Week Three in the NFL season was a week of reckoning for quarterbacks. A number of select players proved their worth, cementing a case for them to be the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), while some had their job security called into question. In a sport that revolves around a singular person, we saw the true importance of having a solid quarterback.
With the opportunity to break the NFL single-game points record with a field goal, Miami Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel opted to let the clock run out, accepting the 70-20 victory over the Denver Broncos, who remain winless. The decision was a classy move by McDaniel in what was an embarrassing game for Denver—the Broncos experiment seems to be officially over, even with the addition of Head Coach Sean Payton. Meanwhile, Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who finished going 23 of 26 with 309 yards and four touchdowns, continued to establish his MVP case as he led the Dolphins offense to five passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns in the same game, an NFL first. The Dolphins offense also recorded more than 700 yards of offense, which had not happened since the Rams did so in 1951. Maybe most impressively, the Dolphins did it all without star wideout Jaylen Waddle.
At Lambeau Field, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love started his first game in Green Bay and kept it interesting, mounting a 17-point comeback against the New Orleans Saints, who entered the contest looking to continue their undefeated season.
In Phoenix, the Dallas Cowboys had similar intentions coming into their matchup as the overwhelming favorites against the Arizona Cardinals. That is, until Arizona exposed Dallas’ underdeveloped offense. Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs capitalized on Dallas’ struggles to give Cardinals first-year Head Coach Jonathan Gannon his first win with the team.
With Taylor Swift (tight end Travis Kelce’s rumored girlfriend?) in attendance, the Kansas City Chiefs played all too well against the blank space that is the Chicago Bears. Chicago could only have snatched a victory against the reigning champs in their wildest dreams, falling 41-10 to Kansas City. The Bears’ problems this past week even extended off the field as their Defensive Coordinator Alan Williams resigned. Thankfully, the Broncos ensured that the Bears were not the worst team this week. Unfortunately for football fans around the world, the Broncos and Bears might be a week away from putting on the most disgusting exhibition of athleticism in the history of sports—the two teams face off next Sunday.
In Florida, the Houston Texans upset the Jacksonville Jaguars 37-17 thanks to an impressive performance from rookie quarterback CJ Stroud—20-for-30 with 280 yards and two touchdowns. Many in the league laughed at the Texans after they fought hard in Week 18 last year, beating the Indianapolis Colts only to forfeit their first overall draft spot. But the win over the Colts last season was ultimately more critical than most would have thought; it enabled Houston to select their new leader, CJ Stroud, who became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 900 yards in his first three starts on Sunday.
The Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers faced off with both teams looking to escape a 0-3 start to their seasons after finishing with a winning record in 2022. Luckily for the undermanned Chargers—who were missing star running back Austin Ekeler—the Vikings came up short in the waning minutes of the game, which is an uncommon occurrence for a Minnesota team that was 11-0 last season in one-score games. The Vikings should pick up some momentum next week against the also winless Carolina Panthers.
Sunday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers upset the Las Vegas Raiders in another impressive showing from Pittsburgh’s defense (four sacks and three interceptions). Most important from Sunday night’s game for Steelers fans was that quarterback Kenny Pickett played well, efficiently posting 235 passing yards and two touchdowns on 16 of 28 passing, in a rare showing of offensive proficiency for Pittsburgh.
Looking ahead to Week Four, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins will be facing off in Orchard Park, New York, in an exciting offensive shootout. Miami looks to extend their undefeated season while the Cardinals take on the undefeated 49ers in a true test of their ability after defeating the highly rated Cowboys.
As the season gets underway and strengths and weaknesses are exposed, a few things are becoming clear: The Miami Dolphins have a juggernaut of an offense and are a force to be reckoned with, and the Kansas City Chiefs are still going to be hard to beat. Meanwhile, the race to tank for the top draft pick has kicked off with the Bears, Panthers and Cardinals all in the running for University of Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams. But, count teams out at your own risk. Last year, the Detroit Lions started 1-6 and still managed to go on an 8-2 run to end the season. Which team will emerge from their struggles? Which team will slip down in the standings? And how will Caleb Williams fit into the Bears offense?