Overreactions in NFL Week 3
Lorenzo Reyes from USA Today has categorized the biggest NFL stories from week 3.
Seriously sports
- Five backup QBs played on Sundays, most of which were won.
- Nine non-aggressive TDs scored on Sunday, with the weekends the most in five years.
- Seven games were decided in the final three minutes. One weekend is unusual.
32 things we learned from the third week of the 2025 NFL season:
0. The number of rushing TDSs recorded by Green Bay Packers RB Josh Jacobs on Sunday beat an 11-game winning streak (including the playoffs) that scored at least once on the ground, the sixth-longest in league history. Jacobs, who humiliated his injuries, averaged 1.9 yards on 16 carries and had the worst output of his seven-year career with at least 12 attempts, as the pack was shocked 13-10 by the Cleveland Browns.
1. The Minnesota Viking players scored two defensive touchdowns in one game, with CB Isaiah Rogers becoming a founding member on Sunday. On the day, the league’s most dominant Mr. Rogers returned an 87-yard intercept for a score and brought back 66 yards to another on a 48-10 blowout for the Cincinnati Bengals. For the proper method, Rogers caused two fumbles, including one he returned, disbanding two passes. He is the first player since 2000 to have two TDs and a forced fumble in the same game. You can also honor the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
2. The number of backup quarterbacks is losing on Sunday. New York Jets Tyrod Taylor and Cincinnati Bengals Jake Browning were unable to pick up the looseness of injured Justin Fields and Joe Barrow, respectively.
3. The number of backup quarterbacks who won Sunday, Vikings Carson Wentz, Washington commander Marcus Mariota and San Francisco 49ers McJones all fill in the WS of injured JJ McCarthy, Jayden Daniels and Brock Purdy respectively.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers is ranked solo for TD pass (510) fourth in league history (510) after beating his tie with Brett Fabre (508) on Sunday. Rogers has a way to catch the third Peyton Manning (539) on the list.
4a. Also on Sunday, Rodgers was sixth in league history to surpass Philip Rivers by passing yards (63,538).
5. Speaking of “backup” quarterbacks, Kirk’s cousin of the Atlanta Falcons has made $27.5 million this season and appears to remain one for now, despite taking over the highly ineffective second-year QB1 Michael Penix Jr. on Sunday.
6. The number of undefeated teams, chargers, bills, Colts, 49ers, Eagle and Bucks all improve to 3-0.
6a. The number of teams reaching Week 4, the Texans, Jets, Titans, Dolphins and Saints are all set to 0-3, with the Giants or Chiefs being placed on Sunday night.
7. The number of games up to Sunday afternoon of the third week was determined by the final 2 minutes and 30 seconds, with a 30-second limit. This is why we see it!
7a. According to the NFL, seven games in Week 3 (no overtime) that produced a game-winning score in the last three minutes is the most tied in a week since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
8. Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams endured his (natural) share of criticism. But he matched his best career on Sunday’s show props – perhaps his best career matched, when he matched his career with four TD passes, creating a personal best rating of 142.6 passersby on the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 beatdown. Maybe he’s about to take off with rookie coach Ben Johnson.
9. Number of non-aggressive touchdowns scored on Sunday – five through defense, two punt returns, two blocked field goal tries. It’s the most in a week since 2020.
10. Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson and Cincinnati’s Jammer Chase – the catch by former LSU teammates is probably the league’s two best receivers and a strange, biased matchup between teams deploying backup QBs.
11. Steelers’ OLB TJ Watt had six consecutive games, including the playoffs, but ultimately won the first two of the season in a 21-14 loss by the New England Patriots on Sunday. Previously, Watt had no bagless streak of more than three games in his nine-year career.
12. Speaking of bags, Washington Commander LB Bobby Wagner spent two Sundays on Sunday in a 41-24 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, if they were in the future Hall of Fame. Pass Rush Impact is not Wagner who ultimately puts Wagner in Canton, but this was the fifth time in his 14-year career that Blitzer, typically effective in the game, had multiple sacks.
13. Buffalo Bill is the number of consecutive regular-season games that have won at Highmark Stadium back to the 2023 season, which is currently the longest home heater in the league. The perennial AFC East Champion is not much news for the rest of the meeting as they are on track to gain a home field advantage in the playoffs this season in the building’s final season.
14. Even if Electric Daniels and RB Austin Ekeller lose the season, Washington ran for 201 yards on the committee on Sunday.
15. They weren’t necessarily impactful, but Raiders WR Tre Tucker caught three TD passes from Genosmith, who lost to Washington on Sunday. Tucker already has five in 2025, combining totals – totals – from his first two NFL seasons.
16. The number of wins Wentz has been credited since the start of the 2020 season. Even more noteworthy, since then he has started six different teams in each of the past six years – Super Bowl era (since 1966) – making a (very) successful debut (very) successful debut (very) successful debut (very) successful debut (173 yards, 2 TDs pass) on Sunday in a victory in Browning Bengal.
17. “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” If only Al Michaels had beaten the Los Angeles Rams in the Philadelphia Eagles 33-26 comeback. Not only did Philadelphia score a second nail bitter past the LA-Rams, but it almost disrupted the Eagles in the division round of the playoffs at Lincoln Financial Field in January – a 336-pound DT Jordan Davis’s 61-yard TD run allowed Philadelphia to cover the point following a block of field goal attempts wearing the Rams’ game…
18. Davis’ block came to another person’s heel by teammate Jalen Carter. The Eagles became the first team since at least 1978 to block FG’s pair try in the fourth quarter of the same game.
19. The Jets won their first victory with rookie HC Aarong Len, taking a 27-26 lead in under two minutes to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Del Will MacDonald IV blocked his own field goal attempt and paid for the dirt by returning 50 yards.
20. The number of drives the Indianapolis Colts took to punt in the end is the most to start the NFL season. And speaking of 20, it was a lovely punt by Indy’s Rigoberto Sanchez. He dropped 46 yards within the Tennessee Titans’ 20-yard line.
twenty one. Number of total penalties for 205 yards for the Bucs-Jets game (14 by Tampa Bay).
twenty two. Unfortunately, the Jets didn’t have enough juice to win the Todd Bowls Bowl. The Todd Bowl drove 48 yards in the final seven plays and set the 36 yard FG with a gun that won the Chase McLaughlin game.
twenty three. Presumably Sunday’s dense shaving was due to the white throwback of Tampa Bay’s “creasicles” and was last worn in 1976 – when the Extended Bucs finished 0-14.
twenty four. Tampa Bay has started 2-0 each of the last five seasons, including all four of the Bowles, and is 3-0 for the first time since 2005.
twenty five. But Taylor (197 yards, 2 TDS, 6 picks, 48 rushing yards for the team) – 15th year vet had his first start since 2023. The duo were teammates for the Browns in 2018, when Mayfield was the No. 1 pick in the draft that year.
26. Not-to-See-to-See Rookie Watch: No. 1 Pick Come Ward appears to be overmatched for the Tennessee Titans, throwing a pick 6 early and being plundered four more times for the winning team. This is the life of a young QB trying to lift the frail franchise…but the 85 sack pace ward remains very worried.
27. Not-To-See-To-See Rookie Watch: No. 2 Pick Travis Hunter played 80 more snaps (43 per PFF) and created six tackles, but caught one ball for 21 yards as a receiver. Again, I’m not going to pick him here, but he doesn’t show the type of influence on either side of the ball. But let’s give hunters (many) more time.
28. Not-To-See-To-See Rookie Watch: No. Six-pick Ashton Janti rushed for 63 yards on 17 carries in Sunday’s defeat. It’s easily the best show of his three games, and this tells us how it’s going so far.
28a. Jeanti’s previous NFL experience can be described as “boisey to man.”
29. A watch from a lot of people’s rookie? Some of what Cleveland got to give up the picks used by Jacksonville in this year’s draft, Browns RB Quinshon Judkins, and Hunter, ran for 94 yards and TD on Sunday, running his second NFL game after the offseason, where his second NFL game caused attention he didn’t want. However, he currently has 155 rushing yards after two games.
30. A watch from a lot of people’s rookie? Seattle Seahawks WR Torrey Horton, 166th This year’s draft pick scored at a 95-yard punt return and a 14-yard reception in a 44-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Horton has already found the end zone three times in three NFL games.
31. The match against the Jets, which permanently revived last season’s 1980s look, was not the only team in a throwback or alternative uniform.
32. Also included are the Panthers (black helmet), Browns (debuts in all brown “Alpha Dawg” looks), the Jags (returns in “Prowler”), the Patriots (pat Patriot throwback), Saints (debuts in alternative white helmets), and the 49ers (throwback).
32a. The Baltimore Ravens are on the All Black kit Monday night. It’s a highly anticipated matchup against the Detroit Lions, and they’re 20-6 in their alternatives.
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