The Best and Worst of the 1st Three Weeks of the NFL Preseason

There are some things about the 2005 NFL preseason that have made you cheer, and some that have made you absolutely cringe. Here are some of the best and worst performances so far in the first three weeks of the preseason:

(Note: for purpose of this article, the week that featured the Colts-Falcons game in Tokyo and the Hall-of-Fame Game is referred to as Week One).THE BEST PERFORMANCES

· Matt Schaub, Falcons quarterback: 11 of 13 passing for 115 yards and two touchdowns; against Indianapolis; Week One.

· Chicago Bears has 478 total yards; against Miami; Week One.

· Matt Cassel, Patriots quarterback: 13 of 21 passing for 135 yards and one touchdown and 46 yards rushing on five carries in NFL debut; against Cincinnati; Week Two.

· Minnesota Vikings rush 34 times for 176 yards; against Kansas City; Week Two.

· Seneca Wallace, Seahawks quarterback: 12 of 20 passing for 137 yards; four rushes for 31 yards and a touchdown; against New Orleans; Week Two.

· 15 players catch a pass for the Raiders; against San Francisco; Week Two.

· Kurt Warner, Cardinals quarterback: 14 of 19 passing for 151 yards and a touchdown in Cardinals debut; against Dallas; Week Two.

· Pittsburgh Steelers have an interception return touchdown, a punt return touchdown, and a kickoff return touchdown, all in the game’s first 19 minutes; against Philadelphia; Week Two.

· 31 players catch a pass in Pittsburgh-Philadelphia game (18 by Pittsburgh); Week Two.

· New Orleans rushes 44 times for 187 yards; against New England; Week Three.

· Tennessee Titans chalk up 31 first downs, 503 total yards (411 passing), and hold the ball for nearly 44 minutes; against Atlanta; Week Three.

· Daunte Culpepper, Vikings quarterback: 11 of 13 passing for 146 yards; against New York Jets; Week Three.

· David Tyree, Giants wide receiver: two catches, 113 yards, touchdown (90 yards); against Carolina; Week Three.

· Kris Brown, Texans kicker: converted three fourth-quarter field goals, including the game-winner with less than ten seconds to play; against Oakland; Week Three.

· Denver Broncos rushed 47 times for 266 yards (the highest total carries and rushing yards for any team in a game this preseason); against San Francisco; Week Three.

· The San Diego Chargers rush 34 times for 166 yards; against St.Louis; Week Three.

· The Dallas Cowboys rush 43 times for 155 yards; against Seattle; Week Three.

· Demarcus Ware, Cowboys linebacker: three tackles, one sack, one interception, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery; against Seattle; Week Three.

TOTAL DUDS OF THE PRESEASON

· The Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens are both winless.

· Atlanta Falcons roll up 13 penalties; against Indianapolis; Week One.

· The Indianapolis Colts have been horrible running the ball in the preseason, gaining only 52 yards on 43 carries! Breakdown: Edgerrin James- nine carries for 24 yards; James Mungro- seven for 15; Dominic Rhodes- six for eight; Tom Arth- one carry for six; Anthony Davis- five for four; Travis Brown- one for two; Jim Sorgi- three for one; Vashon Pearson- one for (-1); Ran Carthon- nine for (-7).

· The Miami Dolphins have fumbled TEN times in three games, losing eight of them. Eight of their ten fumbles came against Pittsburgh in Week Three. They lost seven of those eight fumbles.

· Ricky Williams’ return for the Dolphins has been virtually non-existent so far this preseason- 15 carries for a paltry 56 yards.

· Maybe Alex Smith’s stats so far are why he won’t start the San Francisco season opener. In two games, he has completed five of 16 passes for only 43 yards.

· Green Bay Packers: 196 total yards and six fumbles (three lost); against San Diego; Week Two.

· Four Cincinnati quarterbacks combine to complete 15 of 33 passes for a mere 111 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions; against New England; Week Two.

· Minnesota vs. Kansas City: 28 penalties for 209 yards (14 on each team); Week Two.

· Tennessee Titans have 142 penalty yards; against Tampa Bay; Week Two.

· Cleveland Browns: use five different quarterbacks, but only pass for 117 yards; against New York Giants; Week Two.

· New York Giants vs. Cleveland Browns: 28 penalties for 236 yards; Week Two.

· Indianapolis Colts: sacked six times, and had (-5) yards rushing on 15 carries; against Buffalo; Week Two.

· Buffalo Bills: 19 penalties for 146 yards; nine punts; against Indianapolis; Week Two.

· Nate Kaeding, kicker for the San Diego Chargers, misses three fourth-quarter field goals in a three-point loss; against Green Bay; Week Two.

· Atlanta Falcons: only 40 plays while opponent had 88; less than 17 minutes possession time; 89 passing yards; ten penalties; against Tennessee; Week Three.

· Minnesota Vikings: more penalties (17) than first downs (16); against New York Jets; Week Three.

· Indianapolis Colts: 18 carries for 30 yards; against Chicago; Week Three.

· Indianapolis Colts: six fumbles (two lost); against Chicago; Week Three.

· Arizona Cardinals: 14 penalties for 160 yards; against Kansas City; Week Three.

· Damon Huard, Kansas City quarterback: completed only one of 12 passes for 11 yards and two interceptions; against Arizona; Week Three.