Season: 34-14
SEA (2-1) @ ARI (2-1)
Thursday, September 25 | 8:15 PM ET | Prime Video
The NFC West appears to be the only division with four legitimate contenders this season—and tonight’s matchup features two teams that barely fell to the 49ers for their only loss this season. Arizona has plenty of balance on defense with options like Denzel Burke and Kei’Trel Clark stepping up due to injuries at cornerback, but the offense isn’t as deep and will be tested with James Conner (ankle) done for the season; a core trio of Conner, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Trey McBride might have been enough firepower for the Cardinals, but now running back Trey Benson and options at wide receiver will need to step up. Seattle getting defensive reinforcements with Devon Witherspoon and Julian Love back will make a top unit even more difficult to move the ball against, so Arizona might need to force a turnover or two on Sam Darnold, and Kyler Murray has lost seven in a row to the division rival.
Winner: Seattle Seahawks
MIN (2-1) @ PIT (2-1)
Sunday, September 28 | 9:30 AM ET (Ireland) | NFL Network
Pittsburgh’s offense has struggled since Aaron Rodgers torched his former team in the opener with four touchdowns, but as mentioned then, the four-time NFL MVP is always better with a chip on his shoulder—and he’ll likely have an edge in Ireland when he takes on a Minnesota squad that decided against bringing him in this offseason. Instead, the Vikings are now on the verge of a quarterback controversy with J.J. McCarthy (ankle) struggling and the team clearly responding to Carson Wentz under center in last week’s 48-10 win over the Bengals, and the Steelers could have trouble containing Justin Jefferson if Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring) remains out. Also, Wentz did take a few sacks last week, and Pittsburgh proved to be an opportunistic defense with five takeaways and improved run defense as first-round pick Derrick Harmon made his NFL debut. If Rodgers has answers for the heavy pressures brought by Brian Flores with DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III both capable of beating single coverage, the Steelers can jump out to an early lead in the AFC North.
Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers
WAS (2-1) @ ATL (1-2)
Sunday, September 28 | 1:00 PM ET | CBS
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris was dismissive when asked about Kirk Cousins potentially getting a shot to play with Michael Penix Jr. struggling this year, but Atlanta is in a very precarious position at 1-2 with the Buccaneers rolling in the division (and matchups against the Bills and 49ers coming after a Week 5 bye). Although Cousins did not play well at all towards the end of his time as the starter last year, he was coming off a torn Achilles and didn’t appear healthy—going 6-3 with a 17:7 touchdown-interception ratio across the first two months before the wheels fell off. We were high on Penix coming out of Washington, but he needs to play better with the aggressiveness he showed in college not being there to begin his career; we’ll see if moving offensive coordinator Zac Robinson from the booth to the field will make a difference. For the Commanders, it feels like Marcus Mariota will start again in place of Jayden Daniels (knee), which would give him another shot to beat one of his former teams after dicing up the Raiders as a passer and runner last week.
Winner: Washington Commanders
NO (0-3) @ BUF (3-0)
Sunday, September 28 | 1:00 PM ET | CBS
The lack of talent for New Orleans showed up last week in the 44-13 loss to Seattle, and a rough month of September concludes with a trip to Buffalo where Josh Allen and James Cook might be far too much to handle. Based on how the Bills rallied to contain De’Von Achane underneath last week (seven receptions for 29 yards), the Saints might not be able to get much out of Alvin Kamara in the passing game, and the lack of downfield success goes against the personnel with Chris Olave (7.2 yards per reception) and Rashid Shaheed (9.1) both being capped to begin 2025. Spencer Rattler has done a quality job taking care of the ball with one interception through three games, but he’s now 0-9 as a starter at the NFL level, and New Orleans is highly unlikely to pull off an upset on the road if they don’t connect on at least a couple of chunk plays—which Sean McDermott’s defense is always looking to prevent.
Winner: Buffalo Bills
CLE (1-2) @ DET (2-1)
Sunday, September 28 | 1:00 PM ET | FOX
The Lions beating the Ravens on the road showed they can contend with another top AFC contender (after defeating the Chiefs in the 2023 season opener)—so Monday night was a confidence-building win for any potential opponent they’d face in February. Having a quarterback who can make clutch throws like Jared Goff combined with an ability to run the ball at a high level makes Detroit very dangerous, but the most impressive part of the win over Baltimore was how the defensive front corralled Lamar Jackson with seven sacks; finding another edge rusher to pair with Aidan Hutchinson has been one of the few weaknesses for the Lions, but veteran Al’Quadin Muhammed is in the midst of a late-career breakout after having 2.5 sacks on Monday night and 5.5 sacks over his past six games dating back to last season. A gritty, hard-nosed Cleveland squad that is coming off an upset win over Green Bay could be a problem for a team coming off an emotional win, but Dan Campbell and his guys are built different.
Winner: Detroit Lions
TEN (0-3) @ HOU (0-3)
Sunday, September 28 | 1:00 PM ET | CBS
A stingy Houston defense has kept them in games, but C.J. Stroud has really struggled—with the first of his two interceptions in the fourth quarter of last week’s loss to Jacksonville showing a quarterback that is simply not seeing the field well right now. Over his past 18 outings, Stroud has averaged just 212.9 passing yards per game with as many touchdowns (19) as turnovers (19); a benching probably won’t be in the cards for the former No. 2 overall pick, but you have to wonder if it’s something that has crossed DeMeco Ryans’ mind, and the franchise will have a difficult situation on their hands if the offense doesn’t improve soon. Tennessee is in a worse spot with an offensive-minded head coach in Brian Callahan giving up play-calling after three games for No. 1 overall pick Cameron Ward, and things are tracking for Ward to be on his third play-caller by next year if wins don’t start to come. Look for Calvin Ridley to get more targets moving forward, and Derek Stingley Jr. (oblique) being out on Sunday would have me even less confident in choosing the Texans here.
Winner: Houston Texans
CAR (1-2) @ NE (1-2)
Sunday, September 28 | 1:00 PM ET | FOX
The Patriots having one of the easiest schedules in the league should help them stay in contention despite a slow start—but they are now 0-2 at home and might not be able to afford another loss at Foxborough this week in a very winnable spot the Panthers. Last week, it was four lost fumbles that cost New England in a 21-14 loss to Pittsburgh, and Rhamondre Stevenson has drawn much of the blame, but it’s no coincidence that Drake Maye had an interception and fumble in both losses (with no turnovers in the Week 2 win). Defensively, the Pats getting Christian Gonzalez (hamstring) for the first time will help them slow down impressive rookie Tetairoa McMillan, and a trio of Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, and Marcus Jones is very formidable. However, we shouldn’t sleep on the cornerback group for Carolina with Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, and Chau Smith-Wade—and the Patriots need more from Maye and the wide receivers if they want to achieve preseason expectations by contending for a playoff spot in the first year under Mike Vrabel.
Winner: New England Patriots
LAC (3-0) @ NYG (0-3)
Sunday, September 28 | 1:00 PM ET | CBS
The Giants are turning to first-round pick Jaxson Dart at quarterback in what feels like the final stand for Brian Daboll—and my guess is that the original plan was to wait until December to play Dart, hope he shows some promise, and then sell ownership on getting another shot in 2026 no matter what they record is. If that was indeed the plan, Daboll might not have even gotten a shot to play his handpicked quarterback with New York being 0-3, though, and a 9-28 record since 2023 has planes already set to fly over MetLife Stadium this weekend (the fans at least waited until December to revolt last season). As was the case in the preseason, I would expect a heavy dose of screen passes and RPOs to make things as easy as possible for Dart, and any shots should be calculated versus Jesse Minter’s defense. Unfortunately, the rookie passer might need to immediately win a shootout versus Justin Herbert with the cornerbacks aside from Paulson Adebo being completed overmatched by Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Keenan Allen.
Winner: Los Angeles Chargers
PHI (3-0) @ TB (3-0)
Sunday, September 28 | 1:00 PM ET | FOX
The Eagles and Buccaneers have sort of become conference rivals in recent years, as Tampa Bay is one of the few teams to have Jalen Hurts’ number with a 4-1 record (including 2-0 in the playoffs) since 2022. The biggest reason for the Bucs’ success is they have a talented roster that can nearly match Philadelphia, and the matchups have also showed the greatness of Todd Bowles as a head coach. This week, I thought we might have gotten undrafted rookie Desmond Watson (weighing in at 464 pounds) called up after recently signing to be a stopper on quarterback sneaks, so it was interesting to hear that won’t be the case and Watson is instead playing the role of Jordan Davis on the scout team. Tampa Bay will still get big-time reinforcements on Sunday with Chris Godwin Jr. (ankle) and Tristan Wirfs (knee) expected to make their season debuts, so Philly needs pass rushers to step up with Nolan Smith Jr. (triceps) out, and it’s a bit concerning that Quinyon Mitchell has taken a step back from his rookie campaign thus far. That said, the Eagles finally playing through A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith last week should be something that continues, and Saquon Barkley feels due for a long run—which we might see late in the Florida heat this weekend.
Winner: Philadelphia Eagles
IND (3-0) @ LAR (2-1)
Sunday, September 28 | 4:05 PM ET | FOX
The red-hot play of Daniel Jones continued last week in a win over Tennessee—and the only real question to be answered about him entering the season was whether he could get his confidence back after a disappointing final season in New York. I would say we have the answer with Jones throwing with decisiveness and zip all over the field, and it was funny to see him featured at halftime of the Giants’ game last week on Sunday Night Football for making history as the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to have at least three passing touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns, and zero turnovers in the first three games of a season. Los Angeles will be a challenge as a young, energetic defense that will likely carry over the game plan from the loss to the Eagles by going all out to stop Jonathan Taylor (as they did Saquon Barkley), but a deep group of pass-catchers for Indy can make them pay. On the other side of the ball, the Colts being without Kenny Moore II (calf) in the slot will severely impact their chances of stopping Puka Nacua, so Laiatu Latu and the pass rush needs to get to Matthew Stafford.
Winner: Los Angeles Rams
JAX (2-1) @ SF (3-0)
Sunday, September 28 | 4:05 PM ET | FOX
The 49ers should get Brock Purdy (shoulder/toe) back this week, but Mac Jones made a very good case to be a starter somewhere next year—going 2-0 and throwing for 281.5 yards per game with a 4:1 touchdown-interception ratio and leading a game-winning drive while dealing with a knee injury. While it would have been cool to see Jones take on the Jags after spending a season there, Purdy brings added mobility if he needs to escape Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker; and the Niners need the offense operating at maximum efficiency with Nick Bosa (knee) unfortunately done for the season. Especially at 3-0, it’ll be interesting to see if San Francisco makes a big swing to add an edge defender at the deadline, but they need more out of No. 11 overall pick Mykel Williams either way. The Niners at least have two tremendous cornerbacks in Renardo Green and Deommodore Lenoir to hold up in coverage (the duo has combined to allow just 78 yards this season), and I like those two to make sure a quiet Brian Thomas Jr. doesn’t catch fire this weekend.
Winner: San Francisco 49ers
BAL (1-2) @ KC (1-2)
Sunday, September 28 | 4:25 PM ET | CBS
Any of the top teams can win on the road in January, but homefield advantage is crucial to create an easier path—so Baltimore and Kansas City each being 1-2 arguably makes Sunday’s matchup even bigger than if each side was 3-0. I’m not sure if we will get a shootout, slugfest, or something in between, but one thing we can be sure about this weekend is that Derrick Henry will be as determined as ever following his second key lost fumble of the year in the loss to Detroit; and King Henry has notably had some monster games versus the Chiefs in his career with his team going 4-3 in the matchups (including 1-1 in the postseason). In the passing game, Lamar Jackson should get Isaiah Likely (foot) back for the first time this season, and the number of ways the Ravens can beat you will be difficult for the Chiefs to contend with. Maybe the championship DNA for Kansas City will emerge at Arrowhead, but a lack of a running game and no Rashee Rice give the edge to Baltimore.
Winner: Baltimore Ravens
CHI (1-2) @ LV (1-2)
Sunday, September 28 | 4:25 PM ET | CBS
The Bears picked up a win last week against the Cowboys as Caleb Williams had the best performance of his young career (298 yards and four touchdowns through the air)—and Las Vegas presents an ideal opponent to build on the success with an unproven cornerback group. My concern for Chicago is on defense where they could have trouble defending the middle of the field versus Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, which is an area offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will know to attack. Additionally, No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty is bound for a breakout game soon, and there’s a good chance it comes on Sunday with the Bears allowing 5.5 yards per carry and the sixth-most rushing yards per game (139.3) in the league. Another huge outing for Williams could be enough to get another win, but I like the Raiders to take advantage of the mismatches on offense to get out of September at 2-2.
Winner: Las Vegas Raiders
GB (2-1) @ DAL (1-2)
Sunday, September 28 | 8:20 PM ET | NBC
Exactly one month after the Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to Green Bay, the two sides will square off in what should be an intense primetime clash—but Dallas is suddenly without their best two players from just a few weeks ago with Parsons on the other side and CeeDee Lamb (ankle) not playing. In addition to Lamb being out, the Cowboys won’t have Tyler Booker (ankle) and Cooper Beebe (ankle/foot) on the offensive line, so Sunday night could be a game where Dak Prescott is under constant pressure with Parsons surely wanting to make a statement in his return to Dallas. In general, it’s easy to imagine the game getting out of hand based on the absences for the Cowboys, but DaRon Bland (foot) returning could have the defense playing closer to how they did in the opener, and Jordan Love showed last week that he’s one of the more inconsistent (and frustrating) quarterbacks in the league. Dallas going with a hurry-up offense and trying to run at Parsons—thus tiring him out and/or getting him off the field for passing situations—might be a wise attempted strategy for them, but it might take an off night by Love for them to come out on top.
Winner: Green Bay Packers
NYJ (0-3) @ MIA (0-3)
Monday, September 29 | 7:15 PM ET | ESPN
The Jets and Dolphins both wanted to get tougher this season, but the results haven’t been there with a combined 0-6 record as they’ve allowed 31.0 points per game and 32.3 points per game, respectively. New York should get Justin Fields (concussion) back in the lineup on Monday night to make them more explosive on offense, but the personnel doesn’t match De’Von Achane, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle for Miami—so Fields will need to play like he did in the opener (16-of-22 for 218 yards and one touchdown with 48 yards and two scores on the ground) with the offense centered around the running game by playing through Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and what their quarterback can do as a runner. The Dolphins are still in danger of having the wheels fall off for them, but I like the fight they showed last Thursday night in Buffalo, and they have a prime opportunity to get hot with the Chargers being the only opponent with a winning record on the schedule until the day before Halloween.
Winner: Miami Dolphins
CIN (2-1) @ DEN (1-2)
Monday, September 29 | 8:15 PM ET | ABC
Denver ended up winning the season finale to make the playoffs anyway, but Bengals-Broncos was a Week 17 thriller last year that carried major playoff implications in what was a must-win for Cincinnati—and Tee Higgins was the star with 131 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime. Of course, Cincinnati not having Joe Burrow (toe) for the rematch and getting destroyed last week might take some shine off the Monday night battle, but the pressure is increasing for Denver with two last-second losses, and they can’t afford to fall too far behind in the AFC West (and AFC in general) with a game in Philadelphia next week. Getting to Jake Browning like the Vikings did in Week 3 is the best way to avoid an upset, and I’ll be curious to see if first-round pick Jahdae Barron will get increased snaps based on how Riley Moss struggled in this matchup last year. Ideally, the Broncos will click on offense with Bo Nix and his pass-catchers connecting on downfield shots like we saw in 2024 when he launched a touchdown pass to Marvin Mims Jr. 67 yards in the air in one of the more memorable plays of the campaign.
Winner: Denver Broncos