Media by Associated Press – Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa throws a pass against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Life in the NFL is seldom consistent. There were a number of strong performances from players in Week 2 that will find a hard time being successful this weekend.
Here’s a look at three players that will likely struggle to replicate their success in Week 3.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
It may not necessarily be fair to call out the Dolphins quarterback after two weeks when he has had a lot of success in Mike McDaniel’s offense.
However, Miami is about to take a major step up in competition. The Dolphins will be playing the red-hot Buffalo Bills in a game that will go a long way toward deciding the AFC East title.
Tagovailoa is coming off the game of his life. He passed for 469 years and six touchdowns, completing 72 percent of his passes in a 42-38 win over Baltimore. The Ravens’ secondary was banged up last week, losing two key players after halftime. Buffalo won’t be as vulnerable to the pass.
The Bills have limited their opponents to 149 passing yards a game, which ranks second-best in the NFL. This is a great spot for Tua to prove what he is made of at home, but Buffalo’s pass rush is primed to make his life difficult.
Cooper Rush, QB, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys’ backup quarterback looked good against Cincinnati last week, throwing for 235 yards and a score in an upset win. Dallas, however, won’t likely be able to count on that type of production every week from Rush, who doesn’t have much experience under center.
His completion percentage is at 59.1 percent through the first five quarters he’s played, which is under the average for modern NFL quarterbacks.
Dallas is also playing a New York Giants team that is high on confidence following a 2-0 start. A win by the Giants would give them a leg up in the NFC East race.
Getting that edge will be important for New York, and they should be able to force Rush into some key mistakes.
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions
Goff threw for 256 yards and four touchdowns in a game against a weak Washington Commanders defense last week. While Seattle isn’t exactly the Legion of Boom these days, the Seahawks have shown they are capable of making quarterbacks work hard.
In Week 1, the Seahawks made former teammate Russell Wilson’s visit back home a difficult one in an upset victory.
Goff has been effective but not particularly efficient so far this season. Goff has completed 57.7 percent of his passes at an average of 6.6 yards per completion.
He has thrown six interceptions and been sacked four times. Goff’s completion percent in 57.7. Detroit has also been leaning heavily on its running game to get the ball moving.
The Lions will win this game, but it will be more due to a strong all-around effort than what Goff is able to accomplish.
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