1. There's no place like home -- ask Baltimore's Willis McGahee. Instead of spending the offseason training at his alma mater, the University of Miami, McGahee stayed in Owings Mills, Md., home of the Ravens. Result: He has a league-leading six TDs. He had seven last season.
2. Denver can thank the 49ers for its 3-0 start. Without San Francisco firing Mike Nolan, the Broncos don't have their defensive coordinator. So what? So no assistant is having a better season. I don't care that the Broncos played three stiffs (sorry, Cincinnati). They've allowed 16 points and no more than seven in any game. A year ago, Denver allowed 16 or more in all but two starts and never held an opponent to fewer than 13.
3. I'll tell you what New England figured out from last week: That Tom Brady can't carry the offense. Not now, at least, and let's hear it for common sense. The Patriots finally got back to running the ball and running it effectively. Their victory tells me Atlanta might miss rookie defensive tackle Peria Jerry more than it thought.
4. I guess that's why New England believed Greg Lewis was worth a fifth-round draft pick. So how come the Pats didn't believe he was worth keeping?
5. Let the countdown begin on Jim Zorn.
6. Three teams canned their offensive coordinators one week before the regular season started. So what happened? They're a combined 1-8, with Buffalo preventing a perfect score.
7. Let's hear it for Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay. It was his idea to retain former assistants Tom Moore and Howard Mudd as consultants, and, yeah, I'd say the idea is working out. So would Peyton Manning.
8. Houston, you have a problem. It's called defense.
9. There's not a quarterback controversy in Cleveland. There's a quarterback mess. Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson, it doesn't matter. The Browns flat-out stink. They have one offensive touchdown over the past nine games, or 36 quarters. Calling Brett Ratliff. Calling Brett Ratliff.
10. Get ready, Buffalo. Hell hath no fury like T.O. ignored.
11. So you dodged another bullet, Bears’ fans. You still should be concerned, and here’s why: In three games Matt Forte and the Bears’ running game have as many touchdowns as a dead man. The Bears want to be a physical football team, and they aren’t. They can’t count on missed field goals to keep bailing them out.
12. Surprise, surprise, surprise. Three weeks into the season Detroit’s Jim Schwartz has more victories than his mentor, Tennessee’s Jeff Fisher.
13. When you wonder what happened to Miami, start with the turnovers. A year ago, the Dolphins committed a league-low 13; in three games they have seven, including an interception Sunday that was returned for a touchdown.
14. I'll tell you how much Pittsburgh misses Troy Polamalu: Its past two opponents put together last-minute, game-clinching drives. That didn't happen a year ago, and it doesn't happen if Polamalu is in the huddle.
15. If things don't change soon, Missouri becomes the No-Show-Me State. Its football teams are a combined 0-6, with no immediate relief in sight.
Sez them ... or Rapid Reporters' rewind
• Jon Gallo in Baltimore: The Ravens are undergoing an identity crisis, and the proof is in the numbers. Entering Sunday's game, they ranked in the top five in total offense, rushing, scoring and third-down efficiency. Look for Baltimore to pad those stats after a 479-yard performance, including 337 passing. Welcome to the other side, Baltimore.
• Jim McCurdy in Houston: Everyone talked about how tough Houston was at Reliant Stadium. Well, the Texans haven't won at home this year, including the preseason.
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| The 3-0 Broncos dominate the Raiders on the ground. (US Presswire) |
• Eric Gilmore in Oakland: Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha got it right when he said the Broncos outschemed the Raiders on both sides of the ball -- burying them with a running game that produced 215 yards. A year ago, the Raiders were shredded by New England for 277 yards rushing, and there's a common denominator: Denver coach Josh McDaniels, the Patriots' former offensive coordinator. "They schemed us just like New England did," Asomugha said. "Same coordinator. He kind of found some holes in what we were doing."
• Tom Krasovic in San Diego: For now, it appears that LaDainian Tomlinson will miss a third consecutive game with a sprained ankle. The Chargers play in Pittsburgh next week, then have a bye. "We're in a fortunate situation where we can get him healthy," quarterback Philip Rivers said, "where he can be the L.T. we all know he can be." Yep, that sounds as if he's sitting again.
Five things I like
1. Those "RS" stickers on the backs of the Detroit Lions' helmets. They're for former Director of Security Ricky Sandoval, who this summer lost a battle with pancreatic cancer. The Lions also named their indoor practice field after Sandoval. Ricky was one of the kindest, gentlest and most honest people I ever met. He is missed, and the Lions are right to recognize him.
2. NBC's Rodney Harrison calling Terrell Owens "a clown" for his postgame news conference ... if you want to call it that.
3. The New York Jets wearing Titans uniforms and playing ... the Titans.
4. The next four weeks for Philadelphia. They have, in order, a bye, Tampa Bay, Oakland and Washington. If I'm Andy Reid, I tell Donovan McNabb to take his time getting healthy. He won't be needed for awhile.
5. Oakland running back Darren McFadden against Houston next weekend. Running back Chris Johnson rang up three TDs on the Texans last weekend; now it's running back Maurice Jones-Drew for three. Darren McFadden, get in line. You're next.
Five things I don't
1. Buffalo punting when it had a fourth-and-1 at its 28 with 7½ minutes left and trailing New Orleans 17-7. The Bills might as well have waved the white flag. If you're serious about winning, you can't count on New Orleans going three-and-out. And it didn't. The Saints scored, the Bills lost and you have to wonder what message that punt delivered to players.
2. Kansas City on third downs. The Chiefs were 0 for 11. These guys don't need a running game or pass attack; they need a plan.
3. Seattle's St. Patrick's Day uniforms. They look like rejects from the University of Oregon. Either that or nocturnal jogging jerseys. It doesn't matter which. They're drop-dead dreadful.
4. Arizona throwing on first-and-goal at the Indianapolis 1 with 29 seconds left in the first half and, more important, two timeouts. Forget that Anquan Boldin got mugged. The Cards had two timeouts. They should've tried to run. Instead, Kurt Warner was intercepted.
5. Tennessee's Ryan Mouton fielding kicks. Two fumbles -- one on a kickoff, the other on a punt return -- led to two Jets touchdowns. "I did a poor job," the rookie said. I'll second that.
Just asking but ...
• Is Denver legit or the product of an easy schedule?
• What are we to make of Cincinnati?
• How come Arizona can't win at home?
• Is it too soon to give up on Tennessee and Miami?
• Is there any quarterback out there who's worse than
Meaningful numbers
0 -- Tampa Bay first downs in the first half
0 -- Terrell Owens catches
3 -- TDs of 60 or more yards each by Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson
8 -- More 300-yard passing games
13 -- Consecutive incompletions by Kerry Collins in the third and fourth quarters
16 -- Consecutive Patriots defeats of the NFC in regular-season games
28.9 -- Baltimore's per-game average in points since Oct. 19, 2008
11-2 -- Andy Reid at home vs. rookie head coaches
2-26 -- Kansas City's record over the past 28 games
128-0 -- Eagles advantage over Kansas City in first-quarter yards
My top five
1. N.Y. Giants
2. Baltimore
3. Indianapolis
4. New Orleans
5. N.Y. Jets
My bottom five
32. St. Louis
31. Cleveland
30. Kansas City
29. Tampa Bay
28. Oakland
Next weekend's three best games
New York Jets at New Orleans ... Let's see Drew Brees throw for 300 against these guys.
Baltimore at New England ... It's Tom Time again; No way the Pats run here.
Green Bay at Minnesota ... Say, isn't that Brett Favre in purple?
