10 things to talk about from Week 3 of the NFL season

1. Welcome to pro football rook.
When the Baltimore Ravens selected WR Torrey Smith in the second round of April’s NFL Draft, they were hoping to develop him into a game breaker. It took three weeks, as Smith went nuts to the tune of five catches for 152 yards. Smith’s first three catches as a pro went for touchdowns. Who needs Lee Evans?

2. Tom Brady isn’t perfect.
New England Patriots signal Caller Tom Brady started the season with an alarming 940 yards, seven touchdowns and only one interception. But upstart Buffalo got into Brady’s grill and forced the future hall of famer into four picks, one of which went back for a touchdown. The four interceptions equaled a career high and meant far more than his three touchdowns on the afternoon.

3. But Buffalo is…
Perfect. For the second week in a row, the resilient Bills erased a huge deficit -- 21-3 to Oakland last week and 21-0 to the Pats Sunday -- and snatched a late victory to move to 3-0. Not only is Chan Gailey’s team the only undefeated squad in the AFC, they put to bed the Patriots 15-game winning streak against the Bills, which dated back to 2003.

4. Weather slows down Cam Newton.
Arizona couldn’t do it. Either could defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay. It took monsoon conditions to stop rookie Cam Newton’s 400-yard passing streak at two. But you won’t hear Newton complaining about his 158-yard effort considering it was the first win of his NFL career. Not after he completed three passes on the go-ahead drive, which ended with a TD strike to former Chicago TE Greg Olsen.

5. Speaking of being undefeated.
Detroit showed then can set the pace and Sunday they proved they could come from behind, erasing a 20-0 deficit to steal an overtime win at the Metrodome, the first since 1997. Jimmy Carter was in his last year as President (1980) the last time the Lions started the NFL season 3-0. Matthew Stafford continued his stellar play with 378 yards, showing that if he is healthy, he can be an elite quarterback in this league.

6. Another collapse by the Vikings.
Minnesota might be the best team in football if games only lasted two quarters. The Vikings have outscored their opponents 54-7 but have turned around and been blasted by the opposition 67-6 in the second half to fall to 0-3. Maybe someone should text head coach Leslie Frazier and tell him a little less Donovan McNabb and a little more Adrian Peterson in the final 30 minutes.

7. No bang for the buck on Sunday.
Philadelphia signed corner Nnamdi Asomugha and defensive end Jason Babin to combined contracts of $88 million over the life of the deals. That should have been $8.80 after Sunday’s game with the Giants after Asomugha missed a key tackle on a touchdown and was out jumped by undrafted free agent Victor Cruz on another. Babin got an encroachment penalty on a field goal try that led to the Giants last TD.

8. No West Coast hot dog for Mark Sanchez.
Two years ago, New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez was seen eating a hot dog on the sidelines after his team routed Oakland 38-0. He paid for that moment Sunday, as the angry Raiders opened a cut on Sanchez’s face on one of the four sacks they registered during the game. RB Darren McFadden took care of the rest with 171 yards and two scores on that now questionable Jets run defense.

9. Where was the Bears defense.
Brian Urlacher and the rest of the Chicago defense is still looking for Green Bay TE Jermichael Finley. This freakish talent was on the receiving end of three Aaron Rodgers TD passes and finished with seven catches for 85 yards. The good news for the Bears is that QB Jay Cutler was only sacked three times and won’t sound like one of the Muppets during his weekly press conference.

10. Two teams going in different directions.
Atlanta was tabbed as one of the teams to beat in the NFC but in three weeks of play, the Falcons have struggled at times on offense and have been ripped at points on defense, looking like a team that could finish 8-8 at best. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has shaken off a horrendous start against Detroit to score a pair of wins. Now all the Bucs, who had their 10^th consecutive regular season blackout, need to do is get people to fill their stadium.