16 things we learned: Week Three

Week 3 saw a handful of teams fall to the dreaded 0-3 record that already puts their season in jeopardy, while 5 remain undefeated and are certifying themselves as teams to beat within their respective divisions.

Preme Football have broken down the major storylines and talking points from each of the past weekend’s games into 16 simple paragraphs, so here are the main takeaways from the third week of the regular season.

1) Joey Porter Jr. is helpful, but the Cowboys need even more defensive help

It’s a good thing we held this article back until Thursday morning. It was revealed late on Wednesday night that Dallas acquired Pittsburgh’s star cornerback in exhange for a second round pick in a blockbuster move, which the Cowboys’ defensive efforts in Rio showed was necessary for them. Somehow managing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, they conceded a game-winning drive to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in just 7 seconds, as Tyler Loop kicked the game-winning field goal from 56 yards out. But it wasn’t just those 7 seconds that emphasised the team’s defensive woes. They’ve been going on for a while. The last few years have seen Dak Prescott and the offense needing to score 30+ points every week just to be competitive, which is not a formula that recent Super Bowl champions have been built in accordance with. Trading for Porter Jr. is a major move, but Jerry Jones and the front office will need to continue to be active if they are to be taken seriously in 2026.

2) Todd Bowles may be out within the next fortnight

This is hardly a secret anymore after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to 0-3 at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday. Bowles was already under substantial pressure going into the season as the team had begun to decline last year, and a winless September has done him no favours. While Baker Mayfield’s thumb injury, which is expected to see him miss at least 3 weeks, could be seen as an excuse for Bowles, no one could blame the Buccaneers’ front office for believing the proof is already in the pudding with regards to his future. Tampa Bay host the Green Bay Packers, whose head coach is not far behind Bowles in facing the heat at the moment, this weekend, and another loss could be enough to tip him over the edge.

3) There is no need to rush Caleb Williams back

While Bears fans were certainly relieved to find out during the week that their franchise quarterback’s hamstring injury wasn’t as bad as his initial reaction suggested, they can breathe much easier about what the few weeks without him will look like after seeing Case Keenum’s performance on Monday night. The veteran was unstoppable, throwing for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns against one of the league’s best defenses, as well as running in a touchdown of his own. Keenum wasn’t even expected to be Williams’ replacement at first, only being called up after the Bears’ typical backup, Tyson Bagent, suffered a concussion during his brief stint replacing Williams against the Minnesota Vikings. Nothing official has been reported as to who will get the start against the New York Jets in Week 4, but Ben Johnson would be very brave to demote Keenum after that performance.

4) Bo Nix is far from perfect, but he is made for the big moment

Things looked familiarly bleak for the Denver Broncos’ offense at halftime on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams. No points, no life, seemingly no hope. But as we should have learned from his 7 game-winning drives last season (tied-1st in the NFL), their quarterback sometimes only needs a single quarter to change the game. Admittedly, he was helped by an individual defensive performance that will be hard to beat this year, as Talanoa Haufanga recorded 2 interceptions (1 pick-six), a sack, and 3 passes broken up, but the game still fell in the hands of Nix with 3-and-a-half minutes remaining to go and win it. He did so with the composure of a veteran, scoring the winning touchdown himself. He and his team have had their fair share of critics over the past 12 months, but they shine when the pressure is on.

5) Brock Purdy is Josh Allen’s main threat for MVP

The 49ers’ quarterback has been impeccable through 3 weeks to begin the season. He’s been the focal point of an offense averaging 32.7 points per game, only trailing the Bills’, led by Allen. In the win over the Arizona Cardinals, he added another 297 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. There were plenty of skeptics when he signed a 5-year, $265 million extension back in May 2025, but 3 games into the deal, he looks to be worth every dollar. Most remarkably, Purdy is yet to be sacked this season, which of course has come mostly as a result of strong play from San Francisco’s offensive line, but also his composed pocket presence and continual improvement using his legs to avoid negative plays. The Denver Broncos’ defense will pose a true threat to his MVP credentials this week.

6) Their defense could win championships, but Houston’s offense is making it hard to win games

While the narrative may have been different had Spencer Shrader’s field goal from beyond 50 yards out been no good, it was yet another lacklustre showing from the Texans’ offense on the weekend. They had just 7 points to 3-quarter time, and although their best drive of the game came late in the last quarter to give themselves the lead, it’s been another poor start to the season for this offense. What is most concerning is that superstar pass rusher, Will Anderson Jr., has entered this season on fire, as has the entire defensive unit for the most part, yet it still hasn’t been enough to get a win on the board. Ultimately, without Nico Collins, this team lacks true firepower, and as good as the defense is, they are well and truly staring down the barrel of another loss in competing with the Cowboys’ high-octane offense this week.

7) Atlanta’s offensive skill position group has as much potential as any

It was refreshing to see the Falcons’ core four play together. All selected with top-8 draft picks, Michael Penix Jr., Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and, though relatively unsighted in this particular game, Kyle Pitts Sr., showed the reason why Atlanta’s front office selected them as the future of the franchise. Aided by a strong defensive performance as well, they romped to a 21-point victory in Green Bay, which seemed impossible after their thrasing at the hands of the Carolina Panthers the previous week. Robinson (213 scrimmage yards, 2 touchdowns) returned to his brilliant best, and although Penix Jr. wasn’t perfect on his return, he certainly got the best out of London (194 receiving yards), who had been crying out for any quarterback other than Cooper Rush after a nightmare first fortnight. There’s no reason this team can’t compete for a wide-open NFC South title.

8) Drake Maye’s struggles are a serious problem now

After finishing runner-up in the 2025 season’s MVP voting and leading his team to an unlikely Super Bowl berth, it felt harsh that so many attributed Maye and the New England Patriots’ successes solely to their schedule’s strength. Many had them missing this year’s playoffs immediately upon the revealing of their relatively difficult 2026 schedule. Well, you’d feel pretty good about yourself right now if you were one of those pundits. Through 3 games, the Patriots’ offense has managed just 29 points, with Maye’s touchdown-to-interception ratio sitting at 1-6. They have faced 3 of the league’s best defenses in Seattle, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville, but such awful offensive production simply won’t cut it come January if this team is to contend again. It doesn’t get any easier this week, as they head to Buffalo to take on the red-hot Bills. Maye’s breakout game last year came at Buffalo, can he break out of his slump this time?

9) We might not see Fernando Mendoza in 2026

There is no record more surprising throughout the NFL right now than that of the Las Vegas Raiders, who sit at 3-0. Kirk Cousins, having been brought in to ideally make only a handful of starts and serve as a mentor to Mendoza before handing him the reigns, has returned to his prime self, while Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, who returned on the weekend, are only getting better. Given the lack of receiving talent that jumps off the page from the Raiders’ room, they were given every chance to be in contention for 2027’s first overall pick and enter the Jeremiah Smith sweepstakes, but all of a sudden this is a team with genuine playoff aspirations. Allegiant Stadium will be rocking this weekend as the host the also undefeated Chiefs in potentially the game of the week.

10) Browns fans finally have something to be excited about

Cleveland’s opening week defeat in Jacksonville made it impossible to see them winning any more than a few games this season. Fast forward a fortnight, and they’ve won 2, with a great chance to make it 3 tonight. On the defensive side, Mason Graham has showed every bit why he was selected 5th overall in 2025, while their offensive talent continues to develop and do enough to win games, with Deshaun Watson’s veteran presence shining through in crunch time. The AFC North is as tough a division as any this season, but this team has been known to cause improbable intra-division upsets over the years, and they get a great chance to do so again tonight in hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers on primetime.

11) The Titans need to start winning games

After a valiant defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, the Jaxson Dart-less New York Giants loomed as a good opportunity for Cam Ward and Tennessee to get a win on the board and continue to show improvement. If you were told that the Giants didn’t score a touchdown, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Titans had done just that, but you’d also be wrong. Although they did score the only touchdown of the afternoon, that was all their offense could muster, falling short of New York’s 4 field goals. It felt like a massive step backwards for Ward, in particular, after a positive showing against the Eagles. While year 3 is typically the judgement year for a quarterback drafted into an undesirable situation, Ward (pick 1) looks to have fallen behind Dart (25) and Tyler Shough (40), who were the next quarterbacks off the board in 2025.

12) There’s cause for concern that the Commanders’ offense looks better with Marcus Mariota

This is not an attempt to dull the shine of what was an inspired win against the odds over the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, which injected much-needed life into Washington’s season. But if Jayden Daniels’ inability to stay healthy wasn’t already concerning enough for the long-term future of the team, Mariota outperforming him against the league’s leading defense might be. The veteran got the best out of Terry McLaurin, who was close to unsighted through the first fortnight of the season, and looked in control of the offense all afternoon. Unfortunately, Mariota, who turns 33 this month, isn’t getting any younger. Wins like these will tempt the Commanders’ fitness team to push Daniels to return as quickly as possible and recapture his rookie season form, but the veteran looks good enough to hold down the fort and bide time while they solve his elbow issues for good.

13) The Miami Dolphins will not win a game in 2026

With De’Von Achane suffering a devastating, season-ending ACL injury against the Kansas City Chiefs on the weekend, the life has been sucked completely out of this franchise for the remainder of the year. It felt as though the only way they would have a chance to win this season would have been on the back of a massive performance from Achane, but with a line now through that possibility, every fixture seems an uphill battle. Dolphins fans don’t need to look any further than within the AFC East to see that true rebuilds have paid off in recent years. The New England Patriots were a game away from returning to Super Bowl glory last season, while even the New York Jets are beginning to see the sunny side after a long tenure at the top of the draft. Unearthing true talent remains this team’s priority for the rest of 2026.

14) The Los Angeles Chargers’ season is over

Just 3 weeks in, it’s already time to rule out a team who had genuine Super Bowl aspirations this year. Not only do they sit at 0-3 (the remainder of the AFC West is a combined 8-1), which only 7 teams in NFL history have overcome to make the playoffs, but they managed to lose a game despite winning the turnover battle by 4, which hadn’t been done since 2022, when the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the… Los Angeles Chargers, becoming the first team to accomplish that feat since 2015, when the Denver Broncos defeated the… yep, Los Angeles Chargers. No team finds ways to lose more than this one. Their highly-touted head coach is under immense pressure all of a sudden, and there’s even debate about Justin Herbert’s future with the team. Oh, and they travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks this week.

15) Jahmyr Gibbs is keeping Detroit relevant

This is hardly groundbreaking news, and some credit deserves to go to Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown, who already has 5 touchdowns this season, but the Lions’ running back stands alone as the reason this team sits 2-1 right now, when they could easily be 0-3. Detroit’s defense has proven itself to be paper thin and will not be enough come playoff time should they get there, but most opposition defenses don’t look much better when faced with the proposition of containing Gibbs. He and Bijan Robinson have well and truly established themselves as the games leading backs, and Dan Campbell continues to find ways to get the best out of his superstar. There’s every reason to believe he’s in for another humungous statline in Carolina on Sunday Night Football this weekend.

16) Never write off Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers’ performance in New England looked completely toothless and a few more of them could have very well brought an abrupt end to his career. But one of those certainly didn’t come in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, with Rodgers carving up the Bengals’ defense, who had looked as good as anyone’s to begin the season. Rodgers came close to surpassing 300 passing yards for the first time since 2024 and the Steelers, who continue to find ways to accumulate wins, improved to 2-1. While this still seems almost certain to be his last season, the 43-year-old might have a few timeless performances still to come.

What was your biggest takeaway from the third week of regular season play?