Top storyline for each Week 3 NFL game

Now that two full weeks are in the books, the 2016 NFL regular season is starting to come together. Those teams slated to struggle all year are already showing why expectations were so low.

Meanwhile, some of the top teams in the NFL are facing uncertain short-term futures. Speaking of the short term, could losses by the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars cost people some jobs on the sidelines?

On the field, two rookie quarterbacks in the NFC East look to continue their strong early-season performances. And in the AFC, the Indianapolis Colts aim for their first win of the season.

These are among the top storylines for each Week 3 NFL game.

Houston Texans at New England Patriots: The Pats’ quarterback mess

Will it be third-year signal caller Jimmy Garoppolo under center come Thursday? Apparently the Patriots are holding out hope that he will be able to play on a short week after suffering a shoulder injury this past Sunday. In fact, it seems that the team might be pressuring him to do just that.

Though, the Patriots have officially listed him as doubtful for Thursday’s game. This tells us a story of a team that’s preparing for the signal caller to sit (more on that here).

If Garoppolo isn’t able to go, the Pats will be forced to run rookie fourth-round pick Jacoby Brissett out there. That’s not necessarily a tremendous matchup against the likes of J.J. Watt and Co.

As it is, we’re looking at two undefeated teams. One without its future Hall of Fame quarterback. The other already proving itself to be among the AFC’s elite. That’s a nice little Thursday Night Football matchup to get the week started.

The only thing that could enhance this is potentially watching Julian Edelman take a few snaps under center.

Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars: Gus Bradley’s last stand

Following their 38-14 blowout loss to the San Diego Chargers last week, the Jaguars find themselves at 0-2 on the season. They are now also 1-13 under Bradley in the month of September. That’s not good for anyone involved.

If Jacksonville were to lose to an overrated Ravens team and fall to 0-3, there’s absolutely no guarantee Bradley will hang on to his job beyond Monday. This is how important Sunday’s home opener is.

Listen, the Jaguars have been patient enough with Bradley. They’ve allowed him to build the roster, with the help of general manager David Caldwell, the way they see fit.

They have also gone through some horrendous seasons with Bradley at the helm. This was to be expected with the rebuild project Bradley took on back in 2013.

Now, though, is the time for the product to start showing progression on the field. Through two weeks, we simply haven’t seen it.

Washinton Redskins at New York Giants: Egos on top of egos

Josh Norman will apparently tail Odell Beckham wherever the Giants’ star receiver goes come Sunday. Yeah, this is going to be some popcorn-worthy stuff right here.

We already know the animosity these two have towards one another. We also know about how ugly the scene was (watch here) the last time these Pro Bowlers played one another. That’s all fine and dandy.

What we want to see here is good, clean football between two of the players that are the best at what they do in the NFL. No shenanigans. No fighting. Instead, a hard-fought battle between two extremely talented players.

Now, what we want to see and what might unfold are two vastly different things.

“It goes back to what I was saying. If I wasn’t playing him (Norman) twice a year, maybe people wouldn’t bring it up as much,” Beckham Jr. said back in July. “But now it’ll be a lot more media attention for him, attention that I don’t really look for, attention that I don’t need. The reason he’s become so relevant is because of me.”

Norman, who quickly responded to these comments when they were made, isn’t one to back away from a receiver on the field. It’s not going out on a limb to say he’s going to remember them come Sunday.

It’s also going to be interesting to see how Norman’s on-field temperament is come Sunday. He’s already facing questions about not tailing the opposing team’s top receiver and just a blow up inside the Redskins’ locker room following last week’s loss (more on that here).

With the Redskins in desperate need of their first win against an undefeated Giants squad, emotions will likely boil over here. Whoever holds those emotions in check the most will likely help his team come out on top.

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers: Fixing the Pack’s offense

It hasn’t been pretty for the Packers’ offense through the first two games. Here’s a unit that enters Week 3 ranked 19th in scoring, 29th in total yards, 24th in first downs and 31st in passing.

Are we too sure that Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy weren’t somehow replaced by Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan? That’s how bad it is right now in Green Bay.

Though, the Lions might be the perfect tonic for this. Through two games, their defense is yielding a 70 percent completion rating and an absurd 112.7 quarterback rating. Yeah, that’s not terribly impressive.

Should Green Bay fail to get anything going at home against a lackluster Lions defense, it will tell us a story of an offense that might very well be in full-scale regression mode. Definitely not a good sign with the Minnesota Vikings continuing to do what they do on defense in the NFC North.

Cleveland Browns at Miami Dolphins: The Cody Kessler era

Five different starting quarterbacks in five games. That’s what the Browns are dealing with after injuries to both Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown. This is a stunning stat that dates back to Week 16 of the 2015 season.

It also just goes to show us how ridiculously horrible the quarterback situation has been in Cleveland over the past two decades.

Unfortunately, there’s little hope that Kessler will be able change that. Prior to the Browns reaching for him in the third round of this year’s draft, the former USC starter was seen as nothing more than a late-round prospect. A player that might carve out a nice career as a backup.

Now, just two games into his rookie season, Kessler is being thrown to the wolves. There’s not a single person out there that should have confidence he’s going to lead Cleveland out of these early-season doldrums. Unless, of course, you count Kessler and his family.

Here’s the issue. Cleveland is without three of its starting offensive linemen from a season ago. It’s top receiver bolted for the San Diego Charers in free agency. And the team’s most-talented offensive player remains suspended. A receiver that had an arrest warrant issued for him earlier this week.

Meanwhile, rookie pass catcher Corey Coleman suffered a broken hand in practice on Wednesday (more on that here).

Where does this end for Cleveland? Can Kessler shock the world and prove he’s capable of providing some stability? If not, will Clipboard Jesus be called on to take this team to the promised land? It’s so bad that we’re almost out of jokes at this point.

Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers: Sam Bradford’s world

With Adrian Peterson potentially lost for the season, the onus is now really going to fall on the right arm of Bradford. It’s a pretty tall task given he’s been on the team for just over a month and has the weight of starting for the defending NFC North champs hanging over him.

Now without the game’s best running back, can Bradford prove once and for all he’s up to the task?

Sunday’s game against an elite-level Panthers defense will be the second chapter in this season-long book. It’s also going to be his most difficult test.

Carolina ranks in the top seven of the NFL against the pass and has yielded an absurdly low 66.7 rating to opposing quarterbacks through two games.

Looking further at the stats, it’s readily apparent that the loss of Josh Norman has not yet impacted Carolina’s defense. It’s allowing a 56.5 completion percentage and just 6.4 yards per pass attempt.

Magnifying what promises to be a difficult task is the fact that Minnesota just placed starting left tackle Matt Kalil on injured reserve. This will leave second-year player T.J. Clemmings out on an island against the talented Kony Ealy to protect Bradford’s blindside.

How Bradford performs here could very well be an indication of what Minnesota can expect from him moving forward on the season. In the process, it could tell us a story of a contender or a pretender in the NFC.

Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals: Has Denver’s defense improved?

Even after losing Danny Trevathan and Malik Jackson in free agency, it sure looks like the Broncos’ defense has found a way to improve.

That’s an absurd realization to come to considering just how historically dominant Wade Phillips’ unit was last season.

Basic stats also tell us it might not be true. Denver ranks sixth in total defense, 12th in scoring defense and in the bottom 10 against the run. Though, basic stats, as we’ve learned in this new age, can be extremely misleading.

Denver is yielding 4.7 yards per target and 8.8 yards per reception. Both numbers are better than a season ago. It also ranks second behind the Cincinnati Bengals in completion percentage allowed.

With how much Cincinnati’s passing game struggled to get going last week against a lesser Pittsburgh Steelers defense, Denver has an opportunity to continue on this amazing run. It really is going to depend on the elite-level matchup between A.J. Green and Aqib Talib (more on that here).

Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills: Dying with what’s not working

It sounds harsh, but the Ryan brothers simply don’t seem to have what it takes to field a legitimate defense in today’s NFL. Last week’s utter embarrassment against the New York Jets was a prime example of this.

Buffalo yielded 28 first downs, 493 yards of offense and allowed the Jets to convert on 8-of-13 third-down opportunities. All said, New York averaged 8.2 yards per play.

If that’s how Buffalo’s defense is performing against a slightly above-average offense, what can it be in store for Sunday against the Arizona?

More than anything, it’s primarily schematic at this point. Buffalo can’t generate a pass rush because it is deciding to drop multiple members of the front seven, including some defensive linemen, into coverage.

That’s giving the opposing quarterback ample time to take advantage of what should be a much better secondary. It’s something former Bills defensive end Mario Williams took issue with before his ugly departure from Western New York this past spring.

What was Rex Ryan’s response to last week’s defensive struggles? It included the firing of offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

There’s an old saying about doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. This has represented Ryan’s coaching career to a T over the past several seasons, and it’s coming back to haunt the Bills in 2016.

If this continues Sunday against Arizona, the Bills will once again find themselves embarrassed on the field, potentially leading to Ryan’s demise less than a season and a half into the job (more on that here).

Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans: Jobs on the line in Oakland?

Maybe this should be singular, as in one job. Could defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. be coaching for his job in Oakland just over a year after Raiders head man Jack Del Rio brought him on?

It’s looking more and more apparent that Norton Jr is simply in over his head as a coordinator in the NFL. That might sound a bit harsh, but the Raiders’ performance on defense this season has been nearly historically bad.

It is allowing an 81-plus completion percentage to receivers and an absurd 131.4 rating to quarterbacks. Adding even more fuel to the fire, the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons put up a combined 69 points, 1,035 yards and 54 first downs against this unit in the first two games.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, this comes after general manager Reggie McKenzie spent the vast majority of the spring adding solid talent to what had been a talent-stricken roster. It’s in this that any Norton apologists really don’t have a leg to stand on.

With how well the Raiders’ offense has performed this season, one could draw the conclusion that the team is primed for a playoff push. That’s just not going to be possible with its defense playing at this level. At some point, one person needs to be held accountable.

Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jared Goff time?

Jeff Fisher and the Rams are apparently committed to Case Keenum for Sunday’s affair with the Bucs. For the life of us, this is something we simply cannot comprehend.

Sure the idea of giving a rookie quarterback time to learn the nuances of the NFL makes sense. It would also be a less-than-ideal situation to put Goff into. That’s evident by the lack of pass protection up front and no real consistent receivers to speak of on the outside.

Still, do fans in Los Angeles deserve this crappy product after 20 years without football? That seems a tad harsh, but the numbers clearly back us up here.

After finishing dead last in passing yards a season ago, the Rams are right at the bottom again in 2016. Overall, Los Angeles is averaging 169.5 passing yards per game and has not thrown a touchdown.

Heck, the Rams have yet to score a touchdown in any phase of the game through two weeks.

These numbers don’t even begin to tell the story. Keenum is averaging 4.9 yards per attempt and is completing less than 54 percent of his passes. These are disturbingly bad numbers right here.

Goff may not start Sunday. That’s fine. We understand Fisher’s philosophy of being patient with rookie signal callers. It worked with Steve McNair ages ago.

But why not I’ve Goff, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, a possession or two? If nothing else, maybe just to excite the Los Angeles fan base.

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks: All eyes on the quarterbacks

Are Russell Wilson’s struggles thus far this season primarily due to the ankle injury he suffered in Week 1 or is there something else to it? Seattle enters Week 3 ranked 31st in the NFL in scoring, 21st in passing offense and 26th in total offense. That’s a far cry from last season.

For his part, Wilson has thrown a total of one touchdown and has been sacked five times in 83 drop backs. We can discuss how limited he looked in the Seahawks’ embarrassing loss to Los Angeles last week. That’s fine.

However, there’s a larger issue at hand here. Seattle’s pass protection might be the absolute worst in the NFL. This isn’t a drill. It’s really bad.

With Wilson limited due to an ankle injury, he simply can’t escape the pocket as much as he’d like. That might be a big deal come Sunday against a San Francisco defense that’s been surprisingly good getting to the quarterback.

On the other side, Blaine Gabbert has quite possibly been the most ineffective quarterback thus far this season. That’s saying something considering his 49ers rank in the top 10 in both scoring and first downs.

If Gabbert can find a way to play average football, it would be rather interesting to see how Chip Kelly’s offense could evolve. Unfortunately, he’s holding the entire unit back right now.

This begs one rather straightforward question. Should San Francisco turn to the enigmatic Colin Kaepernick? If so, when? That will be a story to watch should Gabbert struggle out of the gate against what promises to be an angry Seahawks team in Seattle on Sunday.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles: Statement game for Carson Wentz and Co.

Philadelphia boasts a 2-0 record. But let’s face some harsh reality. It’s a soft 2-0 record. Here’s a squad that has defeated the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears to start the season. These two teams have combined to win nine of 36 games since the start of last season.

Let’s see how Wentz and Co. perform against another undefeated team, one that is more talented than they are. It’s surely going to be something to pay attention to.

And in reality, the outcome of this game could help Philadelphia be viewed as a serious division title contender in the NFC East.

Outside of that, the biggest story in this game (and potentially in the NFL) is Wentz. Here’s a small-school rookie quarterback that has yet to turn the ball over in his first two starts while leading his team to a win in both games. Spoiler alert. He’s the first rookie quarterback to ever accomplish this feat.

The numbers in and of itself might not be tremendous here. That’s not the point. Wentz is having no issues throwing down field, he’s scanning the field extremely well, he’s not taking the dumb sack and he’s not making the stupid mistake.

That’s a recipe for success for any team in the NFL, no matter the experience level of its starting quarterback.

New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs: Revis Island falling into the ocean

Revis has fallen off a cliff and then some this season. It’s been pretty hard to watch. When a veteran is getting burned at that clip, you simply want to turn away and pretend it’s a nightmare.

Revis has been among the best at his position for so long it’s hard to fathom him struggling at this level.

Then again, the Jets’ defensive scheme isn’t doing itself any favors. Why in the world are the coaches putting the aging veteran in a situation where he’s covering a track star (watch here) one-on-one.

New York needs to start realizing that this isn’t the 2010 version of Darrelle Revis. It’s a regressing corner that simply can’t keep up with youngsters at the clip we’ve become accustomed to.

Taking on the Chiefs this upcoming Sunday, it’s going to be extremely interesting to see how the Jets scheme to help Revis out. He’ll be lining up against Jeremy Maclin, a matchup that obviously doesn’t favor the Jets right now.

More than Revis’ struggles, the biggest story here is New York’s defensive coaching. If it continues to throw him out there on an island (pun intended), the team’s season might sink with Revis right into the ocean. That’s not an overreaction.

San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts: All the hot seats

If the Colts were to somehow fall to San Diego on Sunday, it wouldn’t be a surprise to here leaks coming out of Indy about Chuck Pagano’s job security. Here’s a coach that was seemingly out the door following last season’s disastrous performance.

A last-minute meeting with owner Jim Irsay and general manager Ryan Grigson led to a surprising extension.

Now at 0-2 on the season and playing in a much improved division, the Colts simply can’t afford to lose their first three games. Should that happen, Pagano could find himself as the coach with the honor of receiving the first pink slip of the season.

In San Diego, the issues are somewhat similar. Mike McCoy is coming off a disastrous 2015 season that saw multiple key players go down for an extended period of time. Despite winning just four games, this might have saved his job. He had an excuse. A legitimate excuse.

Interestingly enough, it looks like McCoy might be able to use the same excuse should his team struggle moving forward this season. After all, both Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead are lost for the remainder of the year to ACL injuries.

Even then, there has to come a time when the brass in San Diego loses patience here. The Chargers blew an 18-point halftime deficit against Kansas City in Week 1, yet another sign that McCoy and Co. are struggling closing out games.

Since the start of last season, San Diego boasts a 3-10 record in one-score games. This a sign of a coaching staff that’s struggling with in-game adjustments. A loss to Indianapolis could bring up the very same questions that had McCoy on the hot seat shortly after last season.

Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys: Dak’s time or Romo’s return?

There’s an interesting dynamic at play here. Tony Romo might be able to return much sooner than most anticipated after he broke a bone in his back during the preseason (more on that here).

Is it a guarantee that Romo will actually be handed the starting job once he does return? If not, can Prescott make the Cowboys continue to think long and hard about keeping him as the starter?

By now it’s readily apparent that Prescott is the long-term answer in Dallas. Though, he’s also looked like the short-term solution during the first two games of the season.

The rookie fourth-round pick is completing 62.7 percent of his passes with zero interceptions in 75 attempts through two games.

Much like Wentz before, it’s this type of performance that will continue to give Dallas an opportunity every time it takes the field. Mistake-free football and an ability to get the ball down the field. That means something in today’s NFL.

Prescott now has a golden opportunity to dominate on a national stage at home against a bad Bears team Sunday night. Should he take advantage, questions about a potential quarterback controversy in Big D will become imminent.

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints: A clear must win for the home team

In no world can the Saints look at this upcoming game and call it anything but a must win. First off, only three teams have made the playoffs since 1990 after starting the season with three consecutive losses. That’s the first key point.

Secondly, it’s as much about the Saints coming together with consistent play on defense. It’s something we simply haven’t seen since the start of last season.

Though two games, New Orleans ranks 31st in total defense, 30th against the pass and 23rd against the run. No matter how good Drew Brees and Co. are on offense, that’s simply not going to cut it.

Any trek to legitimate playoff contention starts and ends with the defense this week against a Falcons offense that found its groove in Oakland last week. Should the Saints fall short here, that will be all she wrote.

By Vincent Frank

An editor here at Sportsnaut. Contributor at Forbes. Previous bylines include Bleacher Report, Yahoo!, SB Nation. Heard on ESPN ... More about Vincent Frank