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Risers & Fallers: Siemian slings it, Palmer plummets

Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and units trending upward and those taking a step back.

▲ Karl Joseph

Would you look at that, the Raiders' defense didn't get torched this week. Besides not facing another high-octane attack, Oakland made one personnel change this week, adding rookie safety Karl Joseph to the lineup.

Recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college, the 14th overall pick answered the call with 10 tackles in his NFL debut. Coach Jack Del Rio said the rookie gave his team a spark as Oakland allowed just 10 points and earned its second win of the season.

▼ Houston Texans

Oh, you forgot? No one fell harder this week than the Texans.

Provided with their best opportunity to win a nationally televised game and to defeat a depleted New England Patriots squad, the Texans instead scored zero points and allowed a third-string QB to carve them up after just three days of preparation. There's generally no shame in losing to Bill Belichick, but this loss was particularly egregious. Houston will have to win a number of big games to regain the trust of its fan base.

▲ Marvin Jones Jr.

What ever will Detroit do without Calvin Johnson? The answer appears to be air it out to Marvin Jones Jr.

In his first year with the Lions, Jones has games of 85, 118, and 205 yards, and is on pace to break Johnson's record for receiving yards in one season. It's unlikely he'll get there, but it's an impressive start nonetheless. Some of Jones' stats are borne from necessity - the Lions lack a running game and often play from behind - but with Eric Ebron, Anquan Boldin, and Golden Tate sharing the load, Detroit doesn't appear to miss Megatron.

▼ Carson Palmer

The veteran passer threw four interceptions and no touchdown passes against the woeful Buffalo Bills. He also fumbled the ball twice, though neither was lost.

Amazingly, all of his INTs came in the final seven minutes of the game, though he was nearly intercepted on at least four other occasions. Michael Floyd and Arizona's receivers didn't do him any favors, but the turnovers brought to mind Palmer's horrendous performance in last year's NFC Championship game.

▲ Broncos' passing game

Star wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders expressed their concerns with the team's passing game heading into Week 3. How did first-year starter Trevor Siemian respond? He slung the ball for 312 yards and four touchdowns against the Bengals' respected pass defense.

Siemian made a point to put his receivers' worries to rest, as Sanders went off for 117 yards and two touchdowns, while Thomas enjoyed a 100-yard day and a TD of his own. Siemian's performance proves the undefeated Broncos can win in all phases, at home or on the road. They've successfully navigated their tough early schedule with calmer waters ahead.

▼ Buccaneers' defense

The secondary in particular. In successive weeks, the Buccaneers have given up 40 points to the Cardinals (forgivable) and 37 to the Rams (unforgivable), with the high-scoring Broncos and Panthers up next.

The Rams had scored nine total points entering Sunday and had yet to score a touchdown through two weeks. The Buccaneers cured all ails, however. To be fair, one score came off a defensive touchdown and another off a short field, but after three weeks, Mike Smith's defense leads the league in points given up per game, while the secondary has yet to force a turnover.

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