• For some reason, the Giants offense huddled between plays for most of this game and lost the tempo that allowed them to dominate the Redskins and Texans. They were still able to pull through, but the effort wasn't as crisp.
• Odell Beckham caught a touchdown and looked like a good fit for the team's offense in his NFL debut. I don't think he took targets away from Larry Donnell so much as Donnell wasn't necessarily a focal point to begin with. The three-TD game was nice, and Donnell has soft hands for a big target, but he's one of four primary looks for Eli Manning, and the distribution won't necessarily be predictable week to week.
• Rueben Randle again led the team in targets with 10, but he caught only four, one of which was a TD. The Giants seemed to be force-feeding him near the goal line - I'm not sure if that was the game plan or simply Manning reading the coverages. Victor Cruz had a quiet day, but he'll still get his chances going forward.
• Rashad Jennings left the game with a knee sprain, and Andre Williams ran hard in his stead and even caught two passes for 18 yards. Should Jennings miss any time, Williams, who had 20 carries to Peyton Hillis' two, could be a top-10 back - especially if he can catch 2-3 balls per game.
• Antone Smith busts a long touchdown almost every game, but the Falcons refuse to give him regular work. Steven Jackson ran hard as the lead back and caught some passes, but it's likely no back sees 20 carries in most of their games.
• The Giants corners are good, but Roddy White seems like an afterthought at this stage.
• It's amazing the Panthers covered for me as 2.5-point favorites after being down 21-7, while the Titans (up 28-3) and the Eagles (up-34-7) did not.
• Early in the fourth quarter of the 1:00 pm games, a Twitter follower tried to blame me for his switching from the Lions to Saints after reading my Survivor column. I told him: "Always think for yourself." When the Bills and Saints came back to win, it undermined my point.
• For some reason the Chargers were only 6.5-point favorites at home against the Jets, so the game seemed like a trap. But sometimes things actually are what they appear, and there's no monster under the bed.
• The Jets issue is not about whether to start Geno Smith or Michael Vick. It's about having a healthy Eric Decker; otherwise, there are simply no weapons to whom to throw.
• Blitzing a quarterback as experienced and good as Philip Rivers was a mistake, as he knows how to put the ball up and give his receivers the chance to make plays.
• It's amazing how the Colts cycled through Vick Ballard, Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson last year before discovering Donald Brown was their best back. This year, the Chargers have cycled through Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead and Brown before discovering Branden Oliver.
• I tried to watch some of the Colts-Ravens, but I couldn't stick with it.
• The Eagles' five defensive and special teams TDs are suppressing their offensive stats the last couple weeks. I also think it's hurting their efficiency because their fast-paced offense isn't getting enough possessions.
• Austin Davis had a big game - though everyone does against the Eagles. Brian Quick's been good all year, but it was nice to see Kenny Britt get involved. The Rams have a lot of athletic weapons if they ever figure things out.
• If Calvin Johnson isn't healthy, Matthew Stafford is not a top-10 quarterback. The Lions need a top-50 kicker badly.
• Kyle Orton went for 308 yards on 7.2 YPA on the road against the league's top-rated defense to date. That has to be better than what EJ Manuel would have done. Sammy Watkins saw 12 targets and Fred Jackson nine. C.J. Spiller could not get going, while the 33-year old had no problems.
• While Justin Hunter caught a 75-yard TD pass, he was targeted only four other times all game.
• The Browns are 2-2 and barely lost to the Ravens and Steelers. If Brian Hoyer is decent now, he should be a lot better when Josh Gordon comes back.
• Marques Colston's had a tough time catching and hanging onto the ball. He already cost the Saints one game and nearly cost them again Sunday. For all the Brandin Cooks hype this preseason, he's underwhelmed as a weapon for the Saints. Cooks had 56 yards on 11 targets, while Pierre Thomas had 77 on 10. When you catch the ball in the short areas of the field, maybe tackle-breaking is more important than speed.
• Drew Brees didn't play well but he always gets his at home - 371 yards and 2 TD (albeit with 3 INT). The Saints are actually better at running than passing so far this year.
• I liked the idea of Blake Bortles - mobile rookie QB on a team that needs to throw - but the reality so far has been disappointing.
• Demaryius Thomas moves like a little guy, but he's 6-3, 229.
• Drew Stanton averaged 4.5 YPA before leaving with a concussion. His replacement, Logan Thomas, averaged 10.1, despite completing only 1-of-8 attempts.
• Montee Ball could be out for a while, and if that's the case, he'll go down as one of the year's biggest busts. Even if he misses a few weeks, I'd be surprised if he got the job back if any of the backups - Ronnie Hillman, Juwan Thompson or C.J. Anderson - proves competent.
• I like the Chiefs this year, but Andy Reid's in-game decision making is killing them. He punted on 4th-and-4 from the 49ers 36-yard line up one early in the fourth quarter. Never mind it resulted in a touchback and a 16-yard net, but you have to try to win the game there. With seven minutes left, down one, he punted on 4th and 1 from the Chiefs 32. The announcers immediately defended the decision, saying there was plenty of time, and he had three timeouts. That's like seeing someone stick on 15 against a 10 in blackjack and saying: "There were lots of bust cards, and the dealer could also bust himself." All true, but how about learning the correct decision according to the odds? The book says HIT!
• Phil Dawson is a bad-ass.
• The Patriots annihilation of the Bengals seemed totally normal on my TV screen even though the Bengals were arguably the best team in the league through three games, and the Patriots were life and death with the Raiders at home two weeks ago and got blown out in Kansas City six days ago. Such a useful reminder of the week-to-week variance in performance in the NFL.
• Tim Wright played the Aaron Hernandez role Sunday night. Let's hope he's not a method actor.