Around the NFL (Week 3): How the rest of the league is doing in the early season

It is hard to believe we are almost finished with Week 3 of the 2019 regular season already. The first few weeks of the season always go by fast, and this year was no exception.

Some marquee matchups from Week 3 included Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens traveling to Kansas City to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Detroit Lions going to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles, and the Sunday Night Football matchup which had the Los Angeles Rams heading to Cleveland to take on the Browns.

This week we saw six interconference games, and the number of undefeated teams drop to just eight. The Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, and Kansas City Chiefs are the eight unbeaten teams in the NFL to date.

Here is your complete list of scores from Week 3.

Final Scores

Tennessee Titans 7 Jacksonville Jaguars 20

Cincinnati Bengals 17 Buffalo Bills 21

Miami Dolphins 6 Dallas Cowboys 31

Denver Broncos 16 Green Bay Packers 27

Atlanta Falcons 24 Indianapolis Colts 27

Baltimore Ravens 28 Kansas City Chiefs 33

Oakland Raiders 14 Minnesota Vikings 34

New York Jets 14 New England Patriots 30

Detroit Lions 27 Philadelphia Eagles 24

Carolina Panthers 38 Arizona Cardinals 20

New York Giants 32 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31

Houston Texans 27 Los Angeles Chargers 20

Pittsburgh Steelers 20 San Francisco 49ers 24

New Orleans Saints 33 Seattle Seahawks 27

Los Angeles Rams 20 Cleveland Browns 13

Stock Up

1. New Orleans Saints

After losing their star quarterback Drew Brees to a thumb injury last week, it was very intriguing to see how the Saints would respond in Week 3. They had to travel to Seattle to take on a 2-0 Seahawks team in Teddy Bridgewater’s first NFL start in over two years. Going into Seattle and winning a game is never an easy task, especially with your backup quarterback, but New Orleans did just that Sunday afternoon. Bridgewater had a solid day, going 19 of 27 for 177 yards and two touchdowns, to go with 161 total yards from Alvin Kamara. The Saints defense played extremely well in the first half, forcing a fumble and returning it for a touchdown, and their special teams returned a punt for a touchdown as well. The final score ended up closer than the game really was, as New Orleans led 27-7 entering the fourth quarter. Despite losing Brees, the Saints showed that are still going to be a tough matchup for any team they face in his absence.

2. Kyle Allen (Carolina Panthers QB)

The Carolina Panthers had an extremely unimpressive start to their 2019 season coming into Sunday’s game. After losing to Tampa Bay last Thursday and falling to 0-2 on the year, Sunday felt like a must win. To make matters worse, quarterback Cam Newton was unable to practice all week due to a foot injury, keeping him out of the game. This meant Carolina had to turn to Kyle Allen, the undrafted free agent who was signed in 2018. Allen was making his second career NFL start, but the former Houston Cougar looked like a ten-year veteran on Sunday. Allen went 19 of 26 for 261 yards and four touchdowns, leading Carolina to a much needed 38-20 win. It will be interesting to see how long Newton’s injury lingers and if the team does not rush him back to give Allen some more playing time.

3. Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans QB)

One of the best matchups of Week 3 was the Houston Texans traveling west to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. Both these teams figure to be fighting to make the postseason all year long, so this early meeting carried some extra weight. After a rough Week 2 against Jacksonville, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson responded in a big way on Sunday. The former Clemson Tiger went 25 of 34 for 351 yards and three touchdowns. Watson did all this despite being under constant duress all day long. The Texans still have serious issues on their offensive line, but made up for it by getting pressure on the opposing quarterback Philip Rivers. To do what Watson did against a solid defense like the Chargers is impressive, and this victory could be a big one for the Texans moving forward.

Stock Down

1. Cleveland Browns Offense

Coming into the 2019 season, the Cleveland Browns had as much hype around their team as anyone in the league. An offense featuring Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham, and Jarvis Landry looked ready to set the league on fire, but so far it has looked more like a dumpster fire. Last night against the Rams the Browns offense struggled once again. Mayfield was under constant pressure all night, forcing him to roll out of the pocket and throw off his back foot. They only allowed three sacks on the night, but it easily could have been six to eight if Mayfield was not so elusive. Beckham and Landry together totaled nine catches for 118 yards, but neither was able to find the end zone. Mayfield also finished with a QBR of 64, completing just 50% of his passes. If the Browns want to make the postseason, they have some clear work to do fixing their offense.

2. The Philadelphia Eagles

A 3-0 start for the Dallas Cowboys combined with a 1-2 start for the Philadelphia Eagles is music to every Cowboys fan’s ears as we wrap up Week 3. So far the Eagles, who were favored by many to win the NFC, have not lived up to the part. Against the Lions on Sunday the Eagles continued to struggle in many different ways. Philadelphia receivers dropped seven passes on the day, their offensive line gave up constant pressure, and their defense allowed 20 points in the first half. All in all, not a very good day. Even after losing to Atlanta last weekend, this seemed like a game Philly should win fairly easily, but it turned into the exact opposite. Things don’t get any easier for the Eagles, as they have a short week before they take on Aaron Rodgers and the 3-0 Green Bay Packers.

3. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens QB)

Through the first two weeks of the 2019 season, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson looked like an MVP candidate. The second-year man was dropping dimes and looked night and day better than he did last season. The only problem was, Jackson was facing the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals. When he got his first real test of the season on Sunday in Kansas City, it did not go so well. Jackson went just 22 of 43 for 267 yards and no touchdowns, fishing with a QBR of 54.1 on the day. After taking a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, Jackson and the Ravens offense was not able to get anything going, being outscored 30-7 in the second and third quarters. It remains to be seen if Jackson can play up to the level we saw in week one and two against more formidable opponents.

Key Injuries

1. Saquan Barkley (RB New York Giants)

It was not all good news for the New York Giants this weekend. Daniel Jones had an outstanding NFL debut, leading hem to a 32-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the win came at a cost. New York lost their star running back, Saquan Barkley, to an ankle injury during the game that looks to keep him out several weeks. The latest reports have it at four-to-eight weeks.

2. Keanu Neal (Atlanta Falcons Safety)

Atlanta Falcons safety Keanu Neal suffered another tough injury on Sunday. It is believed Neal tore his Achilles, which will force him to miss the rest of the season.

3. T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis Colts WR)

T.Y. Hilton was pulled from the Colts-Falcons game on Sunday after he tweaked his quad. The severity of the injury will be determined this week after he undergoes some testing.