The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Week 3 Edition

The Good
Miami – Going into New England and eking out a win would have been good. Going into New England, winning every aspect of the game and administering a butt whipping of 38-13 proportions is beyond good, but it’s the best we’ve got. This is Captain Obvious, reporting.

Tampa Bay – The Bucs found themselves down by 10 in Chicago with less than 7 minutes to go with their offense only accounting for 7 points against a strong Bears defense. They promptly put together drives of 63 and 79 yards in regulation to tie the game, then won in OT by driving from their own 7 to the Bear 3 for the FG. For that they are rewarded with a tough road win, some ice for Greise’s aching shoulder after throwing 67 passes and a spot in The Good.

Jacksonville – The Jaguars played well on offense, solidly on defense and walk out of Indianapolis with a big road win against their divisional nemesis. As a result, they stay within sight of the Titans and made a statement about their divisional chances.

San Francisco –Whoa, the 49ers in the good. Sure, they pounded the Millens, but this team is not supposed to pound anybody. 17-13 would not have gotten a mention here, but they put this game away early and looked like they meant it.

Dallas – Coming off a tough Monday night win against the Eagles that went all 60 minutes, the Cowboys passed another test with an impressive road win in Green Bay. The Cowboys were on the verge of running the Pack out of Lambeau, earning them a spot here.

San Diego – This was a tough call as to whether it was good enough to make the Good. The Chargers finally put together a reasonable defensive effort to go with their offense, and the result was a home romp. They scored by air, by run and on defense, packing the win away by late in the third quarter.

Atlanta – This was another tough decision. Were the Falcons Good, or did they just benefit because the Chiefs are Ugly. In the end, the Falcons averaged over 7 yards per offensive play in their dismantling of the Chiefs. The Birds did not play like a team in the rebuilding phase, so they get the nod here.

The Bad
Cleveland – The only thing that prevents this week’s loss to the Ravens from being on the Ugly side is that the defense held its own. Of the 21 points the Ravens scored in the third quarter, 7 were while the Browns defense was watching from the comfort of the sidelines and 2 TDs were the result of short fields: 18 and 35 yards.

Pittsburgh – The defense played well but it was not enough to overcome an odorous offensive effort in which Roethlisberger was beaten like a rented mule by the Eagle pass rush, including 8 sacks. The rushing game average a whopping 1.7 yards a carry on 19 running plays.

The Ugly
New England – Where do you start when a team only manages 216 yards and gives up 461 at home against the Dolphins? All you can say is welcome to this week’s Ugly.

Kansas City – It took them 20 minutes against the Falcons to get their initial first down, and another 8 minutes to string together an actual drive. By then they were down 24-0 and the game was all but over. They were better in the second half, but simply could not cash in on any opportunity to climb back into the game. All of this against a team they should have been able to be competitive with.

St. Louis – Perhaps we should just carve the Rams name in the Ugly stone, along with the Chiefs and Lions. Granted, Seattle was not as bad as their record, but the Rams got smoked and smoked early. Things are so bad St. Louis fans are counting the days until spring training begins.

Detroit – Another Ugly stone resident, it seems. Carve Matt Millen’s name on the thing, too. Since starting 6-2 last season, the Lions are 1-10. They were out of this game by halftime.