NFL Week 3: Takeaways, questions, fantasy spin for Sunday's games - ESPN

NFL Nation Sep 28, 2026, 12:27 AM ET

Close NFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.

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Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season featured shocking performances in the early window Sunday, including another turnover-filled afternoon by Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and a three-touchdown performance by Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota also led the team to a huge upset over the Seahawks.

Elsewhere during the early window, the Steelers got the best of a shootout versus the Bengals. The Giants defeated the Titans without starting quarterback Jaxson Dart, while the Browns won their second straight game.

The late window was filled with close games, with all four contests separated by a touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter. The Ravens-Cowboys matchup was the most exciting of the bunch in Rio de Janeiro, ending on a time-expiring, winning field goal by Baltimore's Tyler Loop. The Sunday night game was a classic, with the Broncos overcoming a 16-point halftime deficit to stun the Rams in the final minute in Denver.

Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for teams that played Sunday. Fantasy football analysts Matt Bowen and Tristan Cockcroft also have fantasy takeaways from each matchup. Let's get to it.

SEA-WSH | CAR-CLE | CIN-PIT

TEN-NYG | LAC-BUF | HOU-IND

NYJ-DET | NE-JAX | KC-MIA

Catch up on Thursday's game:

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Another wild comeback in the books, but can the Broncos continue to survive their chronic slow starts? The Broncos are 2-1 despite the first halves of their first three games being an exercise in offensive pain. The Broncos were held scoreless in the first two quarters Sunday night and have scored only 10 first-half points this season. The defense held Los Angeles to 1-of-3 in the red zone in the first two quarters, keeping the Broncos close enough for a second-half offensive surge. All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga had two interceptions, a pick-six and the game-sealing pick on the final play, but this penchant for close calls might come back to haunt Denver.

What to make of the QB performance: Bo Nix continues to show two personalities. He was out of sorts in the first half, completing 6 of 12 passes for 53 yards and nearly threw an interception. Same quarterback, different story in the second half. Nix once again bounced back despite a second-half interception. The Broncos scored on two of their first three possessions of the second half to tie the score after trailing by 16 points, and Nix led Denver to the winning score with 47 seconds left, capping a 65-yard drive with a 1-yard QB sneak for a touchdown. -- Jeff Legwold

Next game: at 49ers (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

Will Puka Nacua's return fix the Rams' red zone woes? The Rams' offense moved the ball well in the first half against the Broncos, gaining 273 yards, but struggled to convert in the red zone. The Rams were 1-of-4 in the red zone Sunday, with the lone score coming on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to tight end Tyler Higbee near the end of the first quarter. On the other two drives, the Rams had to settle for field goals. Nacua has missed the past two games but is expected to be back for Week 4 against the Eagles.

Key stat to know: In the first half, Davante Adams had four catches for 71 yards on five targets when matched up against Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, whom Adams called "one of the best DBs in the league." Adams gained 71 yards in the first half, the most Surtain has given up before halftime in his career, according to ESPN Research. Adams finished the game with seven catches for 137 yards. -- Sarah Barshop

Next game: at Eagles (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

Fantasy football takeaway: Kyren Williams has had back-to-back games with 34 more rushing yards than expected and at least 15 fantasy points, strengthening his role as the Rams' primary back after Blake Corum totaled 22 carries in Weeks 1-2. Williams remains a weekly fantasy RB2, even with the Eagles up next. -- Cockcroft