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The NFL’s Week 3 highlights and lowlights begins with a story of the heart about a man who is now getting his acclaim and salutes in heaven: Mercury Morris.

Morris passed away Sunday at the age of 77. The former Miami Dolphins running back from the undefeated team era was one of a kind. He could be engaging and talk about finances, politics, music, religion and, of course, football.

His favorite football topic was the undefeated 1972 Dolphins, for which he played. Moris started 11 games and gained 1,000 yards that perfect season in Miami. 

And the reason he started only 11 games is that he shared the halfback spot with Jim Kiick. 

Kiick died in 2020. When he began his decline around 2015ish, he was moved into an elder care facility. 

Mercury Morris A Teammate For Life

Every weekend, Morris would drive the 65 miles or so from his home in South Dade to see Kiick, the guy who competed with him for a job decades earlier.

Morris would take Kiick to Jersey Mike’s on every visit. Kiick loved it because he was from New Jersey. When Kiick turned 72 in 2016, Morris made sure his former teammate’s party turned into a reunion of the 1972 Dolphins.

And I tell you this to make the point that Mercury Morris was a great teammate decades after his playing days ended. So he is one of this week’s High-Fives.

The other High-Fives:

Sep 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton (14) celebrates after the Panthers defeated the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Andy Dalton Changes Things In Carolina

Andy Dalton: The Panthers changed quarterbacks this week and suddenly look like a different team. They had a 100-yard rusher, a 100-yard receiver, and a 300-yard passer in Dalton. They scored on their first drive. And while everyone celebrated that nice moment, Dalton didn’t stop. “We didn’t just put one drive together. We were able to do it the whole game,” he said. Dalton showed his team and the coaching staff what it could potentially look like with him in the lineup versus second-year pro Bryce Young. That’s a statement. And so, aside from winning the game, Dalton is now the guy in Carolina until owner Dave Tepper says otherwise.

Justin Fields: People who know football will point to the Steelers defense that allowed minus-5 yards in the second half against the Chargers as the reason for their win. But it was Fields with the 55-yard TD throw. It was Fields with a 5-yard TD run. “He’s doing what we’re asking him to do,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. The Steelers ask their QBs to win games – not in the throw 5 TD passes in a sense, although that may sometimes be needed, but in the ‘be part of the solution sense.’ Fields and the Steelers are 3-0. This means the question about him being the starter over Russell Wilson is moot unless or until he loses and plays poorly doing it. 

Sep 22, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA;  Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) shakes hands with Tennessee Titans offensive tackle JC Latham (55) during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Not Revenge Just Achievement By Willis

Malik Willis: It wasn’t exactly a revenge game against the Titans, which drafted him in 2022 and traded him this year. But Willis leading the Packers to their second consecutive win while playing for the injured Jordan Love suggests he’s an asset the Titans never realized. Willis hasn’t been just a gimmicky runner the team tries to win despite of. On third down, when it counts most, he’s completed 12 of 17 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown the last two weeks. It’s great coaching by the Packers. It’s great execution by Willis, who is now a legitimate, dependable No. 2 QB.

Saquon Barkley: He dropped a potential game-saving pass last week, but that’s just a memory now. In a tight defensive battle, Barkley gave Philadelphia a 7-3 lead in the fourth quarter with a 65-yard TD run. The play marked the 5th-longest rushing TD of his career and the longest by a Philly running back since 2020. The amazing thing is, Barkley didn’t get a carry in the first quarter and only 5 for 17 yards in the first half. The second half belonged to him.

The Low-Five:

Dak Dares You To ‘Jump Off’

Dak Prescott: He walked back to the losing Dallas Cowboys locker room telling those recording him they could “Jump off you want. Please, please, please do.” He obviously meant the proverbial Cowboys bandwagon following the team’s second consecutive loss. And Prescott has a right to remain confident because he played well. But bravado following a loss is typically asking for trouble.  

Jerry Jones: Yeah, lots of Cowboys pain here. So, Derrick Henry, who trains in Dallas and wanted to sign with the Cowboys in the offseason, rushed for 151 yards and 2 TDs against the Cowboys in a Ravens win. Jones afterward was asked why the Cowboys didn’t sign Henry in the offseason. “We couldn’t afford Derrick Henry,” Jones said. Why not? “I don’t know. Why can’t you buy a mansion when you live in a different kind of house?” Jones said. “We couldn’t afford it. We couldn’t make that all fit.” The Cowboys couldn’t make it all fit because rather than get deals for Prescott and CeeDee Lamb done earlier, which could have opened up some cap space for this year, the Cowboys waited until just prior to the season to get both done.

HENDERSON, NEVADA – JUNE 13: Head coach Antonio Pierce of the Las Vegas Raiders attends a news conference during mandatory minicamp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on June 13, 2024 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Antonio Pierce Saw Poor Effort

The Raiders: They lost to previously winless Carolina and coach Antonio Pierce criticized his players’ effort, suggesting some didn’t play with urgency or try hard enough. “I think there were definitely some individuals who made business decisions, and we’ll make business decisions going forward as well,” Pierce said. Yikes! A coach cannot say this and then do nothing. Look for some lineup changes or roster moves from Las Vegas in the coming week.

Bryce Young: What he’d do wrong? Nothing. He didn’t play. But watching how teammate Andy Dalton moved the offense with the same personnel Young could not get in the end zone very often is a statement about the second-year quarterback. The idea he’s about to get his job back later this year begs the question … on what team?

Brandon Aiyuk: With Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle out with injuries, the expectation was that Aiyuk would be the focal point of the 49ers offense to get his team through. Nope. He caught five passes for 48 yards. Turns out former seventh-round pick Jauan Jennings was the go-to guy for quarterback Brock Purdy, catching 11 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns. Purdy had only eight incompletions. Five of those came when he was trying to get Aiyuk the ball. Not enough from a player who signed a $120 million before the season.