Cal in the NFL: Week 3

Well, They Played

These guys will show up on the stat sheet but may have not had the greatest of contributions in their respective games.

• Every team needs a punter, and Brian Anger is just that for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their magical start to the season was not able to continue in a dramatic Monday Night showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as the Bucs fell by a score of 30-27. Anger contributed with three punts, averaging 42 yards per punt with one punt inside the 20.
• Tyson Alualu found himself on the winning side of the Buccaneers-Steelers game, pitching in with two tackles.
• Despite a great start to the season, Buffalo Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander was a non-factor in a 27-6 win over the Vikings, registering only a single tackle.

Struggling Stars

Some rare poor performances from two of our offensive studs.

• DeSean Jackson finally cooled off after a blazing start to the year. Even though the Buccaneers passing offense still produced some huge numbers in the aforementioned loss to the Steelers, Jackson was shut down, catching 3 out of his 5 targets for just 37 yards.
• In what should be a rare appearance on this kind of list, Keenan Allen of the Los Angeles Chargers managed just 44 yards while catching 3 out of 7 targets. He also lost a fumble in a 35-23 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Offensive Line

More huge offensive numbers from the offenses of our o-linemen.

• Even though his Falcons picked up a loss, Alex Mack and the rest of the offensive line provided great blocking on their way to scoring 37 points against the Saints.
• While all the credit will go to Patrick Mahomes, don’t forget the big guys up front in the Chiefs offensive explosion so far this year. Mitchell Schwartz has been a key contributor in a team that moves to 3-0 on the season with a 38-27 win over the 49ers.

DEFENSE!

A huge week for the following defenders.

• Cameron Jordan found himself on the winning side of the dramatic 43-37 Saints-Falcons overtime game. While the Saints defense may have struggled as a whole, it sure wasn't because of Jordan, as he pitched in with five tackles and two sacks.
• Mychal Kendricks saw his role with the Seahawks continue to grow, as he recorded 6 tackles and a sack in a 24-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
• Though the Cincinnati Bengals suffered their first loss of the season, coming by way of a 31-21 score at the hands of the Carolina Panthers, linebacker Hardy Nickerson did his part, contributing 7 tackles.
• A pretty great performance was had by Los Angeles Chargers’ nose tackle Brandon Mebane, as even at a position where it is hard to accumulate stats, Mebane was able to record six tackles and a sack! As previously mentioned, however, the Chargers lost to the Rams by a score of 35-23.

Solid Performances

The steady offensive contributors.

• CJ Anderson did little to contribute on the ground with Christian McCrapfrey taking 28(!) carries in a 31-21 win over the Bengals, but he caught a 24 yard pass for a touchdown. That is good enough to place him in the category of a solid performance, especially considering his role.
• A lackluster week for Aaron Rodgers (at least by his standards) had him completing 27/44 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns in a surprising 31-17 loss to the Washington Redskins.
• While the Raiders fell to 0-3 with a 28-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Marshawn Lynch was solid as always, taking his 19 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown, and even adding three receptions for 22 yards through the air, both of which were season highs.
• The Lions receiving trio of Golden Tate, Kenny Golladay, and former Cal star Marvin Jones Jr. keeps producing at a high level, this time leading the Detroit Lions to a shocking 26-10 win over the Patriots. Jones did his part in the game, catching 4 out of six targets for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Player of the Week

• Jared Goff, QB, Los Angeles Rams

When Jared Goff left our Bears for the NFL, these were the exact types of games that we knew he was capable of. Against a pretty good Chargers defense, he completed a ridiculously efficient 29/36 of his passes for 354 yards, adding three touchdowns and an interception in a performance that made for the easiest POTW selection that I have had to make so far.

Week 3 In Recap

• The Bears combined for a 8–8 record on the week.
• The average scores of these games were once again in our favor this week, as we edged out a narrow 28–27 win!

Season Record: 26–19–2 (I accidentally missed a win from Hardy Nickerson last week)

Pythagorean Win-Loss: 2–1

Bears Record: 3–0 (Bye Week)

GO BEARS!