Not even Nostradamus would have figured Trevor Siemian and Carson Wentz would both be 3-0 as starting quarterbacks to start the 2016 season. Yet here we are.
In Week 3, both quarterbacks delivered performances impressive enough to earn themselves Offensive Players of the Week awards. Both topped unbeaten opponents from the AFC North to do so.
In a 34-3 drubbing of the Steelers, the rookie Wentz threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns on 23-of-31 passing. There's a reason why NFL Network's Brian Baldinger has referred to Wentz as Peyton Manning pre-snap and Aaron Rodgers post-snap.
A 12-yard pass from Wentz to Jordan Matthews gave the Eagles a 10-0 second-quarter lead. Wentz later improved the lead to three possessions when a beautiful pass to Darren Sproles went for 73 yards and a touchdown, putting Philly ahead 20-3. Wentz avoided a heavy rush, moved out of the pocket and found Sproles downfield.
Siemian apparently took to heart the words of his top two receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, who wanted to get more involved than they had the previous two weeks. Siemian did just that -- both receivers went for over 100 yards and a combined three scores. His deep ball came alive as he dialed it up to both guys on touchdown throws of 41 and 55 yards. It was a performance good enough that Broncos general manager and QB whisperer John Elway had no choice but to troll a fan who criticized him for taking Siemian in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors had to go to someone on the Chiefs, right? Kansas City managed eight turnovers against a disaster of a Jets offense in their 24-3 rout. Second-year cornerback Marcus Peters was responsible for two of the six interceptions thrown by Ryan Fitzpatrick, which was more than good enough for him to walk away with the award.
NFC Defensive Player of the Week went to Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen. Despite leaving early in the game with an illness that had him listed as questionable to return, the fourth-year player came back to notch three sacks of Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. One such sack came near the end of the first half with Carolina threatening to score before heading to the locker room. Griffen pulled Newton to the turf for a 12-yard loss, effectively taking them out of field goal range. Newton would throw a pick to cornerback Trae Waynes on the next play.
Patriots punter Ryan Allen had a phenomenal game in New England's 27-0 shutout of the Texans. It was so good Bill Belichick couldn't help but laud him for it as Allen pinned Houston inside the 15-yard line six times. This was a major reason why the Texans didn't cross midfield until the final minutes of the third quarter, and why Allen is the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
The Redskins got a big performance out of kicker Dustin Hopkins, who had five field goals in Washington's 29-27 come-from-behind win over the Giants. The NFC Special Teams Player of the Week helped keep the Redskins from starting the season 0-3, allowing Washington fans to breathe a little easier.
