Through 2 weeks the 2019 NFL season has been plagued by injuries, more anti-Saints reffing and a tie. But there has been plenty of excitement as well. Patrick Mahomes has continued to terrorize the league, Lamar Jackson has exploded in year 2 and the Bears have finally found their kicker. Here are five storylines to watch for in what is hopefully an exciting Week 3.
Will the Cowboys and Patriots cover the spread?
The Cowboys and Patriots will become just the ninth and tenth teams in NFL history to be favored by more than 20 points. The Cowboys are 21-point favorites against the Miami Dolphins, who have given up a record-tying 102 points through two games. Considering the Cowboys have the number 2 offense in the NFL through 2 games, it’ll be hard for the Dolphins to keep this close, even after announcing Josh Rosen as their new starting quarterback. In New England, the Patriots get to face quarterback Luke Falk in his first career start. Bill Belichick has always made life hard for first-year quarterbacks, and that will likely continue against a Jets team that just lost 23-3 against the Browns. None of the previous 8 teams favored by more than 20 points covered the spread, so this will be something to watch.
How will the new quarterbacks play in their first start?
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There will be 6 quarterbacks making their first start of the season in Week 3. Along with Rosen and Falk, Kyle Allen, Daniel Jones, Teddy Bridgewater and Mason Rudolph will also be taking the reigns for their teams. It will not be an easy start for any of these quarterbacks, as all 6 have to play on the road. They also lack experience, as Bridgewater has made 29 career starts, Rosen has made 13, and the rest have combined for just 1 start between the 4 of them. Interestingly, 4 of these 6 quarterbacks were members of the 2018 draft class, so there will be 7 representatives of that class in total playing the QB position on Sunday. Here is a bit more on each of the new starters.
Who will win the quarterback battle in Kansas City?
Two of the most exciting young quarterbacks will face off on Sunday when the Ravens visit the Chiefs. Lamar Jackson and 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes will battle it out in what should be a high-scoring affair. The two are tied for the league lead in touchdowns and rank in the top 3 in QBR, passer rating and yards per attempt. Jackson leads quarterbacks in rushing yards, while Mahomes leads the league in passing yards. This will be a must-watch game as we get round 2 of this matchup after the Chiefs won in overtime last year.
How many teams will reach 3-0?
As we enter Week 3, there are nine 2-0 teams in the NFL(Patriots, Cowboys, Chiefs, Ravens, Seahawks, Bills, Packers, Rams and 49ers). There have been 27 teams that started 3-0 in the past 6 years, and 18 of the 27 ultimately made the playoffs. Only 2 of these teams finished with a losing record while 6 made the Super Bowl. This week five of the nine 2-0 teams will play teams that are 0-2, and the 2-0 Chiefs and Ravens play each other, as mentioned above. The Lions are also undefeated at 1-0-1 and play the 1-1 Eagles on Sunday. On the other end of things, there are eight teams sitting at 0-2, and only 4 teams have ever made the playoffs after an 0-3 start.
Will struggling quarterbacks turn it around?
We already know that there are 6 new starting quarterbacks this week, but more could soon take the field if some starters continue to struggle. Jameis Winston played better in Week 2, but his 3 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns) in Week 1 served as a reminder of his turnover tendencies. Mitchell Trubisky once again struggled in Week 2 as the Bears offense continues to fail to move the ball. The Bears were lucky to win last week, and Trubisky will need a better outing on Sunday or there will start to be murmurs about finding his replacement. Kirk Cousins is another quarterback off to a rough start, as he has looked nothing like the guy who the Vikings gave $84 million guaranteed to. He’ll have to turn things around if the Vikings hope to get back to the playoffs. Baker Mayfield has struggled with interceptions and inconsistency, while Aaron Rodgers has yet to look like himself, but it’ll take a few more bad performances before people start to worry about them.