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USA TODAY Sports

In his James Bond book "Goldfinger," Ian Fleming wrote, "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action."

Now, the NFL isn't a James Bond novel, but it can feel that way sometimes. Every week, teams dive deep into opponents' tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. No stone goes unturned. And if Week 1 was happenstance and Week 2 was coincidence, Week 3 started to show some real enemy action. Teams have the film. Teams are starting to really understand who they are and who their opponents are.

We as analysts can start to understand that, too. After all, Week 3 may sound early -- and, to be fair, it is -- but it's not nothing. The results so far cannot be dismissed as a one-off or mini slump. The Colts are 3-0, and in an AFC South that's been uninspiring to say the least, Indianapolis has pole position for a division title. Since the NFL expanded to a 17-game season in 2021, 12 of the previous 15 teams to start 3-0 ended up making the playoffs.

Elsewhere in the AFC South, the Texans are 0-3. Since 2021, 13 teams have started a season 0-3. Zero have made the playoffs. Only six 0-3 teams have gone on to make the playoffs in NFL history.

Still, it's early enough that there are playoff contenders with all sort of records. Are we going to suddenly count out the Chiefs, Ravens and Broncos and because of 1-2 starts? Certainly not. But weaknesses have emerged, and that goes for every team. Here's what they need to solve sooner rather than later if they want to fulfill their hopes of playing postseason football.

(NOTE: To determine postseason "playoff contender" worthiness, we used FanDuel's playoff odds, and every team below has +160 odds or shorter.)

Super Bowl favorites

Bills: Safety play

Odds to make playoffs: -10000
SportsLine playoff chance: 99.9%

First off, the Bills having -10000 odds to make the playoffs already is incredible. The next closest team, as we'll see, is the Ravens at ... -1400. Buffalo's control over the AFC East is truly remarkable.

Buffalo, like many of the teams on this list, will be judged by what it does in the postseason. And just as we saw in playoff exits past -- and even in Week 1 -- safety play is an issue. The Ravens ran the ball 29 times for 238 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener. Of course, Josh Allen ended up saving Buffalo, but those numbers can't be ignored. Safety play was a big issue against both the run and the pass. Out of 76 qualifying safeties, Cole Bishop is 53rd in PFF grade, and Taylor Rapp is 69th. They are 68th and 69th, respectively, in rush defense grades.

Ravens: Rush defense

Odds to make playoffs: -1400
SportsLine playoff chance: 89.9%

Using expected-points-added-based success rate, the Ravens rank dead last in the NFL defending the run at 46.2%. How stunning is this? Well, the Ravens ranked second last year and haven't been outside the top 20 since 2012. In 2012, Lamar Jackson had never even played a high school football game, so, yes, it's been a while.

The Ravens have big issues. Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) and Kyle Van Noy (hamstring) were both out in Week 3 when the Lions rolled up 224 rushing yards, but as Kyle Hamilton said, "Shame on us if we need a Pro Bowl guy to play good defense."

Roquan Smith is off to his second consecutive slow start. Without Madubuike, the interior depth is precariously thin; the Ravens are asking a lot of 36-year-old John Jenkins (who has actually been quite good), 34-year-old practice squad member Brent Urban and sixth-round rookie Aeneas Peebles. Broderick Washington and Travis Jones -- the guys expected to lead the way -- have majorly underperformed this year. The edge defenders are supposed to be smaller, speedier pass rushers, but they haven't held up their end of the bargain, doubling Baltimore's issues.

Chargers: Offensive line

Odds to make playoffs: -860
SportsLine playoff chance: 90.8%

Los Angeles lost Rashawn Slater (knee) for the season before it even started, and Mekhi Becton (concussion) left Sunday's win over the Broncos and didn't return. Justin Herbert has played some absolute superhero ball and can maintain that level of play better than most quarterbacks, but even then, it's not something you want to rely on. The Chargers have allowed the sixth-most pressures in the NFL.

Eagles: Intermediate and deep passing game

Odds to make playoffs: -800
SportsLine playoff chance: 95.3%

Take it from my Five Things We Liked and Didn't Like in Week 3 column: "Entering the second half Sunday, Hurts had completed one pass 10+ yards downfield through two-and-a-half games. He had only attempted 11 such passes. In the second half alone, he completed six of eight such throws, with three going to Brown."

The Eagles have to be more aggressive. Their conservative passing -- plus some offensive line underperformance -- has really limited the running game. Through 2.5 games, this offense just felt stuck in the mud. We'll see whether Sunday's second-half aggression was a sign of things to come or just a product of circumstance.

Packers: Running game

Odds to make playoffs: -550
SportsLine playoff chance: 85.5%

The Packers' early offensive line health issues showed up all over their shocking 13-10 loss to the Browns in Week 3, but it has shown up in the run game all season. The Packers rank 24th in rushing success rate, 27th in yards per carry and 28th in explosive rush rate. Only 16.3% of their rushes have produced a first down, dead last in the NFL. There are issues before contact and after contact. Josh Jacobs' bulldozing running style doesn't work as well when he's constantly having to try to bulldoze defensive linemen.

Playoff favorites

Buccaneers: Offensive line health

Odds to make playoffs: -520
SportsLine playoff chance: 97.3%

Though star left tackle Tristan Wirfs is getting closer to a return, Tampa Bay's offensive line remains in upheaval after the season-ending injuries of right guard Cody Mauch and right tackle Luke Goedeke. In Week 3, regular center Graham Barton played left tackle (again) for Wirfs, left guard Elijah Klein made his first NFL start, normal left guard Ben Bredeson played center, right guard Luke Haggard was a practice squad call-up, and right tackle Charlie Heck made his first start for the franchise.

Simply put, it's all over the place. Sunday, their 20.6% rushing success rate was their worst in a game in nearly five years, and 10 of their rushes went for 0 or negative yards.

49ers: Injuries everywhere

Odds to make playoffs: -385
SportsLine playoff chance: 74.8%

Nick Bosa's's ACL. George Kittle's's hamstring. Brandon Aiyuk's's ACL. Those are the most notable ailments among many for the 49ers. Bosa's really hurts: He had two sacks and a 15.4% pressure rate, and his presence freed things up for other players. Bryce Huff, for example, is off to a really strong start. Now, he'll not only have to play more (even though he's really a pass-rush specialist), but he'll face more attention when he is in there. San Francisco is relying on a lot of youngsters and journeymen now in its pass-rush department.

The good news is Brock Purdy and Jauan Jennings could be back soon.

Colts: What happens when they face a tougher opponent?

Odds to make playoffs: -340
SportsLine playoff chance: 92.6%

It's hard to find a real fault with the Colts. They're 3-0 with the NFL's best points margin (+47), they haven't turned the ball over, and they've forced five turnovers. Daniel Jones looks like one of the greatest turnaround stories in recent NFL memory.

I can't dismiss this team as a fluke. But Indy's opponents are a combined 1-8 this season. Let's see what happens when the Colts face a tougher opponent -- the Rams this weekend, the Cardinals in Week 6, the Chargers in Week 7. The Colts are yet to play a single snap trailing by more than one possession. Indianapolis has been able to operate comfortably, using play action at the second-highest rate in the league. When Jones hasn't used play action, his numbers have fallen and he's faced a lot of pressure. You can only play whom your schedule dictates, but that schedule is about to get harder.

Lions: Terrion Arnold's struggles

Odds to make playoffs: -240
SportsLine playoff chance: 79.7%

The Lions showed they're not going anywhere with an impressive win in Baltimore in Week 3. The new offensive line is taking big strides. The pass rush came up with seven sacks, and the linebackers and defensive line did a great job of corralling Jackson and Derrick Henry as runners. Dan Campbell spoke many times about how proud of his team he was, and he's right. Fixing Arnold's struggles, though, is next on the to-do list. He's allowing the sixth-most yards per attempt as the primary defender (10.6) among 77 cornerbacks who have been the primary defender at least 10 times. He's tied for 92nd out of 102 cornerbacks in PFF's grades.

Chiefs: Lack of explosive runs

Odds to make playoffs: -215
SportsLine playoff chance: 60.7%

The Chiefs just feel slow. Except for the occasional deep ball shot to Tyquan Thornton, there's not a ton of explosiveness here. The longest carry by a running back is 11 yards. Patrick Mahomes leads the team in rushing yards and has seven of the team's 11 carries of 10+ yards. The running backs are yet to have an explosive run out of shotgun, which is a big issue considering 62% of Kansas City's rushes are out of shotgun, the ninth-highest rate in the league. 

Rams: Defensive backs

Odds to make playoffs: -200
SportsLine playoff chance: 59.1%

It's no surprise the Eagles' sudden success throwing downfield came against the Rams. Los Angeles has made light investments at cornerback, focusing more on the offensive side of the ball and defensive trenches. After Ahkello Witherspoon's's injury, Los Angeles is playing Cobie Durant, Emmanuel Forbes and Darious Williams at outside corner. Those are all smaller cornerbacks whom physical wide receivers can and will take advantage of. We'll see if more teams look to attack.

Playoff contenders/in the hunt

Jaguars: The Lawrence-Thomas connection

Odds to make playoffs: -128
SportsLine playoff chance: 41.4%

Trevor Lawrence has a 29.6 passer rating and a 28% completion rate when targeting Brian Thomas Jr. Those rank as the second-worst and the worst, respectively, among 36 QB-WR duos with at least 20 targets. There have been miscommunications, misfires and drops. It's a mystifying issue -- Thomas really broke out last year only with Mac Jones -- and one that must be solved for Jacksonville to reach its ceiling offensively. 

Commanders: Lack of turnovers

Odds to make playoffs: -124
SportsLine playoff chance: 64.8%

Washington is one of three teams in the NFL without a takeaway so far. The other two -- the Jets and Dolphins -- are winless. Dan Quinn has long preached the importance of taking the ball and taking it away, and his Cowboys defenses were excellent at the latter. But the Commanders were merely middle of the pack in takeaways last year and are at the bottom this year, even after facing the turnover-prone Russell Wilson and Geno Smith.

Broncos: Bo Nix's's downfield struggles

Odds to make playoffs: -106
SportsLine playoff chance: 64.2%

Nix missed several big chances against the Chargers in Week 3, overshooting an open Marvin Mims twice and an open Courtland Sutton once. Currently, he is 2 for 8 on throws 25+ yards downfield, and four of his eight throws have been deemed "off target" attempts that give his target no chance. The running game has struggled to get going, and until Nix can make opponents pay over the top, it may stay that way. 

Steelers: Run game (both sides)

Odds to make playoffs: +118
SportsLine playoff chance: 70.8%

We can make this one quick: The Steelers are second-to-last in yards per carry (2.8) and 19th in opponent yards per carry (4.3). Both Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell have negative rush yards over expected, but the run blocking has been middling at best. Somehow, the Steelers are 2-1 (credit the Patriots' five-turnover Week 3), but it hasn't been pretty.

Seahawks: Limited passing game

Odds to make playoffs: +146
SportsLine playoff chance: 42.5%

The Seahawks have responded nicely from a disappointing Week 1 loss to the 49ers to blow out both the Steelers and Saints. We're interested to see if/how this passing game develops, though: So far, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has a 40.3% target share, which is on pace to be the highest on record (since 2000). While Smith-Njigba has shown real growth especially as a downfield receiver, the Seahawks will need to find secondary and tertiary options to open up a more varied attack.

Cardinals: Who will lift the offense?

Odds to make playoffs: +156
SportsLine playoff chance: 32.3%

The Cardinals want to grind out wins. They want to run the ball, play smart defense and win in the margins. But with James Conner done for the season and the secondary dealing with several injuries, the margins got even smaller -- and they were already small. The Cardinals are 26th in offensive success rate and explosive play rate. Where is the boost going to come from? Marvin Harrison Jr hasn't lived up to his draft pedigree, and beyond Trey McBride and Harrison, there's not a lot. The running game just took a big hit. Can Kyler Murray reach another level? We haven't seen it for a while.

Vikings: Quarterback play

Odds to make playoffs: +158
SportsLine playoff chance: 42.3%

J.J. McCarthy ranks dead last in the NFL with -0.49 expected points added per play. Essentially, every time he's involved in a play, the Vikings are losing half of a point. Obviously it is still extremely early, but McCarthy has played eight quarters, and only one of them has been even OK. Now, he's hurt (again).

Carson Wentz did well in his first start in McCarthy's absence but got a ton of help from a Bengals offense that had five turnovers. We'll see how he does in more difficult circumstances.