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Winners, losers from Week 3: Eagles find a way; Texans still a mess
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and head coach Nick Sirianni celebrate after a victory against the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Winners, losers from Week 3: Eagles find a way; Texans still a mess

With most of the NFL's 2025 Week 3 schedule in the books, it is time to take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from Sunday's action. It was a big deal for special teams and a bad day for the New England Patriots offense.

NFL Week 3 Winners

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts: Another week, another win for the Colts and another huge game from their superstar running back. Taylor rushed for 102 yards and three touchdowns, including a 46-yarder. 

Cameron Heyward, DL, Pittsburgh Steelers: Monster game from Heyward as he forced a fumble, tipped a pass that resulted in an endzone interception, recorded a sack and had six tackles.

Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mayfield did not have huge numbers on Sunday in Tampa Bay's 29-27 win, but he did lead yet another late game-winning drive to help the Buccaneers improve to 3-0. 

Isaiah Rodgers, DB, Minnesota Vikings: It would be hard to imagine a better day for a defensive back as Rodgers returned an interception 87 yards for a touchdown and then followed that up with a 66-yard fumble return for a touchdown. He did all of that in the first half

Philadelphia Eagles special teams: The Eagles offense finally woke up on Sunday in a wild come-from-behind win against the Los Angeles Rams, but it was the special teams that was the difference-maker with two blocked kicks, including a potential game-winner that was returned for an Eagles touchdown. 

Ben Johnson, HC, Chicago Bears: It was a huge day for quarterback Caleb Williams with four touchdown passes in a 31-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys, but it was also a big day for Johnson. Not only for the flea-flicker he dialed up that gave the Bears a 14-3 lead, but also for his decision to go for a 4th-and-goal at the five-yard line to really put the game away in the fourth quarter, turning a 10-point lead into a 17-point lead. 

NFL Week 3 Losers

New England Patriots offense: The Patriots had every opportunity to steal a win on Sunday, but turned the football a staggering five times, including twice in inside the five-yard line. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson had an especially bad day with two fumbles, including one at the goal line. 

C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans: It is time to start having some difficult conversations about Stroud and the Texans offense. They failed to reach 20 points again, and Stroud threw two interceptions, including a late-game interception to end it. It's not all on him because the offensive line and playcalling are all still problematic, but Stroud has clearly regressed from his rookie season. 

Green Bay Packers: The Packers had a 10-point lead with four minutes to play against one of the worst teams in football ... and lost. Jordan Love threw a terrible interception at a bad time, they had a potential game-winning field goal blocked and they gave away a game they should have won. A Super Bowl contender can not lose that game to the Cleveland Browns

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys: A lot of things went wrong for the Cowboys on Sunday, but Pickens having his first sideline meltdown of the season after turning what looked to be a sure catch into an interception is the type of thing the Cowboys do not want to see from. him this season. 

Michael Penix Jr., QB,  Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons gave their fans some hope after an outstanding Week 2 win. That usually leads to disappointment for Falcons fans. They were dominated by the Carolina Panthers , 30-0, on Sunday, with Penix Jr. getting benched for veteran Kirk Cousins after throwing two interceptions. 

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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