Three NFL preseason narratives that can be put to rest after Week 3

Three football games in a 17-game season aren't enough to decide a season, but they are enough to declare certain preseason narratives dead. 

Whether that's contenders looking like pretenders, or pretenders surprisingly being competitive, new narratives are forming. So, it's time to leave these three behind.

Los Angeles Rams are not a super team

The Super Bowl favorites are 1-2 to start 2026, tied with the Arizona Cardinals at the bottom of the NFC West. It's not a position anyone expected them to be in; in fact, the Rams were supposed to be the team to beat. Now, they're a team in desperate need of a few wins. 

They were dominated 27-7 by the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1, and let the Denver Broncos score 30 points in the second half in a deflating loss on "Sunday Night Football." Still, through three games, the Rams have the most yards of total offense (1,253), but the 20th most points (61). So the Rams have the firepower to turn things around; they just need to do it soon.

New England Patriots won't recover

After an offseason stewing on their 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, the Patriots were supposed to bounce back. They added wide receiver A.J. Brown to help stretch the field for quarterback Drake Maye, who looked poised to build on his MVP-worthy season. Then Brown suffered a high ankle sprain that will keep him out for several weeks, and Maye has thrown six interceptions in three weeks.

The Patriots are now 1-2, and head coach Mike Vrabel is already expressing concern for his QB. After losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars 35-6 on Sunday, the Patriots look like they can't hang with the contenders. At this rate, they'll need to prove that they're even competitors; otherwise, last year's Super Bowl run will look like a fluke.

Las Vegas Raiders don't need QB Fernando Mendoza to start

When the Raiders made the obvious move to draft the Heisman winner to turn their franchise around, everyone was speculating how soon Mendoza would be called upon to save the Raiders' season. Instead, the Raiders are 3-0, matching their win total from last season in just three weeks. 

After an offseason of contract drama with defensive end Maxx Crosby and wondering if veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins still had anything left, first-year head coach Klint Kubiak is showing he can get the most out of this team. By focusing on getting running back Ashton Jeanty the ball with better blocking — resulting in 206 rushing yards (9th among running backs) so far — Kubiak is leaning into a run-first formula that can keep Las Vegas competitive. 

Will it mean Cousins is the guy for the Raiders beyond this year? No, but Mendoza is experiencing the best-case scenario for a rookie quarterback. Ride the bench and learn as much as you can.