PFF Week: Down South, Week 3

It’s your last chance to get caught up on the happenings at PFF before the next slate of games is upon us and our new ‘PFF Week’ posts provide quick access to the week that was. The ‘Down South’ edition covers all things pertaining to the AFC and NFC South divisions for a one-stop Saturday shop built to keep you in the loop and on top of your football-watching game.

Week 2 Wrap

Week 2 saw an overtime AFC South match up, a delayed NFC South rivalry, quick starts, last play losses and more besides for the 8 teams in the South divisions. Our team took a look back through each game and provided a Re-Focused look at each.

ReFo: Rams @ Falcons, Week 2
ReFo: Titans @ Texans, Week 2
ReFo: Jaguars @ Raiders, Week 2
ReFo: Panthers @ Bills, Week 2
ReFo: Dolphins @ Colts, Week 2
ReFo: Saints @ Buccaneers, Week 2

As usual, Khaled Elsayed wrote the PFF Team of the Week and the “Had a Bad Day” Team. The spotlight shines on the good, which featured a smattering of players from the AFC and NFC South, and the bad, which had just three South players starting, but had a number of players dishonorably mentioned, particularly defensively. 

Nathan Jahnke's 32 Observations this week found him looking at possible trends after two weeks of action. He provided fire to a potential RB time share in Houston, a shrewd FA signing in Indianapolis, two anamolies in Jacksonville and a possible weakness on the Tennessee offensive line. Over in the NFC he spotted an improvement from Matt Ryan, a tight end the Panthers' running backs will like, two defensive linemen who are enjoying the Saints' change in scheme and a running back who hasn't been pulling his weight in the passing game for the Buccaneers.

Gordon McGuinness found another four Secret Superstars and this week featured another two players out fo the South, this time in the NFC. He picked out a Panthers' tight end who doesn't get the coverage of Greg Olsen because he does his work in the trenches and a linebacker from Atlanta, whose good showing in preseason was hidden behind the Brian Banks stories and who started on Sunday and put in a more than credible performance.

Finally Sam Monson breaks down the ending of the Panthers' matchup in Buffalo in his Analysis Notebook. It was a cover your eyes moment for Panthers' fans and Sam looks at the communication problems that led up to the result.

Looking to Week 3

This week sees three teams out of the South trying to get one in the win column, while two others are trying to keep 100% records for another week. Our team took a look at the match ups each of them will want to win to give them the best chance of doing so.

3TFO: Chargers @ Titans, Week 3
3TFO: Buccaneers @ Patriots, Week 3
3TFO: Cardinals @ Saints, Week 3
3TFO: Giants @ Panthers, Week 3
3TFO: Texans @ Ravens, Week 3
3TFO: Falcons @ Dolphins, Week 3
3TFO: Colts @ 49ers, Week 3
3TFO: Jaguars @ Seahawks, Week 3

Our analysis team have also given their picks for every game in the PFF Pick'ems. It's not pretty reading for some of the South teams with three unanimous losses predicted, as well as just a lone pick for the Panthers. However the other four teams have all got the majority on their side, with the Saints' unanimously picked to win.

Additionally

Of course we had much more content this week. Firstly Khaled Elsayed put his thoughts against the players leading the Race for Rookie of the Year, with a player from each South division occupying the top two spots.

Neil Hornsby opens up our newest article, The Third Phase. A look at the guys rarely talked about, the unsung special team players. This week features a 2011 7th rounder in the AFC South, who just missed out on the top spot.

Palazzolo's Pitch this week features a look at some of the more versatile defensive linemen, as well as noting the offensive linemen yet to give up a pressure, which includes a couple of interior guys of interest.

Last, but not least, our analysis team also released their Power Rankings, with three South teams in the top eight. However there are also three in the bottom eight for balance.

Don’t forget to check back next week to catch the analysis of the Week 2 games and — if you are a PFF Premium subscriber — the full grades of statistics. If you are still unsure about whether or not to sign up, Steve Palazzolo explains how PFF fits in the analytic and advanced statistics spectrum here.