Two teams that began the year unbeaten finally stumbled this week: the Seattle Seahawks’ 12-game winning streak was halted by the Washington Commanders, and the Cincinnati Bengals also saw their perfect start end in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Buffalo Bills nearly joined the list of winners but rallied past the struggling Los Angeles Chargers despite three turnovers by Josh Allen. The Las Vegas Raiders also completed a comeback to remain undefeated.
A few squads are pleasantly surprising — the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants sit at 2-1 — while some preseason favorites are already searching for answers, like the 0-3 Houston Texans and the 1-2 New England Patriots. Below are my Week 3 hot takes.
Los Angeles Chargers / Justin Herbert
The Chargers’ defense produced its best showing under new coordinator Chris O’Leary, breaking Josh Allen’s streak of 190 regular-season attempts without an interception by picking him off twice (both by rookie Genesis Smith). Buffalo also fumbled three times, giving the Chargers five total takeaways, yet L.A. only converted those opportunities into 10 points. The offense managed just 13 points and went 1-for-4 in the red zone. Since Jim Harbaugh took over in 2024, his teams are 20-2 when they reach 20 points — a mark the Chargers haven’t hit in their three games with Mike McDaniel calling plays. Herbert is off his usual standards, showing career lows in completion percentage (59.3%), passer rating (71.6) and average passing yards per game (200.5). In the game’s decisive moments he forced a risky throw to Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the end zone that C.J. Gardner-Johnson intercepted, setting up Buffalo’s go-ahead score. Despite stout defense, a strong running effort (131 yards on the ground) and some defensive turnovers, mistakes, penalties, dropped passes and a missed field goal by Cameron Dicker cost the Chargers. Bottom line: Not an overreaction — you can’t expect to win when the defense provides five takeaways but the offense fails to protect the ball and execute.
Drake Maye / New England Patriots
Drake Maye has struggled badly to start the season. After a poor showing versus Seattle, he added two picks and a lost fumble in a 35-6 loss to Jacksonville and now leads the league with six interceptions while throwing only one touchdown through three games. His passer rating (58.6) ranks last among qualifying quarterbacks. Conclusion: Overreaction. Maye’s protection has been shaky, he’s missing top targets (A.J. Brown is out with an ankle injury), and young quarterbacks sometimes benefit from a short developmental pause — as Bryce Young did under a coach willing to give him time to learn. The Patriots do have veteran options like Tommy DeVito and the team previously sheltered Maye behind Jacoby Brissett; but Maye is the franchise plans to build around, and riding out this rough patch while he learns is likely the better path than benching him immediately.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys — Defenses Will Need to Improve
Dallas owner Jerry Jones’ annual hype hasn’t been reflected by defensive consistency: the Cowboys still struggle to tackle and have trouble stopping the run. Baltimore brought in Jesse Minter to improve its defense, but the Ravens have given up roughly 26 points per game through three weeks. The teams met in Brazil in a 34-31 game decided by a last-minute 26-yard pass to Zay Flowers that set up a 56-yard game-winner. Dallas recorded a goal-line stop but surrendered 192 rushing yards; Baltimore gave up 415 total yards, including 148 rushing. Conclusion: Not an overreaction — both defenses need clearer identity and better execution if these teams want to contend deep into the season.
Kansas City Chiefs — Are They the Best Team?
With the Bills scraping out a win at home and the Seahawks and Bengals dropping road games, Kansas City’s unbeaten start reinforces the argument they’re the NFL’s top team right now. The Chiefs found ways to win even when they weren’t at their best; Kenneth Walker III had a solid showing with 73 scrimmage yards and two scores, and Kansas City’s defense has been stingy, allowing only about 252.5 yards per game (third-best in the league). Conclusion: Not an overreaction — an easier early schedule helps, but Patrick Mahomes’ efficient, MVP-level play nine months after a season-ending ACL injury is the main reason Kansas City looks like a legitimate title contender.
Denver Broncos / Davis Webb
Davis Webb, promoted to offensive coordinator with play-calling responsibility, has had an uneven start. Denver didn’t reach the end zone against the Rams until the middle of the third quarter, and the offense struggled to move the ball early, finishing with 257 yards in the win. The unit found a second-half rhythm, scoring 23 points to secure a comeback. Conclusion: Overreaction. Sean Payton has been one of the league’s most respected play-callers, and short-term struggles could reignite discussion about him retaking play-calling duties. Webb will need to sustain consistent offensive production to silence that narrative.
Pittsburgh Steelers / Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers looked vintage in Pittsburgh’s 30-27 win over Cincinnati, throwing for 292 yards and three touchdowns (one interception). The Steelers opened the field more vertically, recording multiple plays of 20-plus yards, and Jaylen Warren rushed for 127 yards on 17 carries. Pittsburgh sits tied atop the AFC North with Cleveland at 2-1. Conclusion: Overreaction. The performance is encouraging, but it’s too early to declare a long-term turnaround; Rodgers must keep finding explosive plays — particularly to DK Metcalf — to make the offense reliably dangerous.
Las Vegas Raiders — Playoff Contender?
The Raiders’ 35-27 win in New Orleans was their most impressive victory to date after opening the year with wins over the Dolphins and Chargers. Starting Kirk Cousins over Fernando Mendoza has paid off: Cousins is efficient in Klint Kubiak’s scheme and threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns in New Orleans, giving him nine scores on the season. Las Vegas finally put up 35 points, ending a 39-game stretch without hitting the 30-point mark. Conclusion: Not an overreaction. If the Raiders keep playing this way they’re a realistic postseason threat. They’ve been generating turnovers (second-most entering Week 3) and have a dominant edge rusher in Maxx Crosby; more importantly, Kubiak’s cultural reset has players buying in.
Fan Take:
This stretch of uneven results and surprising performances matters because it shows how quickly the league can shift — a few breakouts or slumps change division races and playoff outlooks. For fans, that unpredictability keeps every Sunday meaningful and highlights the importance of coaching, depth and in-season adjustments in shaping contenders.
Source: www.foxsports.com
