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| Tuesday, September 19 By Joe Theismann Special to ESPN.com | |||||
| ESPN's Joe Theismann reviews five things we learned on Sunday:
1. Should New York be preparing for an all-Big Apple Super Bowl? It's a bit early to think the Giants and the Jets will meet in the Super Bowl. But New York football fans certainly have much to cheer about. The Giants have proven that they are a very good defensive football team and one that has the ability to make plays when they need them.
I don't think Tampa Bay has surpassed St. Louis yet because the Rams won again Sunday. Judging from the first three weeks, though, there is a good chance that the Rams and the Bucs could lock up again in the NFC Championship Game. I still believe teams need great offense to score points, and the Rams are averaging nearly 40 points a game. While the Bucs have scored 72 points in two weeks, great special teams and defense set them up for 21 of their 31 points against Detroit. The Bucs offense, however, has shown great improvement. Keyshawn Johnson has done exactly what they wanted. He has added personality and toughness to the receiving corps. The Bucs don't need to score many points to win because their defense is one of the league's best. The points they allowed to the Lions came on a fluke touchdown. Detroit had no right scoring that touchdown at the end of the first half. For the Rams, the big question mark is their defense. But the Rams' explosiveness and scoring ability, especially on artificial turf, gives them an edge over a great defense. 3. How seriously should the 3-0 Vikings be taken? Any team that is 3-0 should be taken seriously. The Vikings are a team to be contended with. They will become even more explosive as Daunte Culpepper gets more and more comfortable. Everybody must remember that Culpepper is really in his rookie season as a quarterback. He will hurt people a lot more now with his legs than he will with his arm, and his ability to run has made him a big factor in their 3-0 start. Culpepper picked up key first downs against New England with his feet. He can buy enough time so that Randy Moss and Cris Carter can continue to make plays. So far the Vikings offense hasn't been getting big plays from Moss; that will come in time. But Carter's ability to make critical receptions have remained a constant. 4. Is it too early to call the Browns a playoff contender? Yes, it's too early. The Browns have made great strides. They are developing well, but the inclination after three games is to stop and think that maybe they are like the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars were early in their existence. Tim Couch is a good, young quarterback who is progressing, but Sunday's game was tight the whole way against a Steelers team that is in transition. Browns fans shouldn't start saving up for playoff tickets yet, but they should be thrilled with the direction of the team. 5. Did Tony Banks regress or face a great Miami defense? Tony Banks didn't have a relapse. He did the things that Ravens coach Brian Billick asked him to do. He tried to hit the open receivers and didn't try to force the ball. Banks will continue to get better and better, and he will be more consistent. The Dolphins defense deserves a lot of credit, and the Ravens were unable to generate a running game, but the field conditions were probably their biggest enemy. When they were down, the Ravens had a few scoring opportunities, but they happened to be in the muddy part of the field and no one could get any footing. Regardless, the Dolphins were great defensively. The cornerbacks were physical on the receivers, and the defense did a great job of bracketing Shannon Sharpe. They weren't going to let Sharpe beat them. Zach Thomas played the kind of football that has made him an All-Pro middle linebacker. The Ravens defense was supposed to be one of the league's best and be tough against the run, but the Dolphins ran the ball effectively and used play-action passing well. Jay Fiedler played about as perfect a second half as any quarterback would. He was 7-for-7 passing for 121 yards and a touchdown pass. He made the right decisions, scrambled, stayed inbounds to keep the clock running and even threw blocks. I guess it's only fitting that Fiedler, on a night when Dan Marino was honored, played a lot like Marino. Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann works as a game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football. He will review the NFL week for ESPN.com every Monday in his "Cup o' Joe" feature. He will also break down the Sunday Night Football matchup each Friday. | ALSO SEE
TJ's Take on Week 3Week 3 wrap-ups Week 3 infirmary report Prime Time Players Week 3 stats leaders | ||||
