We wrap up our third week of NFL action with an AFC South match up on Monday Night Football. The Atlanta Falcons (1-1) face off against the New Orleans Saints (0-2). We’re cracking jokes, offering analysis and quoting Jon Gruden. It’s on. The Saints are staring at an 0-3 start which all but guarantees they’ll miss the playoffs and, even worse, end up on HBO’s Hard Knocks next season.
As always, scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for this week’s press release from the NFL.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR – WEEK 3
FRESH START: Eight teams are undefeated through the first two weeks of the season – BALTIMORE, DENVER, HOUSTON, MINNESOTA, NEW ENGLAND, the NEW YORK GIANTS, PHILADELPHIA and PITTSBURGH – and hope to move to 3-0 this weekend.
While no guarantee of future success, a strong start to the season is a good omen – 75.6 percent of teams (99 of 131) that started 3-0 since 1990 made the playoffs. Saints
And don’t count out any of the 1-1 or 0-2 teams. Since realignment in 2002, 99 of the 168 playoff teams (58.9 percent) began the year at either 1-1 or 0-2, including five teams last year.
IT’S STILL EARLY: History shows that 0-2 teams advance to the playoffs more often than people might think. Since the current playoff format was instituted in 1990, 26 teams started 0-2 and still qualified for the postseason.
Last season, the HOUSTON TEXANS started the season 0-2 and went on to win the AFC South.
The 1993 Dallas Cowboys started 0-2 before winning Super Bowl XXVIII. The 0-2 New England Patriots of 1996 played in Super Bowl XXXI, and in 2001, the 0-2 Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI. The 2007 New York Giants started 0-2 before winning Super Bowl XLII.
COMPLETE SUCCESS: In 2016, quarterbacks have completed 1,481 of 2,343 passes for a 63.2 completion percentage, the third-highest league-wide completion percentage through Week 2 in NFL history. If the current percentage stays at this pace, it would rank as the highest of any season.
CHASING PERFECTION: Quarterbacks have gotten off to a fast start this season. Arizona’s CARSON PALMER, New Orleans’ DREW BREES and San Diego’s PHILIP RIVERS have all thrown for five touchdowns and no interceptions this season.
With three touchdown passes and no interceptions this week, these quarterbacks would tie for the fourth-most touchdown passes without an interception through a team’s first three games of any season. Denver quarterback PEYTON MANNING had 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions through the Broncos’ first three games in 2013.
WONDERFUL WENTZ: Philadelphia rookie quarterback CARSON WENTZ has completed 43 of 71 passes for 468 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions for a 94.1 passer rating this season, while leading the Eagles to a 2-0 record. With a win against Pittsburgh on Sunday, Wentz would join MARK SANCHEZ (2009) as the only rookie quarterbacks since 1970 to start and win each of their teams’ first three games of the season.
CATCHING ON: Houston rookie wide receiver WILL FULLER has recorded at least 100 receiving yards in each of his first two games. With 100+ yards against New England on Thursday, Fuller would become the first player in NFL history to record 100+ receiving yards in each of the first three games of his career.
The Falcons – Saints game is on ESPN and the pregame begins at 8:15 p.m. EST. Watch it with me.
