Week 3 of the NFL season was filled with impressive wins — some big-time comebacks, teams getting their first victory of the season and more.
There were plenty of storylines to keep an eye on headed into Sunday. Could Sean McVay get the better of his nemesis, Kyle Shanahan? Which Cowboys team would show up? What would happen in a battle of undefeated squads in Minnesota? And how would the Panthers look without Bryce Young?
Here are the teams who came away with the biggest wins of the week.
Panthers win with Andy Dalton
The Carolina Panthers justified their decision to switch from former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young to veteran Andy Dalton as the offense opened up in a 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Dalton was great. He completed 26 of 37 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Diontae Johnson had eight catches for 122 yards and a score. And Chuba Hubbard was a menace, running for 114 yards and catching for 55 more.
It was a baffling home performance for the Raiders one week after they upset the Ravens. Las Vegas scored 15 in the fourth to make the game look closer than it really was.
Dalton’s performance not only saves the season for Carolina; it raises even more questions about how poor Young’s performance was in the first two weeks. Is Young really that incapable of leading an NFL offense? Or was Dalton’s performance a one-week blip?
Rams come back against 49ers
No Cooper Kupp, no Puka Nacua, no problem. The Los Angeles Rams came from behind to beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, kicking a late field goal to win 27-24.
The Rams were trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter before scoring the final 13 points of the game. Quarterback Matthew Stafford led two huge drives late — a touchdown after a missed Jake Moody field goal and then a three-play, 50-yard drive for the winning kick.
Stafford finished with 221 yards passing, while running back Kyren Williams rushed for 89 yards and two scores.
Niners signal-caller Brock Purdy had an impressive stat line — 22 of 30 for 292 yards and three scores — but couldn’t put away the game late.
Both teams are now 1-2.
Vikings remain undefeated
The Minnesota Vikings continue to roll.
Sam Darnold threw for four touchdowns in a dominant 34-7 win against the Texans. The Vikings are 3-0 despite starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s going out with injury before the season. Darnold threw for only 181 yards but was aided by Aaron Jones and his 102 yards on the ground.
The story of the game was the Minnesota defense, which stifled C.J. Stroud. The Texans quarterback threw for 215 yards, was picked off twice and sacked four times. Houston was inefficient on third down and couldn’t run the ball at all.
The Vikings are finding a formula for success. Darnold is taking advantage of the team’s weapons and playing relatively clean football, making nice throws in big moments. And the defense is a serious unit, shutting down the Texans a week after flummoxing the 49ers.
Ravens hold on for first win of the year
The Baltimore Ravens can breathe a sigh of relief after they held on for a 28-25 win against the Dallas Cowboys.
It looked like it would be a blowout for most of the game. The Ravens raced out to a 28-3 lead, largely because of a dominant rushing performance. Baltimore ran for 276 yards on 45 carries, scoring three times on the ground.
But Dallas fought back in the second half, going on a 22-7 run to cut the game to 3 late in the fourth. The Cowboys offense finally came alive, and the special teams even recovered an onside kick. But the late push wasn’t enough to make up for an inept start by both sides of the ball. The defense was pushed around, and the offense couldn’t sustain drives.
It was the second straight week the Cowboys were gashed defensively. One more instance and it will be more than fair to start questioning what was one of the most feared units in football headed into the season.
The Ravens were desperate for this win. They are now 1-2 after their first victory of the year.
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