The Miami Dolphins scored 70 points in Week 3. The Washington Commanders scored three points. Such is the dichotomy of the NFL landscape. Some teams are rocketing into the stratosphere, other fast-starters are falling rapidly back to earth.
The Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints were both 2-0, but no more. The Minnesota Vikings, preseason favorites to win the NFC North, fell to 0-3. The Buffalo Bills, meanwhile, are right back in the contenders circle, while the New York Jets have followed up their improbable Week 1 victory with two depressing losses.
Whether you find yourself rooting for Zach Wilson or Patrick Mahomes, there's plenty to write home about as NFL Week 3 unfolds. Here are your updated winners and losers from around the league.
NFL Week 3 winner: Tua Tagovailoa (and Mike McDaniel, and the Dolphins' offense)
Tua Tagovailoa is the NFL MVP after three weeks. There's a long way to go and he will face stiff competition from Patrick Mahomes, but no player has been up to par with the Alabama product so far. The led the Dolphins to a commanding 70-20 victory on Sunday, completing 23-of-26 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns. He completed 16-of-16 passes in the first half.
Miami's offense is the best in football. Mike McDaniel has that group firing on all cylinders; the machine is finely tuned and well-oiled. Whatever positive car metaphor you can think of, it applies to Miami's offense. Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill are psychically connected. Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane were responsible for eight touchdowns out of the backfield (!!!). It's unfathomable.
Tyreek Hill is making an earnest attempt to reach 2,000 yards through the air, so maybe he deserves some MVP love too. But Tagovailoa is the conductor, constantly placing Miami's elite playmakers in prime positions to succeed. If he can come close to maintaining this pace for another 14 weeks, we know who the next MVP trophy will belong to.
NFL Week 3 loser: Sam Howell
So much for the upstart Commanders. Sam Howell entered the game with a 3-0 career record, throwing only one interception in three starts. The Commanders were undefeated, with the look of a potential sleeper in the loaded NFC East.
Well, the Buffalo Bills put any such tomfoolery to bed. Buffalo won 37-3 as Josh Allen ran circles around Washington's second-year signal caller. Howell tossed four interceptions, quintupling his career total while completing 19-of-29 passes for a paltry 170 yards.
Washington still has time to rebound and a two-win cushion from the early weeks, but it would appear that Howell's transition into the full-time starting role is destined for a few bumps in the road.
NFL Week 3 winner: Travis Kelce
Let's get this out of the way. She actually showed up.
The Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce buzz has been palpable in recent weeks, but there was never any hardline proof that Kelce had actually won over the pop megastar. Well, now there's no more dancing around the obvious truth. Swift is in attendance for the Chiefs' Week 3 bout with the Chicago Bears, and she's sitting with Kelce's mom.
Travis hinted at his invitation earlier in the week, but who could've guessed such a prominent Week 3 seat for the 12-time Grammy winner? What the future holds, nobody can know. But it's clear Kelce has the attention of the nation's most popular recording artist.
NFL Week 3 loser: Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars opened the season with an impressive 31-21 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Buzz grew around Lawrence as a candidate to break into the top tier of NFL QBs, with the Jags — fresh off a wild card berth — profiling as genuine sleepers in the winnable AFC South.
Well, the AFC South is still winnable, but the Jags have lost two straight (while the Colts have won two straight to claim first place). Jacksonville played host to division rival Houston in Week 3 and the result was ugly. The Jags were stomped, 37-17, on their home field. Lawrence completed 27-of-40 passes for 279 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the loss. Not terrible, but certainly not future MVP-type numbers.
The Jags are not taking the leap most fans expected. The Texans were 0-2 entering this contest and rookie C.J. Stroud was allowed to post an efficient 280 yards and two scores on the Jacksonville defense. If Lawrence and company don't turn around the ship, and quickly, Doug Pederson will need to start changing up the game plan.
NFL Week 3 winner: Cleveland Browns
Both literally and figuratively, the Cleveland Browns are Week 3 winners. A commanding 27-3 victory over the Tennessee Titans is enough to spark optimism, but it's especially uplifting after last week's disastrous loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers — a game that brought about the season-long absence of star runner Nick Chubb.
Deshaun Watson put together his best game of the season, completing 27-of-33 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. The Browns couldn't find a one-for-one replacement for Chubb in the backfield, but the committee of Pierre Strong Jr., Jerome Ford, and Kareem Hunt was enough to keep the chains moving.
Cleveland is 2-1 with a couple huge wins now. The AFC North is anybody's to win and the Browns look the part of a potential contender.
NFL Week 3 loser: Desmond Ridder
He's bad, folks. The Atlanta Falcons somehow managed a 2-0 start to the season, featuring a remarkable comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers last week, but the Detroit Lions put a stop to the ATL celebration on Sunday. The Lions' defense completed shut off the Falcons' run game and Desmond Ridder could not muster success through the air.
Before the season, Atlanta fans were hopeful that Ridder's efficiency and game management skills would be enough to allow a loaded collection of playmakers to thrive. Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, Drake London, Tyler Allgeier. The Falcons aren't short on offensive talent. And yet, Ridder can't even make the simple plays half the time. The juice he displayed during Cincinnati's college football playoff run has not carried over to the professional game.
The Falcons are 2-1 with a real shot to win the reliably shoddy NFC South but don't mistake poor competition for team quality. The Falcons' offense is not good enough to accomplish anything of note with Ridder under center.
NFL Week 3 winner: Zack Moss
The Colts entered Week 3 with a lot going against them. Jonathan Taylor is on the PUP list, which still feels like an unofficial holdout, and Anthony Richardson was out with a concussion, setting the stage for All-American journeyman Gardner Minshew at QB. The Baltimore Ravens, meanwhile, have an MVP candidate at QB and were 2-0 coming into the game.
Indy got the win, in large part due to the contributions of new RB1 Zack Moss. He took over lead back duties in Week 2 and scrambled for 88 yards and a touchdown. Moss built on that success with an even more impressive performance on Sunday afternoon, notching 30 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 23 yards and another TD.
Indy has won two straight to claim first place in their division. With Moss looking like one of the best backs in the country, the absent Taylor is quickly losing bargaining power. Whether JT gets traded or not, it's hard to imagine Moss not factoring into Indianapolis' game plan for the rest of the season.
