The Patriots and Cowboys dominated overwhelmed opponents. Patrick Mahomes continued to dazzle. The Vikings are back to their winning ways.
Here is what we’ve learned so far from Sunday’s games:
Kansas City Chiefs 33, Baltimore Ravens 28
1. The reigning NFL MVP stays hot. Patrick Mahomes led another explosive second quarter, in which the Chiefs (3-0) scored 23 straight points to open up a lead they would hang onto late. Mahomes continues to dive-bomb defenses with huge plays. Today it was rookie Mecole Hardman who blasted off for an 83-yard touchdown. Mahomes spread the ball around to eight receivers, including seven times to Travis Kelce, who was repeatedly open over the middle, for 89 yards. Mahomes’ mastery of Andy Reid’s offense keeps even good defenses off balance, and he can score from any platform from anywhere on the field. Mahomes 374-yard passing day gives him 1,195 through three games — on pace for a redonkulous 6,373 yards. With the performance, Mahomes passed Hall of Famer Kurt Warner for the most 300-plus passing yards in a QB’s first 20 games with 13. Even when the Chiefs‘ offense gets bogged down at times, Mahomes’ unique ability to explode at any moment is the NFL’s greatest advantage going.
2. Lamar Jackson couldn’t find the range deep throughout Sunday’s loss. The second-year quarterback missed a bevy of shots early and overthrew Marquise Brown multiple times as the Ravens got down big early. Credit Jackson and running back Mark Ingram (103 rushing yards, 3 TDs) with helping the Ravens (2-1) battle back to make it a game late, but the miscues in the passing game hurt Baltimore early. Jackson’s 51.2 completion percentage on 43 attempts was his lowest in a regular-season game in his young career — only game lower was last season’s playoff loss (48.3). Outside one beautiful deep shot to Brown late in the game, Jackson’s wayward long balls zapped some of the dynamic play-making we’d seen from Baltimore’s offense through two games. The Chiefs‘ D also did a great job bottling up Jackson’s run (8/46, long of 9 yards). Off the bat, Ravens coach John Harbaugh signaled that he knew he’d need to keep up with Mahomes. Harbaugh repeatedly went for fourth downs in the first half (converting two of three) and attempted three two-point tries, all of which failed. Some might question Harbaugh’s aggression, especially going for two, but the coach stuck to his game plan coming in against the most explosive offense in the league.
3. LeSean McCoy is getting back in synch with Andy Reid. Starting for injured Damien Williams, McCoy looked spry early after entering with an ankle injury. Shady galloped for multiple chunk gains, including a 25-yarder to open up the second half. A dual-threat ideal for Reid’s offense, McCoy generated 54 yards on eight carries (6.8 average) with a TD, and added 3 catches for 26 yards and another score. McCoy exited early in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. Darrel Williams took over and ripped off a 41-yard run setting up a key field goal late. In classic Reid fashion, Williams caught a perfectly executed screen-pass call to earn a first down to ice the game. The lesson: Andy Reid is a gawd at generating RB production.
— Kevin Patra
New England Patriots 30, New York Jets 14
1. It was a punt that ended the first drive of the game for the Jets and the Patriots responded with a nine-play, 88-yard touchdown drive. Tom Brady was a sensational, if not standard, 7-for-8 on the drive, with a 41-yard hook-up to tight end Ryan Izzo mixed in. And then Sony Michel ran in for a 5-yard score. That was it, the predicted rout was on, ending with the Patriots besting the Jets, 30-14, in a game far more one-sided than the two-score final margin. The Patriots (3-0) scored touchdowns on each of their first three drives of the game, a Stephen Gostkowski missed PAT serving as the only blemish to an otherwise sterling start against the depleted Jets (0-3). Along the way, Brady threw two touchdowns to give him 524 for his career, untying him with the injured Drew Brees for the second-most career TD passes. As Sunday morning dawned, the now-former Patriots wideout Antonio Brown tweeted up a storm of discontent, but the Patriots prevailed despite two week’s worth of distractions as they seemingly always do. Perhaps emblematic of just how well things are going for the Patriots came in the news of a streak’s conclusion. An incompletion to receiver Phillip Dorsett in the third quarter broke a streak of 26 straight targets to Dorsett resulting in a completion, per NFL research. The randomness of the Patriots dominance is perplexing. Julian Edelman left Sunday’s game with an injury, but X-rays are negative, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Josh Gordon was sidelined twice, but returned and made a phenomenal sideline catch. It’s a familiar storyline.
2. Perhaps it’s come against sub-par opposition, but it really matters not as results are results and dominance is dominance and that’s what the Patriots defense has displayed over the first three games of the season. The defense still hasn’t allowed a touchdown through three games as the Jets found the end zone twice late on Sunday via special teams and defensive scores. A muffed punt recovered in the end zone by the Jets snapped the Patriots‘ run of 86 straight points scored dating back to the third quarter of their opener against the Steelers. It was also the first touchdown scored against New England since last season’s AFC Championship Game. So far, the Patriots have pummeled opponents by a combined 106-17 tally. Devin McCourty has interceptions in every game so far. Led by Jamie Collins (seven tackles, two sacks), the Patriots allowed only 105 yards of Jets offense. Everyone’s contributing and the Patriots are rolling along in emphatic fashion. A first-place showdown against fellow undefeated Buffalo awaits in Week 4. Thereafter, games against the Redskins, Giants and another versus the Jets await. Translation, don’t expect the Patriots‘ one-sided ways to wane.
3. Injuries and illness have more or less colored Gang Green’s three weeks of driving the struggle bus. It’s hard to judge Le’Veon Bell‘s contributions with the Jets having used three starting quarterbacks in as many games and opposing defenses so easily being able to key on him. However, what could become a factor for a team riddled by injuries is Bell’s workload. On Sunday, he was bottled up by the Patriots‘ defense, garnering only 35 yards despite a game-high 18 carries. He also had a team-high four catches. That ups his touches to 76 over three losses. Bell’s hardly looked like his Steelers-self, but placing the blame on him considering the setting would be foolish. Nonetheless, only time will tell how long he can keep this up even though it’s clear the Jets offense is all about him.
— Grant Gordon
Minnesota Vikings 34, Oakland Raiders 14
1. So far so healthy, and so far so outstanding for Dalvin Cook. Leading the league in rushing entering Week 3, Cook rattled off his third consecutive 100-yard game to start the season as he led the Vikings past the Raiders. Cutting past would-be tacklers and running through them when needed, Cook sparkled for Minnesota (2-1) with 16 carries for 110 yards and a 1-yard second-quarter score as he spent much of the final stanza on the sideline in a blowout victory with a smile on and his helmet off. Having already set a career-high with four touchdowns, his 375 yards rushing have eclipsed his rookie tally of 354. That was when the NFL world briefly glimpsed what could be for the running back and for the Vikings with him as their engine. Injuries derailed him in 2017 and 2018, but so far so healthy for Cook. And so far so outstanding, just ask the Raiders (1-2).
2. Amid all the noise that he flounders under the pressure of the big game, Kirk Cousins continued his NFL-best streak of 19 straight games with a touchdown pass and put together a fine performance. Complimenting a terrific team victory against an overmatched opponent will not silence critics, but Cousins captained a squad that looked every bit as brilliant with its overall superiority as it did in a Week 1 blowout of the Falcons and every bit the opposite of the struggling squad it became in a Week 2 loss to the Packers. Cousins had a 174 yards, just six incompletions, one TD throw and a 112 passer rating. He was good. The Vikings were great. Their running game (which included Alexander Mattison adding 58 yards and a TD in 12 carries) was outstanding. Cousins’ will be judged by how he performs in big games until he clutches up in one, but for now and yet again, he did his job and did it well and the Vikings won. Thus, well all goes to plan, the Vikings, with Cousins at the helm, are an impressive team.
3. The autumn wind has been a struggle for the Raiders since a Week 1 Monday night triumph. A week after tallying but 307 total yards in a loss to the Chiefs, the Raiders mustered only 302 yards of offense against the Vikings. It took a little razzle-dazzle, but a Derek Carr-to-J.J. Nelson 29-yard score on a flea-flicker ended the Raiders‘ scoreless drought of four-plus quarters in the second quarter. It was already too late, though. The offense of Jon Gruden, who was a perfect 4-0 against the Vikings in his previous coaching life, couldn’t find a rhythm and the defense was ground down by the Vikings‘ ball control and rushing attack. Tight end Darren Waller had 13 catches on a whopping 14 targets for 134 yards, but it was reminiscent of last season when Jared Cook put up solid numbers but the offense as a whole was insufficient. With a late TD throw to Tyrell Williams, who played despite a painful hip-pointer, the offensive numbers looked better in the box score than it really was. NFL nomads who began the first of five straight games (over six weeks) away from Oakland (including a home game in London), the Raiders are sputtering on offense and showing no signs of remedying their ills.
— Grant Gordon
Detroit Lions 27, Philadelphia Eagles 24
1. The Lions are unbeaten. How good they are might be clearer next week when they host the Chiefs. But they managed to knock off the Chargers at home and the Eagles in Philly in consecutive weeks, this after tying the Cardinals. Of course. Sunday’s road win didn’t come easy, even though Detroit led for the final 44 minutes. The Eagles had two possessions in the final three minutes, the latter starting at midfield after Malcolm Jenkins blocked a field goal. The Lions D didn’t allow a first down on either drive, with a little help from the Eagles. With less than a minute to play, Wentz dropped a dime on fourth-and-15 to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside inside the Detroit 5, but it bounced off the rookie wideout’s hands.
2. The Eagles knew life wouldn’t be easy on offense without Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson. Losing tackles Jason Peters and Andre Dillard in the first half further complicated matters. A Nelson Agholor fumble, which Darius Slay picked up and returned 38 yards, put Philly in an even bigger hole in the first half. The Eagles would rally, thanks to two TD passes from Wentz to Agholor. Philly’s QB was sacked three times and under constant duress while completing 19 of 36 passes for 259 yards. Rookie running back Miles Sanders had 126 yards from scrimmage, but fumbled twice, losing one of them.
3. The Lions manufactured another win without a star turn on offense. A week after scoring 13 points, Detroit got on the board before Matthew Stafford took the field as Jamal Agnew returned a kickoff 100 yards. Stafford was neither efficient (18 of 32) nor spectacular (one TD, 201 yards) but guided two 75-yard TD drives in the absence of a run game. Marvin Jones showed he’s still capable of being a go-to target, hauling in six passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, which gave the Lions a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
— Adam Maya
Indianapolis Colts 27, Atlanta Falcons 24
1. Everything went right for the Colts (2-1) in the first half and it was enough to hold on for the win. Coach Frank Reich designed an impressive game plan and Jacoby Brissett executed it perfectly. The QB picked apart the zone defense and made it look easy. Wideout Zach Pascal‘s 18-yard touchdown in the first quarter capped off a 93-yard drive for the Colts. It was their longest TD drive since Week 3, 2017 when they went 97 yards for a touchdown, per NFL Research. Brissett was also the QB for that drive. He finished the game with 28-for-37 for 310 yards and two touchdowns. And after three weeks, Brissett put his name among NFL legends Peyton Manning and Johnny Unitas as the only Colts with a 115-plus passer rating in two fo the first three weeks of the season.
Side note: After two weeks of struggles, Adam Vinatieri went 2 for 2 in field goals and nailed all three extra points.
2. Without Darius Leonard, the Colts defense did its job. The Colts held the Falcons to 152 yards with just three points in the first half. Matt Ryan threw his sixth interception of the season. He only had seven interceptions last season and didn’t have his sixth until Week 14, per NFL Research.
3. The first half was brutal for the Falcons (1-2) but the second half was the exact opposite. If it wasn’t for penalties and missed tackles, the Falcons could have won this game. Matt Ryan‘s 13-yard touchdown to Austin Hooper was the drive they needed to start the second half. The Falcons controlled the ball from there. Ryan found Hooper again in the fourth quarter to cut the Colts‘ lead by one score. But then the penalties took over again and the Falcons kept missing opportunities to get the Colts offense off the field. A touchdown by Julio Jones in double coverage wasn’t enough to win the game. The Falcons finished the game with 16 penalties for 128 yards.
— Lakisha Wesseling