, those would be NFL records. Even 80 percent of those astronomical numbers would rewrite the history books.

Atlanta has needed every yard of Jones’ production. In beating three successive NFC East teams, the Falcons have trailed in the fourth quarter in every game. And in all three games Matt Ryan to Julio Jones has been what has brought the Falcons back to life.

Sure, there are other positives for Atlanta. The right side of the offensive line played quite well in Dallas. So did rookie RB Devontae Freeman and his full speed demolition derby style. Freeman churned 141 yards and three TDs on his 30 carries, sending fantasy owners everywhere scrambling to claim him. Atlanta’s defense calmed down after early struggles, and the pass rush led by another rookie in Vic Beasley is a welcome development.

Even in the loss, Dallas fans must be encouraged. Brandon Weeden played pretty well, and Joseph Randle was a huge spark in the run game. The defense couldn’t handle Atlanta’s balanced, skilled attack, but that’s not going to be unusual this year. At 2-1 with two divisional wins, the NFC East still goes through Dallas.

$.05--The New York Giants crashed the win column Thursday night, taking advantage of several Washington mistakes to knock off the Ethnic Slurs 32-21. This game was truly a case of the victor being the team which made the fewer egregious errors.

Among the litany of Washington gaffes:

- After offsetting penalties negated a punt where Giants RB Rashad Jennings nearly got the block, Jennings accomplished his mission on the next snap. Tress Way’s punt blocked backwards thru the end zone to put the Giants on the board with a safety. He beat the same block in the same manner on both rushes.

- Quarterback Kirk Cousins guiding Giants CB Prince Amukamara right to a poorly concealed seam route, which was easily intercepted, setting up New York’s first touchdown.

- Cornerback Bashaud Breeland couldn’t decide whether to go for the interception or play Odell Beckham on a post route where the Giants star wideout beat him off the break. Breeland closed impressively but offered a lame attempt at the interception instead of going for the smarter play and getting the sure breakup. Touchdown, Giants.

- On the ensuing drive, running back Matt Jones motored around left end and leapt towards the end zone. It would have cut the Giants lead in half. But he lost the ball just before crossing the goal line. The ball was nearly recovered inbounds by wideout Andre Roberts, but instead it went out of bounds for a touchback. The game, in effect, was over right there.

Cousins continues to flounder with truly awful ball security, and it’s killing his team. He now has the same amount of career interceptions as JaMarcus Russell, but has accomplished this dubious feat in 166 fewer attempts. Add in his seven career fumbles in 12 starts, and Cousins protects the ball like a bank security guard trying to stand up to heavily armed burglars with nothing more than a flashlight and a trusty Chihuahua.

Both teams are now 1-2 in an NFC East division where the winner could very well be 7-9. Washington had a great chance to assert itself, but threw it away with so many mistakes. The Giants did that in the first two weeks and are more than happy to be on the other end of the hose for once. 

$.06--“Foreclosure of a Dream” is the theme song in Detroit after Sunday night’s 24-12 home loss to Denver. Dave Mustaine of Megadeth wrote this great song some 24 years ago on the plight of the farmers and the working poor, how trickle-down economics didn’t make it all the way down.

The heartland cries, loss of all pride

It’s hard to be proud of these Lions right now. Great expectations have crashed under a difficult early schedule, though anyone blaming the slate of opponents is misguided. Sunday night’s game saw too many offensive mistakes. From two difficult but well-executed interceptions to false starts, from a controversial strip sack to another Eric Ebron drop, the Lions authored their own Countdown to Extinction.

Rise so high, so far to fall

This team went 11-5 last year and brought 10 starters back on a top-3 defense. Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate are as good a 1-2 punch at wide receiver as any in the league. Matthew Stafford authored so many great comebacks, and the prevailing wisdom was the second year in the Joe Lombardi offensive system would help coax whatever greatness there might be out of the veteran QB.

A plan of dignity and balance for all

Our great hope as Lions fans was that Lombardi would realize what ailed his offense, which is a carbon copy of the New Orleans Saints system where Lombardi cut his coaching teeth. It hasn’t happened. The balance is nonexistent; Detroit cannot run the ball. The running back by committee is not working, either, as Joique Bell continues to get carries despite being about as elusive as a wounded water buffalo at the watering hole. The offensive line has not come together. As Mustaine recently wrote, The System Has Failed.

To leave ain't believing, so try and be tried

The people of Detroit are nothing if not determined. #DetroitVsEverybody is a popular hashtag that shows unity and pride. The fans aren’t going anywhere, but it’s hard to ask them to keep consuming the same product. The offense must be overhauled. If that means Lombardi loses play-calling responsibility, so be it. Denver CB Bradley Roby said the Broncos basically knew what plays were coming. It showed. It also showed in losses in Minnesota and San Diego.

The Broncos deserve some credit, of course. They made the plays offensively the Lions could not. Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas both made leaping catches over corner Darius Slay. Peyton Manning manipulated an unblocked rusher into a rainbow TD throw to antique TE Owen Daniels, a nearly identical play to where Stafford was bowled under early in the game. They’re 3-0 thanks to their punishing, playmaking defense, and that is a unit they can ride while Manning figures out the Gary Kubiak offense. The Lions have already been figured out. A Tout Le Monde, Lions fans have seen the team Wake Up Dead one too many times. 

$.07-- I watched two of the better, lesser-known QB prospects in the nation Thursday night. Paxton Lynch and Memphis hosted Gunner Kiel and the Cincinnati Bearcats. Memphis won the see-saw shootout 53-46, but the story is the quarterbacks.

Lynch, a 6’6” redshirt junior, continues his highly prolific career for the Tigers. Once again he showed great touch and an accurate arm in throwing for 412 yards on just 24 completions. He also flashed his agility with 52 rushing yards. On the season he’s completing almost 75% of his passes at an impressive 10 yards per pass. That’s not nibbling on short passes all the time, though Memphis’ up-tempo offense does indeed facilitate a lot of short passes and yards after catch.

Lynch is a better prospect for my money than the far more heralded Cody Kessler of USC, and he keeps earning a small but growing legion of scouting fans.

I was hoping to say the same for Kiel, but Thursday’s game was probably the end of the line for his NFL viability. The well-traveled former top recruit (he’s been at Notre Dame and flirted heavily with Indiana before UC) has always carried durability issues. After a nasty hit while sliding, Kiel laid motionless in white on the Memphis turf for a good 10 minutes before being taken off the field.

 

One week earlier he has suffered a neck strain which looked suspiciously like a concussion. This time there was no doubt. There are already some issues for Kiel as a draft prospect. Aside from the off-field commitment and dedication issues the recruiting community, not to mention bitter Notre Dame and Indiana fans, Kiel has bouts with inaccuracy. He threw four INTs in the second half against Temple, and even in the brief outing versus Memphis threw a telegraphed pick-six.

Both have another year of collegiate eligibility. In conversations with scouts, I got little indication either is leaning towards coming out for the 2016 draft. Right now, Lynch would be my third or fourth QB (Goff, Cook and maybe Josh Dobbs) and ahead of more prominent prospects like Christian Hackenberg, Kessler or Cardale Jones. After the latest injury, I’d have a hard time rating Kiel as draftable. Please stay in school.

$.08--NFL Quickies

--A person close to the situation in New Orleans told me this week that he “would not be surprised” if Drew Brees has thrown his last NFL pass, and that his shoulder is a bigger issue than anyone would like to admit. File that away; I’m not sure I believe it and I hope it’s not true, but this is the same person who has correctly tipped me off to New Orleans’ second round draft picks each of the last two years several hours before the picks were made.  

--Here’s all you need to know about the Seattle/Chicago game:

 

--In the Sunday Night game, referee Jeff Triplette had to change five separate calls based on video review. Five. They also missed a couple of others, too, notably the hit on Matthew Stafford as he was throwing the ball which was incorrectly ruled a fumble. That’s an unacceptable outing for what is already the worst officiating crew in professional sports. Triplette should have been fired years ago.

--I didn’t see one snap of the game, but judging by my Twitter feed--which is strangely heavy with Dolphins folks--the Miami effort in the 41-14 waxing by visiting Buffalo was cringe-worthy. Big road win for the turnover-free Bills, especially considering they were coming off a bad loss to New England. Hard to see these Dolphins righting the ship with the current coaching staff.

--Sticking with the Bills for a minute, they have an under-the-radar Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate in cornerback Ronald Darby. No NFL player has broken up more passes with 2 INTs and 8 PDs in three games. Teams keep testing him, and the second-round pick from Florida State keeps responding. He’s a perfect Rex Ryan corner. 

--Indianapolis finally notched its first win despite another poor performance from Andrew Luck. He tossed two more INTs and fumbled once while missing several open throws. Fortunately for Luck, his defense came up big and kept Tennessee within striking distance for when Luck finally started to meet the hype. As is his custom, Luck climbed out of the hole he largely dug himself for his team with two quick TD passes late. It’s nice to see the national media finally starting to question if they anointed and crowned Luck prematurely.

--Once again I short shrift the Cardinals. It’s not deliberate. Arizona pummeled San Francisco 47-7. Niners QB Colin Kaepernick threw for just 67 yards and tossed 4 INTs. I don’t do power rankings until after four games, but expect to see Arizona no lower than No. 2. 

$.09--College/Draft quickies

--I was at the Big House for Michigan’s 31-0 shellacking of BYU. While the Cougars decidedly underwhelmed, Jim Harbaugh deserves great credit for getting the Wolverines back on the winning track so quickly. He maximizes the limited talent far more than recent UM coaches, but beyond that he is the face of the program. I saw as many Ann Arbaugh shirts and Harbaugh paraphernalia in Ann Arbor as I did Michigan jerseys. He’s crafted a winner ahead of schedule, and the fans have responded. I’ve been to about 20 Michigan games over the years, and I’ve never felt the tangible excitement I did Saturday. Many in the stands around me brought their kids to their first games, just one year after folks literally could not give away tickets. They deserve the No. 22 ranking.

--From Michigan, my primary scouting focus was on BYU DE Bronson Kaufusi and UM TE Jake Butt. Kaufusi did little to get noticed, recording just one tackle and seldom encroaching the backfield. The Wolverines nicely neutralized him with chip blocks, but there just isn’t a lot of get-off to the 6’8” Kaufusi. It was telling that BYU took him out of the game in Michigan’s red zone trips. Stock down.

Butt once again shined. Insert witty pun here. The junior tight end is a more complete talent and better overall prospect than Maxx Williams was at the same point last year. Williams went 55th overall to Baltimore in the last draft. Butt’s great hands, solid open-field blocking and ability to line up either tight to the formation or in the slot to create matchup advantages should land him in the later realms of the first round. Most scouts I’ve talked with strongly believe he will declare early.

--My alma mater, Ohio University, nearly upset Minnesota’s homecoming. A controversial late penalty took the Bobcats out of range of the potential game-tying field goal, following a clutch drive from the Golden Gopher offense to seize the lead with under a minute to go. This came on a weekend where several fellow MAC schools were highly competitive with the big boys, including Bowling Green winning at Purdue and Northern Illinois nearly winning at Boston College a week after scaring the crap out of Ohio State. As my good friend Bill Carroll says, the gap between the better non-power 5 teams and the lower-middle class of the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, PAC 12 and ACC is a lot closer than those major conferences would like you to know.

--Tennessee Volunteer fans, avert your eyes…

 

--I do not have a Heisman vote. I do vote for just about every other award, but not the Heisman. If I did, LSU sophomore RB Leonard Fournette would have my vote. His running style can be summed up with one word: Wow. His Tiger career started a little slow, but now he’s more than living up to the recruiting hype. It’s almost blasphemous, but he really does remind me of Bo Jackson. The more fitting comparison--on the field only--is Lawrence Phillips at Nebraska. Either way, Fournette figures to be the highest drafted RB since Trent Richardson went third overall in 2012 when he’s eligible.

--My current top 10, in order: Ohio State, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgia, LSU, TCU, Utah, Baylor. That’s three from the SEC, two each from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac 12, and one independent.

$.10--Autumn is here, and you know what that means…it’s pumpkin season!

Ah yes. Pumpkin. The pulpy, seedy, grainy gourd of autumnal ubiquity. Pumpkin flavor is everywhere. From the pumpkin spice latte to pumpkin muffins to pumpkin pizza crust to pumpkin flavored beer to pumpkin crackers to pumpkin sandwich cookies to pumpkin-scented bath oils, it’s impossible to escape this time of year.

I like pumpkin. But here’s the thing. I like actual pumpkin. You know, the stuff you clean out of the jack-o-lantern and throw away in sheer revulsion. Pumpkin bread made from that gooey discard is great. I love the roasted seeds too, with just a kiss of allspice and sea salt. But try finding legitimate pumpkin in any of the myriad products pimping pumpkin on every end cap at your local superstore.

Somehow “pumpkin” has become a blanket term for a concoction of spices that prominently features cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and (bizarrely) orange peel. There’s no actual pumpkin product in like 99.8% of pumpkin products. That’s because the pumpkin is a very limited food and acquired taste, one not suitable for mass merchandising. It’s hard to work with, gooey and stringy. The rind is delicate to cook. It spoils quickly. The natural flavor is bitter and leaves an aftertaste akin to sour milk. Go ahead and try some raw pumpkin in the manner you would eat a honeydew, which for my money is God’s biggest mistake. You’re not going to like it.

This is the latest in the over-marketing of America. Our nation knows overkill like no other. If something shows promise, corporate America will find a way to beat us senseless with it. It’s not limited to food flavors, unfortunately. See any DraftKings or FanDuel ads over the weekend? I can recite about 147 different promo codes for either, if you somehow missed the barrage of adverts. My seven-year-old daughter lives in a Frozen world, her life officially licensed by the omnipresent movie. When my son was younger, his world was Thomas the Train. He ate his Thomas oatmeal in Thomas pajamas while playing with his Thomas track (which set us back no less than $1,000) while watching one of his 25 or so Thomas videos, our trash littered with Thomas fruit snack wrappers. At least they weren’t pumpkin flavored…