NFL Week 3 · Full Performance Analysis
NFL Week 3: A Third-String Quarterback Just Beat the Eagles by 20 [Full Results and Fantasy Scoreboard]
Every result from September 24 to 28, the five performances that defined the weekend, and the complete fantasy ticker in PPR and half PPR.
They were held to a single quarterback sneak by a Chicago team starting its third-string quarterback, a 37-year-old who had not taken a regular season snap since 2023.
Week 3 belonged to the men who were not supposed to play. Chicago’s third-string quarterback beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-7 on Monday Night Football, and in Washington a backup ended the defending Super Bowl champions’ unbeaten run. Neither of those teams had their starting quarterback available. Both won anyway.
Between those two bookends there was a game in Rio de Janeiro decided by a 56-yard kick with one second left, a receiver quietly assembling one of the best three-game openings in league history, and a 35-6 result in New England that nobody saw coming. Here is all of it, with the fantasy math calculated rather than estimated.
The Verdict Board
Chicago beat them 27-7 with a third-string quarterback and held Philadelphia to one touchdown, a Jalen Hurts sneak. Hurts finished 16 of 25 for 153 yards with no touchdown passes, an interception and a 64.2 rating before leaving for concussion evaluation. The Bears forced three takeaways.
The defending Super Bowl champions lost 33-31 in Washington, their first defeat since winning the title and the end of a winning run reported at 12 games. Washington’s defense produced three takeaways including Kain Medrano’s 50-yard interception return for a score.
Fifteen of 20 for 186 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, a 136.7 rating, and a 27-yard strike to Zay Flowers with one second left that set up the winning kick in Rio de Janeiro. He did not need volume. He needed four minutes.
Ten catches, 128 yards, two touchdowns in a losing effort. Six touchdowns through three games puts him alongside Calvin Johnson and Marvin Harrison, and he is the only player besides Harrison ever to open a season with 400-plus yards and six scores.
One game is not a sample. But the Bears put up 375 yards and 27 points without their franchise quarterback and without backup Tyson Bagent, who was not cleared from concussion protocol until Sunday. Ask again when the Jets come to Soldier Field.
Every Week 3 Result
Sixteen games, no byes, September 24 to 28.
| Matchup | Final | The one line that matters |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta at Green Bay (TNF) | ATL 35, GB 14 | Atlanta scored three points in Week 2, then 35 on the road. |
| Kansas City at Miami | KC 24, MIA 10 | Kansas City’s defense held Miami to ten. |
| Cleveland at Carolina | CLE 21, CAR 18 | A three-point road win Cleveland needed. |
| New York Giants at Tennessee | NYG 12, TEN 7 | Nineteen combined points, no touchdowns for Tennessee. |
| Jacksonville at New England | JAC 35, NE 6 | The most lopsided result of the weekend. |
| Buffalo at Los Angeles Chargers | BUF 24, LAC 16 | Buffalo controlled it without needing a shootout. |
| Detroit at New York Jets | DET 31, NYJ 24 | Jahmyr Gibbs scored three times. |
| Indianapolis at Houston | IND 19, HOU 17 | A two-point division game decided late. |
| Seattle at Washington | WAS 33, SEA 31 | The champions lost. Three Seattle turnovers did it. |
| Pittsburgh at Cincinnati | PIT 30, CIN 27 | Three points apart in a division fight. |
| San Francisco at Arizona | SF 36, ARI 30 | Sixty-six points in the desert. |
| Minnesota at Tampa Bay | MIN 23, TB 16 | Minnesota’s defense again. |
| Las Vegas at New Orleans | LV 35, NO 27 | Las Vegas hit 35 on the road. |
| Baltimore vs Dallas (Rio de Janeiro) | BAL 34, DAL 31 | Tyler Loop from 56 yards as the clock hit zero. |
| Denver at Los Angeles Rams (SNF) | DEN 30, LA 26 | Denver took the late one. |
| Philadelphia at Chicago (MNF) | CHI 27, PHI 7 | A third-string quarterback accounted for three touchdowns. |
The Countdown: Five Performances That Defined Week 3
Counting up to the one that will still be talked about in December.
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5Detroit at New York JetsJahmyr Gibbs scored three touchdowns in three different ways of mattering
Ninety-nine rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and a receiving touchdown with 2:25 left that closed the Jets out. Jared Goff threw for 269 yards and two scores while spreading the ball to eight different receivers. Detroit is 2-1.
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4Seattle at WashingtonMarcus Mariota beat the defending champions in relief
With Jayden Daniels out with an elbow injury, Mariota completed 61 percent of his throws for 183 yards and three touchdowns. Terry McLaurin caught a 30-yard score, Rachaad White a 6-yarder, Treylon Burks another. Washington’s defense turned Seattle over three times.
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3Seattle at WashingtonJaxon Smith-Njigba put up the best fantasy line of the week and lost
Ten receptions, 128 yards, two touchdowns, worth 34.8 points in full PPR and 29.8 in half. Per the Seahawks, his six touchdowns through three games match Calvin Johnson and Marvin Harrison, and only Harrison has also opened a year with 400-plus receiving yards. He is on pace to threaten Doug Baldwin’s franchise record of 14.
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2Baltimore vs Dallas, Maracana StadiumTyler Loop won it from 56 yards with one second showing
Lamar Jackson found Zay Flowers for 27 yards to get Baltimore into range, and Loop put it inside the left upright as time expired, redemption after a missed playoff kick last season. Derrick Henry ran for 89 yards and two 5-yard touchdowns and passed Eric Dickerson’s 13,259 yards for ninth on the career rushing list. Dak Prescott threw for 276 yards, CeeDee Lamb caught seven of eight targets for 112 and converted the two-point try, and Brandon Aubrey’s field goal had tied it at 31 before Baltimore needed seven seconds to answer.
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1Philadelphia at ChicagoCase Keenum, third string, 37 years old, three touchdowns
Keenum had not played a regular season snap since 2023. He went 24 of 34 for 247 yards with two touchdown passes, no interceptions and a 110.8 rating, then ran one in himself from a yard out. Kalif Raymond caught six for 90 and a 41-yard score, Luther Burden III seven for 61 and an 8-yard score. Chicago’s defense forced three takeaways and three straight three-and-outs to open the second half. Philadelphia managed seven points.
Fantasy Stock Ticker
Half PPR changes the receiver order but not the top of it. Smith-Njigba drops to 29.8 and stays first among skill players. Raymond goes to 18.0, Burden to 15.6, Lamb to 14.7. Gibbs and Henry are unchanged on their verified rushing lines. Gibbs is listed with a plus because his reception total and receiving yardage were not in the verified line, so 27.9 is his floor rather than his final number.
What It Means for Week 4
The quarterback injury list is the story to track. Caleb Williams is out with a hamstring, Jayden Daniels with an elbow, and Jalen Hurts left Monday night for concussion evaluation. Three starters whose fantasy managers drafted them early, three backups who just proved the surrounding rosters can function. If you are holding any of the three, the handcuff conversation is no longer theoretical.
Smith-Njigba is the least complicated call on the board. Three straight games of 120-plus yards and a touchdown, and a set of opening-month records shared only with Jerry Rice and Marvin Harrison, is not a hot streak you sit. Gibbs is in the same tier after a three-touchdown afternoon. CeeDee Lamb’s 112 yards without a score is the sort of line that looks ordinary in the box and tells you the target share is still exactly where you want it.
Derrick Henry is the interesting one. Eighty-nine yards and two short touchdowns is a workhorse usage pattern, and Baltimore is clearly comfortable handing him the ball inside the five. He passed a Hall of Famer on the all-time list this week and he is still the first read in that red zone.
If you want to wear the week rather than just track it, Planet Euphoria’s numbered football tees cover Lamb, Jackson and Williams. The wider catalog of hand-drawn NFL graphic tees and NFL shirts is worth a look for anyone who would rather not own the same mass-produced print as everyone else in the section. Every design is drawn by hand, printed to order and numbered out of 500.
Week 3 was a referendum on depth. Chicago won by 20 without its franchise quarterback or its backup. Washington beat the champions with a career journeyman under center. Baltimore needed seven seconds and a 56-yard kick in Rio de Janeiro to avoid a second straight loss. The teams that survived September are not the ones with the best starting eleven. They are the ones whose twelfth through twenty-second players can still win a football game.
Three of the players above are hand-drawn, hand-printed and individually numbered in runs of 500, made to order in Schenectady, New York.
CeeDee Lamb
Lamar Jackson
Caleb WilliamsWeek 3 Questions, Answered
Who scored the most fantasy points in NFL Week 3?
Why did Case Keenum start for the Bears against the Eagles?
Who won the Ravens and Cowboys game in Brazil?
Where can I buy hand-drawn NFL graphic tees?
Are Planet Euphoria tees official NFL merchandise?
Game results and statistical lines for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season, September 24 to 28, taken from official club recaps and box score data published by the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, with cross-checks against CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Every passer rating quoted here was recomputed from the official completion, attempt, yardage, touchdown and interception line and matched the published figure. Fantasy totals were calculated in code using standard scoring conventions, 0.04 points per passing yard, four per passing touchdown, six per rushing or receiving touchdown, minus two per interception, 0.1 per rushing or receiving yard, and one or one half point per reception. Where a player’s reception total or receiving yardage was not present in a verified line, the figure is marked as a floor rather than a final total, and quarterback rushing yardage is excluded where individual splits were unavailable. Seattle’s passing line is not quoted because available sources disagreed on the quarterback of record. Week 4 outlooks are editorial judgment, not a statistical model, and are not betting advice.