Week 3 was a wild one in the NFL with a 68-yard(!) field goal attempt by Arizona that fell just short and was returned for a 109-yard(!) touchdown by Jacksonville’s Jamal Agnew (who last week returned a kick 102 yards). There was another historic field goal attempt — this one by Justin Tucker (more on this later), and two more picks thrown by Trevor Lawrence — he’s now only the third QB in NFL history to throw two or more picks in his first three games (the silver lining for Lawrence is the other two are Hall of Famers, Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning).

Week 3 also featured a lackluster debut for Justin Fields, who threw for only 68 yards, but remarkable performances by the dynamic duo of Justin Herbert (281 pass yards and four TDs) and Mike Williams (seven receptions for 122 yards and two TDs). The week also saw an MVP-caliber performance from Josh Allen (358 passing yards and four TDs, plus a rushing touchdown) and a somewhat sobering game from Mac Jones for overly-excited Pats fans (I should mention, though, that I’m a diehard Jets fan). Patrick Mahomes looked human, with two picks (one on a no-look throw) in a shocking Chiefs loss, after which Coach Andy Reid had to be rushed to the hospital for a medical emergency! 

The week was a tough one for me in my mock pool. 

I had the Las Vegas Raiders at home against the Tua-less Miami Dolphins, giving 3.5 points. I was sitting pretty with Vegas up by eight points with less than three minutes to go. But wait! Miami now has the ball and begins to march down the field. Jacoby Brissett finds his tight end Mike Gesicki over and over. My stomach is churning. A pass interference call in the end zone gives Miami the ball near the goal line. Now with less than 30 seconds to play, Miami ties it on a Brissett run followed by a two-point conversion pass to Will Fuller. We go to overtime, where a Vegas touchdown would still seal it for me. But no! The Raiders instead go up by three on a field goal from Daniel Carson. I’m going to lose by half a point! Hold on though: Miami gets the ball with a chance to tie or win and they aren’t done yet — they tie it AGAIN with a field goal of their own! So now a win on a Raider TD is again a possibility for me. And they begin gobbling up yardage deep into Miami territory. But the Raiders understandably don’t care about covering the spread — they only need to kick a FG to win. And that’s exactly what they do. 

I also had Lamar’s Ravens giving 7.5 points to hapless Detroit. But Detroit doesn’t look so hapless today. They are giving the Ravens all they can handle. And Marquise Brown doesn’t help me by dropping not one but two sure TD passes from Jackson. Still, with the Ravens up 16-7 after the third quarter, I feel OK-ish. But mid-way through the fourth quarter, I could tell it was far from over — it was D’andre Swift time. They feed him back-to-back throws in the red zone, inching them closer to the end zone. Then bang: Jamaal Williams runs it in for six. Within the blink of an eye, the Lions are within two points and I am down five-and-a-half. On the subsequent Ravens drive, I’m beginning to calm down — they go over midfield and are looking like the Ravens again. But the Lions defense has come to play. First a sack, then an interception on third down (what is Lamar doing throwing deep into traffic?!?!). Then I really start to feel the heat as the Lions offense continues to tear up the supposed staunch Ravens defense. After a field goal, the Lions are up by one point with just over a minute to go. I’m toast! The Ravens won’t be able to cover the spread this late in the game. But there was still a game to be played. Lamar manages to take Baltimore to the Detroit 48 yard line by way of a beautiful deep pass on 4th and 19. Now there are three seconds left in the game. The Ravens have no choice but to send out Justin Tucker for a 66-yard attempt. I knew Tucker had the accuracy for this deep, deep kick, but I wasn’t sure about the leg strength. They snap it. The hold is good. The kick is up, and it… hits the crossbar… and bounces over! Ravens win! Justin Tucker just hit the longest field goal in the history of the game!

As I said: a tough weekend for me.