After many beers, tears (I'll get you JaMarcus) and thrills, week three of the NFL is almost complete. With just one game to be played tonight in San Diego, here is this week's Fumble in the End Zone.

Story that took the World by Storm

New England before yesterday's game: 21 straight regular season wins.

Miami Dolphins before yesterday's game: 11 straight losses away from home, one win in 21 regular season games.

Result: Patriots 13-38 Dolphins.

In week 14 of the 2006 season, the Dolphins beat the Pats 21-0. After that, the Patriots went on a 21 game winning streak that was ended yesterday against arguably the worst team in the NFL. Yep, the Miami Dolphins have become the first team in over a season to defeat the mighty Patriots.

As I watched the game, I thought I might have had my lovely beers spiked with some extremely strong drugs. It was so difficult to understand what was happening to the Pats. Their defence had absolutely no answer to the running of Ronnie Brown, who rushed for four TDs as well as managing to throw a pass into the end zone himself.

Inevitably, a lot of the focus will be on Matt Cassel and his inability to convert third downs (4-of-15) but in all fairness, he should not take the blame for this defeat. OK, he's no Tom Brady, but the fact is that the Pats' defence could not contain a side who had won only once in over a year. If the Pats fans are looking for a scapegoat, they should look at the men protecting their end zone.

Game of the Weekend

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Saints against the Broncos. Huge offence, a Saints defence that can't help but leak points, a rejuvenated Broncos side and a missed field goal in the last two minutes of the game.

Do you know how much I love missed field goals? It's quite sad really, but I always find them highly amusing. The Saints' Martin Gramatica missed from 43 yards out with two minutes of the game left which is pretty poor, but it is the aftermath of the misses that I love.

The coaches and every player on the team hold their heads in their hands, secretly cursing the guy who gets paid quite a lot of money to kick a ball every now and then. Great stuff.

Play of the Day

It was wonderful to watch several of Ronnie Brown's TDs, mostly because the Patriots' defence looked so baffled as to how they had been beaten. My favourite one was Brown's 19 yard TD pass to Anthony Fasano.

With Pennington lining up as a receiver, you could see the confusion on the faces of the Pats' defensive line. They had absolutely no idea what to do, and huge respect must go to the Dolphins' offensive coordinator Dan Henning who came up with some hugely original and exciting plays, none more so than the aforementioned malarkey.

For a team that had won once in 21 attempts before yesterday's game, it was incredible to see plays such as this one take place. The TD pretty much summed up the game; Miami played with confidence (somehow!) and swagger. The Pats did not.

Awards Section:

-Team: I very nearly gave the award this week to the 49ers, who everyone (including myself) had written off as being one of the worst NFL teams in recent years. OK, they were only playing Detroit, but to score over 30 points for the second game in a row is hugely impressive given the lack of offensive weapons on the side. Respect to RB Frank Gore (162 all-purpose yards). The fact that they only defeated the Lions meant they fell just short of winning a very unlikely Team of the Week award.

In the end though, I had to be predictable, but with very good reason. The Miami Dolphins deserve enormous respect for beating the Pats away from home, Brady or no Brady. It's incredible that the Dolphins had only won once in 21 games before this, because they really looked like a decent side even if the Patriots' defence was uncharacteristically poor against both the run and the pass.

-Player: Quick mentions for Chad Pennington (17/20 for 226-yards), Brian Griese (over 400-yards but with a poor completion rate), Brandon Marshall who had another great game for the Broncos at WR, Frank Gore for the 49ers, Marion Barber who had a stormer for the Cowboys and Fred Taylor who had a great game at RB for the Jaguars in their win over the Colts.

At no point this season did I think I'd be giving a player of the day aware to a Dolphins player. But Ronnie Brown was magnificent yesterday. He set a franchise record for TDs in a game, managed to look as though he could be a QB and absolutely destroyed the Patriots. Truly brilliant.

-Coach: Another unlikely winner this week, but Mike Nolan is my coach of the week. As mentioned above, his 49ers (whome were expected to struggle to put up any points at all this season), scored 31 against the Lions. His defence played with purpose (albeit against a poor offensive display from Detroit) and Roderick Green was particularly impressive, earning himself two sacks. For a coach who is expecting to be sacked at the end of every week, Nolan is doing a good job of dealing with his critics, for now at least.

-Rookie: It's about time this award went to Matt Forte, RB for the Chicago Bears. With 155 all-purpose yards, that's three games in a row in which the rookie has reached the 100-yard milestone and he now has over 400 yards in the first few games of his career. Well done my young apprentice, well done.

Tim's Favourite/Most Amusing/Most Interesting Moments of the 9-Hour Marathon :

1.It was great to see Jonnie Lee Higgins return the kickoff for 68 yards on the opening play of the game between the Raiders and the Bills. I was expecting a dire start, how wrong I was!

2.JaMarcus Russell's play fakes are comically bad.

3.Seeing Matt Cassel throw his first interception was a strange moment. A lot of people who have written off the Patriots (me not included) breathed a sign of relief.

4.Chad Pennington's overall career pass completion record is impressive, but I thought I was going insane watching the hammering the Pats and making so many 10+ yard gains. Would the Dolphins have won the game if Brett Favre had not signed for the Jets? I doubt it.

5.Maybe Matt Schauab isn't as good as I thought he was.

6.Will we see Vince Young play for the Titans ever again? Kerry Collins looks very sharp.

7.Randy Moss' performances last year means that he is finding himself being covered by about 10 million players at a time. With no Brady on the field, he is making short gains rather than the usual 70-yard receptions.

8.According to an American TV ad for beer, one can describe a drink as having a 'superior drinkability' rating to other beverages. I like it.

9.It was incredibly bizarre to hear boos ring out around Gillette stadium at half-time of the game between the Dolphins and the Pats. Is that really the way to treat a team which has not lost a regular season game for so long?! It was also surreal to see Pats fans leaving the stadium just after the start of the fourth quarter. Support your team!

10.Oh JaMarcus, I was going to annihilate you before your excellent fourth quarter TD pass, and I love you once again. See you in the Raiders prediction section peeps! (I thought I'd leave this in here. I'd written it a couple of minutes before the end of the game when I thought Oakland had won the battle. I'm so ashamed).

11.Great rumble between the Bears and Bucs in overtime (see Douche of the Week).

12.Nice work from the Jags on the ground. Maurice Jones Drew and Fred Taylor each rushed for over 100 yards. The Colts really need to work on stopping the run.

13.The Giants are 3-0. Worst Super Bowl winners ever? They're not playing like them.

14.Jags fans are an excitable bunch aren't they?! One victory, albeit against the Colt, and they're talking about Super Bowls. Deary me.

15.How good is Brandon Marshall?!

16.Just finished watching the Cowboys against the Packers. I feel a bit empty. Perhaps it's that I've just kept on drinking, or maybe it's the fact I know I'm only going to get a few hours sleep, but I think it is mostly because I found that game totally underwhelming.

17.I really, REALLY need less games taking place at 1am.

Players most likely to need some TLC

This week, I have huge sympathy for Drew Brees. Once again, he's put up fantastic numbers: 39 completed passes from 48 attempts for a massive 421-yards. So, despite leading his team to over 502 offensive yards, his side lost the game. Why? Well, the Saints' defence is about as loose as the ridiculous large pants my auntie bought for me when I was 13 (size XL, they still don't fit).

Having allowed the Redskins to post 455-yards last week, they could only restrict the Broncos to 369 in yesterday's game. It just isn't good enough for a team with realistic hopes of winning the NFC, and Brees must be wondering what he has to do to get to a Super Bowl.

My suggestion? Clip Jeremy Shockey round the ear. It might not help the defence, but it would be great fun.

Giant douche award

Several great candidates this week, and the first mention goes to Gibril Wilson of the Raiders. The Bills had just pulled the score back to 16-13 with a TD scored on the ground, and in the resulting pileup in the end zone Wilson started slapping (yes, slapping) a Bills player who was on the floor. Good work Gibril.

Rasheed Davis also gets an honourable mention. With the Bears facing 3rd and 7 in overtime, Kyle Orton threw a great pass to Davis who was on the Bucs' 40. Whilst a catch would have meant that Chicago were a play or two away from a field goal and a probable victory, there are no rewards for catches which slip through your hands under no pressure. I felt sorry for him because Davis seemed genuinely upset, so I will excuse him.

The winner this week is Charles Tillman, also of the Chicago Bears. In overtime, the Bucs were pegged back on their own eight-yard line and facing third and nine. The Bears successfully defended the pass, and the fans thought that their team had successfully reclaimed the ball and were ready to receive the ball in excellent field position. However at the end of the play, during a big rumble which was started by Jeremy Trueblood, Tillman thought it would be a good idea to get involved and lunged in with some incredibly lame punches.

A penalty was awarded against the Bears, the Bucs kept possession of the ball when they had been preparing to punt and they went on to win the game. Mr. Tillman, you should know better, and for that reason, you are an enormous douche.

The Raiders 8-8 Prediction Watch

What the hell is wrong with you Russell!!! What's your God damn problem!! If you're into the last couple of minutes of the game, you HAVE TO CONVERT THIRD DOWNS AND KEEP THE BALL!!!!!
I had it all, I could have been a hero, but no, they've done it to me again. So. Angry.
2008 Raiders= 1-2.

Woe is my Fantasy Football team

Praise the lord for Brandon Jacobs. He managed to keep my loss down to around 200 points and save my dignity in the process.
Well, I'm still 0-3 of course and on for the 0-16 season I've dreamt about since I was a young boy, but it was nice not to get hammered.

What happened to Adam?

This week, Adam (www.adamsfootballtrip.com) was at the 49ers victory against the Lions. He partied with Club 49, who have the greatest idea I have ever heard: they bring a bar to the game. Yes, an actual bar, optics and all that. You'd be put in prison if you did that in the UK! Club 49... the place where drinks are free, there's fun and sunshine, enough for everyone!

Calorie Meter

Slightly back on track this week guys, and nobody is more relieved than I am. Six beers, a curry and some crisps mean that I managed to break the 1000-calorie mark for the first time this season. I can only see myself getting better and better from here.

2008 total after week 3= 2500. Nice!

Girlfriend Annoyance Rating (GAR)

You all know that my lady has been incredible over the first two weeks of the season, and she has once again pulled a magnificent performance out the bag. I sat with my headphones on in my usual position with beers and everything, yet she couldn't have cared less. What do I need to do in order to annoy her?! Suggestions below please! Week three= 1/10.

Monday Night Football Prediction

Back on track after a dreadful start to my MNF predictions. I predicted the Cowboys would beat the Eagles 24-17, and whilst the score ended up 41-37 (check) the most important thing was that my team did the job. 2008 total: 1-2.

Jets 15-31 Chargers- Let me get one thing straight. San Diego should not be 0-2. Last week's loss to the Broncos happened due to a ridiculous refereeing decision, and I expect a big reaction from Philip Rivers and his men at home tonight. New York might have Favre, but they will not have enough to take out San Diego tonight.

That's this week's Fumble in the End Zone for you boys. So, what are your thoughts on the weekend's action?