Watch as Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson connects with wide receiver Tyler Lockett on a 43-yard touchdown play in Week 3.
The Seattle Seahawks took an early lead over the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter of the Week-3 matchup thanks to quarterback Russell Wilson and his wide receiver, Tyler Lockett.
Wilson found Lockett for 43 huge yards and the Seahawks’ first touchdown of the game.
According to Next Gen Stats, Lockett had 5.7 yards of separation from the nearest defender when the pass from Wilson arrived, the most yards of separation on a completion that traveled 40-plus yards over the past two seasons.
With the touchdown and subsequent safety, Seattle led Dallas 9-3 before the Cowboys added a score of their own. With their missed extra point, however, the game is all tied up at 9-9 at the end of the first quarter.
The Atlanta Falcons were playing great against the Chicago Bears, until the fourth quarter. Then, right on cue, the Falcons crumbled.and let the Bears back in the game before losing, 30-26.Â
The Atlanta Falcons were playing great against the Chicago Bears, until the fourth quarter. Then, right on cue, the Falcons crumbled and let the Bears back in the game before losing, 30-26.
Despite dealing with several injuries, this was the kind of loss that could — and probably should — get head coach Dan Quinn fired. Let’s recap all three phases from Sunday’s loss, which dropped Atlanta to 0-3 on the year.
Offense
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Calvin Ridley did it again for the Falcons on Sunday, finishing with five catches for 110 yards. Quarterback Matt Ryan was good in the first half but he threw eight straight incompletions and a late interception that sealed the win for Chicago.
The loss overshadowed what was an impressive performance from Atlanta’s offensive line for most of the game. RB Brian Hill got loose for a 35-yard touchdown run, and added a 22-yard gain on a screen pass. Todd Gurley seemed to get going in the second half.
He finished with 80 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Wide receiver Russell Gage left the game with a possible head injury and didn’t return.
Defense
Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Defense was shorthanded and should be commended for a gritty performance. Darqueze Dennard was solid but Isaiah Oliver struggled again. The Falcons again had trouble playing with a lead on defense and gave up some huge plays in predictable fashion.
The pass rush wasn’t great, but got the job done until the Falcons went into a more conservative defense in the second half. Pro-Bowl DT Grady Jarrett left the game early in the fourth quarter and didn’t return — which didn’t help Atlanta late in the game.
The secondary was decimated by injuries, but it was still a winnable game that the team couldn’t put away.
Special Teams
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Younghoe Koo went 2-for-3 on field goals, with a missed extra point that would prove costly. The Falcons lost by four points, which is exactly what Koo’s misses would have added up to. This game wasn’t decided by Atlanta’s special teams units, though.
Kick returner Brandon Powell consistently found space on his returns. Sterling Hofrichter averaged 38.8 yards per punt, with two pinned inside the Bears’ 20.
A new set of on-field leaders has been designated by the coaching staff.
The Dallas Cowboys continue the new tradition of revolving captainship. Under new head coach Mike McCarthy, season-long captains are a thing of the past and every week for every game, a new set of designated leaders has emerged.
For Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks, two long-time members of the team and one newcomer get the honor. Six-time Pro Bowler Zack Martin gets the honor for the offensive side of the ball. Special teams linebacker Justin March will lead that unit, and free agent signing Aldon Smith will captain the defense.
Cowboys captains today: Zack Martin (offense) Aldon Smith (defense) Justin March (special teams)
Smith has one of the Cowboys two sacks this season, as the pass rush tries to get itself untracked against the Seahawks front. Meanwhile Martin has been having a less-than-normal year as he adjusts to not having either Travis Frederick or La’el Collins flanking him. The Cowboys’ special teams played a huge role in Week 2 as the club tried (and failed) two fake punts, then turned around and recovered an onside kick before a game-winning field goal.
The Dallas Cowboys are once again going to start a pair of UDFAs at the tackle position against the Seattle Seahawks, as seven-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith is set to miss his second consecutive game with neck stingers. Brandon Knight, who filled in …
The Dallas Cowboys are once again going to start a pair of UDFAs at the tackle position against the Seattle Seahawks, as seven-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith is set to miss his second consecutive game with neck stingers. Brandon Knight, who filled in admirably in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons, will once again get the nod at left tackle. Meanwhile rookie UDFA Terence Steele will get start No. 3 on the opposite end with RT La’el Collins on injured reserve.
Meanwhile some good news on the defensive side of the ball. DeMarcus Lawrence, who missed the second half of last week with a knee ailment and missed time in practice this week, is set to give it a go at left defensive end. All eyes will be on he and Everson Griffen, as the belief is Mike Nolan has backed off his plan to have the two operate out of the two-point stance.
In a bit of a surprise, rookie third-round defensive tackle Neville Gallimore seems to be a healthy scratch unless there was a late injury that has yet to be reported. Gallimore saw just 20 snaps in the first two games of the season.
On the opposite sideline, the biggest news is that corner Quinton Dunbar will be out. The big offseason signing will not be able to help in trying to contain a Cowboys attack that’s put up 40 points over their last three quarters.
Here are the inactive players for the Week-3 contest when the Seattle Seahawks host the Dallas Cowboys at CenturyLink Field.
The Seattle Seahawks are set to square off against the Dallas Cowboys Week 3 at CenturyLink Field. While Seattle has battled a number of injuries to start the season, the Seahawks listed only four players on the Friday injury report.
The following players were designated as questionable to play Sunday afternoon: defensive end Benson Mayowa (groin), cornerback Quinton Dunbar (knee), cornerback Neiko Thorpe (hip), and tackle Cedric Ogbuehi (pectoral).
Mayowa is the only one of the four who is active on Sunday.
Here’s a look at the complete inactive lists for both the Seahawks and the Cowboys.
Examining the Detroit Lions Week 3 inactives list as they prepare to face off against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Detroit Lions have declared their Game Day inactives for their Week 3 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.
The Lions elected to not elevate any players from their practice squad this week, meaning they enter today’s game with 53-players on their roster. But, because the Lions have kept eight offensive linemen on their active game-day roster, they are now eligible to expand their roster from 46- to 48-players — meaning they only need to declare five players inactive.
Trufant being ruled out means another start for rookie corner Jeff Okudah. It’s unclear if Okudah will matchup up with DeAndre Hopkins, or if Amani Oruwariye will draw him, as suggested in Zack Moran’s Honolulu Blueprint, but either way, the third overall pick will be looking to bounce back after a rough start to 2020.
The Falcons are keeping their foot on the gas in the second half of today’s game against the Chicago Bears.
The Falcons are keeping their foot on the gas in the second half of today’s game against the Chicago Bears. Running back Todd Gurley capped off a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.
Atlanta now leads Chicago, 26-10, midway through he third quarter. Watch Gurley’s second touchdown run of the season below:
Falcons backup RB Brian Hill gave the team a 16-0 lead after his 35-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Falcons backup RB Brian Hill gave the team a 16-0 lead after his 35-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Check out the speed Hill shows as he runs through the Bears’ secondary below, as shared by the Atlanta’s Twitter account.
The Atlanta Falcons are down another receiver after Russell Gage suffered a big hit in the second quarter against the Chicago Bears.
The Atlanta Falcons are down another receiver after Russell Gage suffered a big hit in the second quarter against the Chicago Bears. According to Jason Butt of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Gage was taken to the locker room for examination.
Russell Gage left the blue tent and is off to the locker room.
Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley caught a 63-yard bomb from QB Matt Ryan on the team’s first offensive play of the day.
Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley caught a 63-yard bomb from QB Matt Ryan on the team’s first offensive play of the day.
Two plays later, TE Hayden Hurst caught his second touchdown of the season, giving Atlanta a 6-0 lead after Younghoe Koo’s missed extra point. Watch both highlights below.
This man @CalvinRidley1 just continues to flat out BALL.
