Week 3 NFL storylines: Matthew Stafford in spotlight

As Week 3 in the NFL gears up, there is no shortage of great storylines.

Whether it’s Matthew Stafford and the Rams against Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers, or Kyler Murray flying under the radar in Arizona, there’s plenty to ponder.

Rams-Buccaneers

A case can be made that this early-season game could be a first look at an NFC championship matchup in January.

Which makes the stage Stafford is about the climb onto one of the biggest of his career. The years Stafford languished in Detroit playing on incomplete teams never offered this type of platform. His most ardent supporters always argued he’d flourish if ever given the chance.

Stafford and his backers finally can state their case, as the heavyweight battle he is preparing for is the exact opportunity he’s been eager to embrace. It is also the precise reason why the Rams moved mountains during the offseason to get him.

Under the radar?

If you’ve been paying attention to what is going on in Arizona the last few years, you’d know the Cardinals might be onto something special. Given the highly competitive NFC West, though, conventional wisdom suggested the Cardinals’ time was coming rather than arrived.

But that timeline might need tweaking after the Cardinals, who play Jacksonville on Sunday, opened the season with impressive wins over the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings.

Murray has been fantastic while connecting on 71 percent of his passes for 689 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns.

Allen’s struggles

On the surface, the Buffalo Bills’ 35-0 bounce-back win over the Miami Dolphins last week is proof that Josh Allen, their star quarterback, is back on track. But even Allen knows that would be a mistake, after he completed only 17 of 33 passes for 179 yards in the win.

“It’s no secret that I didn’t play great last game, and I didn’t play great the week before,” Allen told reporters this week.

Allen is not overstating his struggles. If they continue, it could be a problem for a team many are talking about in Super Bowl terms.

As the Bills prepare to face Washington on Sunday, Allen’s Pro Football Focus grade is 28th in the NFL. The Bills need him back on track. And in a hurry.

Fields to the rescue?

A bone bruise to Andy Dalton’s knee prompted the Bears to hand the starting job this week to Justin Fields, their rookie quarterback. It’s a move everyone in Chicago has been clamoring for, albeit one the Bears themselves have been hesitant to make.

Bears coach Matt Nagy was quick to confirm this week that when Dalton is healthy, he is still the starter.

History has shown, though, that similar proclamations from NFL coaches have turned out to be famous last words. And you get the sense that one way or another, Fields will have a say in how things turn out.

His play Sunday against the Cleveland Browns will dictate whether he holds on to the job.