Sep 28, 2026 · 1h 18m
NFL Week 3 exposes contenders, collapses and quarterback questions
NFL Cover Zero: Week 3 Review and JJ McCarthy Traded
The review maps an unsettled league, from Kansas City’s familiar dominance and Buffalo’s resilience to Houston, Green Bay and Miami facing deeper trouble.
- 1Kansas City remains the league’s clearest constant while Buffalo survives an extraordinary five-turnover performance.
- 2Washington’s upset turns Marcus Mariota’s resurgence into one of Week 3’s most compelling quarterback stories.
- 3Houston, Green Bay and Miami show different versions of teams whose early problems may define their seasons.
Don't miss
Marcus Mariota leads Washington past Seattle 33–31 in the rain, ending the Seahawks’ 12-game winning streak while the Commanders force three turnovers.
The brief
Matt Jones and Drew Franklin open with Baltimore’s win over Dallas in Brazil, where poor field conditions and late Cowboys decisions turn a close game into a collapse.
The review finds Kansas City back at its familiar level and Buffalo unusually resilient, while the Rams, Texans, Packers and Dolphins face harder questions than their records alone suggest.
Washington’s wet 33–31 upset of Seattle becomes the episode’s liveliest football story, with Marcus Mariota producing a resurgence alongside three defensive takeaways.
Quarterback uncertainty runs through the rest of the slate: Drake Maye struggles badly, Baker Mayfield is injured, and J.J. McCarthy moves from Minnesota to the Giants.
The hosts close by arguing over whether football should say “hook-and-lateral” or “hook-and-ladder,” a small terminology fight that captures the episode’s conversational detours.