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Four of the NFL’s nine undefeated teams play each other on Sunday, which could provide some excitement even though it’s still early in the season.
While C.J. Stroud’s Houston Texans take on Sam Darnold’s resurgent Minnesota Vikings, Justin Herbert (who was questionable Friday with a severe ankle sprain) takes on the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have scored one touchdown in eight quarters.
Elsewhere around the league, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s concussions land him on the IR as doubts persist over his career. The Saints’ offense is off to a blistering start. Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young has been benched in favor of veteran Andy Dalton. The Atlanta Falcons — fresh off a thrilling win in Philadelphia — host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday’s nightcap.
What will Sunday’s performance bring? The AthleticsNFL writers Mike Sando, Zak Keefer and Jeff Howe discuss.
We have a couple of undefeated matchups in Week 3 — Texans-Vikings and Chargers-Steelers. What are you watching for in each of these games?
Zando: I’m curious to see how Sam Darnold plays when the Vikings fall behind. Can he continue to avoid the mistakes that have defined his career? In the other game, I want to see how Chargers right tackle Joe Alt does against the Steelers’ TJ Watt. Alt has been pretty dominant so far. This should be a fun matchup, and if Alt wins, he’ll be an All-Pro this year. Maybe he will be anyway.
How: Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is off to a strong start, but CJ Stroud will be his biggest challenge yet. If Flores can make life difficult for Stroud, it could mean the Vikings have real staying power in the playoff race. The Chargers-Steelers game is going to be a brawl, and I wouldn’t be surprised if neither team scores 20 points. I’m very interested to see how Justin Herbert and Justin Fields handle those suffocating defenses. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh has Herbert playing a more conservative style, and that could be important in a game like this. But with Herbert questionable with a high ankle sprain, the measuring stick element could be negated if he’s unavailable or significantly limited. I still think this is going to be a fun game from a defensive perspective.
Custodian: I agree with Jeff — the Texans offense struggled a bit in the second half against a great Bears defense on Sunday night, and I wonder if Flores’ unit can give them the same trouble. As for the Chargers-Steelers game, how many touchdowns will we see? Less than four? For a Pittsburgh team that’s 2-0 despite scoring one touchdown in eight quarters, I can’t imagine that formula will work for long. The Steelers are going to have to unlock something offensively to keep winning games.
Panthers QB Bryce Young has been benched after just 18 games in his career as Carolina travels to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders. What’s in store for Young? Would the league benefit from benching more rookie/young QBs to start their careers?
Sand: While the Panthers have been poor at supporting Young, the situation serves as a reminder not to bet too much on outlier quarterbacks. Young’s size was a problem leading up to the 2023 draft. It’s a bigger problem now that teams have seen how much his size has hampered his ability to play well. The Panthers will either draft a quarterback in early 2025 or find a veteran. I don’t see Young in the picture.
How: The Panthers need to do everything they can to rebuild Young’s confidence, because he clearly hasn’t played with anyone. That’s the Panthers’ fault for putting him in a bad situation: three head coaches, a lack of talent at the skill positions, and a line that hasn’t been able to protect him. They can’t put Young back on the field until things are at a higher level, even if that’s not until 2025. I don’t think the league needs to change its thinking about how soon to play its QBs. Quarterbacks are coming into the league a lot more now than ever before to start with all the camps, all-star games, and everything that comes with the high school and college spotlight. However, if a team can’t protect its QB because of a lack of talent, it’s better not to destroy his confidence by playing him too early and exposing him to failure. I think that’s what you’re seeing with the Patriots and Drake Maye.
Bryce Young: “This past year and these two games, I was taking every snap and I didn’t do enough with it.”
h/t@SteveReedAPfor the video. photo.twitter.com/l1QFOfjurl
— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 19, 2024
Custodian: Young’s benching is an organizational failure, and one of the worst we’ve seen in this league in a long time. I don’t feel like Dave Canales is ready to give up on Young — he raved about his composure and processing in preseason — so I guess the thinking is: Give the young quarterback a breather, let him reset, and see if he can regain his confidence on the practice field in the coming weeks and months. And yes, I’ve long felt that only a select few rookie quarterbacks are ready for the rigors of starting a rookie season. But teams are in too much of a hurry to play the long game. It’s backfired before, and it backfired here.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was placed on the injured list this week with a concussion and is not expected to return to action until Week 8. Are the playoffs a realistic goal for Miami if Tagovailoa is out longer?
Zando: Not without acquiring a quarterback from another team. Tyler Huntley’s Ravens Practice Squad Addition won’t be enough, in my opinion. It will be fun to see if Mike McDaniel can pull the Dolphins out of this, just like Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur did for the Packers against Indy. I just don’t think that’s likely to happen for a long period of time. If Tagovailoa is out for a long time, Miami will have to do something to improve the position and send a message of hope to the locker room.
How: No, the AFC has too many quality teams and the Dolphins have too tough a schedule. They need to play great defense and establish a run game and a quick passing attack to play perfectly complementary football and steal some games along the way, and I think that’s asking too much. It’s not unrealistic to think the Dolphins can get to 3-3 by the time Tagovailoa is allowed to return, but an extended absence could cost him games against the Cardinals, Bills and Rams. That’s going to be a season-defining stretch, regardless of who’s at QB.
Custodian: I don’t see this team making the playoffs with Tua sidelined for the next month — and probably longer. Tua may be limited, but he’s a great fit for McDaniels’ offensive system, one built on speed. Tua’s accuracy is what makes it work, and it accentuates the talents of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Without the QB, the Dolphins lose a part of their identity, and I don’t trust the defense either, not after the way Josh Allen and the Bills overwhelmed them last week. It could be a long month in Miami.
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The New Orleans Saints and their offense are the talk of the league as they host the Eagles in Week 3. What’s different about the Saints than they used to be?
Zando: They have a very well-scheduled rushing attack and that gives them a renewed identity, something they needed in retrospect after the transition from the Drew Brees/Sean Payton era. Adding left tackle Taliese Fuaga in the draft was another key move. It won’t look great if the Saints fall behind, but their rushing attack and defense have given the offense, and specifically quarterback Derek Carr, a favorable context.
How: Klint Kubiak has gotten off to a great start. The Saints were stuck on offense under Pete Carmichael and were looking for a replacement after Payton left. Now with an innovative coordinator, the Saints are clicking in a way we haven’t seen since Brees ran the show. The thing is, they’ve shown flashes of it in short bursts over the last few years but never sustained it, so I’ll be interested to see if that continues.
Custodian: Early success in the run game has changed everything for the Saints, opening up the playbook for later downs, allowing Carr to be aggressive. Alvin Kamara has not-so-subtly reminded the league how dangerous he is, and has given this offense the kind of balance that will scare defensive coordinators for the rest of the season. Think about it: the Saints have opened the season with 15 consecutive scoring drives. I’m curious to see how defenses counter them the rest of the season, and if they can find a way to slow them down.
Kirk Cousins’ primetime record didn’t matter much Monday night as the Falcons pulled off one of the best wins of Week 2 in Philadelphia. On Sunday night, they host the Chiefs, who are coming off a pair of nail-biters to start the season. What do you think of this matchup?
Zando: I think the Chiefs will start fast on offense and then go after Cousins when Atlanta needs to deviate from its run-oriented script. The Chiefs will also do a better job in coverage.
How: Cousins’ game-winning drive was clutch and showed he can still play at the next level, but it also masked some previous lapses when he didn’t trust his reads or simply didn’t see open receivers. Whether it’s the injury-related layoff or adjusting to a new offense and organization, Cousins is still catching up. I think he’ll get there eventually, but it seems like it’s going to take patience. There was a turning point midway through Monday night’s game, though, when the Falcons realized they could intimidate the Eagles with Bijan Robinson. They’ll definitely have to see if that works against the Chiefs, because that’s a well-coached, veteran defense that I expect will give Cousins a headache if he gets into too many passing situations.
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Custodian: As impressive as Atlanta’s winning drive was, the Falcons were sloppy for much of Monday’s game, and Cousins admitted he should have been better in his postgame interview. The Chiefs similarly pulled off a narrow win over the Bengals that they probably shouldn’t have. In a game led by offense, I think Kansas City’s defense will be the difference-maker. The Falcons have a long way to go.
(Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
