NFL
NFL standings after week 3: Winners and losers in the AFC and NFC divisions
Three games may not sound like a lot, but in the NFL, it’s enough to answer some questions about teams’ hopes at a playoff run.
After Week 3, there still remain five undefeated NFL teams and three who sit at 0-3. Six other teams salvaged their winless seasons to keep hopes alive for a playoff run this year. With 17 games in the season, three may not sound like a lot, but considering the history of teams that have gone winless throughout the first three weeks, it’s enough.
This week, we’ve figured out a lot - the New York Jets finally got the game they’ve been looking for from Aaron Rodgers. The Miami Dolphins look terrible without Tua Tagovailoa. The Dallas Cowboys still can’t stop the run. New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers is making the case as one of the top in the league. And much, much more.
So let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers from NFL Week 3.
NFL Week 3 WINNERS
NFC: Vic Fangio’s Eagles defense
There was a lot of criticism of Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio heading into the season. That certainly quieted after they shut down the New Orleans Saints to ruin their winning streak when Fangio delivered a Cover 2 game plan. The Eagles forced the Saints into six consecutive scoreless drives (after they scored six consecutive touchdowns on the Cowboys just last week). Philly went from one of the league’s worst defenses throughout the first two weeks to holding a team that was averaging more than 400 yards and 45.5 points per game to just 12 points.
NFC: Minnesota Vikings
Not many people had hope in the Vikings after they lost Kirk Cousins, leaving Sam Darnold at quarterback. But he’s proving that with the offense he has around him, he can make magic happen, too. In the last three games, he’s thrown eight touchdowns to just two interceptions. Not to mention, Brian Flores’ defense is starting to look like one of the most physical and best in the league, dominating the 49ers last week and holding the Texans to just 7 points this week in their 27-point blowout win with four sacks on quarterback C.J. Stroud.
AFC: Aaron Rodgers
The New York Jets finally got what they wanted with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Against the New England Patriots on Thursday, in his first home game with the Jets since tearing his Achilles early last season, Rodgers finished 27 of 35 for 281 yards and two touchdowns in their win over the Pats. The Jets may finally end their postseason drought this year if he continues to play that way.
AFC: Justin Fields
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of five undefeated teams after Week 3, with Justin Fields under center. Let that sink in. Of course, the Steelers defense deserves a lot of the credit for that record so far. But still, Fields is making the case to be the QB1 over Russell Wilson more and more each week. In their win over the Chargers on Sunday, Fields completed 25 of 32 passes for 245 yards, a touchdown, one interception, and one rushing touchdown.
AFC: Damar Hamlin and the Bills
The Bills are undefeated after Week 3 and quarterback Josh Allen had one of his best games on Monday night in their brutal beating of the Jaguars. But safety Damar Hamlin also had a great day. On a Monday night game in January 2023, he collapsed on the field after suffering cardiac arrest. This Monday, he recorded his first career interception.
NFC: Jayden Daniels
The Washington Commanders made some interesting offseason moves, including the addition of quarterback and Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, who has led them to a 2-1 start. On Monday night, he had 21 of 23 completions and threw for 254 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, and added 29 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground to keep the Bengals winless and get a victory on the road.
NFL Week 3 LOSERS
NFC: Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys looked bad all around in their second-straight home loss, the first to the Saints and this time to the Ravens. In each of those losses, the Cowboys proved that they still have no idea how to stop the run (allowing an average of 185.7 rushing yards per game), and their opponents can easily take advantage of that. The Ravens put up 274 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground against Dallas. The Cowboys are now tied for last place in rushing yards allowed per carry (5.4). The offense isn’t doing much to help the situation, as they have zero rushing attack, averaging 73.7 rushing yards.
AFC: Antonio Pierce’s Raiders
While the Raiders faced Andy Dalton on the Panthers’ offense rather than Bryce Young, they still managed to lose to the league’s worst team, at home. Just after pulling off an upset over the Ravens last week, they gave up 437 yards to the Panthers offense. They had two turnovers on downs, a missed field goal, and Gardner Minshew threw an interception before finally being benched for Aidan O’Connell.
AFC: The Texans offense
The Houston Texans offense was the big hype of last season, but on Sunday, they suffered an embarrassing loss to the Vikings and look like a team who lacks urgency to start the season. The game was full of penalties, resulting in 88 yards lost. It was their second straight game with 10 or more penalties. With Joe Mixon out, C.J. Stroud has been prioritizing Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins, but that hasn’t proven to be enough.
AFC: Will Levis
The Titans are now 0-3 to start the season and quarterback Will Levis’ turnovers (eight in three games) are causing a lot of headaches for head coach Brian Callahan. In Sunday’s loss to the Packers, Levis was sacked eight times by the Packers defense and added three more turnovers, including one pick six. Tennessee might be wishing they hadn’t given Malik Willis to the Packers last month... It’s of course not all Levis’ fault - a QB needs pass protection after all. But that amount of turnovers just cannot continue to happen.
AFC: Tua-less Dolphins
It was expected that the Dolphins would be worse without their star quarterback, but they’ve suffered two straight blowout losses that can’t be blamed entirely on the quarterback. The Dolphins did little to add to the offensive line this offseason and with Skylar Thompson as the backup to Tua Tagovailoa, they lost 24-3 to the Seattle Seahawks. During that game, Thompson was constantly under pressure and eventually suffered an injury of his own to the chest. Miami will be without Tua for at least three more games, and early on, that looks like it could doom the Dolphins’ playoff hopes.
AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are winless after three weeks for the first time since 2021, and they look bad all around. Their 47-10 loss to the Bills on Monday night makes the largest margin of defeat since 2021. They were unable to get anything going on offense, defense, or special teams. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was given a pricy extension this offseason, completed just 21 of 38 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while being sacked four times. Lawrence is now on an eight-game losing streak from last season. The defense allowed 47 points, so not much to say there either.