Week 3 NFL Preview & Capsules

NEW YORK - September 22, 2026 - The Baltimore Ravens (1-1) and Dallas Cowboys (1-1) will meet on Sunday at Maracanã Stadium in the first-ever regular season game in Rio de Janeiro (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS), the third consecutive season the NFL will play a regular season game in Brazil (São Paulo in 2024 and 2025). It marks the beginning of a five-week stretch, Weeks 3-7, with an international game each Sunday.

For Week 3 capsules, click here.

Here's a look at a few interesting storylines entering Week 3:

• Four 2-0 teams in the AFC: The Buffalo Bills can be 3-0 for the third consecutive season while the Kansas City Chiefs can start 3-0 for the sixth time in the past 10 seasons (2017-26). The Cincinnati Bengals can win each of their first three games for the first time since 2015 while the Las Vegas Raiders can begin 3-0 for the first time since 2021.
  
  
  • Los Angeles Chargers (0-2) at Buffalo (2-0) (1 p.m. ET, FOX): The Bills can become the fourth team in NFL history to score at least 35 points and record 400-or-more total yards of offense in each of their first three games of a season, joining the 2013 Denver Broncos (first six games), 2007 New England Patriots (first three) and the 2000 St. Louis Rams (first three).
    • Bills quarterback Josh Allen is the first player in NFL history with five touchdown passes and four rushing touchdowns in his first two games of a season. In Week 3, he can become the first quarterback ever with multiple rushing touchdowns in three consecutive games and the first quarterback all-time with a touchdown pass, rushing touchdown and a passer rating of 120-or-higher in three straight games.
      
      
  • Kansas City (2-0) at Miami (0-2) (1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Chiefs lead the NFL in total offense (457.5 yards per game) as running back Kenneth Walker leads the NFL with 369 scrimmage yards, the most by a non-rookie in his first two games with a team in NFL history.
    • Walker is the fifth player ever with at least 175 scrimmage yards in each of his first two games of a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown (1963 with Cleveland) and O.J. Simpson (1975 with Buffalo), as well as Paul Hofer (1980 with San Francisco) and Billy Sims (1980 with Detroit).
      
      
  • Cincinnati (2-0) at Pittsburgh (1-1) (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase have connected for 50 touchdowns, making them one of four duos in NFL history to reach 50 touchdown passes by a quarterback and receiver both under the age of 30, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino and Mark Clayton (65 touchdowns), John Hadl and Pro Football Hall of Famer Lance Alworth (53) and Daunte Culpepper and Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss (53).
    • Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers has 164 career regular season victories and with a win, can tie Ben Roethlisberger (165 wins) for the fifth-most in NFL history. Only Tom Brady (251 wins), as well as Pro Football Hall of Famers Brett Favre (186), Peyton Manning (186) and Drew Brees (172) have more.
      
      
  • Las Vegas (2-0) at New Orleans (1-1) (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Las Vegas quarterback Kirk Cousins leads the AFC with six touchdown passes this season and became the third quarterback age 38-or-older with at least three touchdown passes in each of his team's first two games of a season in NFL history, joining Tom Brady (2015 with New England and 2021 with Tampa Bay) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (2014 with Denver).
    • New Orleans quarterback Tyler Shough leads the NFL in completions (62) and passing yards (662) through the first two weeks and is the first player with at least 60 completions and 600 passing yards in the first two games of a season since 2023 (Kirk Cousins with Minnesota).
      
      
• Four 2-0 teams in the NFC: The Seattle Seahawks look to become the third consecutive reigning Super Bowl champions to begin 3-0. The Minnesota Vikings can begin 3-0 for the second time in the past three seasons, San Francisco 49ers can begin 3-0 for the third time in the past four years while the Philadelphia Eagles can win each of their first three games for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
  
  
  • Seattle (2-0) at Washington (0-2) (1 p.m. ET, FOX): Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has a 29-10 record, including the playoffs, since being hired in 2024 and can become the sixth head coach since 1970 to win 30 of his first 40 games, including the postseason, joining George Seifert (33 wins), Matt LaFleur (31), Chuck Knox (30), Ted Marchibroda (30) and Steve Mariucci (30).
    • Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the league with 1,793 receiving yards in 2025, leads the NFL with 277 receiving yards through the first two weeks. He became the fifth wide receiver ever with at least eight catches, 120 receiving yards and a touchdown reception in each of his team's first two games of a season, joining Stefon Diggs (2022 with Buffalo), Antonio Brown (2015 with Pittsburgh), Charley Hennigan (1962 with the Houston Oilers) and Andre Rison (1994 with Atlanta).
      
      
  • Arizona (1-1) at San Francisco (2-0) (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX): Last week, San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy became the first player in NFL history to complete at least 90 percent of his pass attempts (90.9 percent, 20 of 22), pass for at least 285 yards (287) and two touchdowns and have a rushing touchdown in the same game.
    • 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, with two rushing touchdowns in Week 2, reached 100 career scrimmage touchdowns in his 114th career game and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (115 games) as the fourth-fastest player to reach 100 scrimmage touchdowns in the Super Bowl era. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers LaDainian Tomlinson (89 games) and Emmitt Smith (93) as well as Shaun Alexander (96) reached the mark in fewer games.
      
      
  • Minnesota (2-0) at Tampa Bay (0-2) (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX): Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner, who is tied for third with three sacks this season, leads the NFL with 20 quarterback pressures and 11 quarterback hits through the first two weeks, per Next Gen Stats. Minnesota, along with Cincinnati and Las Vegas, are tied for the league-lead with eight sacks this season.
    • Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson has 8,627 career receiving yards and in Week 2, surpassed DeAndre Hopkins (8,602 receiving yards) for the second-most receiving yards by a player under the age of 28 in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss (9,142 receiving yards) has more.
      
      
  • Philadelphia (2-0) at Chicago (1-1) (Monday night, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC): Philadelphia defeated Tennessee, 24-20, in Week 2 as quarterback Jalen Hurts connected with wide receiver Darius Cooper for the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds remaining. Hurts has led eight fourth-quarter comebacks since 2023, trailing only Green Bay's Jordan Love (nine) for the most in the NFL over that span.
    • Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has at least 100 scrimmage yards in five consecutive Monday Night Football games. Only four players since 1970 have had a longer such streak: Ahman Green (10 consecutive games from 2000-04) and Pro Football Hall of Famers Jerome Bettis (eight from 1993-98), Eric Dickerson (seven from 1983-87) and Edgerrin James (seven from 2000-05).

• Los Angeles Rams (1-1) at Denver (1-1) (Sunday night, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Both the Rams and Broncos, two of the four Championship game participants from a year ago, earned their first win of the season in Week 2. The Rams are set to become the first team since 1970 to begin a season with three consecutive primetime games (7 p.m. ET or later).
  • Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford recorded four touchdown passes in Week 2 and has 427 career regular season touchdown passes, surpassing Philip Rivers (425 touchdown passes) for the sixth-most touchdown passes in NFL history. Only Tom Brady (649) and Aaron Rodgers (528, entering Week 3) as well as Pro Football Hall of Famers Drew Brees (571), Peyton Manning (539) and Brett Favre (508) have more.
  • Denver quarterback Bo Nix, who entered the NFL in 2024, is one of five starting quarterbacks with at least 25 wins (25) over the past three seasons, along with Sam Darnold (29 wins), Josh Allen (27), Jared Goff (25) and Jalen Hurts (25).
    
    

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Media Contact: Sam Drexler, NFL; [email protected]