NFL Week 3 Sunday Takeaways: Patriots have Maye problem, Chargers hit rock bottom, Cowboys collapse

We spend the entire offseason waiting for football to return, and somehow we’re already three weeks into the NFL season. I would like things to slow down a bit. However, if you’re a fan of the Dolphins, Titans, or Chargers, you’re probably thinking the season can’t go by fast enough.

Week three has given us a lot to talk about and I have a few thoughts. Here’s what I remember most from each of Sunday’s games.

Bills 24, chargers 16

Takeaway: It was a good week for Buffalo to come out flat.

Buffalo’s offense came out of the gate with a 36-point effort against a stout Houston defense in Week 1, then followed that up by losing 41 points to Detroit in Week 2. But the unit struggled mightily on Sunday, turning the ball over three times on its first four possessions. After managing to tie the game at 10 before halftime, the Bills turned things around on their first two possessions of the second half. Luckily for them, they were facing the terrible, winless Chargers, who couldn’t even beat a team that turned the ball over five times. Buffalo can’t play like that against good teams.

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills turned the ball over five times but still beat the Los Angeles Chargers. (Getty Images)

Browns 21, Panthers 18

Remember: Sorry, Deshaun WatsonI didn’t really know your game.

Insert Shaq meme here. Yeah, so I buried Watson after a horrible Week 1 performance (after a terrible preseason). But he played pretty well against the Bucs in a Week 2 win and did enough to lead the Browns to a shocking 2-1 record. Watson’s numbers don’t look great (16-30, 144 yards, 2 TDs), but he continued to make big throws when the team needed them and added some big runs to keep the chains moving. Watson obviously isn’t great, but he’s at least playing like a serviceable NFL quarterback and that’s more than I expected from him after Week 1.

DESHAUN WATSON GOES FROM CLEVELAND VILLAIN TO HERO IN BROWN’S VICTORY, AS HOME CROWD TAKES THE TATTERS FOR GRANTED

Lions 31, Jets 24

Bottom line: The Jets really aren’t that bad.

Speaking of teams I didn’t have high expectations for, the Jets have been much better than I expected. Yes, they are 1-2. But they should have beaten the Packers in Week 2 and they were tied with the Lions with less than three minutes to play. Now it’s the big teams that win these matches. The Jets aren’t great. But given that the bar was set below average, Jets fans at least have a reason to have some hope for the first time in years.

Colts 19, Texans 17

Takeaway: The AFC South is bad again.

You know, for a minute it looked like the AFC South might be good again instead of being relegated to that Saturday afternoon Wild Card slot (the one that goes to the least interesting playoff game in the first round). But here we are with the Colts and Texans not looking particularly good. CJ Stroud never regained his rookie season form and Daniel Jones turned the ball over three times. Plus, these teams just aren’t fun to watch (the Jaguars really aren’t either, and don’t get me started on the Titans). Just put the winner of that division at 4:30 p.m. on Wild Card Saturday and be done with it.

Jaguars 35, Patriots 6

Take away: Drake Maye it looks like a one-hit wonder.

I try not to overreact, but Maye keeps making things harder and harder. He’s made some of the worst throws of any quarterback so far this season, and that’s saying something. The Patriots offense has generated just two touchdowns in three games and Maye has thrown six interceptions and lost a fumble. With a game in Buffalo next week, it could start to get late early for the defending AFC champions.

Drake Maye has thrown just one touchdown pass while committing seven turnovers in the New England Patriots’ first three games. (Getty Images)

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Chiefs 24, Dolphins 10

Takeaway: Were the Dolphins combative?

I don’t know, what do you want me to say? The Chiefs beat the Dolphins, as everyone expected. Miami hung around for a while and was down by just four points heading into the fourth quarter. But Kansas City still won by two touchdowns. Dolphins fans only have one date in mind: April 29, 2027 (first round of the 2027 NFL Draft).

Giants 12, Titans 7

Takeaway: Two bad offenses in bad weather is a recipe for a bad game.

I have four TVs in my living room and thanks to multiview, I can basically watch every NFL game simultaneously. I do my best to keep my eyes moving so I can look at as much of each one as possible. But I’m not going to pretend to have spent a lot of time watching Jameis Winston and Cam Ward battle it out on a wet field to see who could score double-digit points first. By the way, it was the Giants who won. Woo-hoo.

Steelers 30, Bengals 27

Takeaway: I tried to warn you.

I wrote in my NFL picks column this week that the Bengals were going to be disappointed and that the Steelers were likely to come home and finally play a solid offensive game. There was no way I was going to let this perfect “I told you so” moment slip away. That being said, it doesn’t change my opinion: the Bengals are still good, the Steelers are still not very good. It was a game and I didn’t pay much attention to it.

Commanders 33, Seahawks 31

Takeaway: Turnovers matter a lot, folks.

No, I don’t think the Commanders are better than the Seahawks. No, I don’t think the Commanders are better with Marcus Mariota at quarterback instead of Jayden Daniels. But I think winning the turnover battle is extremely important (unless you’re the Chargers) and Washington had 3 takeaways to Seattle’s 0. This is why the Seahawks lost despite the Commanders winning 437 to 258.

49ers 36, Cardinals 30

Takeaway: What a strange game it was.

The 49ers appeared to be on their way to an easy victory after taking a 23-6 lead four minutes into the second half. But we must pay tribute to the cardinals, who never gave up. At the same time, San Francisco never trailed and every time Arizona got close to a score, the 49ers scored a touchdown (except the last time, but the game was over by then). The biggest concern is that San Francisco saw three key players leave the game injured: Mike Evans, Trent Williams and Dre Greenlaw.

The San Francisco 49ers improved to 3-0 with a win over the Arizona Cardinals. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Vikings 23, Buccaneers 16

Takeaway: Kevin O’Connell is a magician.

The Vikings are 3-0 because O’Connell is legitimately one of the five best coaches in the NFL (maybe top three). It doesn’t matter who the quarterback is, because KOC will fight their way to victory. But more importantly, the Bucs screwed me this week and I’m not going to miss a chance to complain about it. I’m officially in Tampa Bay.

BAKER MAYFIELD LEAVES GAME AFTER DRIVING IN PAIN ON THE TURF IN TAMPA BAY WHEN THUMB ON HAND IS INJURED

Raiders 35, Saints 27

Takeaway: Welcome back, Brock Bowers.

Bowers angered Fantasy Football managers (including myself) by having knee surgery right before the season started (without any major indication that there was a problem until most fantasy drafts), but he reminded everyone that he wasn’t really human. Not only did he return from meniscus surgery in less than 20 days, but he immediately went out and caught 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Don’t look now, but the Raiders are 3-0 with a showdown against the Chiefs in Week 4.

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Ravens 34, Cowboys 31

Bottom line: Ball doesn’t lie.

The referees almost gave the Dallas Cowboys a victory with a terrible pass interference call that put the Cowboys on the Ravens’ 2-yard line down 3 with 23 seconds left. Dallas ultimately didn’t score a touchdown, kicked a field goal to tie the game, then inexplicably allowed the Ravens to easily gain 27 yards in 6 seconds to give Tyler Loop the opportunity to kick a game-winning 56-yard field goal, which he did. The team that should have won won, and that doesn’t always happen in the NFL, so we should be grateful.

The referees almost gave the Dallas Cowboys a victory at Maracana Stadium in Brazil, but the Baltimore Ravens won on a 56-yard field goal. (AFP via Getty Images)

Broncos 30, Rams 26

Takeaway: Sean Payton remains the most overrated and luckiest coach in the NFL.

If you’ve ever read my NFL columns, you probably saw this one coming. If you are new, welcome! My name is Dan and I think Sean Payton is the most overrated head coach in the NFL.

Once again, Payton benefited from something beyond his control, this time a terrible pass interference on what should have been a game-winning interception by the Rams. Instead, Denver kept the ball and scored a game-winning touchdown a few plays later. Payton is a good coach who the media treats like an elite coach because he is nice to them. But that reputation glosses over its ups and downs, the Bountygate scandal that no one seems to talk about anymore, and how much it benefited from landing Drew Brees (only because the Dolphins’ medical staff royally screwed up).

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Oh, and Payton chose Bo Nix, who isn’t very good. Denver won despite Nix completing only 50% of his passes for less than 200 yards with one interception.