The Plays That Stood Out In Week 3, From A 'Meatball Sub' To Lamar Jackson's Game-Winner

Well-executed football was in short supply across the NFL in Week 3. But, as always, the slate provided plenty of drama. The Bills rallied from a double-digit hole to avoid an upset against the Chargers; the Ravens and Cowboys gave football fans in Brazil quite the show; and the Broncos, with some help from the refs, knocked off the Rams with late defensive heroics. All three games turned on pivotal fourth-quarter plays, from Justin Herbert's poorly timed interception to Lamar Jackson's last-second pass to Zay Flowers and Talanoa Hufanga's pick-six. As always, we’ll dive into the strategies, the matchups, and everything else that created those memorable moments – along with what those moments mean for the future. Tom Brady just has a way with words, I guess. A week after sending the internet into a frenzy by calling a Dak Prescott throw a "piss missile," he used a more PG descriptor for Justin Herbert’s fourth-quarter interception in Sunday’s loss to the Bills. "There’s a safety in the middle of the field," Brady said. "Poor awareness, poor decision. Throws him a meatball sub." It’s never good when the greatest quarterback of all time is comparing your throws to Italian sandwiches. This was a new low for Herbert in a season full of them. So what, exactly, did Herbert see before serving up that meatball sub to C.J. Gardner-Johnson? Here’s the all-22 angle of the interception, which took points off the board for the Chargers and set up Buffalo’s go-ahead drive. Herbert wasn’t asked about the play after the game, so we’ll have to do some guesswork. Herbert’s eyes go to Gardner-Johnson, and he sees the Bills safety turn his hips toward the sideline. It looks like Gardner-Johnson is bailing to the deep half, and Buffalo is rotating into a Cover 2 look. In theory, Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s post route would be open against Cover 2, which leaves the deep middle of the field vacated. But as soon as Herbert’s eyes left Gardner-Johnson, he changed direction and worked back to the middle of the field, taking away that route. It’s unclear whether the Bills were actually playing Cover 2; either way, Gardner-Johnson made a heady play baiting the throw. And, either way, Herbert has to do a better job holding the safety with his eyes, since there's no deeper route to the right to pull Johnson out of the middle. Herbert (wrongly) assumes the deep middle is wide open and tosses up a meatball sub that Gardner-Johnson devours for a momentum-swinging play. The takeaway: The Chargers' deep passing game is a mess. Herbert is 1-for-12 with three interceptions on deep pass attempts this season. There have been some drops, and receivers are struggling to separate, but Herbert has also served up a few sandwiches. L os Angeles has had no issues moving the ball, but the lack of explosives and the repeated blunders in enemy territory have prevented the offense from taking off like everyone expected before the season. This play was a good microcosm of the issues. The play design doesn’t stretch the safeties to open up the deep middle; the Chargers are relying on a receiver who was just signed off the street; and Herbert makes a disastrous decision while trying to do too much. Seven seconds. That’s all Lamar Jackson needed to get the Ravens from their own 35-yard line into range for Tyler Loop’s game-winning kick. Here's how he did it. As easy as Jackson makes it look, that’s a remarkable throw. Per Next Gen Stats, the pass traveled 36.4 yards in 1.6 seconds. Based on my back-of-the-napkin math, that works out to a 46-MPH throw. As much as I’d like to heap praise on Jackson for the game-winning effort, the Cowboys' defense really botched this one. Some have blamed deep safety Alijah Clark for the coverage bust, but he’s actually doing his job by retreating downfield. The blame falls squarely on two Cowboys defenders who were nowhere near Zay Flowers when he caught the ball. The first culprit is safety Marquise Bell, who’s playing the "robber" role for Dallas. The robber’s job is to help with in-breaking routes over the middle, which Bell does—he just picks the wrong route to help on. Bell latches onto Mark Andrews, who’s running a crossing route that’s about 15 yards short of field goal range. With only seven seconds on the clock, Andrews didn't pose much of a threat, and Bell didn't need to jump his route. That put our second culprit, Caleb Downs, in a tough spot. Once Bell takes Andrews, Downs becomes the new robber. Downs needs more depth to get into deeper passing windows. Instead, he parks himself around midfield and is in no position to help on the routes behind him. Reddy Steward, the cornerback responsible for Flowers, expects help inside and plays with outside leverage. Could he have been tighter to Flowers? Absolutely, but his teammates left him out to dry. The takeaway: The coverage was poorly executed on the field, but this epic failure ultimately falls on first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Man coverage, with just one deep safety, is a bold call in that scenario. And if the young Cowboys secondary lacks the situational awareness to take up a deeper position, Parker should have gone with a more conservative call, like a soft zone. Over three weeks, this Dallas defense has played like a poorly coached unit. Parker was brought in to clean up last year's mess and help out the offense. That hasn't happened and the 2026 Cowboys look an awful lot like the 2025 version of the team. Let’s stay on the subject of coaches not putting their players in a good spot to succeed. Only in Denver, Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga found a way to make a play for his team despite his defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph, putting him in a precarious situation. Hufanga’s game-changing pick-6 of Matthew Stafford came on a play where he was left to fend for himself in a two-on-one situation. The Broncos sent an all-out blitz on third-and-6 and disguised it by lining up a safety in the deep middle. With only Hufanga lined up over the two receivers to Stafford’s right, the Rams quarterback assumed one of the potential blitzers on the line of scrimmage would have to drop into coverage. That didn’t happen. Denver sent the house and asked Jones to come out of the deep middle to cover one of those receivers man-to-man. Stafford recognized it instantly and targeted Kyren Williams’ quick out route. Quick outs are typically a good answer against the blitz, with defenders often playing with inside leverage to guard against quick slants and in-breakers. So, this was a bit of an I-know-you-know situation. Hufanga knew Stafford would be looking for the quick out against the blitz and fell off his original assignment to jump that route. Hufanga made a similar play to seal the win. With the Rams needing a touchdown and only seconds on the clock, the Broncos sent another blitz, leaving the secondary in man-to-man coverage across the board. Knowing Stafford would likely target Davante Adams, Hufanga left his man and made a break on the ball to pick it off and end the game. "Your [thought] is, ‘best player on the field, they’re trying to get him the ball," Hufanga said after the game. "So I kind of left my coverage and just went over there and made a play." The takeaway: After a rough start to the season, this Broncos defense is rounding into championship form. Zach Allen was the hero in the Week 2 win over the Jaguars. This week, it was Hufanga, who also had a key third-down sack in the fourth quarter. Joseph has an ideal collection of plays to run his chaotic brand of defense. When this unit is at its best, even the league's most experienced quarterbacks can struggle to figure out what they’re seeing. Next week’s matchup against the 49ers and the league’s hottest quarterback, Brock Purdy, will be a real test. The Broncos defense looks up to the challenge. 1. NFL teams should be running more lateral plays like the one the 49ers used to score an 82-yard touchdown on Sunday. That play inspired me to look into how effective those plays are, and the results are stunning. I excluded desperation plays in the dying moments of a game or half and focused on lateral plays called in more typical situations. I found 25 of them dating back to 2021. Those plays have averaged 18.9 yards and resulted in 15 first downs. Almost all of them have come in second- or third-and-extra-long situations. Ben Johnson has been the tactic's biggest advocate. The Lions ran the play five times over his three seasons as offensive coordinator, and he used it once last year in Chicago. Kyle Shanahan had used it once before Sunday’s game. In last year’s loss to the Jaguars, Christian McCaffrey picked up a first down on second-and-16 after receiving a lateral from Ricky Pearsall. Maybe Sunday’s big play will convince Shanahan to lean into the strategy a bit more. After all, Purdy is now averaging 56 yards per attempt on those plays. 2. The Jets lost in Detroit on a sack-fumble by Geno Smith, but the veteran quarterback was hardly to blame. New York's protection broke down, giving Lions safety Chuck Clark a clear path to Smith. So who was to blame? It looks like left guard Jordan Meredith caused the bust. The Jets are sliding three linemen to the left, with running back Braelon Allen working away from the slide. With six in protection, the Jets should have enough to pick up Detroit’s pressure. Instead, Meideth gets hung up on the defensive tackle and pins center Josh Myers inside. Myers and Allen both end up on Jack Campbell, leaving Clark unblocked. 3. As FOX Sports’ Joe Davis observed during Washington’s upset of Seattle on Sunday, Marcus Mariota looked like Peyton Manning orchestrating the Commanders' offense at the line of scrimmage. Seahawks coach Mike MacDonald noticed it too, and credited Mariota’s pre-snap checks for making the difference. Mariota's most important change came on the final drive. With the Commanders facing a third-and-9 and holding onto a two-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Seattle’s defense lined up in a blitz look with seven defenders on the line of scrimmage. Mariota had seen this look before. Earlier in the game, Seattle aligned the same way on second-and-long, and Mariota checked into a run that went for a 48-yard touchdown, but an illegal formation penalty negated it. Mariota made the same check on the key third-down play. This time, Washington lined up correctly, and Rachad White ran for 19 yards to pick up a key first down. A few plays later, Mariota iced the game with a zone-read keeper.

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Monday Morning NFL Top 10 Rankings: Undefeated Teams Shoot Up The Rankings

There are six undefeated NFL teams. Most of them aren't major surprises, but no one saw one of them coming. The Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles (who play on Monday night against the Bears) and San Francisco 49ers aren’t surprises. The Minnesota Vikings are talented but had some major question marks entering the season. Their 3-0 start is nowhere near as surprising as that of the Las Vegas Raiders. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been impressive through three games, and he powered a win over the Saints on Sunday. Below are my top-10 rankings ahead of Eagles-Bears, which will close Week 3. The Ravens’ improbable international win spotlighted the warts and blemishes on a team with enough talent to make a Super Bowl run. The defense’s inability to deliver in the clutch was overshadowed by QB Lamar Jackson’s late-game heroics, but the unit must close out games in the fourth quarter against elite squads. Although the two-time MVP is built for those moments, the defense should be able to come through in the fourth quarter, with a star-studded unit loaded with playmakers. After rallying back against the New Orleans Saints, the Raiders must be viewed as playoff contenders under Klint Kubiak. The offensive wizard has revived quarterback Kirk Cousins with his magical play calls and schematic sorcery. With tight end Brock Bowers returning to the lineup and giving the Silver and Black an explosive weapon in the passing game, the Raiders have enough firepower to topple the league’s middleweights on the way to a 10-win season that earns them a ticket to the postseason dance. Trevor Lawrence & Co. continue to dazzle in front of the home folks, with a 35-6 drubbing of the Super Bowl runner-up Patriots. The MVP finalist efficiently picked apart New England's soft coverage, with a series of "dimes" to Parker Washington, Brenton Strange and Jakobi Meyers. The trio’s chemistry and connection with Lawrence is one reason the Jaguars have scored at least 34 points in their past six home games. Bo Nix’s penchant for clutch, fourth-quarter performances gives the Broncos a chance to beat any opponent. The third-year QB's 11 game-winning drives and nine fourth-quarter comebacks showcase his ability to perform with the game on the line. With the Broncos knocking off the preseason Super Bowl champs in a late-game shootout, the haters and skeptics are forced to give the Broncos’ QB1 his props as a premier closer. After dropping a game to a winless Commanders squad playing a backup quarterback, the Seahawks tumble down the charts after the stinker even after the return of Sam Darnold. The turnovers, mental errors and faulty execution that cost the Seahawks in Week 3 are the only things that could derail their title run. The Eagles have two wins by a margin of just six total points and need to take care of the Bears, who will be without injured QB Caleb Williams on Monday. But with veteran QB Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley leading the way, Philly is a gritty squad that looks well-positioned to make another title run and silence the haters. Brock Purdy is quietly creeping into MVP consideration. His stellar Week 3 performance against the Cardinals — he completed 15 of 27 passes for 297 yards with four scores — pushed his passer rating to a jaw-dropping 125.6, which puts him near the top of the charts. As the fifth-year pro settles into his role as a pass-first point guard for a veteran-laden squad, the 49ers’ offense is becoming a well-oiled machine. San Francisco's diverse passing game complements a punishing rushing attack, with running back Christian McCaffrey installed as the feature playmaker. The 2026 Vikings are gritty and never pretty, but their unblemished record speaks volumes about their toughness and resilience. Brian Flores’ defense pummels opponents into submission with a barrage of blitzes and simulated pressures that leave quarterbacks dazed and bewildered. Although Kevin O’Connell will need QB Kyler Murray and the offense to help knock off the heavyweights down the road, the Vikings’ suffocating defense can win games without a ton of points on the board. Don’t look now, but Patrick Mahomes & Co. are back in business as title contenders. The three-time Super Bowl MVP continues to carve up opponents with surgical precision despite posting pedestrian numbers as a passer. As Mahomes rounds back into form with a dominant running back by his side in Kenneth Walker III, the Chiefs suddenly look like the formidable squad that the league feared throughout the 2020s. After showing the league that they’re not a one-man show on the way to earning their third win, the Bills deserve the top spot on my list. James Cook flashed "take-over-the-game" skills, rumbling for 154 yards on 24 carries against the Chargers. The Pro Bowler proved to the football world that he can put the offense on his back, even if it was just for one game. With the Bills’ offense featuring a franchise quarterback in Josh Allen and a game-changing back, the rest of the league must prepare for a balanced squad that can win by leaning on its running game or aerial attack.

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Big Bets Report: Rams-Broncos Cost Bettor $300k; Another Turns $2 Into $10k

Per usual, on a huge NFL and college football weekend, big bets were flying around at sportsbooks across the country. And when $300,000 lands on the Rams-Broncos Under 44.5, well, that’s rightly going to get some attention. But how about a more relatable bet size to all of us average Joes and Janes? And something that actually won? Like a $2 wager that became 10 grand. More on that winner, the major Under wager that went begging, a prescient Sunday night in-game bettor and more, as we recap the weekend that was in football betting. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Running backs and wide receivers are always popular in First Touchdown Scorer markets. Sometimes quarterbacks, too, particularly if the Bills’ Josh Allen is involved. But nondescript tight ends? Not so much. So it’s hard to say what led a Caesars Sports customer to put all of two bucks on this tight-end trio Sunday: Sadiq (Jets), Fannin (Browns) and Johnson (Saints) were long-ish shots to score the first TD in their respective games. Key those players together in a three-leg parlay, and you get massive odds of +503900, or in easier-to-digest terms, 5039/1. All three were the first to hit paydirt, vs. the Lions, Panthers and Raiders, respectively. So the bettor’s $2 turned into a hefty $10,078 windfall. As alluded to above, a DraftKings Sports customer ponied up a whopping $300,000 on Rams-Broncos Under 44.5 in the Sunday night game. It was 16-0 Rams at halftime, but Denver then put up two TDs before the third quarter ended, and got two-point conversions on each to tie the game at 16. Still, with five minutes left in the game and L.A. up 19-16, the Under prospect was quite alive. But 21 points went up in those final five minutes, beginning with a Talanoa Hufanga pick-six for Denver. The Broncos won 30-26, and that Under major wager became a six-figure donation to the house. In-game betting continues to grow in popularity, offering options one couldn’t even think of just a few years ago. For example: How will the Broncos’ seventh drive end? At FanDuel Sports, a bettor tossed a nominal $10 on tight end Nate Adkins to cap that drive with a touchdown, at odds of +12500 (125/1). Adkins delivered on an 8-yard TD catch late in the third quarter. That turned 10 bucks into $1,250 profit (total payout $1,260). And at Fanatics Sportsbook, before the Rams-Broncos kickoff, a high-roller put $5,000 on Adkins Anytime Touchdown. The odds were +1800, but the customer utilized a profit-boost promotion to hike the number to +2250. So when Adkins hauled in the TD pass, the bettor pocketed $112,500 profit (total payout $117,500). In Thursday night’s Falcons-Packers tilt, a Kalshi customer did something almost no one else was doing: putting faith in Atlanta. The trader served up $101,500 on the Packers to not win, at a price of 29%, which correlates to odds of +245. That actually gave the customer two outs: Green Bay losing outright, or the Packers and Falcons playing to a tie after overtime. The trader didn’t have to sweat out that second option. Atlanta stunningly hammered Green Bay 35-14, and the trader profited $248,500 (total payout $350,000). Also at Kalshi, a trader put $85,000 on Texas to beat Tennessee by five or more points. The Longhorns led 20-10 in the waning minutes, but a Vols touchdown with 1:22 remaining accounted for the final score: Texas 20, Tennessee 17. So that’s high five figures in the loss column. And in the risk-a-lot-to-win-a-little department, a Kalshi customer put up a whopping $303,603 that Sam Houston State — a massive underdog — would not beat Texas Tech. The price on that trade was 98%, which equates to -4900, ostensibly a slam-dunk favorite. No surprise, the Bearkats got drilled 49-14. The trader profited a relatively nominal $6,196 (total payout $309,799). Sometimes, it’s about putting 10 bucks on a single straight bet, backing a long shot or semi-long shot, and getting a solid return on investment. For example, at DraftKings, Vikings wideout/kick returner Myles Price was a hefty +11000 (110/1) to score the first TD of Sunday’s game vs. the Buccaneers. But midway through the first quarter, Price broke off an 86-yard punt return to put Minnesota up 10-0. If you’d thrown a tenner on that, then you’d have an extra $1,100 in your bankroll today. If you got frisky and put $100 on Price First TD Score, then you’d have $11,000. How about taking Rams tight end Tyler Higbee to score the first TD on Sunday night? At Caesars Sports, Higbee was +3000 to do so. With five minutes left in the first quarter, Higbee delivered on a 5-yard scoring catch. Ten bucks on that turned into a tidy $300 profit. Or perhaps you made an in-game moneyline wager or two on teams that trailed big. At Fanatics, the Broncos were +1500 in-game, early in the third quarter, while trailing 16-0. As noted above, Denver came back in a wild second half to win 30-26. A $10 bet returned $150 profit. Also at Fanatics, Wisconsin was +2500 while trailing No. 13 Penn State 17-0 in the second quarter. Shockingly, on the road, the Badgers came all the way back to pull off a 24-20 upset. Ten dollars on that unlikelihood turned into $250. That $300,000 Rams-Broncos Under was the largest reported sports bet of the week. Arguably the sweat of the week came on the Northwestern vs. Indiana game. The Hoosiers were 20.5-point home favorites. A Caesars Sports customer decided to take the supposedly safe route, betting $25,000 on Indiana moneyline -2500. All the Hoosier had to do was win, regardless of margin. Indiana didn’t exactly light it up in the first half, but still led 12-0. By the fourth quarter, though, it got much more interesting, as Northwestern pulled within 22-20 on a TD with 5:10 remaining. The Hoosiers held on for a 29-23 victory. And for all that sweat, the bettor profited a total of $1,000 (total payout $26,000). Other notable wagers on college football Week 4 odds: More major wagers on NFL Week 3 odds: It’s always worth reminding that these high-rolling bettors have the ability to absorb big losses. You and me? Probably not so much. Keep your bet size and expectations reasonable. Never bet more than you can afford to lose.

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NFL Fallout Week 3: The Patriots Are Battling More Than A Super Bowl Hangover

No one was comparing Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady just yet — not even after the New England Patriots HC-QB duo went to the Super Bowl in their first year together. But Pats fans were feeling pretty good about their future. The franchise seemed set for a sustained run of success. It turns out that last year, when Vrabel was the Coach of the Year and Maye was nearly the league MVP, were the good old days — already gone, and maybe soon to be forgotten. Because as good as last year was, that’s how bad this year has been. And the way Maye and the 1-2 Patriots are going, their Super Bowl hangover might linger through the fall. Yes, it's almost time to write off the 2026 Patriots, who suffered a humiliating 35-6 loss in Jacksonville on Sunday. Maye, in particular, has been awful this season. He was just 14 of 25 for 199 yards and two interceptions against the Jaguars. Those are basically his season averages through three games, as he's passed for less than 600 yards and thrown just one touchdown pass with six interceptions. That puts him among the worst quarterbacks in football, one year after he was easily one of the best. And he’s not alone in his ineptitude. Vrabel appears to have no answers for a team with no running game, no pass rush, no consistency, no spark. Maybe the world should have seen this coming. When Vrabel should’ve been focused on the NFL draft and laying the groundwork for another Super Bowl run, he was embroiled in personal scandal with NFL insider Dianna Russini this offseason, which included a marriage counseling retreat. That was a bad way to prepare for a season in which his Pats were already facing a big jump in strength of schedule. Still, they should have been good enough to at least not embarrass themselves in the face of stiffer competition. But what they really couldn’t have seen coming was Maye's regression. The third-year pro looks lost at times on the field. He’s made some incredibly bad decisions. Both his interceptions against the Jaguars were to well-covered receivers who didn't have much of a chance to make the catch. That included one in the end zone where Maye threw on the run, off his back foot and right into the defender’s hands. A year ago, when Maye threw 31 touchdown passes and just eight interceptions, he made few decisions like these. He played with poise and remained accurate, even when his offensive line had him under duress. But through three games this year, he’s just been alarmingly ineffective. And he’s getting no help from an anemic rushing attack. On Sunday, New England's defense couldn't get off the field on third downs and was worn down by its own offense repeatedly putting it back on the field. That all falls on Vrabel and his coaching staff. They’d surely argue that his distraction-filled offseason had nothing to do with the Pats' current problems, but with each stumble, that gets harder to believe. Coming out of the Super Bowl, albeit a lopsided loss to the Seahawks, I believed they were just getting started on a long run of contention. It feels premature to suggest their title window could already be closing, but it might be too late for them to reverse course in 2026. Their Waterloo may come this Sunday in Buffalo — a last chance to stop the Bills from turning the AFC East race into a rout. Because after that, even while playing in a division with the Dolphins and the Jets, the Patriots’ schedule is too unforgiving to assume they'll fix their myriad issues on the field enough to even be in the wild-card hunt. And that’s shocking, really, because a mere eight months ago there were legitimate reasons to believe that New England was perhaps building another dynasty. The calendar still says September, and the Pats already look like last year's AFC title was a fluke. After three straight years of seemingly knocking on the door of Super Bowl contention, that door has now slammed shut in the face of the Houston Texans. And soon they’re going to have to grapple with a very difficult problem concerning their quarterback: C.J. Stroud isn't good enough to lead them to a title. Right now, this era in Texans football is going to be remembered as a waste. Never mind that they had three trips to the playoffs and three playoff wins in the past three seasons. The bigger picture is they had the best defense in football last season, and maybe the best in the league since DeMeco Ryans became the coach in 2023. And somehow it just wasn’t enough. Stroud, who was sensational as a rookie in 2023, has been average, at best, ever since. On Sunday, he became a game manager against a Colts defense that had given up a ridiculous 1,029 yards through its first two games. He was just 16 for 27 for 167 yards and a touchdown in the Texans' 19-17 loss. He’s thrown just three touchdown passes this season. The Texans started 0-3 last year, too, but their defense was good enough to drag them to the playoffs. This year’s defense is still good, but hasn’t quite shown the same level of dominance. That means that to pull out of this tailspin, the Texans will need to see the dynamic version of Stroud that has been missing the past two-plus years. Absent that, they’ll head into the offseason wondering if they made a mistake even picking up his fifth-year option, which will pay him $25.9 million in 2027. Given his talent and potential, it was probably worth the relatively low price. But it’s going to be hard to argue Stroud is worth a lucrative, long-term commitment when contract talks resume after the season. It wouldn't surprise me if the front office was already studying what might be a loaded quarterback draft class. The quarterback situation in Minnesota is bordering on miserable. Kyler Murray, in his first game back from a concussion Sunday, looked like a shell of his former self. Carson Wentz was barely serviceable, not even reaching 300 total yards in Murray’s near-two-game absence. And J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in 2024, can’t get on the field. So, how are the Vikings 3-0? It’s a combination of some impressive defensive play (and scheming by Vikings DC Brian Flores) and O’Connell coaxing just enough offense out of his underwhelming unit. On Sunday, they beat the reeling Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-16 despite just 168 passing yards from Murray, 78 team rushing yards, and just two catches from top receiver Justin Jefferson before he left with an ankle injury. Minnesota pulled off another improbable win by generating six sacks and constant pressure, plus a pair of interceptions inside the final 100 seconds to officially end the game. Such success is probably unsustainable if the Vikings can’t get more out of their offense. But the way Flores’ defense is playing, they might not need much. If O’Connell can turn Murray into anything close to what he was in Arizona, maybe work some of the magic he conjured up with Sam Darnold two years ago, this becomes a dangerous team. Right now, the Vikings are probably a notch below the three contenders in the NFC West, and maybe even the Philadelphia Eagles. But don’t count out O’Connell, who might be the early front-runner for NFL Coach of the Year and has gotten the most out of middling QBs in the past. The Cleveland Browns were supposed to be one of the worst teams in football, especially after trading away All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett. And Deshaun Watson was universally considered a well-deserved disaster waiting to happen at quarterback. But it turns out, maybe Todd Monken wasn’t completely delusional with the confidence he showed heading into his first NFL head coaching job. Because after their 21-18 win over the Panthers on Sunday, the Browns are 2-1, and it would be foolish to dismiss them as a punchline anymore. They still have issues, particularly at quarterback. Watson wasn’t good at all for the first three quarters against Carolina (10 of 21, 67 yards), before he engineered the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter and won it with his third touchdown pass. But the embattled QB is surrounded by a host of young talent (RB Quinshon Jenkins, TE Harold Fanin, WR Denzel Boston, DL Jared Verse, LB Carson Schwesinger and more) and a coach who has put them in the right places to succeed against back-to-back NFC South teams. Maybe it won’t last. And maybe at some point this season Cleveland will be better off giving Shedeur Sanders another look. But don’t dismiss these wins as a fluke. And don’t pretend like there was anyone outside of Monken’s office who thought the Browns were capable of a 2-1 start. Fernando Mendoza figured to be one of the most exciting rookies to watch this season, once the Las Vegas Raiders drafted him in April with the No. 1 overall pick. Now it’s not clear if we’ll even get a chance to watch him this season at all. The way Kirk Cousins is playing for the Raiders right now, the wait for Mendoza could be an unexpectedly long one. The 38-year-old Cousins has given the undermanned Raiders exactly what they need: relatively solid and stable play at the most important position. Cousins has thrown nine touchdown passes and just three interceptions. He threw 10 all of last year (in eight starts) and led the NFL in interceptions in 2024. Stunningly, he's been the anchor to Las Vegas' 3-0 start. Now, the Raiders' schedule has been suspect — they’ve beaten the 0-3 Dolphins, the 0-3 Dolphins and now the 1-2 Saints. But two of those wins came as road underdogs. Over the next eight weeks, they'll play Kansas City, Buffalo, the Rams, San Francisco, Seattle and Denver, so maybe the bubble is about to burst. But Cousins' presence has at least given the Raiders a chance to get better, and maybe to even stay on the fringe of the playoff chase for a little while. As long as he’s doing that, there’s no rush for coach Klint Kubiak to turn things over to Mendoza. The kid can learn plenty by standing on the sidelines, watching the veteran lead the team, adopt good habits and build a strong culture. That’ll make it easier for Mendoza when he does finally play. In other words, there’s no reason to rush the rookie. The Raiders’ future can wait. In NFL Fallout, Ralph Vacchiano breaks down the impact of the biggest events every Sunday.

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Ravens' Tyler Loop Hits Ronaldo's ‘Siu’ After Walk-Off FG To Beat Cowboys In Brazil

One of soccer's most iconic celebrations showed up at the Maracanã on Sunday, courtesy of an NFL kicker. Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop made a 56-yard field goal as time expired Sunday to beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-31, then celebrated with Cristiano Ronaldo's "Siu" as the crowd at Maracanã Stadium repeated it back to him. The "Siu" is Ronaldo's trademark goal celebration, in which he jumps, spins in the air and lands with his feet wide and his arms at his sides while shouting "Siuuu," a stretched-out version of the Spanish word for "yes." Loop said teammate Ryan Eckley had suggested a soccer-style knee slide after a big kick. He went with the "Siu" instead. With about three minutes left, Loop said, teammate Nick Moore told him, "We're gonna do something epic to win this game." "Our number was called, and Nick (Moore) and Ryan and the guys up front, they all did their job, so I can do mine," Loop said. "I'm so proud of this team." Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey made a 23-yard field goal to tie the game at 31 with seven seconds left. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson then completed a 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers and called a timeout with one second remaining, which set up Loop's kick. The game was the NFL's third in Brazil and its first in Rio de Janeiro, and the announced crowd was 72,792. It was the first American football game played at Maracanã. The kick came after a miss in last season's finale. Loop missed a 44-yard field goal that would have sent the Ravens to the playoffs, and Baltimore lost 26-24 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He said the team responded to difficulty this season. "One thing we talked about was being on one accord," Loop said. "There was adversity, and then we went and responded, and we delivered, and it was awesome." He said the bond with teammates is what he values most about the sport. "That's the most special thing about this sport, the fellowship and the togetherness that you can build with those guys," Loop said. "It's a blast to see all this come through a lot of adversity between last season and now."

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2026 NFL Odds Week 4: Lines, Spreads, Results For All 16 Games

All that remains in Week 3 is a Monday Night Football matchup between the Eagles and Bears, before Week 4 kicks off with a Thursday tilt between the Steelers and Browns. Here are the lines for every Week 4 matchup at bet365 Sportsbook as of Sept. 27. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Spread: Steelers -2.5Moneyline: Steelers -150, Browns +125O/U: 38.5 Spread: Colts -3.5Moneyline: Colts -200, Commanders +165O/U: 47.5 Spread: Giants -2.5Moneyline: Giants -135, Cardinals +115O/U: 43.5 Spread: Texans -1.5Moneyline: Texans -130, Cowboys +110O/U: 46.5 Spread: TBDMoneyline: TBDO/U: TBD Spread: Bengals -2.5Moneyline: Bengals -140, Jaguars +120O/U: 49.5 Spread: Rams -2.5Moneyline: Rams -150, Eagles +125O/U: 45.5 Spread: Bills -6.5Moneyline: Bills -310, Patriots +250O/U: 48.5 Spread: Bears -2.5Moneyline: Bears -160, Jets +135O/U: 42.5 Spread: Ravens -11.5Moneyline: Ravens -750, Titans +525O/U: 43.5 Spread: Vikings -10.5Moneyline: Vikings -700, Dolphins +500O/U: 42.5 Spread: 49ers -2.5Moneyline: 49ers -160, Broncos +135O/U: 45.5 Spread: Chiefs -5.5Moneyline: Chiefs -250, Raiders +205O/U: 45.5 Spread: Seahakws -6.5Moneyline: Seahawks -310, Chargers +250O/U: 44.5 Spread: Lions -2.5Moneyline: Lions -155, Panthers +130O/U: 46.5 Spread: Saints -2.5Moneyline: Saints -155, Falcons +130O/U: 46.5

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The Two-Way Impact: How Backup QBs Alter Offensive And Defensive Game Plans

No longer just clipboard holders, high-priced backup quarterbacks are now viewed as essential season insurance policies. It’s not just about having a backup plan, but it’s the sheer volume of starting quarterbacks going down. Just two weeks into this season, six teams have already been forced to turn to backups due to injury. Replacing a starting quarterback isn't just an offensive issue. It completely changes how the defense plays. On "FOX NFL Kickoff," analysts Charles Woodson and Julian Edelman broke down how a quarterback change forces both sides of the ball to adjust. Woodson focused on the predatory mindset of a defense facing an unproven passer. "From a defensive standpoint, you’re licking your chops because you’re thinking to yourself that this guy doesn’t have the time on task that the regular guy does," Woodson said. "He doesn’t work with the ones. As a defense, you’re throwing the entire kitchen sink at the backup because you think you can get him rattled." However, Woodson pointed out that the message on the backup's team is completely different. He revealed what players and coaches should be telling their QB2. "You tell him, ‘Hey man, we got your back,’" Woodson said. "'Don’t turn the ball over, we’ll be fine.' That’s the situation today with Seattle and Washington. For the past couple of weeks, [the Seahawks] had Drew Lock. He came in and held it down." Edelman, on the other hand, pointed to the surge of energy a backup can bring to an offense, focusing on how having the right player under center can motivate an entire locker room. He pointed to Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as a prime example. "Penix comes back from injury and what happens? The Atlanta Falcons look like a completely different football team," Edelman said. "I mean we were talking about Atlanta potentially losing to a college football team before Week 3. It looked really bad." The return of Penix not only shows the impact of a difference-making quarterback, but Edelman thinks his return is bigger than we think. He went so far as to say the Falcons could now win the NFC South. That's how much a quarterback means to his team. "The NFL is so week-to-week," Edelman said. "It’s so unbelievable. We were writing these guys off for dead and now they could potentially win the [NFC] South because the run game travels and that offensive line travels. It’s going to be really interesting."

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