NFL Week 3 Recap: Cardinals roll Niners, Big Ben injured

By Desmond Palmer

Bengals 28, Ravens 24

RECAP—The undefeated Bengals visited an always-hostile M&T Bank Stadium as the Ravens were looking for a much needed win in this heated AFC rivalry. Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton played like the franchise quarterback he is paid to be, finding A.J. Green early and often on multiple deep bombs. The Ravens got off to a slow start, finding themselves scoreless going into the second half, but they would soon get into their flow and make the game interesting. After multiple lead changes, Baltimore led the game late in the fourth quarter thanks to a surge started by the veteran Steve Smith Sr. getting loose in the Cincy secondary and catching two hard-earned, crucial touchdowns. With the game coming down to the wire, a redzone touchdown catch from Green and a failed 4^th down heave from Flacco sealed the deal for the Bengals. This season is the first time in franchise history that the Ravens have started (0-3), never a good start for what should be a playoff-caliber team.

Cincinnati Top Performers:

Passing—Andy Dalton, 20-32, 383 yds, 3 tds, 1 int

Rushing—Giovani Bernard, 13 carries, 49yds

Receiving—A.J. Green, 10 receptions, 227 yds, 2 tds

Baltimore Top Performers:

Passing—Joe Flacco, 32-49, 362 yds, 2 tds, 1 int

Rushing—Justin Forsett, 10 carries, 13 yds

Receiving—Steve Smith Sr., 13 receptions, 186 yds, 2 tds

Raiders 27, Browns 20

RECAP—No Johnny Football for the Browns this week as Josh McGown started against the Raiders. Early on, the young Oakland team is looking very impressive. Emerging star Derek Carr is making rookie Amare Cooper his favorite and most effective target, appropriately getting them both the nickname “AC/DC.” Late in the game, the Browns were driving for a game-tying touch down until hall-of-fame cornerback Charles Woodson caught an interception. The interception made Woodson one of only two players to have at least one interception in 18 straight seasons. While the Raiders went home with a great win, the Browns have some important defensive and offensive problems to figure out as the season goes on.

Oakland Top Performers:

Passing—Derek Carr, 20-32, 314 yds, 2 tds

Rushing—Latavius Murray, 26 carries, 139 yds, 1 td

Receiving—Amare Cooper, 8 receptions, 134 yds, 1 fumble

Cleveland Top Performers:

Passing—Josh McGown, 28-49, 341 yds, 2 tds, 1 int

Rushing—Isaiah Crowell, 10 carries, 36 yds

Receiving—Gary Barnidge, 6 receptions, 105 yds, 1 td

Steelers 12, Rams 6

RECAP—The lowest scoring game of the day featured two offenses that were held under 260 total yards each. A lot of third downs left unconverted, turnovers, and only one touchdown made the sloppy game a bit boring, but a huge headline was made after Ben Roethlisberger suffered an MCL injury in the third quarter, a devastating blow for the team. The Steeler defense was able to help backup QB Michael Vick hold on to a victory. It will be interesting to see if the Steelers are able to rally around Vick and if the Rams can find offense for next week.

Pittsburgh Top Performers

Passing—Ben Roethlisberger, 20-24, 192 yds, 1 int

Rushing—Le’Veon Bell, 19 carries, 62 yds, 1 td

Receiving—Antonio Brown, 11 receptions, 108 yds

St. Louis Top Performers

Passing—Nick Foles, 19-28, 197 yds, 1 int

Rushing—Chris Givens, 1 carry, 24 yds

Receiving—Kenny Britt, 7 receptions, 102 yds

Cardinals 47, 49ers 7

RECAP—For the San Francisco 49ers, this game was nothing short of a complete disaster. It’s safe to say that this team misses their old head coach Jim Harbaugh. Colin Kaepernick threw 4 interceptions, two of which were taken back for touchdowns, in one of the worst games of his career. The past two games for the 49ers have featured opponents scoring high, leaving the Niners looking lost both offensively and defensively. The Cardinals look more and more like a powerhouse every week. With a healthy Carson Palmer leading the team, the future looks very bright.

Arizona Top Performers

Passing—Carson Palmer, 20-32, 311 yds, 2 tds, 1 int

Rushing—Chris Johnson, 22 carries, 110 yds, 2 tds

Receiving—Larry Fitzgerald, 9 receptions, 134 yds, 2 tds

San Francisco

Passing—Colin Kaepernick, 9-19, 67 yds, 4 int

Rushing—Carlos Hyde, 15 carries, 51 yds

Receiving—Garrett Celek, 3 receptions, 29 yds

Packers 38, Chiefs 28

RECAP—On primetime Monday night football, quarterback Aaron Rogers put on a primetime performance; throwing for 333 yards and five touchdowns, giving the Packers a 3-0 start to their already impressive season. After coming off a heart-breaking loss to the Denver Broncos last week, Jamal Charles came into this game hungry, finding the endzone three times. However, Green Bay lead the game by too much, too early in the game, crushing any comeback hope for the Chiefs. Reigning MVP Aaron Rogers proved to be too much for the Chiefs defense, and is certainly expected to continue his streak of success despite losing multiple starting receivers. 

Green Bay Top Performers

Passing—Aaron Rogers, 24-35, 333yds, 5tds

Rushing—Eddie Lacy, 10 carries, 46 yds

Receiving—James Jones, 7 receptions, 139 yds, 1 td

Kansas City Top Performers

Passing—Alex Smith, 24-40, 290 yds, 1 td, 1 int

Rushing—Jamal Charles, 11 carries, 49 yds, 3 tds

Receiving—Jeremy Maclin, 8 receptions, 141 yds, 1 td