The NFL’s third week delivered its first full Sunday of late-game chaos, with 12 of the 16 games decided by one score and a wave of movement across both conferences.
The defending Super Bowl champions suffered their first loss, leaving five unbeaten teams at 3-0 through three weeks. The Las Vegas Raiders are among that group, one of the early surprises of the season.
Division races tighten after Week 3
Every club in the AFC North now owns a 2-1 record, creating a four-way tie at the top of one of the league’s most competitive divisions.
The NFC South has moved in the opposite direction. No team in the division is above .500 after three weeks, leaving the race wide open despite the slow starts across the board.
Close finishes define the Sunday slate
One-score games dominated the schedule, particularly during the afternoon window, where multiple contests swung on final possessions and late-game execution.
The prime-time matchups at the beginning and end of the day were more one-sided, but the overall Week 3 slate still produced the kind of unpredictable finishes that can quickly reshape the NFL standings.
With five teams still unbeaten, the defending champions no longer perfect and several divisions tightly packed, the league enters Week 4 with little separation across the standings.
