2024 Week 3 recaps, observations and reactions

Rookies like Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers made their presence felt, Aaron Rodgers pushed away Father Time for another week, Malik Willis showed you don’t have to have much talent to succeed in the NFL as long as you’re in a good system, the Vikings served up some humble pie to the Texans, and the Bills look like the real deal. This and more in Week 3’s recaps.

Jets 24, Patriots 3: Maybe Aaron Rodgers isn’t as close to death (football death, that is) as we originally thought he was. Or, maybe the Patriots just stink. Rodgers threw for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns. Braelon Allen bested Breece Hall by one yard, out gaining the veteran 55-54 yards on the ground. Hall tallied a rushing touchdown. Tyler Conklin led all Jets in receiving with 5 catches for 93 yards. Garrett Wilson added 5 catches for 33 yards and a score. The Patriots passed for 61 yards and rushed for 78 more, so… better luck next time for that operation.

Giants 21, Browns 15: Malik Nabers had himself a breakout game, notching 78 yards and 2 touchdowns on 8 catches in a close victory over the Browns. Daniel Jones — yes, Daniel Jones — had a nice outing with 236 yards and 2 touchdowns. Deshaun Watson passed for 196 yards and 2 scores in the loss. Amari Cooper caught those two touchdowns and added 86 yards on 7 catches.

Packers 30, Titans 14: Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis looked a little more comfortable in his second start for the team, playing a more pivotal role in this game instead of just coming along for the ride. Willis tallied 275 total yards with 2 touchdowns. After a huge Week 2, Josh Jacobs rushed for only 43 yards in this one. Emanuel Wilson had 85 all-purpose yards and a score. This just in… Will Levis continues to blow chunks. Another two interceptions for him plus a lost fumble. He did record 260 passing yards and 2 touchdowns while the Titans as a team rushed for just 33 yards.

Colts 21, Bears 16: Jonathan Taylor had 110 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns in the Colts home victory over the Bears. Anthony Richardson tried to hand the game away but didn’t quite suck bad enough. He continues to be one of the most overrated fantasy busts of this season. Caleb Williams threw for 363 yards and 2 touchdowns, but the rook also tallied 3 more turnovers. Fellow rookie Rome Odunze picked up 112 yards and a touchdown on 6 catches while Cole Kmet added 10 catches for 97 yards and a score.

Vikings 34, Texans 7: Look out, NFC North… the Vikings are no joke this year. Kevin O’Connell continues to make chicken salad out of… well, out of Sam Darnold. Darnold threw for 181 yards and 4 touchdowns in this one. Aaron Jones rushed for 102 yards and also caught 5 balls for 46 yards and a touchdown, proving he ain’t dead yet. Justin Jefferson caught 6 balls for 81 yards and a touchdown. C.J. Stroud looked mortal in this one, tossing for 215 and a touchdown but also throwing two picks. Stefon Diggs was the alpha receiver in this one, tallying 10 grabs for 94 yards.

Eagles 15, Saints 12: In a bit of an ugly game, the Eagles outlasted the Saints by a field goal. If you were one of the fantasy owners who picked up Rashid Shaheed and played him this week… oops. The dude put up a goose egg; 0 catches on 5 targets. Chris Olave had a good game instead, catching 6 balls for 86 yards and a touchdown. Alvin Kamara rushed for just 87 yards but caught 3 passes for 40 more. Saquin Barkley had a monster game for the Eagles tallying 147 yards and 2 touchdowns while adding 4 receptions. Dallas Goedert blew up for 10 catches for 170 yards. DeVonta Smith finished with 7 grabs for 79 yards.

Steelers 20, Chargers 10: Justin Fields is now 3-0 and showing no signs of relinquishing the starting quarterback job as the Steelers held off the Chargers, 20-10. Fields threw for 245 and a touchdown and added another rushing score. Najee Harris totaled 70 rushing yards and also caught 5 balls. Calvin Austin — seriously? — led the team with 4 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. Quentin Johnston continues his comeback tour with another score off two catches for 44 yards. J.K. Dobbins, meanwhile, came back to earth tallying just 44 yards. Justin Herbert managed just 125 passing yards and one score.

Broncos 26, Buccaneers 7: The winless Broncos took it to the undefeated Bucs in Tampa, proving parity still reigns in the NFL. Bo Nix threw for 216 yards while rushing for 47 and a touchdown. Courtland Sutton caught 7 balls for 68 yards. Tyler Badie — oh, come on! — rushed for a team-high 70 yards. Baker Mayfield did pre-Tampa Baker Mayfield things, throwing for just 163 yards, a touchdown and interception. Bucky Irving rushed for 70 yards to lead the team. Chris Godwin caught 6 balls for 53 yards and a score. Cade Otton added 7 catches for 47 yards. Mike Evans, meanwhile, took an afternoon nap. 

Panthers 36, Raiders 22: Break out the Red Rifle! Backup Andy Dalton led the Panthers to a raid victory over the Raiders. Dalton threw for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns while Chuba Hubbard rushed 21 times for 114 yards. Hubbard also added 5 catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. Diontae Johnson benefited from the addition of Dalton into the starting lineup. The receiver caught 8 balls for 122 yards and a score. Adam Thielen rolled his old bones out there for 3 catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. Tre Tucker — seriously? — caught 7 balls for 96 yards to lead the Raiders. Jakobi Meyers had 7 catches as well for 62 yards and a touchdown. Brock Bowers was held in check with 3 catches for 41 yards and Davante Adams added 4 catches for 40. 

Seahawks 24, Dolphins 3: No Tua leads to big problems for the Dolphins in a resounding loss to the Seahawks on the road. Zach Charbonnet, in another start for Ken Walker, rushed for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns. D.K. Metcalf caught 4 balls for 104 yards and a score. Noah Fant added 6 catches for 60 yards. De’Von Achane totaled 58 yards in the loss — good for him. Tyreek Hill caught 3 balls for 40 yards. Jaylen Waddle finished with 4 catches for 26 yards.

Ravens 28, Cowboys 25: The Cowboys made a 19-point fourth-quarter comeback but the Ravens held on for a tight victory. Lamar Jackson had a combined 269 yards and 2 touchdowns. Derrick Henry exposed the Cowboys’ run defense to the tune of 151 yards on the ground, plus two touchdowns. Rashad Bateman caught 3 balls for 28 yards and a score. For the Cowboys, Dak Prescott tossed for 379 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for another. KaVontae Turpin — I know, I know — and Jalen Tolbert each caught one of those scores. Jake Ferguson had 6 catches for 95 yards. CeeDee Lamb was off counting his money somewhere during this one.

Rams 27, 49ers 24: In an always testy divisional matchup, and in a game in which Niners fans made this a pseudo home game for their team, the Rams held on for a close victory. Matthew Stafford had 221 passing yards and a touchdown. Kyren Williams scored 3 touchdowns and added 89 yards on the ground. The little third grader who won an essay contest, Tutu Atwell, picked up 93 yards on 4 catches. Brock Purdy tossed 3 touchdowns and 292 yards through the air. Jauan Jennings caught 11 passes for 175 yards and 3 touchdowns, but no one with a good roster should have had him in their lineups because, well, he’s Jauan Jennings. Brandon Aiyuk added 5 catches for 48 yards. 

Lions 20, Cardinals 13: The Lions outlasted the Cardinals in what could be a potential playoff matchup this year. David Montgomery rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown. Jahmyr Gibbs had 103 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Amon-Ra St. Brown tallied 7 grabs for 75 yards and a score. Kyler Murray had 252 total yards, a touchdown and a pick. James Conner and his 17 yards were better left on your bench. Marvin Harrison totaled 5 catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.

Chiefs 22, Falcons 17: No surprise: another close victory for the Chiefs with another questionable late call by the officials. Patrick Mahomes threw for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns. Carson Steele rushed for 72 yards. Good. I don’t want him succeeding as a starting running back. Rashee Rice was off to the races — see what I did there? — for 110 yards and a touchdown on 12 receptions. Bijan Robinson managed just 31 yards and a touchdown while also adding 2 catches for 21 yards. Drake London had 67 yards and a touchdown on 6 receptions.

Bills 47, Jaguars 10: The Bills continue to just pile it on this season, pounding the Jaguars at home. James Cook managed just 39 rushing yards, which sounds about right. He did add a touchdown plus 4 catches for 48 yards, though. Josh Allen threw for 263 yards and 4 touchdowns while also adding 44 on the ground. Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid, Ty Johnson, and Keon Coleman were the recipients of those touchdowns. Trevor Lawrence, meanwhile, is droppable if you haven’t done so yet. Just 178 passing yards and 1 touchdown in this one. Travis Etienne rushed for just 68 yards and no scores. Christian Kirk — remember him? — finally showed up to play football, tallying 79 yards on 8 catches. 

Commanders 38, Bengals 33: Rookie Jayden Daniels had himself a game against a Bengals defense that couldn’t stop a tortoise from crossing the road. Daniels threw for 254 yards and 2 touchdowns while also rushing for 39 yards and another score. Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson both churned out north of 30 yards and a rushing touchdown. Terry McLaurin caught 4 passes for 100 yards and a score. Joe Burrow threw for 324 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase caught 2 of those scores and added 118 yards on 6 catches. Zack Moss tallied 58 yards and a score.