NFL Week 3 preview

Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NFL NETWORK)

The Browns were tantalizingly close to getting their first win since 2016, on the road in New Orleans, no less, before more Browns-like things happened. Zane Gonzalez melted down and drew the ire of LeBron James on social media, and the Saints slipped past with a victory, thanks to a late Wil Lutz field goal and another Gonzalez miss. The Browns are knocking on the door, however, and their defense held a high-powered Saints offense in check. Sam Darnold's Week 1 win over the Lions was almost too easy, and the Dolphins brought him back to earth, intercepting him twice and stifling the Jets' offense en route to a 20-12 victory. Will the combination of a short week and a rookie quarterback finally mean a Browns victory? Here's a nugget to consider: Cleveland hasn't won a game on Sunday since 2015 — against San Francisco — so maybe this short week will be favorable to the Browns.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

The Saints haven't exactly lived up to their preseason hype thus far. First, they were victims of FitzMagic, and last week they needed plenty of Cleveland ineptitude in the kicking game to escape with a win. Now they travel away from home, for the first time this season, to play a Falcons team that handled the Panthers last week. Tampa Bay's fast start has the NFC South looking like even more of a meat grinder than was predicted heading into the season, so a win here is paramount for both sides. Atlanta got a command performance last week from Matt Ryan, but perhaps more importantly, a big game on the ground from Tevin Coleman. The Falcons' ability to get Coleman going again and also to take away New Orleans' Michael Thomas, who has already notched 28 catches for 269 yards and three touchdowns in two games, will be critical to the outcome. 

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

If the MVP Award was handed out today, it would be a two-horse race between Patrick Mahomes and Ryan Fitzpatrick, just as we all predicted. Mahomes was great against the Chargers, then downright scary against the Steelers. His 10 total TD passes is the most by a quarterback in his team's first two games in league history. It's obvious now why Andy Reid and Kansas City were so enamored with Mahomes and so ready to move on from Alex Smith. The Chiefs suddenly look explosive, lethal and unstoppable on that side of the ball. They might need to be because the defense doesn't offer much. Jimmy Garoppolo, after making a great first impression with the 49ers, has been uneven through two starts. He was bad against the Vikings in Week 1 but rebounded with a great game against Detroit in Week 2. Speaking of predictions we all nailed before the season, everyone had Matt Breida as the league's leading rusher through two weeks, right? The Niners will need him to be big again if they want to keep up with the Chiefs.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

One wonders if the Jon Gruden's honeymoon has worn off in Oakland. The Khalil Mack trade hasn't done the Raiders any favors in the immediate term, as they've been devoid of a pass rush. And Gruden was left with no good answer when asked about what his team could do to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Derek Carr was superb against the Broncos, but it still wasn't enough to prevent a late loss on the road. In fact, Carr became the first quarterback in NFL history to attempt at least 20 passes, have a completion percentage of 90 or better and still lose. Another loss would signal the unofficial end of Oakland's season after three weeks. Miami has been one of the big surprises early on, with Ryan Tannehill playing well and an opportunistic defense harassing Sam Darnold into two interceptions last week. The Patriots don't look vulnerable, per se, but a 3-0 Miami start would turn some heads in south Florida and at the very least get the Dolphins off and running toward a wild card berth and maybe more in the tumultuous AFC.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Bills are bad, very bad, and the Vikings are fortunate, very fortunate. Buffalo seems like a team destined for one of the top three picks in next year's draft, though Josh Allen should get some solid experience out of the whole deal. Allen is going to take his lumps, and a road game against a tough Vikings defense and a loud crowd won't help matters for him. He can always hope that the Bills somehow stay close and that they get a chance to win thanks to a preposterous "body weight" penalty. Minnesota was the beneficiary of exactly that, when a game-sealing interception by Kirk Cousins was wiped off the board thanks to the NFL's latest head-scratching, open-for-interpretation rule. The Vikes could muster only a tie, but that's still much better than the alternative. In any event, they should remain unbeaten, as Allen and LeSean McCoy probably can't threaten their defense, and Buffalo should have no answers for Cousins, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs and the rest of the offense.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Carson Wentz makes his return for Philly after missing their Super Bowl run due to a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. The Eagles' 1-1 start is just fine, especially since the rest of the NFC East looks less than stellar so far. The combination of a home crowd, a battle-tested team on both sides of the ball and Wentz's own prodigious talents, to say nothing of a defensively challenged Colts team, should make his return a smooth one. That said, Indianapolis did stifle Washington last week in front of thousands of empty seats at FedEx Field. Andrew Luck wasn't great, but Jordan Wilkins and Marlon Mack teamed up to provide a solid ground attack, and T.Y. Hilton was his usual reliable self in the passing game. The Colts bottled up Adrian Peterson, who suddenly looked his age, and kept Washington out of the end zone all day. Their task figures to be considerably more difficult this week.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Aaron Rodgers hobbled his way around last Sunday and still managed to throw for nearly 300 yards and a touchdown. He was helped along by a solid running game, and until the Packers' defense (and one egregious bad call) let the Vikings back in the game, it appeared that Green Bay was going to get off to 2-0 start. Rodgers would do well to start finding Jimmy Graham in the red zone, as his big target is without a touchdown over the first two weeks. Washington, meantime, is picking up the pieces after getting throttled by Indianapolis. Are the Redskins the team that opened up on the road and shut down Arizona? Or are they the outfit that looked rather punchless against the Colts, in front of a sparse, disinterested crowd? One thing seems certain — unless Washington can drum up a consistent running game, Alex Smith is going to have some problems winning games by himself. And if the burden of shouldering the rushing load falls exclusively to Adrian Peterson, the Skins might be in big trouble.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Two impressive wins have the Bengals atop the AFC North, and they'll get a chance to make a statement on the road in Charlotte. The going for Cincy's offense might get tougher, not only because of Carolina's stingy defense, but also because the Bengals will be without Joe Mixon for a few weeks. That will put more pressure on Andy Dalton and A.J. Green, but they may have added help from Tyler Boyd, who showed up in a big way last Thursday against Baltimore. Carolina fell short against Atlanta, and its typically stout defense faltered against Matt Ryan. Cam Newton figures to make frequent use of Christian McCaffrey as a safety valve against a fast, aggressive Bengals defense. McCaffrey had only eight carries for 37 yards against Atlanta but caught 14 passes for 102 yards. This stands as one of the better matchups of Week 3, with Carolina maybe having a slight edge due to home field.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

It felt like the entire city of Jacksonville treated last Sunday's game with New England like it was the Super Bowl. The team played like it, thoroughly beating the Patriots in every facet. Blake Bortles played the game of his life, Keelan Cole and Jacksonville's skill players were top notch and the Jags neutralized Rob Gronkowski. Tennessee figures to be in big trouble if Marcus Mariota's lingering elbow injury keeps him out again. The Titans got by with Blaine Gabbert and some special teams magic against Houston, but Jacksonville is a different animal altogether. A win coupled with an Indianapolis loss would put the Jaguars in the driver's seat in the AFC South. Jacksonville's main goals will be to avoid a post-Patriots letdown and to keep Tennessee's running game in check, in the event that Mariota can't go. At 3-0 with a win in hand over New England is a pretty nice place to be.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Broncos are 2-0, but they needed a last-minute comeback to beat a lackluster Raiders team, and beat Seattle, which doesn't have the same cachet that it used to. Both wins were at home, which explains to some extent why people aren't buying Broncos stock just yet, but they'd likely start to raise some eyebrows with a road win in Baltimore. The question for the Ravens is simple: Which Joe Flacco shows up? The guy who destroyed Buffalo despite bad weather is a world-beater and one of the better signal-callers in the league. The guy who floundered against Cincinnati is the type of player who leads his team to an 8-8 year. Case Keenum, meantime, is off to an uneven statistical start in his new home, but he has been bolstered by a strong running game. If Baltimore can't contain Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman, Baltimore may be in some trouble.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Pat Shurmur's Giants have been struggling. New York has managed only 28 points in two games, and its offensive line is a mess. Saquon Barkley's numbers look gaudy so far, but a 68-yard touchdown run in his pro debut accounts for half of his rushing yardage on the season. Odell Beckham has 15 catches but hasn't found the end zone yet. Big Blue needs answers on offense, and soon. Houston, a trendy Super Bowl dark horse before the season, has had an ugly start to its year. Deshaun Watson has been merely average, and the defense, a unit most figured would soar with J.J. Watt back in the fold, has scuffled. The Texans finally get a home game, and they can ill afford an 0-3 start, lest they end up losing sight of Jacksonville a month before they even play them. 

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Rams have the early look of a Super Bowl contender, much like everyone thought they would. Todd Gurley ran for three scores in a demolition of the Cardinals, and Jared Goff has been efficient and effective. L.A.'s intra-city rival will be its toughest test so far this season, but the Chargers don't have the kind of weapons that the Rams can bring to the table. The Rams haven't yet gotten a monster game out of Aaron Donald, but if they do, Philip Rivers could be in huge trouble. The Chargers' best chance to win is to try and take away Gurley and hope for the best, but Goff has progressed to the point where he'd likely pick the Bolts' defense apart. All of this is roundabout way of saying that this year should be chock full of tough afternoons for Rams opponents. 

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

The Bears beat back a challenge from Russell Wilson and the Seahawks thanks to a Prince Amukamara pick-six, but they are still looking for a leap forward from Mitchell Trubisky. The top of the NFC North seems set with Minnesota and Green Bay, and only a considerable acceleration in Trubisky's development will vault the Bears into that stratosphere. To wit, had Trubisky been able to operate at a higher level, the Bears wouldn't have fallen victim to a miracle Aaron Rodgers comeback in Week 1. Arizona, even in its own building, seems like the kind of team that could provide the Bears with a second straight win. The Cards are a mess, David Johnson hasn't gotten anything going, in part because Arizona has constantly been behind in its first two games. Sam Bradford has been absolutely dreadful, and if he doesn't pick up his play soon, the Cards will have to think about making a change at the position. Given that the other options are Mike Glennon or rookie Josh Rosen, things aren't looking up in the desert. 

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

Dallas got a much-needed win against the Giants, though it was hard-fought. The Cowboys' defense has been stout, but their offense much more conservative, to say the least. In previous years, a date on the road in Seattle would have been bad news for a team struggling to find offensive consistency, but these Seahawks are a far cry from what they used to be. At 0-2 and having lost to two teams not seen as elite, Russell Wilson needs to right the ship, and fast. Both Seattle losses were on the road, so there's always the chance that some home cooking will help them out, but this team needs more than just a loud crowd. It needs to find some semblance of a consistent running game to help take the pressure off Wilson. If the Seahawks can't establish things on the ground against Dallas, it could be a long afternoon. This one has very high slugfest potential and might not be the most aesthetically pleasing game of the weekend.

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)

Matt Patricia gets to go against Bill Belichick, and he might spend their pregame time together picking his old boss' brain. After rumors swirled that Patricia had lost the Lions' locker room after only one week, his team acquitted itself better against San Francisco but still came out on the losing end. Patricia needs a win badly, but this doesn't seem to be a likely spot for him to get it. New England's latest reclamation project is Josh Gordon, acquired from the Cleveland Browns. Gordon is still one of the most physically gifted receivers in the league. If the Pats can straighten him out, they'll have a devastating array of weapons once Julian Edelman returns from his suspension. The Jaguars were able to focus their attention on Rob Gronkowski and neutralize him, and the rest of Tom Brady's receivers and backs couldn't pick up the slack. Gordon would change that dynamic in a big way. One imagines that it will get worse before it gets better — if it does at all — for Matt Patricia.

Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)

No player in the league, save maybe Patrick Mahomes, is more red-hot than Ryan Fitzpatrick. No team is in more disarray than the Steelers. Fitzpatrick has to be licking his chops at the thought of going up against a porous Pittsburgh secondary, not to mention a pass rush that followed up a promising start against Cleveland with a toothless Week 2 performance. It doesn't appear that Antonio Brown will miss any time in this game for disciplinary reasons, perhaps because the Steelers might need all the offensive help that they can get. Nothing about the first two weeks of the season suggests that the Steelers will be able to stop Fitzpatrick, DeSean Jackson and the rest of the Bucs' high-powered passing. The stakes for Pittsburgh are high — the Steelers have never made the playoffs after going winless through the first three games of the season. If Mike Tomlin has a motivational ace up his sleeve, now would be an opportune time to reveal it. If Tampa Bay wins, the NFC South suddenly becomes the NFL's most interesting division.