Tag: NFL Week 3

Aidan Hutchinson wins NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors

It’s the second time in 20 career games Hutchinson has won the award

Congratulations to Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. No. 97 has been honored as the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week for his outstanding performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3.

Hutchinson captured the honor with a two-sack game in Ford Field. The second of those sacks also created a game-sealing fumble, which Hutchinson recovered himself. He also broke up one pass and unofficially got a finger on a second one of Desmond Ridder’s throws, too.

It’s the second time in his 20-game career that Hutchinson has won the award. He also earned it back in Week 11 a year ago in Detroit’s win over the New York Giants.

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Where the Chargers rank statistically after Week 3

Looking at the major metrics, here is where the Chargers stand after the third game.

The Chargers picked up their first win this past Sunday, defeating the Vikings, 28-24.

Now that Week 3 is in the rearview, we now know how the Bolts rank statistically compared to the rest of the NFL. Looking at the major metrics, here is where L.A. stands.

Patriots OT Trent Brown received highest PFF position grade in Week 3

What other NFL offensive tackle had a higher PFF grade than Trent Brown in Week 3? The answer is no one.

New England Patriots offensive tackle Trent Brown had a solid game against the New York Jets on Sunday. He had 30 pass-blocking snaps and zero pressures allowed.

That correlated to a 92.2 Pro Football Focus grade, which was ranked first among all tackles.

These are certainly notable statistics, given that New England matches up with the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday. One of Dallas’s biggest strengths is their defense, led by linebacker Micah Parsons.

Parsons is on the verge of another monster year, as he has recorded 12 tackles and four sacks so far this season. New England will need Brown to be on top of his game to help keep quarterback Mac Jones standing in this matchup.

The Patriots still need stronger play on their offensive line unit as a whole. Fortunately, Brown looks to be rounding into form as he showed on Sunday against a tough Jets defense.

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NFC North roundup: Week 3 results are a mixed bag

Week 3 for the NFC Nortth was a mixed bag for the teams within the division. The two teams at the top of the division are looking the part.

The NFC North through three weeks looks to be its own version of Charles Dickens story A Tale of Two Cities. Two cities, Detroit and Green Bay, are leading the division while Chicago and Minnesota are dwelling in the basement.

Both the Lions and Packers came out on top this week with one securing victory much quicker in front of their home fans. As for the Bears and Vikings, one team had a significantly worse week while the other again showed they can score but not enough to secure a win through three weeks.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 3, per PFF grades

Here are PFF’s highest-graded defensive players for the Patriots in Week 3.

Another defensive masterclass for the New England Patriots earned the team their first 2023 regular season win on Sunday. They pummeled the New York Jets offense (as is usually the case) in a 15-10 road victory.

Three games into the season and it’s already clear that the Patriots have one of the best defenses in the league. Keep in mind, this has been a team playing with only one of their starting cornerbacks. Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones and Marcus Jones have all been out with injuries.

That has left the bulk of the work to rookie first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez, Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade. Gonzalez’s sudden emergence into one of the league’s top corners has obviously been a huge help, along with the pressure the Patriots have been able to get up front.

It was like a full-on WWE session in the Jets’ offensive backfield with quarterback Zach Wilson getting body-slammed and rag-dolled by Patriots defenders through four quarters.

Today, we’re ranking the top-10 Patriots defenders in Week 3 by their Pro Football Focus grades. It’s important to note that we haven’t taken snap count into consideration for this particular list.

So while a player like linebacker Matthew Judon was the obvious MVP of this game, he wasn’t given a top-10 PFF grade.

Texans S Jimmie Ward says QB C.J. Stroud is ‘playing lights out’

Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward says quarterback C.J. Stroud has been “playing lights out” through the first three games.

Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward wanted one thing at training camp: to help the defense and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud on the other side of the ball improve.

He requested a play clock on the field during practice.

“Meco [Head Coach DeMeco Ryans] put the play clock out there,” said Ward, who suggested that during his playing days with the San Francisco 49ers. “He put the play clock out there for the offense and was like, ‘See what time it is and hurry and get out the huddle, and you have to hurry up and snap the ball.’”

The clock helped Stroud with his timing and pre-snap recognition of defensive schemes being thrown at him by coach Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke. Ward also noticed early on that Stroud was holding on to the ball too long, trying to read everything the defense was doing at once.

“Everything is timing,” Ward said during his press conference on Monday. “So, when he sees D-ends [defensive ends] or a blitz coming to him trying to get the ball out, that’s just him working on his game. I feel like it paid off for him. In his first three games, he’s out there playing lights out.

“It’s good to see and we feed off of that as a team and guys around sees that. When you see your quarterback playing lights out, as a rookie, that feeds everybody and everybody needs that type of energy and it is contagious.”

Stroud has been on a historic run in his first three games of his NFL career, becoming the first rookie in NFL history to have 121 passing attempts without an interception to go along with 906 yards and four touchdowns. He surpasses former Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon, the previous record holder with 103 attempts without a pick in 1984.

The former Ohio State signal caller led the Texans to their first victory of the season with a 37-17 defeat of the Jacksonville Jaguars this past Sunday, where he passed for 280 yards and two touchdowns.

Ward, who is in his 10th season in the league, his first with Texans, didn’t know what type of player Stroud would be early on because neither of his defensive teammates were allowed to hit the quarterback. It wasn’t a question of how tough Stroud was for Ward; it was more about how he would perform with pressure around him while in fear of taking a hit.

Although he missed the first two games of the season with a hip injury, Ward did his best to ensure he constantly talked to his rookie play-caller, relentlessly heaping positive affirmations. He also wanted Stroud to know that once he could play again, he would help take responsibility on the defensive side of the ball to help relieve pressure off the offense.

“I told him, ‘C.J., when I get back in there, I am going to fight bro, I’m going to fight for you, bro. Trust me. I’m going to help you out,’” Ward said to the media. “‘I just want you to go out there and play, just do your thing. It’s backyard football. Be a playmaker. You’ve been doing it your whole life.’”

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Texans’ McNairs giving DeMeco Ryans game ball was ‘humbling’ for rookie coach

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans expressed his honor in receiving a game ball from the McNair family following the 37-17 win in Week 3.

A win is what the Houston Texans needed to give credibility to rookie coach DeMeco Ryans.

The Texans closed out their September slate with a 37-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sept. 24 at EverBank Field against the defending AFC South champions.

There are still 14 games left, but collecting the first win was a boost.

The McNair family presented Ryans with one of the game balls after the win that improves Houston’s record to 1-2.

“It was humbling, and to receive the game ball after the first win, it’s humbling,” Ryans said.” I’m thankful for the McNairs and for them trusting me with the opportunity to lead this team, lead this organization and it’s just the start for us for how we wanted to look.”

Ryans segued from the moment and into the larger vision for the team.

Said Ryans: “We want to develop a winning culture here, and that was the start of it, so it was a very special moment for me, one I’ll always remember and I’m very thankful for them.”

The Texans are headed into another emotionally charged matchup as Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers features the enshrinement of J.J. Watt into the Ring of Honor at halftime at NRG Stadium. Houston fans are hopeful that contest also ends with a game ball for Ryans.

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Locker room highlights after Patriots’ 15-10 win over Jets

A look inside the Patriots’ locker room after their big victory on Sunday.

The New England Patriots’ locker room was buzzing after their 15-10 win over the New York Jets on Sunday. New England recorded their first win of the 2023 regular season and their 15th straight win against the Jets.

The Patriots were able to get the job done in a wet and rainy affair. They also took care of the football with zero turnovers on the offensive side of the ball. This was something coach Bill Belichick appreciated, and he said as much in his post-game locker room speech.

Matthew Slater finished off the post-game speeches with his patented captain’s remarks.

All in all, it was a good day for New England, as they look to keep pace with the rest of the AFC East. The team has some difficult games coming up, including a Week 4 run-in with the Dallas Cowboys.

However, a win against over the Jets is certainly a step in the right direction.

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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans credits ‘next man up’ mentality for 37-17 win over Jaguars

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans gave credit to the team’s ability to adhere to the “next man up” philosophy in the 37-17 win in Week 3.

The mantras for the Houston Texans, such as “SWARM” and “Iron Sharpens Iron” have been memorized, put on merchandise, and repeated over and over again by coaches and players during interviews.

It is to the point that even the fans use the phrases when talking about the team, and now they must practice saying a new one over the next few weeks, “Next Man Up!”

That mantra has been used over the last three weeks with the abundant number of injuries the Texans have suffered from training camp until now. On Sunday, the players on Houston’s sideline must have all had t-shirts made with the saying as they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars for their first win of the season.

One position group that deserves the most praise came into the game with many unanswered questions as they have been scrutinized the first two weeks of the season. The Texans’ offensive line kept rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud off the grass against the Jags as they did not allow a sack, which is something they had not done this season coming into the game, having given up a league-high 11. They only allowed Jacksonville’s defense to pressure Stroud 12 times (38.7%) while in the pocket, which led to him completing 12 of his 18 passes with over 2.5 seconds to throw the ball.

Without starting right tackle Tytus Howard, left guard Kenyon Green, and centers Scott Quessenberry and Juice Scruggs, Houston suffered another significant blow as Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil was ruled out on Saturday for the second consecutive week.

“I think our offensive line played really well, keeping the quarterback clean, not giving up any sacks,” said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans after the game. “They played well as a unit, and that’s what it takes in protection. It takes all five guys playing together, tight ends, backs helping in protection, and the quarterback getting the ball out on time and where it needs to go. So, it’s all 11 guys playing well, but it’s really credit to [offensive line] coach [Chris] Strausser and the O-line for what they did today.”

It is no secret that there was tremendous skepticism when it came to a group that featured players, many of whom were believed to be cast off of their former teams. Starting left guard Kendric Green was ostracized by the Pittsburgh Steelers during the preseason, and left tackle Josh Jones had found his way into the doghouse with the Arizona Cardinals. Yet, the two gave Stroud all the time he needed against Jacksonville by protecting his blindside.

“George Fant, Shaq Mason, Kendrick Green, Josh Jones. J.P., me and him are rookies, and we’re figuring it out,” Stroud said after the game about the continuity he is building with his offensive line.

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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans says WR Tank Dell ‘shows up every week’

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans is well aware of how rookie wideout Tank Dell makes his presence felt throughout the passing game each week.

If familiarity breeds comfortability, then Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Tank Dell should feel right at home with the Bobby Slowik-led offense and his quarterback, C.J. Stroud. The Florida native felt right at home on Sunday at the Jacksonville Jaguars as he finished the game with a career-high 145 yards receiving on five catches and a touchdown, helping lead the Texans to their first victory of the season.

“Coach ‘Slo’ [Bobby Slowik] has been doing a great job of putting us in position,” said Dell last week exclusively to the Texans Wire about getting acclimated to the offense. “The language is getting familiar, and I am getting familiar with everything, so it’s been going good.”

The former University of Houston superstar wideout showed up big when the team needed him most by scoring on a 68-yard touchdown pass from Stroud midway through the fourth quarter to increase the Texans’ lead. With third-and-3 from Houston’s 32-yard line, Stroud noticed that the Jags were flooding the box with nine players expecting a run play to be called. He immediately made eye contact with Dell before the snap and connected with him as soon as his hands touched the football.

“Tank shows up every week,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said about Dell, who was selected in the third round by Houston. “I know this game meant a lot to him being home and a lot of family attending the game. It was important for him to have a big game. It’s cool to watch Tank just every week. He shows up. He puts the work in. Explosive playmaker since OTAs, and it’s still showing up right now in the season. Happy with where Tank is.”

Dell, 23, is becoming one of Stroud’s favorite targets this season. In a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, Dell finished the game with seven receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. During the week, the two rookies spent extensive time getting together, going over the playbook and hot reads to prepare for the Jags.

The preparation was evident early in the game when Stroud dropped a 46-yard pass to Dell in between two defenders midway through the first quarter to put the Texans into the red zone. They scored two plays later on a Dameon Pierce 1-yard run.

“I was super, super happy for Tank,” Stroud said in his postgame press conference. “That was our first time taking a shot and the first time hitting it. I think that just shows the connection me and him actually have. We put in a lot of extra work, and it’s good to see it pay off. Now it’s time to go do it again and be consistent with it. So really, really proud of him.”

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