Week 3 Takeaways for the 2025 NFL Season
We’re starting to learn more about these teams. The Colts are a surprising 3-0, and they just punted for the very first time after a record 19 drives without doing so. However, they’ve benefitted from an easy schedule. The Giants are unsurprisingly 0-3 because of their brutal schedule. Denver could be 0-3 right now, but they’re 1-2 because of two late collapses in a row. There’s still time for every team to change its fate. That time is running short though, and we’re nearing the point where teams are who they’re going to be. With that in mind, let’s check out my week 3 takeaways for the 2025 NFL season to find out what we’ve learned!
TNF: Bills Beat Dolphins Again in Surprisingly Competitive Game
Based on the way these two teams have looked, the NFL probably wished they were allowed to flex this game out of the TNF slot. By halftime though, I think they felt comfortable with the matchup. The 0-2 Dolphins delivered an immediate punch in the mouth to the 2-0 Bills. WR Dee Eskridge took the opening kickoff 54 yards (from a yard deep), and the Fins methodically went the remaining 47 yards in 10 plays and 6:29 of clock. The offense showed signs of life last week, so that wasn’t totally out of the blue. The banged up and talent-poor defense was the concern. Already playing without CB Storm Duck, the hits kept coming.
Rookie slot corner Jason Marshall Jr left and did not return, and even outside CB Jack Jones left for a play with a scare. The secondary played predictably poorly at the start, but I was more disturbed by the run defense. Bills RB James Cook (19/108/1) had his way with big gains all night. Miami drafted 3 DTs in April, but it didn’t seem to help. Buffalo scored two straight TDs on their first two possessions without a whole lot from QB Josh Allen (22/28, 213 yards, 3 TDs; 4/25 rushing). The reigning MVP was efficient, but he didn’t have to shoulder the load for once. He enjoyed tossing to TEs, especially Dalton Kincaid (5/66/1).
The only offensive blemish in the first half was a bad FG miss by Matt Prater. That allowed Miami to go on another long march that tied the game at the half. This one was a 16-play drive that ended in a Jaylen Waddle (5/39/1) TD catch. As expected, the Bills immediately scored after halftime, but then the offense shut down a bit. Miami went scoreless in the 3rd quarter, but they got a tying TD catch from WR Tyreek Hill (5/49/1) to start the 4th. Needing to respond, Buffalo couldn’t earn more than one first down and punted. However, Dolphins DT Zach Sieler roughed the punter, giving the Bills another shot. Allen tossed a TD soon after.
The Dolphins seemed like they would respond, but QB Tua Tagovailoa (23/35, 161 yards, 2 TDs, INT) threw a red zone INT to LB Terrel Bernard to end the drive. It wasn’t a highly productive day for Tua, but he had been reasonably effective prior to that throw. You can’t give Allen the ball back there, as with 3 minutes left, the Bills burned 2:38 of clock, and Prater made amends, icing the game at 31-21. This marked the Dolphins’ 10th straight road loss to Buffalo. Miami seems to be improving, but an 0-3 hole is tough to dig out of. The Bills had some lulls, but they handled a division opponent on a short week, and that’s what matters.
Bengals, Patriots Melt Down with Turnovers
In their first game without Joe Burrow, the Bengals saw their worst nightmares come to life against the Vikings. Backup QB Jake Browning (19/27, 140 yards, TD, 2 INTs) was not good, and he threw a pick six on his second drive. He was way too much of a gunslinger again, and his counterpart outplayed him. Carson Wentz, (14/20, 173 yards, 2 TDs), filling in for an injured JJ McCarthy, played a clean game and did exactly what you’d want a backup to do. He was efficient and played good complementary football. However, Browning was far from the worst offender in an embarrassing 48-10 loss, the Bengals’ first defeat.
This game essentially ended in the final 3 minutes of the second half. Cincinnati had 3 drives during that period, and their results were as follows: a fumble six by TE Noah Fant, a lost fumble by star WR Ja’Marr Chase (5/50), and a lost fumble by RB Samaje Perine. The score went from 17-3 to 34-3 almost instantly. I have to give Vikings CB Isaiah Rodgers his flowers here; he earned the aforementioned pick six and fumble six and forced two of Cincy’s 3 fumbles. Turning the ball over 5 times, even without a backup QB, almost always spells doom in this league. Burrow wouldn’t have been able to overcome this debacle.
Similarly, the New England Patriots turned the ball over 5 times themselves in a very winnable home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The lack of ball security started on the opening drive, when RB Rhamondre Stevenson (56 scrimmage yards) coughed up the ball. Stevenson is a strong runner, but fumbles have been a consistent issue for him. Stevenson would lose another fumble at the Steelers’ goal line before being pulled from the game. His replacement, Antonio Gibson, lost his roster spot in Washington due to fumbles, and he predictable lost one in this game as well. Only then did TreVeyon Henderson appear.
QB Drake Maye (28/37, 268 yards, 2 TDs; 7/45 rushing) wasn’t immune from the turnover bug either. He threw an ugly INT and saw two would-be picks dropped by Steelers defenders. Maye also lost a fumble on a strip sack as the Patriots were driving to tie the game. Pittsburgh really wasn’t firing on all cylinders; they scored just 21 points despite the turnovers, so the Patriots had a chance to win. Instead, the Pats lost 21-14 because they couldn’t get out of their own way. The RB issue is fixable: just start Henderson. Maye needs to take better care of the football though because he can’t simply be swapped out…yet.
Blocked FGs Ruin Rams’ and Packers’ Chances at 3-0 Starts
Unfortunately, kicking issues have been a central theme of this young season. They reared their ugly head again in two tight games. First, we got a rematch of the Rams/Eagles postseason thriller. LA came the closest to knocking Philly out, and they really should’ve won in this game too. It didn’t start out that way, with QB Matthew Stafford (19/33, 196 yards, 2 TDs, INT) throwing a pick on the first drive and Philly converting that into a tush push TD. The Eagles once again false started on the play and got away with it. Funny; they were quick to call a false start when the Saints did it on their tush push later that afternoon.
Maybe that lit a fire under the Rams, as they began to dominate. They scored 26 unanswered points behind a suffocating defense and a good running game led by RB Kyren Williams (20/94; 2/18/1 receiving). DE Jared Verse even strip sacked QB Jalen Hurts to start the 3rd quarter. The only problem was LA’s red zone inefficiency. LA settled for 4 FGs during their strong stretch, keeping K Joshua Karty very busy. Philadelphia still had a little bit of life, and they took advantage. Their offense bounced back in the second half, with Hurts (21/32, 226 yards, 3 TDs; 9/40/1 rushing) rekindling his connection with WR AJ Brown (6/109/1).
The Eagles ripped off 14 points before LA drove to extend their lead with another FG. However, DT Jalen Carter blocked it, and Philly scored a go-ahead TD on 4th and goal shortly thereafter. Now trailing 27-26, Stafford led his Rams on a last-ditch drive and set up a 44-yard FG. Amazingly, that one was blocked too, with DT Jordan Davis batting it and taking it to the house as time expired. Philly should feel good about their offensive rebound despite RT Lane Johnson leaving with an injury. They’re rounding into good form. LA is going to rue their missed chances, but they too should be in the playoff picture as we move forward.
At least the Rams blew a lead to the undefeated defending Super Bowl champs. Green Bay, the talk of the league over the past few weeks, simply needed to beat the 0-2 Browns. If you skipped the first half of this game, you missed practically nothing. The Packers took a 3-0 lead, with neither offense doing much of anything. GB led a nice 14-yard TD drive in the 3rd quarter to open a 10-0 lead, but the Browns defense was spectacular. They earned 5 sacks of QB Jordan Love (18/25, 183 yards, TD, INT) and completely shut down RB Josh Jacobs (16/30; 5/44 receiving), whose TD streak ended with a thud.
The Browns simply couldn’t penetrate the Packers’ defense either. This offensive line is awful, and it’s the difference between 2023 Joe Flacco and 2025 Joe Flacco. At his age, Flacco needs protection so he can open up the aerial assault, and he’s not getting it. Rookie RB Quinshon Judkins (18/94/1) looks good, but the receivers are inconsistent, and pressure wrecks this attack. Regardless, Cleveland finally got on the board with Andre Szmyt FG with 3:38 remaining in the game thanks to the Packers DBs tackling WRs almost every play. Even though that score made it a one-score game, all GB had to do was gain a couple first downs.
One problem: they trusted Love. On 3rd and 3, Love threw a poor INT to S Grant Delpit, who set his offense up at the 4 yard line. Judkins ran in to tie the game, and suddenly the Packers needed to score. They put together a really good drive, though it should’ve ended on a Jacobs fumble (the refs didn’t award it to the Browns upon review). No matter. Cleveland’s special teams took matters into their own hands, with DT Shelby Harris blocking an FG attempt by Brandon McManus. Flacco guided his team into FG range in just 16 seconds, and Szmyt booted a game-winning 55-yard kick for a 13-10 win, exorcising some week 1 demons.
Clearly, all of the credit for this win goes to the Browns defense. That unit is back to its normal self after somewhat quitting in 2024 due to poor QB play. While Flacco hasn’t been nearly as effective during his second stint in Cleveland, the defensive players likely know that he’s not the issue here. I still can’t call Cleveland a good team unless they fix their offensive line, but they’ll be a tough out every week. As far as the Packers are concerned, the Browns may have provided a blueprint for confusing Love. I contend that Green Bay remains overrated, and their season may be more of a roller coaster than most thought.
Panthers, Bears Ride Defenses to Unlikely First Victories of the Season
In addition to the Browns above, who also used a stellar defense to earn an upset and avoid a dreaded 0-3 start, Carolina and Chicago used the same playbook to surprise the Falcons, and Cowboys, respectively. I’ll be kind by simply saying that the Panthers’ first two weeks were subpar. Last year’s defense looked no better in 2025, and the offense struggled badly. I’m not sure what came over them, particularly on defense, but they demolished the Falcons. Atlanta helped, with new starting K John Parker Romo missing two FGs in 3 drives, failing to take advantage of a Carolina muffed punt. The Panthers’ D took it from there.
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr (18/36, 172 yards, 2 INTs) looked completely befuddled. He threw a pick six to CB Chau Smith-Wade, and he tossed another INT to CB Mike Jackson while in FG range (he took it back 54 yards). The running game did fine, with RB Bijan Robinson (111 scrimmage yard) posting good stats, but it wasn’t the dominant unit we’ve seen in the past. That’s due to the defensive line of Carolina, especially big DT Derrick Brown. The Panthers’ offense only earned 224 yards, but they didn’t make mistakes, which was enough for a 30-0 win this week. We even got a Kirk Cousins cameo in mop-up duty!
Chicago wasn’t favored against Dallas because of their poor performance in weeks 1 and 2, but we knew they were capable of playing well. For the first time in the Ben Johnson era, his team put everything together and played a complete game. QB Caleb Williams (19/28, 298 yards, 4 TDs), who has been streaky to date, played within structure and diced up a poor Cowboys defense. Rookie WR Luther Burden III (3/101/1) took a rocket pass for a 65-yard TD, and 2nd-year WR Rome Odunze (3/62/1) is morphing into a star (one bad drop notwithstanding). I can chalk that up to Dallas’ defensive woes, but Chicago’s defense impressed me.
Though top Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb left early due to an ankle injury, the Bears still showed out. After allowing 14 first-half points, they pitched a shutout over the final two quarters. LB Tremaine Edmunds gobbled up 15 tackles and 2 INTs on his own. A banged-up CB group limited WR George Pickens (5/68/1), forcing QB Dak Prescott (31/40, 251 yards, TD, 2 INTs) to force-feed TE Jake Ferguson (13/82). That wasn’t a winning strategy. Chicago won comfortably 31-14 and exacted some revenge against former HC (and current Cowboys DC) Matt Eberflus. Dallas needs to get healthy, while the Bears have something to build on.
Five Backup QBs Make Starts Due to Injuries in Front of Them
We touched on Jake Browning and Carson Wentz above when discussing the Bengals-Vikings game, but they weren’t the only backups making spot starts this week. Following a knee injury suffered by Jayden Daniels against the Packers last week, Marcus Mariota got the start for the Commanders against Las Vegas. He was competent, managing the game and controlling things against a bad team. Mariota (15/21, 207 yards, TD; 6/40/1 rushing) showed his dual-threat capabilities in a 41-24 win, with only two blemishes. 1. A lost fumble that might’ve hurt against a better team. 2. Wiping out his own coach on the sideline.
The New York Jets started Tyrod Taylor this week against Tampa Bay with Justin Fields still in concussion protocol. He only led two FG drives through 3 quarters, appearing overmatched by the Bucs’ defense. Taylor even added a pick six. Tampa took a 23-6 lead into the 4th quarter and seemed completely in control. The Jets didn’t quit though. The TB offense bogged down with penalties and a hamstring injury suffered by WR Mike Evans (4/33/1). Taylor (26/36, 197 yards, 2 TDs, INT) responded with his two best drives of the day, 10- and 11-play marches that both ended in TDs. They still trailed 26-20 though, and TB drove once more.
The Bucs set up an FG to give themselves a 2-score lead with 1:39 to go. Jets edge rusher Will McDonald leapt cleanly up and over the line to block the kick and returned it himself for a go-ahead TD. Alas, the Jets weren’t meant to get their first win this day. Baker Mayfield (19/29, 233 yards, TD; 4/44 rushing) led a game-winning FG drive to beat the man who cut him. This 29-26 victory was the Bucs’ 3rd straight win in which they earned the go-ahead score in the final minute. NYJ fell to 0-3, but that’s not Taylor’s fault. He did what a backup should do and gave them a chance to win. The defense folded.
In San Francisco, Mac Jones made his second straight start for the injured Brock Purdy against Arizona. This was a pretty ugly game. The injured Niners suffered another big blow, with DE Nick Bosa tearing his ACL. Arizona lost a big piece of their own, with bell cow RB James Conner suffering a bad foot injury. Without two of their most important players, these 2-0 teams found themselves stuck in the mud. Nobody scored a TD in the first 3 quarters, which ended with the score tied 6-6. SF nearly scored, but a 4th-and-goal pass by Jones at the 1 fell incomplete and got RB Christian McCaffrey (17/52; 10/88 receiving) crushed.
Jones did lead a TD drive on his next possession, but Arizona secured their own end zone trip one drive later. That’s when Jones nearly lost the game. He injured his knee at some point and limped his way through the game, but he threw an INT in Cardinals territory after Arizona’s score. On the next possession, the Cardinals took a 15-13 lead when G Dominick Puni committed holding in the end zone for a safety. Jones (27/41, 284 yards, TD, INT) saved his best for last though, leading a stellar game-winning FG drive to move to 3-0. K Eddy Pineiro booted it through as time expired. This team is good but still cursed by bad injury luck.