Bama in the NFL Tracker: Takeaways From NFL Week 3
NFL Week 3 Recap:
• Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins appear to be very legitimate Super Bowl contenders. They didn't just win, but destroyed the Denver Broncos, 70-20. Tagovailoa had more touchdown passes (four) than incompletions (three) as the Dolphins had the second-most yards in a game in NFL history. They also scored the second-most points in a game in NFL history. Tagovailoa had 309 yards passing, crossing 1,000 yards on the young season. He's second in the NFL in passing yards (1,024), and passing touchdowns (eight). Raekwon Davis had one quarterback hit and Da'Shawn Hand had one tackle, one pass defended, and one quarterback hit.
For Denver, Kareem Jackson played in his 196th NFL game, tying Bart Starr for the fifth most NFL games played by an Alabama player. He recorded seven total tackles in the loss. Patrick Surtain II had five tackles. Jerry Jeudy made five catches for 81 yards.
• DeMeco Ryans got his first career win as a head coach, as the Texans won in Jacksonville, 31-17. Linebacker Will Anderson Jr. showed he can be a game wrecker at the next level, too, with four tackles, two quarterback hits and one field goal blocked. Henry To'oTo'o tied the team lead for tackles with 10 and also had a pass defended. Offensively, John Metchie III had two catches for 13 yards. For the Jaguars, Calvin Ridley had three catches for 40 yards in the loss.
"It's special, to get the first win is definitely special," Ryans said. "Been thinking about it for a long time since we started. How would that first win be? It's a lot of work and I never lose sight of the grind and the work that it takes to win a game. But I'm so proud of our guys and I'm happy for our guys and the work that they put in to help us win this game. Like it's a credit to everybody. It was truly a team effort and I'm just thankful to be in this position to help lead these men."
• The Tennessee Titans were held without a touchdown in Cleveland. Derrick Henry had just 20 yards on 11 carries. For the Browns, Jerome Ford had 10 carries for 18 yards and a score, while catching two passes for 33 yards and another score. Amari Cooper led the Browns in receiving with seven catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. Dalvin Thomlinson had one tackle, but played a big part in clogging up Henry's running lanes.
• In the battle of the Alabama running backs on Sunday night, neither stood out too much as the Pittsburgh Steelers outlasted the Las Vegas Raiders. Najee Harris led both teams in rushing with 65 yards, although Josh Jacobs was close behind him with 62. Defensively for the Raiders, Byron Young had two tackles. Minkah Fitzpatrick had 11 tackles for the Steelers, while cornerback Levi Wallace had six tackles and two picks off Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, including this game-sealing pick.
• Brian Branch had a strong showing against Atlanta. He led the Lions with 11 tackles, including two for a loss, and also had two pass breakups. Branch seems to have been a steal for Detroit in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Other Notable News:
• Jahmyr Gibbs totaled 82 yards from scrimmage in his first action as the Lions top running back.
• Mac Jones and the New England Patriots got their first win of the season, at the expense of the Jets. He threw for 201 yards and a score. Anfernee Jennings had five tackles, including one tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit, while Christian Barmore had two tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one pass defended, and one quarterback hit. Mack Wilson Sr. also got in on the action with two tackles. For the Jets, CJ Mosely tied for the team lead in tackles with 10, while Quinnen Williams had one tackle, one pass defended, and three quarterback hits.
• Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for 70 yards on 10 carries for the Washington Commanders in their loss to the Buffalo Bills. Daron Payne had three tackles, one tackle for loss, and a pass defended, while Jonathan Allen had one tackle and one pass defended.
Bama in the NFL: Week 3 Tracker
Click on the following link for updated NFL Week 3 statistics of former Crimson Tide players:
NFL Week 3 Preview:
Week 1 and Week 2 of the NFL regular season both featured marquee matchups between Alabama quarterbacks, while Week 3 will feature a couple of matchups of former Crimson Tide running backs.
- The Tennessee Titans have made it obvious how they run their offense: run the ball with Derrick Henry, and then run some more with someone else. Sunday's game in Cleveland was expected to be a matchup of the two top pure running backs in the game, Henry and Nick Chubb, but will instead feature two running backs who both spent time on Alabama's roster: Henry and Jerome Ford. Following a season-ending injury to Chubb, Henry and the Titans should have a superior run game to the Browns, but the Browns will probably try and turn more to the passing game and wide receiver Amari Cooper, who is trying to play through a groin injury. Dalvin Thomlinson will have his hands full on the Browns defensive line trying to stop Henry.
- Another matchup that features a pair of former Alabama running backs is the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Las Vegas Raiders. Najee Harris and Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders shared a backfield together at Alabama, and both were first-round picks for their teams. Neither team primarily runs their offense through the running back, with wide receivers George Pickens and Davante Adams the primary weapons so far. Neither Harris nor Jacobs is off to a great start this season, but look for both to be motivated during this prime-time matchup on Sunday.
- The Bills at Commanders will see Damien Harris and Brian Robinson Jr. on opposite sidelines. Harris and the Bills got back on track last week with a win over the Raiders. Harris earned a rushing touchdown as a goal-line running back, and he can be expected to see the bulk of his carries as the Bills' power running back. Robinson looks to have taken a firm hold on the starting spot with Washington and scored two touchdowns in the win over Denver last week.
- Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins' passing attack will have a tough task this week lining up against cornerback Patrick Surtain II and the Broncos. Miami might also be without Jaylen Waddle, who suffered a concussion at New England last week. Regardless, all eyes will be on Surtain against Tyreek Hill, which could be one of the best one-on-one matchups of the whole season. Both were named All-Pro last season.
- Mac Jones and the New England Patriots are arguably the best winless team in the NFL. While that doesn't sound very positive, they were in one-possession games against maybe the NFL's top two teams: the Dolphins and Eagles. Jones won't have it easy while trying to notch that first win even if Aaron Rodgers is out for the Jets. He'll still line up opposite CJ Mosley and Quinnen Williams in the defensive front seven. The Patriots will need a good game from their offensive line to minimize Williams and Mosley if Jones is to be successful.
Bonus: The matchup to watch Thursday night is New York Giants right tackle Evan Neal against San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa.
How to Watch NFL Week 3
Thursday's Game
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers, 7:15 p.m. CT, Prime Video
Sunday's Games
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens, noon, CBS
Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns, noon, CBS
Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions, noon, FOX
New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers, noon, FOX
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars, noon, FOX
Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins, noon, CBS
Los Angeles Chargers at Minnesota Vikings, noon, FOX
New England Patriots at New York Jets, noon, CBS
Buffalo Bills at Washington Commanders, noon, CBS
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks, 3:05 p.m., CBS
Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals, 3:05 p.m., FOX
Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs, 3:25 p.m., FOX
Pittsburgh Steelers at Las Vegas Raiders, 7:20 p.m., NBC, Universo
Monday's Games
Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 6:15 p.m., ABC, ESPN+
Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals, 7:15 p.m., ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes
See Also:
Active Alabama Crimson Players in the NFL
All-Time Alabama Crimson Tide Players in the NFL
