NFL The Final Word: Andy Dalton’s comeback, Dallas Cowboys’ warning bells and Miami Dolphins quarterback’s pain | NFL News

From a heroic Andy Dalton comeback to more misery for the Dallas Cowboys, Sky Sports NFL Host Neil Reynolds has his final say on Week 3 of the 2024 season on the road to Super Bowl LIX.

It was another very unpredictable week in the NFL and it’s getting harder to pick these games every week.

This makes it extremely entertaining, but also very difficult to gauge who is leading this race to Super Bowl 59. It’s very early, but it’s sure to be a wild season…

The Red Rifle is back!

It’s 2024 and the Carolina Panthers’ Andy Dalton is playing as the second Joe Montana. He was excellent against the Las Vegas Raiders in leading Carolina to its first win of the season. He threw for 319 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions as he replaced last year’s first overall pick, Bryce Young.

And now the question for Charlotte’s management: What if Bryce Young was the problem all along? This is going to be fascinating to watch in the coming months. Dalton is 36 and in his 14th season, so he’s not the future of the franchise, but is there a future for Bryce Young? Because Dalton took the same talent that was miserable the first two weeks of the season and turned them into big winners in Week 3.

Bryce may have to move on to revive his career.

Darnold strikes again

Week 3 saw Sam Darnold write another chapter in what is shaping up to be one of the most fascinating stories in the NFL this young season. He threw four touchdown passes as the Minnesota Vikings improved to 3-0 with a big win over the Houston Texans in what was supposed to be one of the most competitive games of the week.

As has been the case all season, Darnold didn’t do it alone. Running back Aaron Jones had 148 scrimmage yards and a touchdown, Justin Jefferson and Jalen Nailor each scored for the third straight week, and Minnesota’s defense, which entered the week leading the NFL in sacks, had five more quarterback takedowns, five more sacks and two more interceptions on C.J. Stroud, who had gone seven games without an interception. The Vikings have to be serious.

Dolphins in a world of hurt at quarterback

This week was a clear reminder of the value of the quarterback position. We saw it with what Sam Darnold continues to do for the Vikings, we saw what Andy Dalton can do for the Carolina Panthers, and we saw what poor performances can do to ruin a team’s chances, like Will Levis making mistake after mistake once again for the Tennessee Titans, and we saw the Miami Dolphins look helpless without Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback.

With Tua out, the Dolphins have turned to Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle, and they could very well turn into the New York Jets in 2023 at this rate. They’re in a tough spot at quarterback, and the fact that they went from the NFL’s best offense last year to one of the worst is largely due to the absence of a key player at the game’s most vital position.

Eagles produce impressive response

Heading into their Week 3 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t get much attention. It was all on the Saints, who had scored 91 points in the first two weeks. The Eagles let things slip away late in the game against the Atlanta Falcons with a poor defensive effort to fall to 1-1, meaning they had lost seven of their last nine games dating back to last season.

The Eagles responded as Nick Sirianni and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would have demanded. They were exceptional on defense from start to finish, and Saquon Barkley provided the home runs they needed on the ground. It was a massive 15-12 road win that suggests that if Jalen Hurts can avoid making some of the costly mistakes that resurfaced in this game, this team can go deep in the playoffs.

Concerns grow for Cowboys

The Baltimore Ravens were really impressive for three quarters, then they took their foot off the gas and almost allowed the Cowboys to get back in the game. They ran the ball 45 times for 274 yards and three touchdowns, it was a powerful combination of Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson and this game steadied the ship in Baltimore, while raising a lot of questions about the Cowboys.

The Cowboys are struggling on defense, they have no running game, Dak Prescott — with his new $60 million-a-year contract — is too inconsistent at quarterback and head coach Mike McCarthy may be running out of time in Dallas. This game raised a lot of questions for the Cowboys, but saw the Ravens take the physical approach we’ve come to expect from them.

Player of the Week – Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens

The two-time rushing champion carried the ball 25 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and I think he forced Dallas’ defenses to make several business decisions. They didn’t want to go head-on with Derrick Henry; who would? He’s an absolute force of nature, and they wanted nothing to do with Derrick Henry, and I don’t think they’ll be the last team to feel that way this season. He was the focal point of Baltimore’s offense, he still looks like a complete back, and there’s plenty of tread left on those tires.

Play of the Week – Saquon Barkley’s 65-yard touchdown run

It was exactly the kind of play the Eagles needed to give them the energy to win in a very tough environment. Jalen Hurts was not very efficient through the air and was blowing hot and cold. That touchdown, he broke through the line and away from the safeties in the secondary, showing exactly why the Eagles went for a home run hitter like Saquon Barkley.

Coach of the Week – Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams

It was a decimated offensive line, without Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, and against the San Francisco 49ers – who also had injuries – the Rams trailed 14-0, 21-7 and 24-14 before they got their act together. Matthew Stafford never gave up, Sean McVay put his offense in position to succeed – Kyren Williams being the beneficiary – and they kicked Joshua Karty’s game-winning field goal with two seconds left. What an effort by the Rams, almost to save their season.

On my radar…

One thing I’m focusing on is the number of injuries we’ve seen early in the season. I know we see them every year and talk about them every year, but we’re in Week 3, should we see Skylar Thompson, Malik Willis, Taylor Heinicke and Tim Boyle playing at quarterback?

Houston played a huge game against the Minnesota Vikings without Joe Mixon at running back; the 49ers were without Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle; the Rams were without Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. These are the NFL superstars, these are the NFL’s selling points.

The attrition of these players is real. I don’t know if it’s because they have a much easier training camp and preseason, I’m not a doctor. All I know is there are 18 games to go and we’re going to see more unless rosters are expanded and we find a way to protect the stars. The stars sell this game.

Watch the Dallas Cowboys take on the New York Giants to kick off Week 4 on Thursday night, live on Sky Sports NFL from 1:15am Friday morning; Also broadcast with NOW.

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