Wentz and strong defense have Eagles off to 3-0 start
PHILADELPHIA — Carson Wentz has already been compared to Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning, the defense is dominating, and the Philadelphia Eagles are 3-0.
No one saw this coming except maybe coach Doug Pederson.
“I told the team way back in OTAs that it just takes a little bit of belief; belief in themselves, trust the process, believe in the coaches and the coaches believe in one another,” Pederson said. “Am I surprised? A little. But at the same time, I know that locker room, I know those guys and I know what they are building. By no means have we accomplished anything yet, the season is still extremely young.”
The Eagles dismantled the Steelers 34-3, shutting down Ben Roethlisberger and a high-powered offense and having their way with a defense that’s been cruel to rookie quarterbacks — 19-2 against them since 2004 — not named Wentz.
So forget about rebuilding. This team is a contender now.
“I thought we were very underrated in the media’s eye, which honestly it seems like our team always does better when the media doesn’t expect us to do well,” center Jason Kelce said.
Are Purple People Eaters back?
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Everson Griffen saw where defense got the Denver Broncos last season.
The Minnesota defensive end believes the Vikings have the talent to head in that same Super Bowl-bound direction.
“We are three games in and we have a long ways to go, but we can get there,” said Griffen. “We can definitely get there.”
Everson and company harassed league MVP Cam Newton all game, registering eight sacks, three interceptions and a safety to help Minnesota beat the Carolina Panthers 22-10 Sunday and improve to 3-0 for the first time since Brett Favre was playing quarterback back in 2009.
The Vikings showed that last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers was no fluke, completely shutting down the NFL’s highest-scoring offense from a year ago.
With key injuries to Teddy Bridgewater, Adrian Peterson and Matt Kalil on offense, the defense is leading the way.
The Vikings have allowed just 43 combined points in three games against the Titans, Packers and Panthers. They have 15 sacks and nine turnovers.
So maybe, just maybe, the Purple People Eaters are back.
Bell to return
PITTSBURGH — Le’Veon Bell stood at his locker, his face covered in sweat and his eagerness to kickstart his stalled NFL career palpable.
His three-game suspension for a second violation of the league’s substance abuse policy over, the Pittsburgh Steelers running back is ready to get back to work, particularly after spending Sunday afternoon watching his teammates get clobbered across the state in Philadelphia. “It sucked,” Bell said. The team that looked borderline unstoppable at times during wins over Washington and Cincinnati was a mess against the Eagles. DeAngelo Williams, who filled in so brilliantly for Bell during the opening two weeks, slogged for just 21 yards. The offense posted its lowest point total in five years and the defense spent the afternoon futilely trying to make Wentz look like a rookie.
Enter Bell, limited to six of Pittsburgh’s last 22 games thanks to knee injuries and run-ins with the league’s drug policy.
Sunday night’s visit from Kansas City (2-1) marks Bell’s first appearance in a game that matters in 11 months.
Wilson sprains MCL
RENTON, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has a sprained MCL in his left knee and coach Pete Carroll raised the possibility on Monday of Wilson missing the Week 4 game against the New York Jets.
Carroll said during his weekly radio show on KIRO-AM on Monday morning that Wilson “feels great” and that his recovery is already going “exceedingly well.”
Wilson underwent an MRI on Sunday night that confirmed the ligament sprain and Wilson received treatment all night, Carroll said.
Wilson was injured in the third quarter of Sunday’s 37-18 win over San Francisco when he was pulled down awkwardly while being sacked by Eli Harold. Wilson stayed down on the field for a few moments after the injury before walking off.