Five teams in the NFL — the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles — are all still undefeated. The reigning Super Bowl champion Broncos going 3-0 to start the year should not surprise anybody. However, let’s look a little closer at each of the other four teams.
The Patriots are consistently one of the best teams in the league. Since 2001, they’ve been to six Super Bowls, and won four of them. The last time they’ve had a regular season with fewer than 10 wins was 2002.
After the eon-long debacle known as Deflategate finally culminated in Tom Brady serving his four-game suspension to start the 2016 season, many thought the Patriots would run into some early trouble. To make matters worse, star tight end Rob Gronkowski missed Weeks 1 and 2 due to a hamstring injury.
The Pats first traveled to Arizona, where many expected last year’s NFC runners-up to continue their success against the most vulnerable Patriots team the league has seen in awhile. Despite missing two of their best players, the Patriots, led by rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, defeated the Cardinals by a score of 23-21.
The following week, the Patriots beat the Dolphins, but lost Garoppolo to injury. Third round pick Jacoby Brissett closed out the game for the Pats, and did what was necessary to hang on to the win. Garoppolo would remain sidelined the following week, leaving Brissett to take on J. J. Watt and the Houston Texans on short rest.
Many thought that the new-look Texans, who had won their first two games convincingly, would have a serious chance at winning in Foxborough. When the smoke had cleared, the Patriots embarrassed them on a national stage 27-0, shutting them out for the first time since 2003.
After Teddy Bridgewater suffered a gruesome noncontact knee injury before the season started, many believed the Minnesota Vikings would miss their franchise quarterback too much to succeed this season. However, they acquired Sam Bradford from the Philadelphia Eagles late in the offseason, in order to try and salvage their season.
They paid a high price for the injury-prone Bradford (a first- and fourth-round pick), but through three weeks it has certainly paid off. His first two starts came against the Tennessee Titans and reigning NFC champion Carolina Panthers.
In Week 2, future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee, leaving the Vikings without their two best offensive players from last year.
But in Week 3, it was the Vikings defense that stepped up against Cam Newton and the Panthers, sacking him eight times en route to a 22-10 win. The Vikings’ defense has carried them through three weeks, but Bradford has done what was needed of him offensively, and their special teams has come up with big plays in key moments.
The most surprising team by far this season is the Philadelphia Eagles. First year coach Doug Pederson has been phenomenal thus far. He, along with Bill Belichick, are early favorites to win Coach of the Year. Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz has made an instant impact on a poorly ranked Eagles defense from a year ago, while Pederson’s offensive play calls have allowed Carson Wentz to blossom into an early Rookie of the Year favorite.
Wentz has been better than even the most optimistic fans could have anticipated. He has not thrown an interception in 102 pass attempts to start the year. He currently chases Tom Brady, who holds the record for most attempts without an interception to start a career.
The Eagles defeated the Browns and the Bears in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively. Nobody thought Philadelphia stood a chance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. However, Philadelphia shocked the football world by dominating Pittsburgh 34-3.
The Eagles have outscored their opponents 92-27 through three weeks. While the Eagles are still definitely not Super Bowl contenders, they play in what might be the worst division in the NFL, and appear ready to re-enter the playoffs.
Lastly, the Baltimore Ravens are not very good, but have taken full advantage of a weak schedule to reach 3-0 for the first time since 2009, but have not looked good while doing so. There is not much else to say about the Ravens, a team that can easily miss the playoffs despite a 3-0 start.
Of these 3-0 teams, three (Denver, New England and Minnesota) should make the playoffs easily. One (Philadelphia) should make the playoffs marginally and one (Baltimore) should miss the playoffs entirely.
Don’t count the Ravens out of the playoffs they are a no name team this year. Getting better every week! The Ravens win ugly but they do win!