“Purple Predators” have appeared again.

It’s alarming that the purple carnivores have returned.

Amazement in Seattle, Pittsburgh and Minnesota, whispers in Cincinnati and Baltimore. This is the preliminary result after the first three weeks of the NFL season. A look at the current miracles and disappointments.

Seattle Seahawks shock

Balance: 3:0. Who would have thought over the summer that the game between the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions in week four would be a must-see? The Lions, yes. In January, they narrowly missed the Super Bowl with a 31-34 loss in the semifinals to the San Francisco 49ers. A young, dynamic team with Super Bowl dreams. Why not?

But Seattle? Pete Carroll’s Seahawks era ended in January. After 14 years, a Super Bowl win and a lost championship game. Seattle traded the league’s oldest coach – Carroll turned 73 on September 15 – for its youngest head coach, 37-year-old Mike Macdonald. In his debut, he promised to maintain the “team culture” that emerged under Carroll.

That sounds good, but was it possible? So far, yes. 26-20 home win against Denver, 23-20 overtime win in New England, 24-3 drubbing against Miami. Quarterback Geno Smith has the second-highest pass completion rate in the league (74.8%) and Seattle clearly leads the NFC West ahead of last season’s runner-up San Francisco and the 2022 champion LA Rams.

Historic defense in Pittsburgh

Balance: 3:0. That the Steelers would be one of the five undefeated teams after three games was about as likely as Mike Tomlin being coach in Pittsburgh since January 2007.

But: a typically strong defense (Pittsburgh is the fifth team since 2000 to have allowed ten or fewer points in each of the first three games) and an offensive game that “The Athletic” describes as a “pleasant surprise” are the basis for this Look for the 3-0 start in Steelers history.

Special praise goes to Arthur Smith. Whatever he does with Justin Fields, it works. The quarterback, who was traded to the Chicago Bears in the offseason, was tackled or threw an interception on an average of 13.2% of his dropbacks over the three seasons covered. No quarterback had a worse quote.

After three games in a Steelers jersey, Fields is in tenth place – and has the same rate as Patrick Mahomes at 7.7%.

Outstanding defense and offense in Minnesota

Balance: 3:0. What’s more impressive about the Vikings – the defense or the offense? The answer may not be that important to fans. Because both defense and offense play so exceptionally well that Minnesota is strong. The offense is led by Sam Darnold, who is undergoing a transformation in Minnesota.

And on defense, coordinator Brian Flores has built such a tight unit that last season’s runner-up San Francisco and the highly touted Houston Texans scored just 24 points in their two games. The Vikings defense has recorded at least five sacks in every game so far – something only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2000) and New Orleans Saints (2001) have accomplished since 1990.

“CBSSports” is already talking about the return of the “Purple People Eaters.” The Vikings wore this nickname between 1967 and 1977, when their defense was the team’s calling card and Minnesota reached the Super Bowl four times.

Burrow and Bengals with my start to the season

Record: 0-3. As the saying goes, “every first time is special,” and that goes for Joe Burrow too. For the first time in his NFL career, the quarterback lost the first three games of the season. 10-16 against New England. 25-26 at Kansas City. 33-38 against Washington. “We had our chances, but we didn’t take them. “That’s the commonality of the first three weeks,” Burrow said after the loss to Washington.

The Bengals have lost their three games by a total point difference of twelve points. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that “Cincy” could win all three games. But this Sunday’s supposedly easy matchup against the Carolina Panthers is now a crucial one in which the Bengals cannot squander their playoff chances in the first month of the season.

Burrow’s form is encouraging. The 27-year-old gradually improved after his hand surgery. Against Washington, he completed 29 of 38 passes, gained 324 yards and threw three touchdowns, keeping the Bengals in the game. What was missing was the pass rush, the defensive pressure on Commander quarterback Jayden Daniels, who averaged 3.13 seconds to complete his passes.

A loss to the Panthers, led by longtime former Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, would bring criticism to everyone in Cincinnati,

The Baltimore Ravens are supposed to be the ultimate Super Bowl winning team. They are perceived as the biggest obstacle to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC and have the potential to make a significant impact with a win in their highly anticipated Sunday night game against the invincible Buffalo Bills to bounce back from their disastrous start to the season.

As star running back Derrick Henry noted, “Long seasons can be tough, but as long as we stick together and believe in each other, everything will work out.” With Henry, the Titans’ latest signing, named the league’s best offensive player in 2020 and four times already reached the Pro Bowl, he is a big reason why the Ravens are still highly respected this season.

However, the defense is no longer the intimidating force it was during the 2019 season, when the Ravens led the league in sacks. With the departure of Jadeveon Clowney, a key part of the pass rushing unit, that strength has been weakened. The Ravens are also struggling in pass defense and now have to face Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who is currently the league’s best passer and has the league’s best offense (37.3 points per game).

The Seattle Seahawks’ surprising 3-0 start made their game against the Detroit Lions the event of the fourth game day. The Steelers’ historic defense, which has allowed ten or fewer points in each of its first three games, has contributed to its 3-0 record and made it one of the undefeated teams this season.

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