A weird lineup of results in week 3 of the 2016 NFL season, as the Philadelphia Eagles destroyed the Pittsburgh Steelers with an almost perfect Carson Wentz, the Minnesota Vikings continue to beat up on teams with very little offense, this time shutting down Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, while the Denver Broncos unleashed Trevor Siemian on the Cincinnati Bengals, handing them their second straight loss.
Houston Texans (2-1) 0 Â New England Patriots (3-0) 27:Â Jacoby Brissett came out for the first time as the Patriots quarterback, ran for a touchdown. LeGarrette Blount ran for two. Brock Osweiler was awful. The Belichick machine couldn’t be stopped.
Arizona Cardinals (1-2) 18 Â Buffalo Bills (1-2) 33:Â Just when you think the Bills were going to wither away, comes a terrific rushing performance, with LeSean McCoy running for two touchdowns, Tyrod Taylor running for one, and Carson Palmer throwing four interceptions.
Oakland Raiders (2-1) 17  Tennessee Titans (1-2) 10: For once, the Raiders didn’t fall apart defensively, as their defense came up with some big plays, while Derek Carr threw for 249 yards, a touchdown and interception. Marcus Mariota threw two interceptions.
Cleveland Browns (0-3) 24 Â Miami Dolphins (1-2) 30:Â The Dolphins finally found a team they could beat, winning in overtime with a Jay Ajayi run into the end zone to end the game. Ryan Tannehill had 3 touchdown passes and two interceptions. The Browns got nothing from Cody Kessler or Terrelle Pryor, although the latter did finish with 144 receiving yards.
Baltimore Ravens (3-0) 19 Â Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) 17:Â The legend of Justin Tucker continues, hitting a game-winning field goal with 1:02 on the clock from 54 yards. Quarterback play was awful: Joe Flacco had two interceptions, Blake Bortles finished with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Flacco did run one in himself, the only offensive touchdown for the Ravens.
Detroit Lions (1-2) 27 Â Green Bay Packers (2-1) 34:Â The Packers went up 31-3 with four Aaron Rodgers touchdown passes before doing what Mike McCarthy teams do: Sit on the lead a bit too much. Jordy Nelson caught two of the TD passes, finishing with 101 receiving yards.
Denver Broncos (3-0) 29 Â Cincinnati Bengals (1-2) 17:Â The Bengals looked bad again, getting two rushing touchdowns from Jeremy Hill but just an interception from Andy Dalton. Meanwhile, Trevor Siemian exploded, throwing four touchdown passes, finishing with a 132.1 passer rating.
Minnesota Vikings (3-0) 22 Â Carolina Panthers (1-2) 10:Â The Vikings defense forced three interceptions out of Cam Newton and won with just 211 yards of offense. Sam Bradford threw for 171 yards and connected with Kyle Rudolph for a touchdown, while the other points came from Blair Walsh, a safety, and a 54-yard punt return by Marcus Sherels.
Washington Redskins (1-2) 29 Â New York Giants (2-1) 27:Â Another surprising result, with no one scoring a touchdown from midway through the third quarter. The ending was down to the kickers, and Dustin Hopkins delivered for the Redskins from 37 yards with less than 2 minutes to go. Kirk Cousins was at his most efficient with 296 yards and 2 touchdown passes; Eli Manning threw for 350 yards, but two interceptions to just one touchdown.
Los Angeles Rams (2-1) 37 Â Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-2) 32:Â The Rams offense finally arrived, with Todd Gurley running for two touchdowns and Case Keenum throwing for two (one interception). Tampa Bay had 152 yards and 12 first downs more than the Rams, and still lost, giving up 21 consecutive points after taking a 20-10 lead in the second quarter.
San Francisco 49ers (1-2) 18 Â Seattle Seahawks (2-1) 37:Â The 49ers go through their usual drubbing in Seattle, falling behind 37-3 before Carlos Hyde got two touchdowns on the board. Christine Michael ran for two touchdowns, while Russell Wilson had to be replaced after hurting his ankle again. Blaine Gabbert was held to a 51.9 passer rating.
New York Jets (1-2) 3  Kansas City Chiefs (2-1) 24: The Jets turned the ball over 8 times, as Ryan Fitzpatrick threw six interceptions. Three of those picks were in the end zone, and two turnovers were returned for touchdowns. That didn’t leave Alex Smith with much to do, but he did it well.
San Diego Chargers (1-2) 22 Â Indianapolis Colts (1-2) 26:Â The injury ravaged Chargers got only one offensive touchdown, Melvin Gordon running for one. A 63-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Luck to T.Y. Hilton with 1:17 remaining won the game.
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) 3 Â Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) 34:Â The legend of Carson Wentz grows as the rookie threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns, while the Steelers ran the ball just 10 times for 29 yards, getting only 251 yards of offense while turning the ball over twice.
Chicago Bears (0-3) 17 Â Dallas Cowboys (2-1) 31:Â The Cowboys led by 21 points before this game got a bit closer. Dak Prescott finally broke out, throwing one touchdown pass while tossing only 5 incompletions. He ran for a touchdown, as did Alfred Morris and Lance Dunbar, while Dez Bryant caught his first TD of the season, and Ezekiel Elliott ran for 140 yards.
NFC Standings
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 92 | 27 | W3 |
| New York Giants | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 63 | 61 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 77 | 60 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 68 | 82 | W1 |
| NFC North | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 64 | 40 | W3 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 75 | 67 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 81 | 85 | L2 |
| Chicago Bears | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 45 | 83 | L3 |
| NFC South | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Atlanta Falcons | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 59 | 59 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 70 | 101 | L2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 76 | 70 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 47 | 51 | L2 |
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 46 | 63 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 52 | 37 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 73 | 83 | L2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 79 | 63 | L1 |
AFC Standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| New England Patriots | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 81 | 45 | W3 |
| New York Jets | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 62 | 78 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 64 | 67 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 71 | 68 | W1 |
| AFC North | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 57 | 44 | W3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 65 | 66 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 56 | 75 | L2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 54 | 84 | L3 |
| AFC South | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Houston Texans | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 42 | 53 | L1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 42 | 57 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 81 | 95 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 54 | 84 | L3 |
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Denver Broncos | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 84 | 57 | W3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 69 | 49 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 80 | 79 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 87 | 73 | L1 |