NFL Week 3: Takeaways, questions, fantasy spin for Sunday's games - ESPN

Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season featured shocking performances in the early window Sunday, including another turnover-filled afternoon by Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and a three-touchdown performance by Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota also led the team to a huge upset over the Seahawks.

Elsewhere during the early window, the Steelers got the best of a shootout versus the Bengals. The Giants defeated the Titans without starting quarterback Jaxson Dart, while the Browns won their second straight game.

The late window was filled with close games, with all four contests separated by a touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter. The Ravens-Cowboys matchup was the most exciting of the bunch in Rio de Janeiro, ending on a time-expiring, winning field goal by Baltimore's Tyler Loop. The Sunday night game was a classic, with the Broncos overcoming a 16-point halftime deficit to stun the Rams in the final minute in Denver.

Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for teams that played Sunday. Fantasy football analysts Matt Bowen and Tristan Cockcroft also have fantasy takeaways from each matchup. Let's get to it.

Jump to:
LAR-DEN | BAL-DAL
LV-NO | MIN-TB | ARI-SF
SEA-WSH | CAR-CLE | CIN-PIT
TEN-NYG | LAC-BUF | HOU-IND
NYJ-DET | NE-JAX | KC-MIA

Catch up on Thursday's game:
ATL-GB

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Another wild comeback in the books, but can the Broncos continue to survive their chronic slow starts? The Broncos are 2-1 despite the first halves of their first three games being an exercise in offensive pain. The Broncos were held scoreless in the first