Week three in the NFL was another thriller as six teams grabbed a first win of the season, four tasted their first defeat and we were treated to some frantic finishes.
The Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Rams got off the mark and piled more misery on the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers respectively after contrasting comeback attempts.
The previously winless Denver Broncos beat the previously unbeaten Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the previously hapless New York Giants pulled off an unexpected victory in Cleveland.
Even the much-maligned Carolina Panthers grabbed a win – beating a Las Vegas Raiders side that produced a stunning comeback victory in Baltimore just last week.
The Kansas City Chiefs moved to 3-0 and the surprising Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings are also unbeaten behind their fearsome defences that continue to dominate.
Ravens run riot in Dallas & Rams stun Niners
Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson combined for 238 rushing yards and three touchdowns as the Ravens ran the ball 45 times out of 60 plays to expose the Cowboys’ glaring weakness against the run.
Quaterback Jackson has led his team in rushing for the past five seasons but having Henry now means the NFL’s two-time most valuable player does not have to do it all himself. Henry had his 12th career game with 150 yards and two TDs – just one off Jim Brown’s all-time record.
Dallas did conjure up 19 fourth-quarter points out of nowhere and after Baltimore blew a 10-point lead last week the nerves were there, but the Ravens deserved their first win of the season, holding on for a 28-25 victory.
Like Dallas, San Francisco also lost back-to-back games despite bouncing out to a 14-0 lead against the injury-hit Rams, who bagged a dramatic 27-24 victory after a chaotic final few minutes.
Jauan Jennings had a monstrous 175-yard, three-touchdown game for the Niners, who had big injuries themselves, and Kyren Williams got a hat-trick for the Rams as they joined their rivals with a 1-2 record after a late Williams score and even later Joshua Karty field goal.
Chiefs defence hangs on in Atlanta
Patrick Mahomes threw two TD passes but the Super Bowl champions had to rely on defence to get over the line in a tense 22-17 battle against the Atlanta Falcons to move to 3-0.
Mahomes was not at his best and Travis Kelce had another quiet game, but the defence bailed them out with two late stops as the Falcons kept knocking on the door.
Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris may be regretting not kicking a late field goal as they failed to score a TD from six yards out, but matching the champions throughout is a good sign for them going forward.
Defence leads for unbeaten Steelers, Vikings & Seahawks
The other three sides to go to 3-0 on Sunday are a bit more of a surprise, but the defensive units at Pittsburgh and Minnesota in particular mean they are both now teams to be feared.
The Vikings earned their biggest win for five years with a 34-7 dismantling of the previously unbeaten Texans. CJ Stroud was intercepted twice and sacked four times in a one-sided contest.
TJ Watt continues to lead a stingy Steelers defence that has now allowed just 26 points in three games after a 20-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Mike Tomlin’s side have reached the play-offs after all three previous 3-0 starts and with back-up QB Justin Fields having his best game of the season they could only just be warming up.
The Seattle Seahawks are the first team to start 3-0 and allow under 150 passing yards in each game since 1979, but they were helped by the Miami Dolphins having to use their third-choice QB in their 24-3 defeat.
Eagles sink Saints, Packers the real deal
The Philadelphia Eagles responded to last Monday’s painful loss in Atlanta by bottling up a New Orleans Saints attack that had scored 91 points in two games, to win a 15-12 defensive struggle in the Superdome.
Three touchdowns came in the fourth quarter after just three points were scored before then – with Saquon Barkley showing why the Eagles brought him in with a game-breaking 65-yard touchdown run the first of his two scores.
Despite losing their opener to the Eagles, the Green Bay Packers still look like serious contenders after back-up quarterback Malik Willis led them to a 30-14 victory at the Tennessee Titans.
Titans quarterback Will Levis was mauled by the Packers defence, who sacked him eight times and grabbed two interceptions as Green Bay continue to win without star man Jordan Love.
NFL Week three round-up
Carolina’s controversial decision to bench former number one overall pick Bryce Young paid off, as journeyman replacement Andy Dalton became the first quarterback this season to have a 300-yard, three-touchdown game to lead the Panthers to their first win of the campaign.
Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce was furious with his side’s poor reaction to last week’s thrilling win, but the Panthers did not care one bit as they ran away with a 36-22 victory.
The New York Giants fumbled the opening kick-off to go behind in the first 11 seconds in Cleveland, but rookie receiver Malik Nabers’ two touchdown grabs helped them to a 21-15 comeback win.
Nabers looks a star in the making as he became the first player to catch more than 20 passes for over 250 yards and three or more touchdowns in his first three career games.
Bo Nix got his first win as Denver Broncos quarterback in their victory over Tampa Bay. Caleb Williams threw his first touchdown passes but the Chicago Bears lost at the Indianapolis Colts and the Detroit Lions got back on track with victory at the Arizona Cardinals.
NFL Week 3 results
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Kansas City Chiefs 22-17 Atlanta Falcons
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Baltimore Ravens 28-25 Dallas Cowboys
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San Francisco 49ers 24-27 Los Angeles Rams
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Detroit Lions 20-13 Arizona Cardinals
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Carolina Panthers 36-22 Las Vegas Raiders
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Miami Dolphins 3-24 Seattle Seahawks
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Green Bay Packers 30-14 Tennessee Titans
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Denver Broncos 26-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Los Angeles Chargers 10-20 Pittsburgh Steelers
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Philadelphia Eagles 15-12 New Orleans Saints
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Houston Texans 7-34 Minnesota Vikings
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Chicago Bears 16-21 Indianapolis Colts
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New York Giants 21-15 Cleveland Browns
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New England Patriots 3-24 New York Jets
