Week 3 Takeaways for the 2026 NFL Season
We were treated to both good and bad surprises this week. Vegas moved to a surprising 3-0 after their thrilling win over NO (thanks to the return of TE Brock Bowers). The Rams and Broncos provided an SNF classic that could double as a Super Bowl preview. However, many teams suffered tough injuries. Miami RB De’Von Achane and Giants OLB Brian Burns tore their ACLs, Panthers CB Jaycee Horn tore his quad, and Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield dislocated his thumb. Anything can happen in this weird season. With that in mind, let’s check out my week 3 takeaways for the 2026 NFL season to see what we’ve learned!
TNF: Falcons Steamroll Listless Packers in Penix’s Return
With two teams that have candidly not looked good thus far this year, most of the intrigue with this matchup was the return of Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. The former #8 pick rehabbed his third torn ACL of his football life, and he was badly missed. Cooper Rush was putrid, while Tua Tagovailoa (active tonight) was also hurt. Atlanta tried to ease Penix in with a handoff and a screen pass on the opening possession, but that didn’t help. He threw an inaccurate deep ball and then an INT to S Xavier McKinney on his next two attempts. Fortunately for the Falcons, Green Bay was just as inept on offense and went three and out.
Following a 1/5 start, Penix (18/25, 256 yards, TD, INT) really settled down. He had to gain confidence from the running game his backs provided him. Both Robinsons were fantastic. Bijan Robinson (29/194/2; 2/19 receiving) was sensational as always. His skillset is a joy to watch. With the agility to make instant cuts, the speed to break away, and the balance to break tackles and keep going, he is the best pure RB in football for my money. Brian Robinson (10/50/1) also played really well, effectively spelling Bijan. The mere threat of a Penix deep shot seemed to open up the rushing lanes, unlocking the entire offense.
If you can believe it, one 55-yard Bijan Robinson dash set up Atlanta’s first red zone snap of the entire season. That tells you about the Falcons’ offensive futility thus far. Penix found a groove throwing to WR Drake London (9/194) and basically nobody else (Robinson’s 19 receiving yards were the second-most on the team). That’s a pretty good strategy given London’s skill. It worked especially will because Green Bay simply could not cover the man. In fact, they did almost nothing right. Aside from one early drive, the Packers’ home opener featured mistakes upon mistakes, and they didn’t compete beyond the 1st quarter.
Robinson only had his 55-yard run because DE Brenton Cox Jr roughed Penix on 3rd and 11. Falcons DE Zach Harrison blocked a field goal because a missed assignment by the line let him waltz right through. The defense and special teams struggled, but the offense was the worst offender. QB Jordan Love (28/53, 312 yards, 2 TDs, INT) had accuracy issues, but he tried his best. WRs Matthew Golden (5/100/1) and Christian Watson (7/96/1) also had respectable performances (even if aided by garbage time). Love was at a disadvantage though because he had zero threat of a running game to make his life any easier.
Green Bay has run the fewest rushing plays in the league this year, and they attempted just 9 in this game…for 17 yards. The offensive line is devastated due to injuries, and the RBs aren’t good with Josh Jacobs (Commissioner’s Exempt List) out. That’s how you throw the ball out of the back of the end zone on 4th-and-1 at the ATL 7: no trust in the running game. I hedged my bets on GB in my power rankings, but they stink. Even the Jets should’ve beaten them last week. Atlanta, meanwhile, may have a pulse! All it took was a QB who’s not the worst in the league. Let’s see if this continues in two more consecutive primetime games.
Special Teams Sink Bengals, Nearly Ruin 49ers’ Day Too
Offense excites the fans, and defense wins championships. Yet special teams can greatly impact games as well. Ask last year’s Rams about how much the third phase can hurt you. This week, two teams displayed truly abysmal special teams, and it led to a defeat for one of them. In a critical divisional matchup between the Bengals and Steelers, both offenses showed out. The teams traded blows, but Cincy’s ST unit imploded. On one of the rare occasions that the Bengals forced a punt, DE Cedric Johnson roughed P Cameron Johnston. Pittsburgh took the opportunity and quickly scored a go-ahead TD. It got worse.
With a 27-24 lead, Cincinnati forced another punt, but returner Ke’Shawn Williams muffed it. The Steelers recovered at the CIN 14. DT Dexter Lawrence did his best to minimize the damage, sacking Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers. Still, Pittsburgh tied the game and eventually won 30-27. In a 3-point loss, special teams cost the Bengals 10 points. You can do the math there. While improved, Cincy’s defense is not good enough to withstand second chances and sudden changes for opponents. This had better be a blip, or else the offense will have to be perfect every game to win. Just like they have for the past several seasons.
Another supposed contender had a nightmare special teams performance. Hosting the Cardinals, San Francisco already had issues. Specifically, they had more injuries. LT Trent Williams left with a stinger, and WR Mike Evans departed with a rib injury. Regardless, the offense kept humming, especially with trick plays like a hook-and-ladder TD. Fun fact: WR Deebo Samuel, who scored on the play, had 80 yards on 0 catches. How’s that for a stat line? Credit the Cardinals for making a second-half charge, because this didn’t seem like a game for a while. Their pluckiness made the Niners’ ST miscues potentially important.
For some reason, the usually reliable Eddy Pineiro missed two PATs. The guy is nearly perfect on FGs, so the fact that he is less accurate on the shorter extra points is bizarre. Those misses made the game closer than it should’ve been. However, the 49ers also made a worse error. At the end of the 3rd quarter, returner Siran Neal muffed a punt at his own 28, and the Cardinals scored a TD 5 plays later. SF’s offense was on too much of a heater to lose, but 36-30 is much closer of a score than the 49ers’ play warranted. Unlike the Bengals, San Francisco CAN overcome these mistakes…against lower-tier teams like Arizona at least.
Allen Overcomes Bad Day; Maye Becoming a Major Problem
Two AFC East QBs had awful days, but one of them was able to win. That player’s poor game also feels more like a blip than a trend. I’m talking about Bills QB Josh Allen, who looked like the MVP through 2 weeks but fell apart at home against the Chargers. In truth, the entire offense played poorly and committed 5 turnovers, but 3 of those were committed by Allen. Allen (16/26, 204 yards, 2 INTs; 8/22/2 rushing, FUM) salvaged his day with two rushing TDs, but he didn’t pick up chunk gains on the ground or throw the ball well. Credit the LA defense for confusing Allen and sacking him 4 times, but they couldn’t keep him down forever.
Thanks to the Bolts’ own putrid offense, Buffalo trailed by just 3 points through three quarters. The Bills smartly pivoted to RB James Cook (24/154/1, FUM) in the 4th quarter despite his earlier fumble. Buffalo’s defense also had its best showing of the year by far. Again though, that’s more about the pathetic (and now 0-3) Chargers. Allen and Cook led the team to 14 points in the final frame, somehow winning 24-16 with a -4 TO differential. I’m chalking this up to a single bad day for Allen, not a blueprint for stopping him. It’s also much easier to shrug it off and treat it as a learning opportunity when you win and reach 3-0.
Unfortunately, the poor performance displayed by New England’s Drake Maye does not appear to be an outlier. Since last season’s playoffs began, Maye has not been good. Some people actually voted for him to be MVP over Matthew Stafford, but we all knew his success was the product of an easy schedule. Once he faced real defenses, he struggled. New England only reached the Super Bowl because of a CJ Stroud implosion and a Bo Nix ankle fracture. Predictably, Maye failed against Seattle in the Super Bowl and did so again in week 1 of this year. Even in a win over Pittsburgh, Maye did not look like his 2025 self.
His play hit its nadir against Jacksonville this week. Maye (14/25, 199 yards, 2 INTs, FUM) turned the ball over 3 times. He made the Jags focus on the run so that he would have to beat them. He did not. Maye showed the same symptoms as before: pocket discomfort, inaccuracy, and wheels spinning in his brain when trying to make decisions. Things got so bad in the 35-3 blowout that we saw Tommy DeVito (3/5, 30 yards) for a bit. It seems like the league has figured Maye out, and he hasn’t been able to adjust in response. His 2025 play was too good for him to be this bad now. Unless he rebounds, the Pats are cooked.
Brazilian Fans Witness Best International Series Game Ever
I really didn’t want to have to talk about the NFL’s first game in Rio de Janeiro. The field conditions were bad, and I’m on record as someone who opposes these non-US games. Unfortunately, Baltimore and Dallas gave us the game of the week, and it was too special to ignore. Some sluggish play on each team’s first drive belied the fireworks that were about to come out. Baltimore got on track by feeding RB Derrick Henry (24/89/2), while Dallas did what they do best: throw the ball around the field. QB Dak Prescott (25/40, 276 yards, TD) didn’t have exceptional stats, but he played well. And he propelled his team to a 10-0 lead.
Baltimore’s biggest offensive issue was their short-yardage play. Dallas’ beleaguered defense stuffed Henry numerous times in such situations, including three times near the goal line for a turnover on downs. Cowboys RB Javonte Williams (19/98/1) had a much more successful day in that regard. In a fun transition though, both teams needed to rely on the pass, and the WRs delivered. The Ravens got Zay Flowers (5/84) back from injury, while Dallas’ duo of CeeDee Lamb (7/112) and George Pickens (7/82) gave Baltimore fits. Once Baltimore took the lead in the second quarter though, they held it for a while.
It was the goal-line stand by Dallas’ defense that changed the tide. A bomb to Lamb got the Cowboys out of the shadow of their own end zone (the DB slipped on the bad field), and the drive ended with a rushing TD by gadget player and returner KaVontae Turpin. Lamar Jackson (15/20, 186 yards, 2 TDs; 6/50 rushing) wasn’t done though, and his second TD pass regained Baltimore’s lead. With 1:30 left, Prescott brought Dallas to the red zone again, but the Cowboys couldn’t pull off an end zone trip. They settled for an FG to tie the game at 31 with 7 seconds left. That assured us an overtime showdown to decide this awesome game.
Or not. Dallas chose to boot the kickoff through the end zone, setting Baltimore up at the 35. Jackson got aggressive and found Flowers for a 27-yard completion before frantically calling timeout with 1 second on the clock. K Tyler Loop nailed a 56-yard FG, and the Ravens walked off with a stunning regulation victory. It feels like the 35-yard-line touchback rule needs to change. Being able to reach FG range in 6 seconds seems a bit cheap. That said, Dallas could’ve chosen a different kick, and Baltimore still had to execute to perfection. Best of all, the international fans received a fantastic ending to their first taste of NFL action.
Backup QBs Go 3-0 as Spot Starters in Week 3
The old adage says that if you have two QBs, you really have none. In the modern NFL, with all of the injuries that players suffer nowadays, having a second viable passer is critical. One team actually needed 3. Three backups got their first starts of the season for injured QB1s, and they all won their games. In truth, the Giants’ Jameis Winston (14/22, 118 yards) mostly went along for the ride against a lowly Titans team. He didn’t turn the ball over for once, but NYG won 12-7 without ever reaching the end zone. They clearly aren’t comfortable with Winston’s play since they just traded a pick for Vikings bust JJ McCarthy.
The other two QB2 victors had much more to do with their teams’ success. Washington’s Marcus Mariota might legitimately be an upgrade over Jayden Daniels. At least as a passer, Mariota (19/31, 183 yards, 3 TDs) is leagues ahead. Facing the Dark Side defense of the defending champion Seahawks, Mariota threw 3 TD passes and didn’t turn the ball over. Even with Sam Darnold (31/45, 379 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs) returning to start for Seattle and having a mostly good game, Washington hung on for a 33-31 lead. Granted, the Seahawks had 3 safeties out injured, but Mariota deserves credit for the Commanders’ first win.
Doing even better than Mariota, Chicago’s Case Keenum filled in for a concussed Tyson Bagent. Bagent was already the substitute for Caleb Williams, making Keenum the QB3. The 14-year vet was superb against a strong Eagles defense. Keenum (24/34, 247 yards, 2 TDs; rush TD) played fearlessly and made big throws under duress. He overcame a running game that slept through 3 quarters and mistakes made by his teammates like a high-end starter, not a cast-off. Chicago pummeled the Eagles 27-7, and Keenum was a major reason why. Teams shouldn’t make the mistake of leaving him unsigned again this offseason.