Through the first 3 weeks in the NFL, a lot has seemed to stay the same. Regardless of jersey, Mark Ingram has continued to prove himself. Regardless of age, Frank Gore has effectively led the Buffalo backfield. And regardless of experience, many rookies, including DJ Chark and Terry McLaurin, have continued to excite their personal fanbases. Despite all of these expected outcomes, a lot has still changed. For one, the 49ers are undefeated, led by a trio of running backs that could take on any defense in the league. Furthermore, star QB’s, including Ben Rothlesberger and Drew Brees, are injured, while super-bowl champion, Eli Manning, has recently been benched for an athletic, clutch Blue Devil by the name of Daniel Jones. Lastly, the Patriots have surprisingly been dominating on both sides of the ball. Oh. Wait. No change there.
As the season progresses, many unpredictable storylines will unfold, paving the way for the playoffs and future seasons, yet some storylines are predictable, such as what will happen to the current top/undefeated teams. Right now, there are 6 undefeated teams, as Green Bay fell to Philadelphia earlier this week on Thursday Night Football. The teams are the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, LA Rams, and the San Francisco 49ers. Of these teams, 3 were likely expected, the Patriots, Rams, and Chiefs. On the other hand, the Bills, Cowboys, and 49ers weren’t predicted to do this well, as they were all mediocre teams last season. Although SOS (Strength of Schedule) has gone in their favor, they will likely begin to struggle in the next few weeks. For one, the Bills are playing the Patriots this week, a defense that has been lights out thus far, allowing the least amount of points in the entire league at a mere 5.7 points/game. Moreover, the Patriots offense has been dominant as usual. With Tom Brady at the helm, it doesn’t seem like this offense will regress this season with an increase in playmakers. Onto the Cowboys, they face a depleted Saints team this week, without their leader Drew Brees. However, the Saints still have a more than competent backup in Teddy Bridgewater along with plenty of weapons that could be abused on the offensive end. Regardless, 3 of the Cowboys’ next 4 games include teams with a winning record, including the Philadelphia Eagles, the premier rival of the Cowboys. Lastly, let's talk 49ers. Although they have started the season hot, notching 3 wins over opponents with their absurdly talented running game, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. All of their opponents have records below 500, proving that the 49ers seemingly dominant start was simply due to a weak SOS. As the season progresses, the 49ers will likely start dropping games, en route to an eventual mediocre record in a talented division.
To wrap it up, although it seems like this NFL season will be extremely different based on team logistics than any recent season, we need to keep in mind that only 3 weeks have gone by. Only 3. With Week 4 beginning tomorrow, many of the Cinderella stories of this year will be put to rest. Regardless, there will be some drastic, unforeseeable changes occurring this year that will put everyone on their toes, waiting for what the future of their Football Team will entail.