Minnesota def Cincinnati 48-10
In their first game without JJ McCarthy, the Vikings dominated behind Carson Wentz and Jordan Mason. Wentz threw for two touchdowns, and Mason ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns, but it was really Minnesota’s defense that won the game. The Vikings recovered four fumbles, and they also sacked Jake Browning four times and had two interceptions, with one going back for a touchdown. When Minnesota plays defense like this, they’re hard to beat.
Cincinnati could not get anything done on offense as Jake Browning threw 140 yards and one touchdown. Chase Brown had 10 carries for three yards, which is just unacceptable. The Bengals offensive line is one of the worst in the league, and it is preventing them from creating any offense.
Indianapolis def Tennessee 41-20
Once again, Indianapolis dominated both lines of scrimmage as Daniel Jones threw for 228 yards and one touchdown and also ran for 27 yards. But it was the play of Jonathan Taylor, who had 102 yards rushing and three touchdowns, that helped seal the victory, as he always seems to dominate the Titans. The Colts defense had four sacks as well as an interception for a touchdown.
Tennessee tries hard, but they just don’t have enough on either side of the ball to compete. Tony Pollard ran for 45 yards and a touchdown, but Calvin Ridley was only able to get one reception for 27 yards on seven targets. If the Titans can’t get their top receiver involved in the action, there’s no way they’re going to win games.
Carolina def Atlanta 30-0
This was one of the most shocking results of the entire weekend as Carolina completely dominated this game behind their defense, which had an interception return for a touchdown and pressured Michael Penix repeatedly. Carolina really didn’t have to do much on offense as Bryce Young only threw for 121 yards, but he did have a rushing touchdow,n which set the tone early in the game.
Watching this game makes you wonder whether or not Atlanta is better off with Michael Penix Jr or Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback. Penix had 172 passing yards as well as two interceptions. Bijan Robinson had 72 yards rushing and five receptions for 39 yards, but Drake London was only able to get five catches for 55 yards. Even worse was their vaunted pass rush, which had looked so good against Minnesota last week, and only had one sack of Bryce Young in this game.
Cleveland def Green Bay 13-10
The biggest upset of the entire weekend was the Browns beating the Packers. The Browns defense swarmed Jordan Love the entire game and won in an incredible fashion. The Browns defense had five sacks as well as one interception and pressured Love all game long. Running back Quinshon Judkins was tremendous with 94 yards rushing and a touchdown. Kevin Stefanski has said that Joe Flacco is not in danger of losing his job yet.
Green Bay could not get anything going offensively against the Browns defense. Josh Jacobs had 16 carries for 30 yards. Matthew Golden led the team with 52 yards receiving, but it just wasn’t enough. The Packers played well on defense, but when their offense is not clicking, they lost a game that they should have won. This is one of those games that they will look back on with regret if they don’t get home-field advantage during the playoffs.
Washington def Las Vegas 41-24
Washington dominated behind backup Marcus Mariota, who threw for 207 yards and one touchdown. Mariota also ran for 40 yards and a rushing touchdown. Jeremy McNichols had a 60-yard touchdown run, and Jacory Croskey-Merritt had a touchdown as well. The Commanders defense had five sacks on Geno Smith, which helped seal the victory.
Las Vegas once again could not manufacture much with their running attack. Ashton Jeanty had 63 yards rushing and didn’t have one reception. The player of the game for Las Vegas was Tre Tucker with eight catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns. Brock Bowers only had 38 yards receiving on four catches. When Bowers and Jeanty are not producing, Las Vegas is not good enough to win.
Philadelphia def Los Angeles Rams 33-26
At some point in the third quarter, fantasy football managers were probably screaming at their TV sets as the Eagles refused to throw the football. When they finally had to throw it more in the second half, Jalen Hurts led them with 226 yards passing and three touchdowns. Hurts also had 40 yards rushing and one touchdown. The stars of the game were the Eagles receivers: AJ Brown had 109 yards receiving and a touchdown, and DeVonta Smith had 60 yards receiving and a touchdown. The Eagles really dominated on special teams as they blocked two FGs, including one that was going to win the game for the Rams at the end.
Matthew Stafford played well for the Rams, throwing for 196 yards and two touchdowns, and Kyren Williams ran for 94 yards and also caught a touchdown pass. Davante Adams had 56 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Puka Nacua had 11 receptions for 112 yards. The Rams defense played very well, with four sacks; they just got very unlucky on special teams as Karty’s two field goals were blocked late in the game, which changed the outcome.
Pittsburgh def New England 21-14
While the box score will say that Pittsburgh won this game, it really was New England that lost it. Aaron Rodgers threw for 139 yards and two touchdowns, and Calvin Austin caught a late-game touchdown to seal the win. The Steelers defense had five sacks, and they also intercepted Drake Maye once.
New England has nobody but themselves to blame for this loss. They lost four fumbles, including two by Rhamondre Stevenson, who lost them during critical times. Antonio Gibson also fumbled, and for some reason, they refused to use rookie TreyVeon Henderson, who’s their most exciting player on offense. Hunter Henry led the Patriots with eight receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Stefon Diggs once again was barely used as he only had three targets and 23 yards receiving.
Jacksonville def Houston 17-10
Jacksonville won a very close game at home against a division rival. Trevor Lawrence looked awful as he only completed 20 passes for 220 yards without a touchdown. Brian Thomas Jr couldn’t get anything going, only catching two passes for 55 yards. The good news is that Jacksonville’s defense was tremendous. They intercepted CJ Stroud twice, and they pressured him all game long.
Houston could not do anything offensively. Nick Chubb only had 38 yards rushing, and CJ Stroud threw for 204 yards but had two interceptions. The bright spot for the Texans was Nico Collins, who had eight receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown. It was good to see Christian Kirk back in action, and he will play better moving forward. It feels like Woody Marks needs more opportunities, as he is way faster than Nick Chubb at this point.
Tampa Bay def New York Jets 29-27
Tampa Bay pulled out a close victory, winning by a field goal in the last seconds. Baker Mayfield threw for 233 yards and one touchdown, and Bucky Irving ran for 66 yards and had 33 yards receiving. Mike Evans did have a touchdown, but left the game with a hamstring injury. The biggest problem for Tampa is that their offensive line is awful. They had numerous holding penalties because they were replacing three starters on their OL. Injury Note: Mike Evans left the game with a hamstring issue and will be evaluated on Monday.
The Jets had an admirable comeback and almost pulled off the upset on the road. Tyrod Taylor had 197 yards passing and two touchdowns as well as 48 yards rushing. The Jets best offensive player was Garrett Wilson with 10 receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown, but no other Jets wide receiver had more than two catches. Breece Hall only had 21 yards rushing, but he did have 31 yards receiving.
Los Angeles Chargers def Denver 23-20
Justin Herbert threw for 300 yards as the Chargers led, then fell behind, then came back for the win. Najee Harris left the game with what is likely an Achilles injury. Omarion Hampton looked fantastic with 70 rushing yards and a TD, and also had 6 receptions for 59 yards. The Chargers will need to rely on him moving forward. Quentin Johnston looks like a different player this season as he had 6 receptions for 89 yards, even against the tough coverage from Denver’s secondary.
Bo Nix missed his receivers downfield on three separate occasions that could all have been long TD passes. Nix will look back on the game film and be horrified by his performance. Courtland Sutton led the receivers with 118 yards and a TD. Marvin Mims could have had a huge day had it not been for Nix. JK Dobbins led Denver’s running backs with 83 yards and a TD.
Seattle def New Orleans 44-13
In a game that was never close, Seattle dominated in all phases. Kenneth Walker only had 38 yards rushing but had 2 TDs. Jaxon Smith-Njigba looks like the top receiver in the league and went 5/96/1. Seattle’s defense dominated the line of scrimmage, forcing Spencer Rattler into bad throws all game long.
New Orleans was beaten in every phase of the game. It just goes to show the lack of talent on their roster. Only Chris Olave looked good, catching 10 passes for 57 yards. TE Juwan Johnson had 6 catches on 8 targets and is clearly the second option in this offense.
Chicago def Dallas 31-14
Ben Johnson’s creative playcalling helped lead Chicago to a convincing victory. Caleb Williams faced no pressure and finally had time to throw, completing 19 passes for 298 yards and 4 TDs. Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Luther Burden all caught TD passes, as Williams was able to spread the ball around evenly. This is exactly the way the Bears want to play each week.
Dallas was in trouble from the get-go when CeeDee Lamb left the game with an ankle injury. Lamb tried to return, but after one play left the game and never returned after. Once again, Javonte Williams was incredibly effective, rushing for 75 yards and catching 5 passes. Jake Ferguson picked up the slack with 13 catches for 82 yards. Dallas’ biggest issue is a lack of a pass rush (expected with no Micah Parsons), but their secondary is in shambles as well, and it feels like every team they face will be able to score at-will.
San Francisco def Arizona 16-15
In a hotly contested divisional game, San Francisco eked out a home victory on a last-second field goal. Mac Jones injured his knee and will likely cede the QB job back to Brock Purdy in Week 4. Ricky Pearsall was fantastic with 117 yards receiving, and Christian McCaffrey caught 10 passes for 88 yards to lead the 49ers. DE Nick Bosa left the game with a knee injury and will be evaluated early this week. There is a good chance he misses significant time.
Arizona lost a huge cog to their offense when James Conner left the game with an ankle injury. It did not look good, and he will likely go on the IR. Trey Benson came off the bench and had 42 rushing yards, as he will take over the RB1 duties. Marvin Harrison Jr. had one of the worst drops of his career at a critical moment in the second half. Kyler Murray played well, but his receivers really let him down as this game was there for Arizona to win.
Kansas City def New York Giants 22-9
In a must-win game for Kansas City, the Chiefs went on the road and beat the Giants soundly. It’s not like the Chiefs did anything well offensively, as Patrick Mahomes only threw for 224 yards and 1 TD. Kansas City ran the ball well enough, and the defense sacked Russell Wilson twice and intercepted him twice as well. It’s apparent that Kansas City desperately needs Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice back in their lineup. Worthy is likely to play in Week 4 while Rice is still suspended until Week 7.
It’s easy to see why the Giants were blown out in this matchup. After torching Dallas’ defense last week, Russell Wilson was only able to throw for 160 yards and had 2 INTs. Moreover, the Giants top two receivers, Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson, combined for a mere three catches for 39 yards. The only bright spot for the Giants was rookie RB Cam Skattebo, who rushed for 60 yards and a TD and had 6 receptions for 61 yards. If he can keep playing at this type of level, he could easily become a 4th or 5th round fantasy pick in 2026.
