The first stab at the new “Three and Out” series yielded mixed results. It was well received, but it wasn’t all that well read.
Part of the problem is that I posted it on Sunday morning. This week, I tried to get it done earlier. (Whether I succeeded depends on the date and time listed above.)
So here are three questions (and answers) for each of the 13 games to be played this Sunday. Which hopefully you’ll have a chance to ponder before this Sunday.
Bears at Panthers
1. Are Panthers better off with Derek Anderson?
Crazy as it sounds, the answer to that one could be yes. Starter Cam Newton continues to recover from ankle surgery that he didn’t realize would be as major as it was. (Hey, at least he didn’t end up like my old friend Mr. McGreg.) A healthy Anderson could be the better option. And the Bears, like the Ravens a week ago, may be glad that the Panthers haven’t figured that out.
2. Should Brandon Marshall ditch his Inside The NFL gig?
While a guy can do whatever he wants on his day off, a guy with a chronic ankle injury that caused him to miss every practice in the week before the Green Bay game could be better off spending Tuesday not flying back and forth to New York but spending extra time in the training room. While Marshall has managed to practice this week, it’s a long season with plenty of bumps and bruises. Marshall would be better off contributing to the show from Halas Hall, or even better not at all.
3. Can Jared Allen be a factor?
The sackmaster dropped 18 pounds last week with pneumonia. He’s healthy, but how will he be able to put the weight back on quickly enough to make a difference this Sunday? Even though he’ll be able to play, it’s too much to expect him to be able to play at a high level.
Texans at Cowboys
1. How disruptive will J.J. Watt be?
The guy with the inside track for defensive player of the year and, potentially, NFL MVP has wreaked havoc week after week on opposing offensive lines. The Cowboys, with a trio of first-round picks up front as it tries build from the inside out, need to be able to keep Watt away from quarterback Tony Romo and running back DeMarco Murray.
2. Can DeMarco Murray stay healthy?
Murray has never made it through a full NFL season without getting injured. As a rookie, he missed three games. In 2012, he missed six. Last year, Murray missed two.
Murray has looked great so far, winning NFC offensive player of the month honors for September. But it’s just a matter of time before he gets hurt. And time could be up this week, especially if J.J. Watt gets a shot at him.
3. Is there hope for the Dallas pass rush?
The Cowboys’ defensive line had only 0.5 sacks through three games. Last week against the Saints, the Cowboys’ defensive line had two. Sure, one came on that botched punt fake. Regardless, the Cowboys could be verge of finally getting some real production out of a previously overmatched defensive line that should be the strength of a Tampa Two front.
Bills at Lions
1. Can Calvin Johnson be a factor?
Megatron said his ankle is doing better, but he still didn’t practice much this week. Last week, he caught only two passes, largely serving as a decoy. This week against the Bills, his former head coach (who now coordinates the Buffalo defense) will likely sniff out early whether Johnson is at full speed, and adjust accordingly.
2. Is Kyle Orton ready to roll?
There’s definitely no schism in Buffalo in the wake of the decision to go with a quarterback who out-Favred Brett Favre, signing after training camp and the preseason ended. Four games in to the regular season, Kyle Orton gets the start -- and receiver Sammy Watkins already is sucking up to the veteran. For a guy who had been discarded as a starter three years ago, it’s a lot to expect him to make an immediate impact. But given the absence of any Bills players questioning the move on or off the record, the bar had apparently gotten low with EJ Manuel.
3. Can Reggie Bush carry the load?
Joique Bell (concussion) and Theo Riddick (hamstring) are out. Which means that Reggie Bush could be the workhorse again. Which would be fine with offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, who believes Bush can do it, in limited spots. They’ll need him to do it in more than a limited spot on Sunday.
Ravens at Colts
1. How loud will it be?
Earlier this week, Ravens coach John Harbaugh joked about the suspicions that the Colts pipe artificial noise into their home stadium. Colts coach Chuck Pagano seized on the tongue-in-cheek slight, calling it an insult to the team’s fans. Which could make them even louder on Sunday against the Ravens. Which could make it harder to the Ravens to do what they want to do offensively. Which could prompt John Harbaugh to quit making jokes that could get the other team’s fans riled up.
2. Will Ravens use more press coverage?
Since losing to the Bengals after receiver A.J. Green got behind the defense late, the Ravens have kept their corners well off the line of scrimmage. Which has resulted in a lot of quick passes against them. While the Ravens have won three in a row while playing off the ball, they Colts could use a quick-strike attack in an effort to control the clock and methodically drive the ball. And if that draws the Ravens toward the line of scrimmage, T.Y. Hilton could get behind them deep.
3. Where’s Bernard Pierce?
Healthy last week, the man who supposedly was the back best suited to handle Gary Kubiak’s one-cut attack didn’t play. So will Pierce play this week? He had 96 yards in a Week Two win over the Steelers, and he hasn’t been heard from since.
Steelers at Jaguars
1. Are the Steelers undisciplined?
Mike Tomlin suddenly doesn’t want to be known as a players’ coach. Coincidentally, the team is undisciplined -- which suggests that maybe Tomlin is being too easy on the players. Or that maybe the players are being a little undisciplined because the team’s offensive coordinator missed a flight to Baltimore three weeks ago, with no apparent repercussions. If the team doesn’t start playing with more discipline, there will be repercussions for plenty.
2. How patient will Shad Khan be?
The Jaguars started 0-8 last year. This year, they’re halfway to that mark. And yet there’s no indication that Shad Khan, who has been making George Steinbrenner look like a Rooney when it comes to Khan’s English soccer club, is even contemplating the possibility of changing coaches or General Managers. It helps that business is good, with folks flocking to the renovated stadium, complete with swimming pools and screens big enough to make everyone on them look like movie stars. Then there’s the Blake Bortles effect, which gives hope at a time largely filled with hopelessness. At some point, however, the Jags need to win games or Khan will be looking for someone who can.
3. Is Bortles the next Roethlisberger?
The aging Steelers quarterback recently said the fledgling Jaguars quarterback is a young Roethlisberger. And he’s right. Bortles, like Ben, has the ability to extend plays by avoiding pressure behind the line, waiting for receivers to get open, and delivering the ball accurately. Which could make it easier for the Steelers to defend Bortles as Pittsburgh tries to avoid losing to an otherwise winless Florida team in consecutive weeks.
Buccaneers at Saints
1. Are the Saints done?
No. The Saints have lost three road games and won their only home game. They’ve got seven more in the Superdome. The bigger question is whether and to what extent they can win enough on the road to get to the playoffs.
2. What’s wrong with the defense?
Who knows? Last year, first-year coordinator Rob Ryan turned the defense around dramatically. This year, it’s been a dramatic downturn. It’s possible that Ryan simply didn’t do enough self-scouting in the offseason to remove any tips, tells, or tendencies for his formations and other pre-snap clues regarding how and where the pressure will originate. Either way, Rob won’t need to blame his lack of a haircut on the absence of interest in hiring him as a head coach come January.
3. Is Mike Glennon Tampa’s quarterback of the present?
Apparently, yes. While coach Lovie Smith has yet to give that label to the franchise’s quarterback of the past and future, Glennon will get the start this weekend, even though Josh McCown is available to play. And it makes sense. With McCown not getting it done and Glennon winning in Pittsburgh, why not let Glennon keep developing?
Falcons at Giants
1. Who blocks for Matt Ryan?
Not who they had thought. Three offensive lineman have landed on injured reserve, and another (Justin Blalock) is out for at least this week. As a result, it will be Jake Matthews at left tackle, James Stone or Harland Gunn at left guard, Peter Konz at center, Jon Asamoah at right guard, and Gabe Carimi at right tackle. And there are still 12 games to go, which means that even more injuries to the reshuffled are likely.
2. Do the Falcons have a bad defense?
Brian Billick, the brother-in-law of coach, Mike Smith thinks so. Actually, Billick thinks the Falcons’ defensive talent is among the worst in the NFL. Which could set the stage for some finger-pointing between the coaching staff and the front office if the up-and-down Falcons ultimately are more down than up. Regardless, Billick could be right; the Vikings shredded Atlanta last week both on the ground and in the air. If the Giants do the same thing, it’ll be alarming.
3. Will Odell Beckham finally play?
Perhaps. Despite plenty of talk that the 12th overall pick in the 2014 draft will finally make his debut due to a lingering hamstring problem, the Giants officially have listed Beckham as questionable. It means he’s 50-50 to play. The chances of him making an immediate impact are much smaller, since even if he’s healthy he’s way behind in his overall preparation and development.
Rams at Eagles
1. Why are the Eagles dealing with so many injuries?
Last year, Chip Kelly’s revolutionary approach to training and nutrition and just about everything else kept the Eagles healthy for most of the season. This year, not.
While it’s safe to say that Kelly’s ways haven’t suddenly made guys more susceptible to injury, it’s also clear that personalized smoothies won’t make the consequences of a violent game any less severe. Ultimately, luck has a lot to do with it, and the teams that have bad luck had better have plenty of depth. For the Eagles, the depth simply hasn’t been there on the offensive line.
The good news is that right tackle Lane Johnson returns after a four-game suspension for ingesting something far more potent than a smoothie.
2. What’s wrong with the Rams’ pass rush?
The absence of defensive end Chris Long is a factor, but the team still has enough talent elsewhere on the line, with Robert Quinn leading the way. Still, the Rams have only one sack through three games.
In part, the lack of sacks arises from an inability to stop the run. But even with a 21-0 lead against the Cowboys and Dallas having to throw the ball to get back into it, the Rams weren’t able to get to Tony Romo.
It’s gotten so bad that the players are now calling it a “sack curse,” and they’re looking to the luck of the ladybug to end it.
3. What’s wrong with LeSean McCoy?
No one really knows. It’s easy to blame the offensive line, but McCoy simply isn’t running like he used to. He’ll need to get back to his old ways soon, or the Eagles will have a hard time carrying his future salaries.
Through four games, he has only 192 yards on 70 attempts. That’s an average of 2.7 yards per carry. And that’s not good.
Browns at Titans
1. Jake Locker will play. Does it matter?
Probably not. Despite a head-scratching Week One win over a Chiefs team that may have been feeling a more than a little complacent, the Titans have played poorly with and without Locker. While the problems go far deeper than the 2011 first-round pick about whom the Titans didn’t feel strongly enough to pick up a fifth-year option, Locker isn’t good enough to overcome those deficiencies on a consistent basis.
While that doesn’t mean the Titans are guaranteed to lose on Sunday, they’re destined to continue to, as Bernard Pollard so eloquently put it this week, be “piss poor horrible.”
2. Will we see more Johnny Manziel?
The rookie said this week that he misses college. Which makes sense, since he surely misses playing. With two weeks to game-plan for Sunday’s game in Nashville, don’t be shocked if the Browns have a few more sideline-psych tricks up their sleeve against the Titans -- especially since this will be the first time Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam takes the Browns to his home state of Tennessee.
3. How will the Browns divvy up the touches at tailback?
First, it depends on the health of Ben Tate. Listed as probable with a knee injury suffered in Week One, Tate may not be ready to carry the load. Backup Terrance West says the Browns will go with the hot hand. Isaiah Crowell, who has been a factor the last few weeks, could see more action.
In the end, the Browns could rotate all three until someone shows the consistent ability to move the chains. Which will drive fantasy owners crazy, even if the end results delights Browns fans.
Cardinals at Broncos
1. When will we see Carson Palmer again?
At this point, no one knows. He has said that the nerve in his shoulder will wake up in its own time. The nerve has since emerged from its slumber only to lapse back into a coma. Which means that Drew Stanton will continue to start, and that Palmer’s short-term and long-term future will remain cloudy. Keep an eye on Logan Thomas; if/when Stanton struggles, the rookie could get a chance to show that he’s the best option, both in 2014 and beyond.
2. Where’s Montee Ball?
Anywhere but among the best running backs in the league. Averaging 55 yards per game and 3.4 per carry, Ball is a far cry from being the guy players like Peyton Manning had hyped Ball to be. If Dolphins tailback Knowshon Moreno weren’t currently out with an elbow injury, the Broncos surely would be facing criticism for not bringing back the former first-rounder who went from being bust to bellcow once Peyton arrived.
3. What were the Steelers thinking when they “retired” Bruce Arians?
Lost in the recent struggles of the Pittsburgh Steelers is that their run of non-playoff appearances began when they “retired” offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. That was the label applied by the team to the decision to fire Arians, and to hope he’d choose to quit coaching. He didn’t, which was great news for the Colts in 2012 and the Cardinals ever since.
Arians, who’s showing his shot should have come much earlier, held the Colts together while coach Chuck Pagano battled leukemia and took the Cardinals to a 10-6 record in the toughest division in football. Now, the Cardinals are undefeated despite numerous injuries, defections, and suspensions.
Ultimately, Arians shouldn’t be upset that the Steelers fired him without really firing him. If they hadn’t, Arians never would have enjoyed perhaps the best three years of his career.
Jets at Chargers
1. When will we see Mike Vick?
Pretty soon, unless coach Rex Ryan truly has no control over the quarterback position. And with owner Woody Johnson declaring this week that he believes Geno Smith can be a franchise quarterback, it’s possible that the powers-that-be have supplied Ryan with an edict that he shalt not bench Geno. If, in return, Rex has received a guarantee that he won’t be held responsible for a season that is teetering close to the brink, then it would be hard for him to complain.
2. How bad is the Chargers’ running game?
It’s not great, due to injuries to Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead. Donald Brown hasn’t gotten it done, and the interior of the offensive line bears plenty of the blame. Fortunately for the Chargers, quarterback Philip Rivers has bailed out the anemic rushing attack, which is averaging a league-low 2.4 yards per carry. Which could be the best argument in favor for Rivers’ MVP candidacy.
3. How far can the Chargers go?
Not very far if they can’t run the ball in January. But this team, largely overlooked after an unlikely playoff berth in 2013, has a special feel to it. Not intimidated by the Broncos and good enough to beat them in Denver, the Chargers ultimately could swipe both the division title and the top seed in the playoffs, for the first time since they squandered the No. 1 with a Schottenheimer-killing home loss to the Patriots in early 2007.
Chiefs at 49ers
1. Did the 49ers make the right choice?
They’d never admit if they feared they didn’t, and a strong argument could be made that Colin Kaepernick has the larger upside over the long haul. Kaepernick’s team-friendly contract also gives the 49ers far more flexibility than if they’d tied their hands with a deal like the one the Chiefs gave Smith.
Still, a persuasive argument also could be made that Smith is more consistent and dependable, week in and week out. Kaepernick has had too many pedestrian performances to be regarded as a franchise quarterback. Smith’s performances are consistently above average.
While Kaepernick was quick to point out this week that the two quarterbacks won’t really be facing each other because they won’t be on the field at the same time, it’s the closest thing to an apples-to-apples comparison we’ll ever see. And both guys will be motivated to ask the other guy when the final gun sounds, “Do you like apples?”
2. Is Deion right?
If he’s wrong about his report that the 49ers players want coach Jim Harbaugh out, Deion will never admit it, in large part because there’s no way Deion’s report ever could be proven incorrect. It could be that the players are simply weary of the actual or perceived (or actual) dysfunction between Harbaugh and the front office, and that the players want the friction to end. If the only way it will end is for Harbaugh to move on, then there indeed could be some players who would like to see that happen.
3. Is DeAnthony Thomas ready to make an impact?
A week after the 49ers faced former Oregon coach Chip Kelly, the Niners could be facing one of his recruits. And Thomas could be trying to do what Darren Sproles successfully did on Sunday -- return a punt for a touchdown.
Thomas, a former Duck who arrived via round four of the draft, has missed the first four games of the season with a hamstring injury. Chiefs special-teams coach Dave Toub has hinted that Thomas may return punts, which based on San Fran’s failure to bottle up Sproles could be bad news for the home team.
Bengals at Patriots
1. How bad are the Patriots?
Not as bad as everyone thinks. Bill Belichick the coach has been making up for the failures of Bill Belichick the de facto G.M. ever since Scott Pioli left for Kansas City, and Belichick is good enough as a coach to come up with a game plan to beat the Bengals -- especially at a time when Belichick can use the universal criticism of the Patriots as fodder for pushing the players’ buttons. While profound flaws remain, Belichick knows how to come up with ways to conceal them. And he surely is determined to show everyone that he still knows how to do it.
2. How good are the Bengals?
The oddsmakers have plenty of faith in them, which means the betting public is warming to the notion of Cincinnati continuing its march toward the postseason. But most will continue to be skeptical until the Bengals win a playoff game. Which will create even more pressure for the Bengals when they prepare to go for their first playoff win since the week before they obliterated Bo Jackson’s hip.
3. What’s the deal with Aaron Dobson?
If there’s a football reason for not playing the 2013 second-round pick for the last two weeks, it flows from his inability to get open in the limited time Tom Brady has to throw the ball. It the report is accurate that Dobson was deactivated twice for getting mouthy with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, don’t count on the Patriots admitting it, given that teams technically aren’t supposed to discipline players by shutting them down, with pay.
The Patriots are clearly sensitive to that perception. At a time when Belichick has insisted he’s “on to Cincinnati,” he took the time to issue a statement rebutting the report and insisting that Dobson’s failure to play in the past two games had everything to do with football and nothing to do with discipline.
Regardless, the Patriots need to find a way to get more out of Dobson, who could end up being the latest Belichick draft-pick bust at the receiver position.