With week three in the NFL record books, only three teams remain unbeaten. The saying “any given Sunday” had meaning this week as Tom Brady and Tim Couch led their respective teams to impressive victories. In St. Louis “every given Sunday” seemed more appropriate as Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk put on yet another offensive clinic against the Dolphins.
Un-Deniably the Best:
With the conclusion of the third week in the NFL, there remain only three undefeated teams: St. Louis, Green Bay and San Diego. Last year at this time, five teams had spotless records. Whether it’s a sign of the ever-increasing competitive balance of the league or the result of more tough divisional battles being played earlier in the season, team records are clustered together in the middle.
Colt Killing:
At Foxboro Stadium, the Patriots eliminated a team from the ranks of the undefeated by taking down the Indianapolis Colts in a stunner (sorry Dr. Z, but you were the only one who expected this), 44-13. Tom Brady stepped in for the injured Drew Bledsoe and outplayed Peyton Manning by completing 13 of 23 pass attempts for 168 yards and no interceptions. Manning threw three picks and the Colts managed only 82 yards rushing, compared to 177 rushing yards for the Patriots. A rigid Pats defense controlled the game and scored two touchdowns off of interceptions. It was a great performance, but relax Bostonians, you will be able to resume whining about all of your sports teams next week after a trip to Miami.
Cleveland Revival:
The other surprise hero of the week was Tim Couch as he led the Cleveland Browns to a 23-14 win over previously unbeaten Jacksonville. The Browns showed a great ball control offense with a 19-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that took 10:14 off the clock. Couch had 249 passing yards, compared to only 259 total offensive yards for Jacksonville. With Mark Brunell, Tony Boselli and Fred Taylor all out with injuries, the Jags had nothing to counter with. Butch Davis has two wins in a row. Yes, Browns fans, that classifies as a streak, and a share of the division lead. Signs of life in the dog pound? Maybe.
Almost Perfect:
Inside the Dome, the Rams continued to roll with a 42-10 trouncing of a good Miami Dolphins team. The Miami defense could do nothing to stop QB Kurt Warner from picking them apart the entire game. With defenders draped all over him, Warner continued to fire strikes to the Rams receivers. The Rams had 451 yards of total offense on the afternoon, 99 of which came on one spectacular drive. Kurt had four touchdowns and Marshall Faulk added three in what was supposed to be the first real test for the league’s best offense. After the game Faulk said that he still wasn’t satisfied. “42 points is nice, but we strive for perfection.” Hmm, they just embarrassed one of the best defenses in the league and they claim that they are still working towards perfection. Combine a potent offense with a much-improved defense and the Rams are the team to beat in the NFL. `72 Dolphins, you had better start tuning in.
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