The NFL season is in full swing, and teams are looking to build momentum for the long grind that lies ahead.
Where there are winners, there are losers. But not all losers are created equal, as some teams feature players who single-handedly cost them the game. These players are favorably called bobbleheads.
Here are the bobbleheads from the NFL’s week three that helped stall any momentum their teams built from the first two weeks.
Cincinnati Bengals: the entire team
In a bobbleheads first, it was not just one player who lost the game for Cincinnati, but rather the absence of one player that truly crippled them.
The Bengals lost their star quarterback Joe Burrow to a grade three turf toe injury in their 31-27 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week two. With Burrow expected to miss three months, what happened on Sunday left Bengals fans watching in horror.
An already suspect Cincinnati defense allowed 352 yards and 34 points to a Vikings team also reeling from losing its own starting quarterback the week before. Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers scored twice on defense — once on a pick-six, and once on a fumble recovery return.
Backup quarterback Jake Browning looked like a less-than-ideal replacement as he threw two interceptions, while Cincinnati also lost three of five fumbles on Sunday. At one point, the score was 48-3 in favor of Minnesota, the largest deficit in Bengals history.
When the final whistle blew, the damage was done, and Cincinnati limped away with a 48-10 loss.
The Bengals will travel to Denver for a Monday night clash in week four.
Green Bay Packers: the offensive line
The Packers had looked like the best team in the NFL through two weeks, but a clash with an 0-2 Cleveland Browns team boasting the league’s best defense had all the makings of a trap game.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Green Bay lost their top two offensive linemen, Zach Tom and Aaron Banks. Tom left after one play with concerns over re-aggravating an oblique injury, while Banks exited with a groin injury.
That left the Packers blocking by committee, and the group allowed a season-high five sacks on quarterback Jordan Love.
Offensive tackle Jordan Morgan posted an abysmal 40.7 Pro Football Focus grade, committed three costly penalties, and was also the lineman responsible for a blocked field goal attempt.
Green Bay will look to rebound against an injury-riddled Cowboys team on Sunday night in Micah Parsons’ return to Dallas.
Los Angeles Rams: special teams
The Rams choked away a 26-7 lead in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, losing 33-26.
A pair of blocked field goals sealed Los Angeles’ fate. The first came with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter on what could have been a 29-21 lead, which would have put pressure on Philadelphia. Instead, the block gave the Eagles new life, and they drove down the field to take a 27-26 lead.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford then led Los Angeles into field goal range with three seconds remaining, setting up a potential 44-yard game-winner, but the attempt was blocked and returned for a touchdown by Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis, putting the icing on a brutal collapse for the Rams.
Los Angeles will look to bounce back against a white-hot Indianapolis Colts team this Sunday.
Simon Reseigh is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @simon_reseigh
