The third Sunday of the NFL season in the rearview mirror. We saw 12 teams put up at least 30 points and there were a slew of close games around the league. Twelve of the 15 games that took place Sunday were decided by eight points or fewer. Five of those came down to a margin of victory of three points or less when all was said and done. Only a few teams had issues putting points on the board, highlighted by usual suspects Miami (10 points) and Tennessee (seven) Sunday. Meanwhile, what happened to the Patriots, who mustered a paltry six points in a thrashing by Jacksonville?
Will Week 4 be another high-scoring week or will things bounce back like they were in week 2 when defenses got the upper hand? Let’s take a look at what went down Sunday.
Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo: Early on, you would have thought the Chargers were 2-0 and the Bills were 0-2. James Cook fumbled on the first play from scrimmage. Josh Allen threw two picks and lost a fumble. Dalton Kincaid lost a fumble. Buffalo was down 10-0 after the opening quarter and trailed 13-10 after three before regrouping. A CJ Gardner-Johnson pick of Justin Herbert turned the game around. Buffalo outscored the Bolts 14-3 in the fourth quarter and earned the win. Big game for Cook (154 rush yards, TD) and Allen added two more rushing scores. Buffalo won a game with five turnovers for the first time since 1997. The opposing quarterback in that game? Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers imploded in the red zone and self-destructed when it mattered the most. Keaton Mitchell had better production than Omarion Hampton despite Hampton having more touches (15-11) in the game.
Carolina at Cleveland: Someone break up the Browns. Two straight wins! To paraphrase Rachel Phelps in Major League, I didn’t think they’d win two games all season. The receivers weren’t big factors in this one as Denzel Boston (41 yards) and KC Concepcion (nine yards) each had two catches. Concepcion had NINE targets but only reeled in two! Harold Fannin Jr. had a good showing with seven grabs for 51 yards and two scores. Bryce Young threw 48 times in the game. Tetairoa McMillan (two catches, 17 yards) and Jalen Coker (two catches, 18 yards) were neutralized. Put your hand up if you had Darren Waller leading the Panthers in catches. Now put it down because we know you’re lying.
New York Jets at Detroit: Give the Jets credit. They didn’t have Adonai Mitchell or Mason Taylor. New York trailed 24-10 with 14:57 remaining but rallied to tie the game with just over four minutes to play. Of course, then the defense folded as Detroit took the lead on an 11-yard TD pass to Jahmyr Gibbs. Their last drive ended up with a fumble after a sack in Lions’ territory. Another big game for Gibbs, who had 99 yards rushing and seven catches for 85 yards plus three scores (two rush, one receiving) in the game. Nice outing for Geno Smith, who took advantage of a horribly short-staffed Lions secondary to go 31/37 for 321 yards and three scores. Kenyon Sadiq had seven grabs for 105 yards and a score. He may have just made Taylor the latest version of Wally Pipp. Nice showing for Garrett Wilson (10 catches, 107 yards, TD) as well.
Houston at Indianapolis: The AFC South attrition bowl as both teams came in 0-2 and we know how difficult it is to start 0-3 and make the playoffs. The Colts led 10-0 and 16-7 only to find themselves down 17-16 with 1:48 remaining. Indianapolis went 29 yards in six plays and won it on a 53-yard field goal by Spencer Shrader with 16 seconds to go. Good showing for Tyler Warren, who had nine catches for 55 yards, and Keenan Allen (six grabs, 63 yards, TD) for the Colts. Daniel Jones had three turnovers (INT, two fumbles) but managed to maneuver his team into range for the winning points when it mattered. Houston needs to get Nico Collins and Tank Dell back in the mix because the offense was stuck in mud.
New England at Jacksonville: How much longer can we give Drake Maye a free pass? Patriots fans would have you believe he was the greatest thing since sliced bread after taking the team to the Super Bowl last year. However, remember that the defense did the heavy lifting. He’s been bad in the first three games. Maye has one touchdown, six picks, nine sacks and two fumbles (one lost) this season. Mack Hollins looked like the Patriots’ best receiver. Romeo Doubs wasn’t really a factor and Kyle Williams was stifled. Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington and rookie Josh Cameron all caught scoring passes from Trevor Lawrence. Brian Thomas Jr. seems to be falling faster than Maye’s stock on the Jaguars’ depth chart. At this rate, Travis Hunter Jr. might supplant Thomas Jr. on the depth chart too.
Kansas City at Miami: Miami made things tougher than most people would have expected for the Chiefs. It was a 7-7 game after one and 14-10 in favor of Kansas City after three quarters but the Dolphins ran out of steam. Kenneth Walker III wasn’t as explosive in this game (18 carries, 70 yards) but had a rushing and receiving score. One point of concern for the Chiefs is that they couldn’t register a sack against Malik Willis. The Dolphins may have lost De’Von Achane after he suffered a knee injury early in the contest. Ollie Gordon II (17 carries, 41 yards, TD) would be the lead back if Achane misses time with Jaylen Wright the likely backup.
Tennessee at New York Giants: They say if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Fortunately, I don’t listen to people that say that. This game was absolute torture. New York was zero for two in the red zone, Tennessee was one for three. Dominic Zvada hit four field goals for the Giants and Najee Harris was effective in his work on the ground. He had nine carries for 52 yards backing up Cam Skattebo. For the Titans, Wan’Dale Robinson (seven catches, 57 yards, TD) had a solid showing against his former team. Rookie Carnell Tate had his best game as a pro with six catches (on nine targets) for 58 yards. The Titans have to get more from Cam Ward or they’ll be floundering for the foreseeable future.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: In a wild AFC North game that featured a half dozen lead changes, it was the Steelers finding a way to come up with the victory. Aaron Rodgers turned back the clock as he threw for 292 yards and three scores. Jaylen Warren shrugged off being questionable to run for 127 yards and added 49 receiving yards in the game. DK Metcalf (three catches, 31 yards) and Michael Pittman Jr. (two grabs, 16 yards) weren’t big factors in the passing game. Joe Burrow was 28 of 37 passing for 282 yards and three scores. Ja’Marr Chase (nine catches, 98 yards, TD) and Tee Higgins (six grabs, 90 yards, TD) had big showings. However, Burrow fumbled on the Bengals last drive, costing his team a chance to at least tie. He dropped to 1-34 when trailing in the final eight minutes of regulation as a pro.
Seattle at Washington: The Commanders found a way to get a win despite being without quarterback Jayden Daniels. Marcus Mariota was 19 of 31 for 183 yards and three scores. He also converted a 3rd and 7 with a nine-yard with 1:38 remaining, allowing the Commanders to run out the clock. Terry McLaurin reeled in six balls for 77 yards and a TD as he showed signs of life. For Seattle, Sam Darnold put up big numbers, throwing for 379 yards and four scores. However, he had two picks, including a pick-six by Kam Medrano in the fourth quarter. Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued his torrid start with 10 catches for 128 yards and two scores. He added a 14-yard completion as well. The run game was nonexistent for Seattle as Jadarian Price (five carries, 15 yards), Emanuel Wilson (nine carries, 14 yards) and George Holani (three carries, 10 yards) were bottled up. Holani did add five receptions for 48 yards.
Arizona at San Francisco: San Francisco did what they wanted on offense but they couldn’t put the Cardinals away. Arizona trailed 23-6 at one point but got within 29-27 before the 49ers put the game away. Brock Purdy threw for 297 yards and four scores, including an 82-yard hook and ladder with Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel. George Kittle (six catches, 82 yards, two TD) had a big showing as he continues to improve after returning from the Achilles’ surgery he underwent back in January. Watch for updates on Evans (rib/oblique), Trent Williams (neck) and Dre Greenlaw (quad) this week. Jeremiyah Love had 90 yards on the ground and five catches for 19 yards plus a score. Michael Wilson (11 catches, 89 yards, TD, 17 targets!) and Trey McBride (nine catches, 75 yards) were their usual big contributors. Where have you gone, Marvin Harrison Jr. (three catches, 40 yards)? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you, woo woo woo.
Minnesota at Tampa Bay:Minnesota never trailed in the contest as they jumped in front 10-0 early. The Vikings saw Tampa Bay tie the game at 10 but took a 17-10 lead at the half and held the Buccaneers off. Minnesota is 3-0 but didn’t bowl anyone over offensively. Jordan Addison had five catches for 90 yards and a score but the offense bogged down after Justin Jefferson (ankle) went out. Defense (six sacks, INT) and special teams (Will Reichard 3/3 FGs, including a pair of 50-plus yard kicks, Myles Price punt return TD) carried them. There wasn’t much good to say about the Buccaneers in this one. Baker Mayfield (dislocated right thumb) and Jalen McMillian (knee) left the game and did not return. Tampa Bay, who is 0-3, has just undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels on the active roster behind Mayfield.
Las Vegas at New Orleans: In a wild game, the Raiders made critical plays on both sides of the ball in crunch time to take down the Saints and improve to a surprising 3-0. Las Vegas trailed 27-16 with 5:46 remaining in the third quarter but scored the game’s final 19 points for the win. Kirk Cousins threw for 248 yards and three scores. Brock Bowers made his season debut and had a massive impact, grabbing 10 passes for 116 yards and a score. Mike Washington (five carries, 54 yards, TD) was nearly as productive as Ashton Jeanty (19 carries, 56 yards) was on the ground despite a quarter of the touches. Tyler Shough threw for four scores but he also had three of the Saints’ four turnovers that helped the Raiders get back in the game. Chris Olave (nine catches, 107 yards) was good. Tight ends Juwan Johnson (eight grabs, 53 yards, two TD) and Noah Fant (four catches, 33 yards, two TD) had all the receiving scores though Johnson’s fumble with 1:02 remaining sealed the Saints’ fate.
Baltimore vs. Dallas (in Rio): Talk about a wild game down in Brazil. Dallas led 10-0, trailed 24-13, rallied to lead 28-24, trailed 31-28 and had a chance to win in the final seconds only to come up empty on a 3rd and goal situation. They kicked the tying field goal but booted the ensuing kickoff out of the end zone. The Ravens covered 27 yards on one play, setting up Tyler Loop’s game-winning 56-yard boot at the final gun. Derrick Henry scored twice but averaged just 3.4 yards per carry. Zay Flowers made a surprising return and caught five balls for 84 yards. Lamar Jackson was 15 of 20 for 186 yards and two scores while adding 50 yards on the ground. Dak Prescott hit 25 of 40 for 276 yards and a score. Javonte Williams had 98 yards plus a score. George Pickens (seven grabs, 82 yards) and CeeDee Lamb (seven catches, 112 yards) had solid showings for the Cowboys.
Los Angeles Rams at Denver: Another barnburner that went right down to the final gun. Los Angeles was up 16-0 at the half but the game had four lead changes in the final quarter. The Rams racked up a 482-259 advantage in total offense but went one of four in the red zone scoring TDs while Denver was three of three. Matthew Stafford threw for 390 yards with two scores. He also threw two picks: his NFL record 33rd career pick-six and then one on the final play of the game at the goal line, both by Talanoa Hufanga. Kyren Williams ran for 88 yards and added six grabs for 70 yards. Davante Adams (seven catches, 137 yards, TD) and tight end Tyler Higbee (eight grabs, 62 yards, TD) had big games, while Konata Mumpfield (four catches, 93 yards, TD) saw eight targets. Bo Nix was pedestrian, hitting 50% of his passes for 186 yards with two touchdowns and one pick. He ran in the winning score from a yard out with 47 seconds remaining. Jaylen Waddle has to be better than we saw Sunday as he finished with just two catches for 10 yards on seven targets.
Monday night brings us a matchup between the Eagles and the Bears at Soldier Field. If Caleb Williams was playing, I’d like Chicago’s chances but I’m not as sold on Tyson Bagent with his concussion history, or Case Keenum, who is about 87 years old. As such, I’m going with the Eagles to prevail in this one, 24-17.
--Chris Kubala
