Week 3 left a few NFL teams with real reasons to worry, and not the kind that disappear after a quick Sunday bounce-back. Injuries, shaky execution, bad offense, and defensive breakdowns are all piling up for clubs that came into the year with expectations. The season is young, but after what happened this weekend, the margin for error is getting thin fast.
The Los Angeles Chargers are back on the concern list for a second straight week, and the loss in Buffalo only deepened the unease. A 10-0 lead after the first quarter should have put them in control, especially with Josh Allen and the Bills coughing up five turnovers. Instead, the game slipped away in ugly fashion.
That’s the part that stands out: how do you win the turnover battle 5-1, jump out to a 10-point edge, and still get blown out? Justin Herbert has looked lost at times, the ground game has barely existed through three weeks, and the offense has produced just 44 points in that span. Mike McDaniel was supposed to turn this group into an offensive juggernaut, but the results have been nowhere close.
Buffalo’s defense had not exactly been shutting teams down either, giving up 31 points in each of its first two games to the Texans and Lions. So when the Chargers managed only one touchdown and three field goals, that was a glaring red flag. Even that touchdown came with help, after James Cook fumbled on his first carry and gave Los Angeles the ball in Bills territory.
The end of the game only made the mess look worse. With the Chargers trailing 17-13 and just over five minutes left, they faced a 3rd and 10 from their own 45.
Quenten Johnston dropped a catch beyond the sticks, and then the offense stayed on the field amid confusion. The next rushed snap produced an incomplete pass, and suddenly Josh Allen had the ball 45 yards from the end zone.
Buffalo finished the job and pushed the lead to 24-13 with just under two minutes left. Maybe punting would have changed the outcome, maybe not.
Either way, the bigger point is impossible to miss: after three games, this isn’t working. Mike McDaniels isn’t working, and the noise around him is only going to grow.
The Green Bay Packers have their own set of problems, and they don’t look small. Through three games, the offense has not clicked, and the team should probably be grateful it escaped Week 2 with a win over the Jets. If the offensive line doesn’t improve, the problems are going to keep snowballing.
The run game has struggled, but that’s only part of the issue. Jordan Love has been operating under heavy pressure, with Green Bay allowing one of the league’s worst pressure rates on pass plays. That issue goes beyond simply missing Josh Jacobs.
The defense hasn’t been much better. On Thursday night, the Packers looked disorganized while Bijan Robinson and Drake London carved them up. The hope is that Micah Parsons returning in a couple of weeks will help steady things, but right now the defense is not holding up its end.
And yes, the online chatter has already started. The “Fire LaFleur” noise is out there, and a win over the struggling Bucs next weekend would at least quiet it for a bit.
Tampa Bay is in the worst spot of the three. The Buccaneers have opened with three straight losses, and now Baker Mayfield is dealing with a thumb injury on his throwing hand. Losing to the Vikings without Justin Jefferson for most of Sunday’s game only made the situation look more bleak.
Mayfield’s injury came late, but he can’t escape responsibility for the loss itself. He had already been through more than three quarters with a healthy right thumb and still completed only 50% of his passes, finishing with a touchdown and an interception.
The run game didn’t offer much help either. Bucky Irvin found little room, Kenneth Gainwell found even less, and Gainwell ended with negative rushing yardage.
Right now, the whole operation looks broken. If Mayfield misses significant time, draft prep for next year might as well begin in Tampa. There are two small comforts for Buccaneers fans: the NFC South is bunched up, with a three-way tie for first place just a game ahead of Tampa at 1-2, and next week brings the Packers in a “Battle of the Bays” that probably deserves a harsher nickname at this point: “The Bay of Pigs Bowl.”
In Other News...
Bucs Loss Exposed A Bigger Problem Than Fans Wanted To See
Sundays 23-16 loss to the Vikings felt less like one bad afternoon and more like a reminder that the Buccaneers still have real issues to sort through on both sides of the ball. Baker Mayfield was up and down throughout the game, finishing with a split in his passing numbers and a touchdown and interception, while the offense never found the kind of rhythm it needs under coordinator Zac Robinson. Tampa Bay also had trouble on special teams, which only added to a day where the margin for error was already too thin.
Jacob Parrish and right tackle Luke Goedeke were among the players who had moments they would like back, and the late right hand injury to Mayfield only added to the unease. For a team trying to stay steady early in the season, the bigger concern is how many areas looked vulnerable at once, from the line of scrimmage to coverage to the kicking game. It is one thing to lose a close game in the NFL, but another when the film leaves so many questions behind. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Suddenly Have A Worrying Jalen McMillan Problem
Jalen McMillans latest setback arrived early in the Buccaneers Week 3 matchup with Minnesota, when the young receiver went down with a knee injury and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game. It was a tough break for a player Tampa Bay had been waiting to see more from, especially after offensive coordinator Zac Robinson had sounded upbeat about the role McMillan could carve out in the offense.
The concern now is bigger than one Sunday afternoon. McMillan has already dealt with multiple injury interruptions in his NFL career, including a previous neck issue and the knee problem that kept him out of the season opener, so the Bucs are left hoping this one does not become another lengthy pause in his development. For a team trying to build more consistent production around its passing game, his availability is suddenly a storyline worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Defensive Line Just Took A Brutal Hit Before Vikings Game
The Buccaneers defensive front took a late hit before Sundays 4:05 p.m. kickoff against the Vikings, with defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches ruled inactive after hurting his ankle during pregame warmups. Its the kind of last-minute loss that forces a quick shuffle up front, especially for a Tampa Bay defense trying to set the tone early in the day.
To fill the gap, the Bucs activated defensive tackles DeMonte Capehart and Elijah Simmons, and both are set to make their first appearances of the season. That gives Tampa Bay some fresh bodies in the rotation, but it also adds another layer of uncertainty to a position group that had to adjust on the fly just before heading into a key NFC matchup. [Read more 🡒]