The NFL looked great in the early window and the football matched it.
Unless you’re a special teams coordinator.
On a dizzying Sunday, the wildest game took place in Philadelphia, where the Eagles won 33–26 on the strength of back-to-back blocked, fourth-quarter field-goal attempts and 26 unanswered points. Jalen Hurts threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns in the second half, with A.J. Brown going for six catches and 109 yards with a score.
Still, none of the offensive effort would have mattered if not for Philadelphia’s special teams, which turned away 36- and 43-yard field goals on blocks by Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Browns won their first game of the season, beating the previously unbeaten Packers despite trailing 10–0 in the fourth quarter. Cleveland scored 13 consecutive points, punctuated by a 55-yard field goal as the clock expired by rookie Andre Szmyt.
But we start in Minnesota, where the Vikings thrashed the Bengals 48–10, led by a defensive effort never seen before in the team’s history.
Good: Isaiah Rodgers had the game of a lifetime
There are good days, and there are great days. And then there’s the day Isaiah Rodgers had.
Coming over from the Eagles on a two-year, $11 million contract this offseason, Rodgers earned a starting spot in Brian Flores’s secondary. Coming into Week 3, he has been on the field for 97.7% of defensive snaps, leading the team.
Rodgers showed why he’s played almost every snap on Sunday in a historic effort.
In the first quarter, Rodgers picked off Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown. One quarter later, Rodgers used former Bear Charles Tillman’s peanut punch to force a Noah Fant fumble. Rodgers then picked up the loose ball and raced 67 yards for another score, making him the first Viking in franchise history to score two defensive touchdowns in a game. He’s also the first player since Samson Ebukam in 2018 to have both a scoop-and-score and a pick-six on the same day.
With J.J. McCarthy on the sideline with an injured hamstring, the Vikings need their defense to step up and create big plays. Against Cincinnati, they accounted for two touchdowns, five takeaways and four sacks, turning an important game into a laugher.
Nobody did more to aid that effort than Rodgers, who looks like one of the free-agent steals of this past offseason.
Bad: Brian Callahan’s long-term job security in Tennessee
The Titans aren’t just struggling at 0–3 after a 41–20 loss to the Colts. They’re playing horrific football, with the coaching matching the output.
Brian Callahan is only in his second season with a team light on talent, but there are no excuses for the errors he continues to make. In Week 1, Callahan didn’t understand that one elbow down inbounds equates to two feet and failed to challenge a key 23-yard reception by Elic Ayomanor in a 20–12 loss to the Broncos.
On Sunday, Callahan once again put his team in a bad spot. With the Titans trailing the Colts 17–6 with 5:39 remaining in the first half, he elected to have Joey Slye attempt a 64-yard field goal. Slye missed, giving Indianapolis the ball at Tennessee’s 46-yard line.
On the next drive, Tennessee faced fourth-and-1 at the Colts’ 39-yard line with 42 seconds left and two timeouts. Instead of trying to pick up three feet and potentially get a late touchdown, Callahan called for another field goal. However, the play clock ran out, and Callahan didn’t get a timeout called, resulting in a delay of game penalty. The ensuing 62-yard field goal attempt was blocked. The Colts turned it into three points before halftime.
It’s one thing to lose with a rebuilding team. It’s another to look incompetent, especially when new general manager Mike Borgonzi wasn’t the one who hired you.
Ugly: The tush push needs to die
The talk all week was about how the tush push would be less effective for the Eagles after several uncalled false start penalties against the Chiefs last week.
Instead, Philadelphia continued to run the play, continued to take uncalled penalties, and continued to succeed. Against the Rams, the Eagles ran it twice on their first drive and converted each time despite obvious infractions.
On the initial effort on fourth-and-1 from the Rams’ 3-yard line, right guard Tyler Steen moved early but was undetected. On the second push, there was another clear false start, but it wasn’t whistled, resulting in a touchdown. The missed calls were confirmed by former vice president of officiating Mike Pereira in the Fox television booth, who stated two presnap calls should have been made.
After the first drive, NFL media reporter Mike Garafolo reported that Rams coach Sean McVay talked with referee Brad Rogers, who then spoke with Eagles coach Nick Sirianni. But the damage was done.
The league isn’t going to ban any play during the season, nor should it. But this will likely be the last year of the tush push. It was almost banned at the NFL owners meetings in Florida this offseason, narrowly surviving after receiving 22 out of the 32 required votes, falling short by two votes to pass the ban. It won’t be so lucky after all this attention when the owners convene in Phoenix come March.
Good: All of the nonoffensive touchdowns
Sunday was a day for defenses and special teams to show up their offensive counterparts.
In the early games, two units primarily asked to prevent points turned the tables, scoring eight touchdowns while also blocking five field-goal attempts. The most consequential efforts were from Rodgers in Minnesota and the pair of blocked field goals in Philadelphia, with Jordan Davis’s block-and-score not only sealing a win for the Eagles but also making many bettors ecstatic (and others crushed).
But there were plenty more with significant consequences.
In Cleveland, the Packers attempted to take a 13–10 lead with 27 seconds left on a 43-yard field goal attempt, only to see it blocked. The Colts also nabbed a pick-six in the first minute of their win over the Titans, with Kenny Moore III intercepting a swing pass from Cam Ward. Indianapolis also blocked a 58-yard effort from Joey Slye, helping it win 41–20 on the road.
In Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers were about to ice a win over the Jets with a 26–20 lead late before Chase McLaughlin’s 43-yard attempt was blocked and returned for a go-ahead, 50-yard touchdown. The Buccaneers ultimately won, however, on a 36-yard kick on the final play.
In Carolina, the Panthers earned their first win of the year with a 30–0 demolition of the Falcons. Leading 10–0 in the third quarter, Chau Smith-Wade scored his first NFL touchdown on an 11-yard pick-six, putting Atlanta in a position it never recovered from.
Finally, the Commanders saw Jaylin Lane return a punt 90 yards for a score, breaking the Raiders’ backs in a 41–24 victory at Northwest Stadium.
Not a bad day for guys who don’t get to do much celebrating in the end zone.
Bad: Rhamondre Stevenson can’t hold onto the ball … and his job?
Last year, Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled seven times. It was a league-worst among non-quarterbacks and caused him a brief benching in October.
Facing the Steelers, Stevenson was the main culprit in New England’s 21–14 loss, fumbling twice, including inside the Pittsburgh 1-yard line while trailing 14–7 in the third quarter. Stevenson also fumbled earlier in the game, losing the ball on the initial drive of the game.
Despite starting the game, Stevenson was given just four carries and lost half of them. After seeing the Patriots draft TreVeyon Henderson in the second round (No. 34 overall), Stevenson’s hold on the starting job seemed about as tight as his grip on the football. On Sunday, Stevenson ranked third in carries with Henderson getting 11 and veteran Antonio Gibson seeing seven, although Gibson also lost the ball on a third-quarter carry.
After losing two fumbles in a game New England could have won under new coach Mike Vrabel, it’ll be tougher to justify giving Stevenson more carries.
Ugly: Chip Kelly needs to figure out his personnel usage
The Raiders are 1–2, and save for a good second half in Week 1 against the Patriots, the offense has been a cause for distress.
Under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the Raiders have young talent to utilize in rookie first-round running back Ashton Jeanty and second-year, All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers. So far, both have been treated as accessories instead of the main engine of the offense.
Through two weeks, Bowers had seen only 16 targets, six less than Jakobi Meyers and five more than Tre Tucker. As for Jeanty, he’d gotten only 30 carries for 81 yards, struggling to get in rhythm with 2.7 yards per carry. In a 41–24 loss to the Commanders, Bowers had four receptions on five targets while Jeanty carried a more reasonable 17 times considering Las Vegas was trailing big early in the second half.
Still, the Raiders ran 62 plays and only attempted to get the ball into the hands of Jeanty or Bowers on 22 occasions. It’s not enough, especially when factoring in the dearth of top-tier talent across the rest of the offense.
Good: Throwback uniforms rule the day
The NFL should always look so good.
On Sunday, the Buccaneers, Patriots and Jaguars all wore their throwback uniforms, and they all looked fantastic. All three teams also went the extra mile, making their fields look period correct with revamped midfield logos and end zones.
Tampa Bay moved off its original look after the 1996 season, and it was understandable considering the Buccaneers won just two playoff games over the first 21 seasons of their existence in that uniform. However, after almost 30 years of going to Pewter Power, it’s tough to argue that the original design with Bucco Bruce isn’t their best.
In Foxborough, the Patriots also went to the way-back machine. New England went with white helmets adorned by Pat Patriot, with end zones reminiscent of the 1980s. The Patriots also changed up the aesthetic after rocking the same uniforms from 1961 to ’92 when the team reached only one Super Bowl and was smoked by the Bears in the 1985 season.
Finally, the Jaguars have gone through multiple iterations of their uniforms. Still, none have been as sweet as when Mark Brunell, Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell took an expansion team to the AFC championship game in 1996. Unfortunately, Jacksonville has tried new looks time and again, only to lose ground.
In the end, the uniforms powered two wins for the Buccaneers and Jaguars, while the Patriots needed a little better execution.
Bad: Texans’ offense doesn’t have enough talent
Since 2015, only one team starting 0–3 has made the playoffs. The Texans will attempt to become the second, but the offense might keep them from doing so.
After scoring 28 points across the first two games, Houston went to Jacksonville and managed 10 in a loss to the Jaguars. C.J. Stroud threw for 204 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions on 5.4 yards per attempt, while the Texans averaged 4.6 yards per play in the defeat.
This offseason, Houston fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and replaced him with Nick Caley, who spent 2015 to 2024 with the Patriots and Rams primarily as a tight ends coach. In his first job calling plays, Caley has been far too conservative in the passing game, with Stroud entering Week 3 throwing for 6.8 intended air yards per attempt, ranking 24th in the league.
In fairness, Caley and Stroud are limited by an offensive line which has allowed eight sacks through three games, putting it on pace for 45. There’s also the limitation in offensive talent, with Nico Collins being the only reliable receiver, as Stroud’s other top targets are Xavier Hutchinson and rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel.
But this is the reality for Caley, who needs to be more aggressive while also figuring out how to unlock Stroud. Since his rookie season of 4,108 yards (273.8 yards per game) and 23 touchdowns against five interceptions, he’s thrown for 22 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while averaging 216.3 yards per game.
Ugly: Matt Eberflus’s defense is a disaster in Dallas
The Cowboys can score points. The problem is they can’t stop giving them up.
Last week, Dallas was able to survive the sieve that is its defense in a 40–37 overtime win over the Giants. But that wasn’t the case at Soldier Field on Sunday, when the Bears scored 31 points en route to their first victory of the year.
While the run defense has been good, holding teams to 3.7 yards per carry, the pass defense has been hideous. Facing the Giants, Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards, including 142 yards for Wan’Dale Robinson and 167 for Malik Nabers. In Chicago this week, the Cowboys watched as rookie second-round pick Luther Burden III recorded his first 100-yard game, highlighted by a 65-yard touchdown on a flea-flicker.
Under Eberflus, Dallas is a heavy zone defense, usually sitting in Cover 2 with a four-man rush. The predictability of the unit has been a significant issue. With the Bears, Eberflus’s defenses ranked 21st and 19th in blitz rate. Through two weeks, Dallas ranks 22nd. But without Micah Parsons, that’s not working. In three games, Dallas has four sacks.
The Cowboys have a host of defensive issues against the pass, and no easy answers.
Good: The Seahawks are rolling with Sam Darnold, Klint Kubiak
The Seahawks scored only 13 points in a Week 1 loss to the 49ers. Since then, they can’t stop scoring.
Against the Saints, Seattle ran up 38 first-half points before cruising to a 44–13 win to run its record to 2–1. Before going into a shell over the final two quarters, the Seahawks averaged 10 yards per play while scoring on every drive. Last week, Seattle scored 24 offensive points in a win over the Steelers, with Sam Darnold throwing for 295 yards and two touchdowns while notching 8.9 yards per attempt.
Under new coordinator Klint Kubiak, Seattle is finding wide-open spaces in the passing game. And while Jaxon Smith-Njigba has predictably been the top target (323 yards on 22 receptions), Seattle has also gotten meaningful contributions from veteran Cooper Kupp. The big question is if nobody else steps up, will good defenses start to double Smith-Njigba and force the Seahawks to go to less-enticing receivers?
There are plenty of questions to be answered. Last year, Kubiak was the OC in New Orleans and saw his team score 91 points over the first two weeks before cratering with the Saints finishing 5–12.
Still, it’s a hot start for Seattle’s offense, and the new combination of Kubiak and Darnold.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Good, Bad and Ugly of NFL Week 3: Eagles Win As Tush Push Controversy Continues .