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32 Teams, 32 Observations, Week 3

We're three weeks into the season, and there's plenty to talk about. There are teams that are undefeated that no one would have guessed, and teams with losing records that some thought would be Super Bowl contenders. Anything can happen from here on out, but there's plenty we know from what we've already seen, so here are a few quick thoughts on what has gone on so far.
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AFC EAST
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Buffalo Bills: The leaders in pass blocking efficiency as a team this year so far are the Bills with a mark of 95.3. Their offensive line has just allowed 12 total QB Disruptions on 197 plays.

Miami Dolphins: The right tackle that has allowed the most pressure so far this year is Marc Colombo with 18 combined pressures allowed.

New England Patriots: Something that makes Tom Brady stand out more than any other quarterback this year is his accuracy under pressure, where his 75% leads the league, and is five percent higher than any other.

New York Jets: The tight end leading the league in yards per pass route run is Dustin Keller with 2.90 … a big upgrade from his 1.55 from last year.
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AFC NORTH
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Baltimore Ravens: Three players in the league have over 100 pass block snaps and a pass blocking efficiency of 100. Two of those players are Ravens (Marshal Yanda and Matt Birk).

Cincinnati Bengals: Inside linebacker Rey Maualuga has six missed tackles on the year which is the leader at that position, and is already more than his four from all of last year.

Cleveland Browns: The two players at the bottom of the pass blocking efficiency for offensive tackles are the two right tackles for the Browns; Oniel Cousins at 82.4 and Artis Hicks at 87.7.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Cornerback Ike Taylor has been thrown at fourteen times this season. So far he has only allowed one catch for nine yards.
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AFC SOUTH
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Houston Texans: Fullback James Casey had a 62-yard catch on Sunday. That one catch is more than any other fullback's total and Casey's 155 total receiving yards is three times more than the others.

Indianapolis Colts: The only defensive back with a positive pass coverage rating on the roster is Joe Lefeged, who saw a fair number of snaps this week (47).

Jacksonville Jaguars: Defensive tackle Terrance Knighton has nearly as many missed tackles (3) as tackles (5)

Tennessee Titans: After being one of the worst pass blocking teams last year, they have become one of the best in 2011 with just 13 total pressures allowed to date.
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AFC WEST
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Denver Broncos: Little known punter Britton Colquitt has the highest PFF rating in the AFC, in large part thanks to both his 50 yards per punt as well as eight of his 14 being downed within the 20 yard line.

Kansas City Chiefs: Newly-annointed halfback Dexter McCluster has 3.3 yards after contact per carry; which is better than Thomas Jones' total yards per carry (2.6).

Oakland Raiders: Darren McFadden has rushed to the left outside of the tackle/tight end 12 times. On those attempts, he has 162 yards for two touchdowns and has forced five missed tackles.

San Diego Chargers: Quietly having an excellent start to the season is Quentin Jammer, who has just allowed 0.11 yards per play in coverage.
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NFC EAST
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Dallas Cowboys: Two outside linebackers have three or more sacks this year; DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer.

New York Giants: We have criticized Antrel Rolle in the past for his coverage, but at least he is providing support in the run game where he has 13 stops, leading all safeties.

Philadelphia Eagles: Free agent acquisition Cullen Jenkins has gotten used to his role as a defensive tackle, especially when rushing the passer, where he has four sacks, two hits, and five pressures.

Washington Redskins: Other than Kenny Britt (who's now out for the year), Santana Moss leads the drop-free list for receivers with 16 catches and no flubs.
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NFC NORTH
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Chicago Bears: The leader in YAC/catch is Devin Hester with 15.6. That's better than most players' total yards per catch … including teammate Roy Williams.

Detroit Lions: Everyone knows that the Lions have a great pass rushing defensive line, but who knew that 2010 seventh round pick Willie Young was part of it? He has six pressures on 32 pass rushes so far this year.

Green Bay Packers: A sign that Jordy Nelson needs more snaps: he is fifth in the league in yards per pass route run with 3.14, behind guys like Andre Johnson and Wes Welker.

Minnesota Vikings: No player has had more players miss tackles on him when running the ball this year than Adrian Peterson (14). That's more than he had during the last seven weeks of last season.
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NFC SOUTH
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Atlanta Falcons: Pass blocking hasn’t been the Falcons' strong point this year. The offensive line has allowed nine sacks and 10 hits, while all six linemen who have played this year have negative pass block ratings.

Carolina Panthers: In Week 3, Jonathan Stewart had an amazing 226.2 Elusive Rating; the best we’ve seen since Marshawn Lynch’s Wild Card game.

New Orleans Saints: The tight end who has arguably been the best on deep passes this season is Jimmy Graham. His three catches on balls thrown 20+ yards downfield is tied for the league lead and he's amassed 86 yards and a touchdown on those plays.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The quarterback with the highest PFF run rating so far this year is Josh Freeman, with a +3.5.
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NFC WEST
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Arizona Cardinals: The leader in stops for 3-4 defensive ends is Calais Cambell with 11. Three more than any other end.

St Louis Rams:  While Sam Bradford wasn’t known as much of a deep passer last year, this year he has an accuracy percentage of 72.7% on passes beyond 20 yards; leading the league.

San Francisco 49ers: New to the starting lineup in 2011 is Navorro Bowman, who leads all inside/middle linebackers in stops with 17.

Seattle Seahawks: With everything going wrong, at least they can stop the run. Of the defenders with 20 or more snaps, 15 players have positive run defense ratings, while just one has a negative.
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Follow Nathan on Twitter: @PFF_NateJahnke and check out our main Twitter feed too: @ProFootbalFocus
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