It’s Early, but Week 3 Could be Telling for the New England Patriots and the AFC

It’s only Week 3 of the NFL, but this is the weekend that could be telling for the New England Patriots and the rest of the AFC. Are the Patriots a playoff contender? Are the Indianapolis Colts really this bad? Will the Cincinnati Bengals, fresh off a Super Bowl berth, drop to 0-3?

Teams can certainly turn things around after Week 3, but this weekend’s matchups could play a key role in separating the contenders from the pretenders.

The New England Patriots face an angry Baltimore Ravens team

Right now, most people probably don’t consider the Patriots a playoff team. Offensively, they’ve struggled in the first two weeks, but they managed to pull out a win on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.

Sunday is New England’s home opener. They’ll face an angry Baltimore Ravens team that blew a 35-14 lead in the fourth quarter last week against the Miami Dolphins, losing 42-38. The Ravens are expected to make some noise this year with their electric quarterback Lamar Jackson. A victory over the Ravens would put New England at 2-1, essentially two games ahead of the Ravens.

Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, coming off a solid rookie season, hasn’t been able to get the offense going this year. The loss of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has clearly played a role. Jones’ recent play has left people wondering if he’s the right guy to lead the team. Former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich said he believes Jones is still the man for the job.

“I do believe he is still the guy,” Ninkovich said recently, per NBC Sports Boston. “I’m kind of taking everything that I’m watching with a grain of salt considering I don’t know if they necessarily put him in a great position this offseason.

“You have to understand when you go from Josh McDaniels to a new staff or a new style, you have Matty P (Matt Patricia), Joe Judge, Bill Belichick, those three guys are probably making the rounds trying to implement an offensive system that’s different. A new scheme, new terminology, new protections. All things that as a quarterback you have to be on every single thing that’s going on. You have to know what’s coming, you have to know what’s next. I don’t think they’re there yet.”

Week 3 could tell us a lot about the rest of the AFC

The big game in the AFC East this weekend is the Buffalo Bills at the Dolphins. The Bills entered the season as the clear favorite in the AFC East and were picked by many to reach the Super Bowl. Both come in at 2-0. While Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen has been as advertised, Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa wowed last week with his six-touchdown week in the comeback win over the Ravens.

The Colts, picked by many to win the AFC South, have looked like the worst team in the NFL. A heavy favorite on the road against the Houston Texans in the season opener, they finished in a 20-20 tie. Last week, they were shut out on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Sunday’s home opener won’t be easy against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.

Could the Bengals actually fall to 0-3? If they do, that means they would have lost to the Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, and the New York Jets, giving us the sense that last year may have been an aberration. The Las Vegas Raiders, expected to be a player in the AFC West, travel to the Tennessee Titans, last year’s top seed in the conference. Both are 0-2. The loser is in serious trouble.

Everyone is raving about the Jacksonville Jaguars after their convincing win over the Colts last week. If they can go into Los Angeles and beat the Chargers, they’ll show they are a player in line for the South title.

While it’s only Week 3, these are the matchups that can ultimately make or break a season.

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