NFL Week 3: 49ers-Broncos; Packers top Bucs, Jags upset Chargers

Week 3 of the NFL season featured an action-packed Sunday slate filled with a number of highly anticipated tilts and some shocking upsets, and we had you covered with every must-see moment.

Earlier on FOX, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers defeated Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a down-to-the-wire matchup that might have been the two legends’ final meeting.

Elsewhere, the Miami Dolphins, the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off upsets over the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers, respectively.

Closing things out, a Jimmy Garoppolo-led San Francisco team takes on Denver on the road.

Here are the top plays from Sunday’s Week 3 action.

San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos

First strike

After a long drive powered by a Jeff Wilson 37-yard run, the 49ers jumped in front on a short pass from Garoppolo to Brandon Aiyuk.

Stay tuned for updates.

Green Bay Packers 14, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12

Rodgers rolling

It was an intense first-quarter battle at Raymond James Stadium. The Bucs were first on the board with a field goal, but it was the Packers that took the lead after Rodgers found Romeo Doubs for an early score.

Rodgers’ second touchdown pass of the day was a dart to Allen Lazard, as the Packers increased their lead.

Bucs come up big

The Buccaneers kept things close by forcing a turnover at the goal line ahead of the break. Tampa Bay’s defense picked up right where it left off in the first half, picking off Rodgers near midfield in the third quarter.

Brady coming through

Here’s something you don’t see every day!

Packers prevail

It came down to the wire in Tampa Bay, when Brady & Co. charging downfield and scoring with 14 seconds to spare to make it a two-point game. A delay of game penalty proved to be the nail in the Bucs’ coffin, however.

Los Angeles Rams 20, Arizona Cardinals 12

WR1, RB1?

The Rams extended their lead in the first quarter when Cooper Kupp found the end zone with a 20-yard rush.

History made

Aaron Donald recorded his 100th career sack, joining Hall of Famer John Randle as the only two players to play primarily defensive tackle with 100-plus sacks since individual sacks were tracked starting in 1982.

Rumbling Rams

Cam Akers rushed 14 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, as L.A. added to its lead, and Tyler Higbee sealed it for the Rams late in the fourth after recovering the Cardinals’ onside kick.

Atlanta Falcons 27, Seattle Seahawks 23 

Dirty Birds

Falcons QB Marcus Mariota gave Atlanta the lead after forcing his way past the Seahawks’ defense and into the end zone early. Then, Cordarrelle Patterson barreled into the end zone, as the Falcons retook the lead in the second quarter.

Flying high

On the other side, Geno Smith got off to a strong start for the Seahawks, moving the ball downfield with ease. Seattle knotted things up once again ahead of the break after DK Metcalf went up high to haul in a TD pass.

What can’t he do?

Wondering what Patterson was up to in the fourth quarter? He was high-stepping through the Seahawks’ defense. The Falcons held on to the lead and secure their first win of the season.

Jacksonville Jaguars 38, Los Angeles Chargers 10

Defense!

The Jaguars’ defense came to play, coming up with an early interception that resulted in a field goal, followed by forcing a fumble in the second quarter. 

That turnover resulted in a touchdown for Jacksonville, courtesy of veteran wideout Zay Jones.

Magic

The Chargers got on the board in the second quarter, thanks to a jaw-dropping, all-out effort from Mike Williams. Then, Herbert showed off his arm strength with a 54-yard toss to Jalen Guyton ahead of the break.

Too fast

Jaguars running back James Robinson found a hole in the Chargers’ defense and took advantage, taking off 50 yards for the score on fourth-and-1.

Making a statement

Then, Trevor Lawrence found Christian Kirk for a touchdown to close out the third frame, as Jacksonville extended its lead by 20-plus points. 

With momentum on their side, the Jags continued to pour it on en route to an upset on the road.

Carolina Panthers 22, New Orleans Saints 14

To the house!

Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who was questionable coming into Sunday’s matchup, fumbled the ball near midfield, which was picked up by Panthers DE Marquis Haynes Sr. and returned 44 yards for the score.

Off to the races

The Panthers returned the favor in the fourth quarter, when Laviska Shenault took it 67 yards for the score, as Carolina went on to earn its first win with new quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Baltimore Ravens 37, New England Patriots 26

Never a doubt

Mark Andrews came up big for the Ravens early, reeling in a one-handed catch from Lamar Jackson to give Baltimore a first-quarter lead over the Patriots. New England responded with a score of its own, but Baltimore jumped back in front thanks to Andrews’ second acrobatic score of the day.

Airing it out

Mac Jones connected with DeVante Parker on a 36-yard reception that kick-started a scoring drive, marking the Patriots receiver’s 12th career 100-yard game.

All-out effort

A one-point lead was too close for comfort for the Ravens, so Devin Duvernay did what he does best: score. Baltimore went on to seal the deal by double digits on the road.

Minnesota Vikings 28, Detroit Lions 24

Slicing and dicing!

Lions star wideout Amon Ra St. Brown ran through the Vikings’ defense on a crucial fourth down for Detroit.

Comeback

Things came down to the wire in this one, but it was the Vikings’ defense that showed up when it was most important, shutting down Jared Goff late in the fourth quarter and sealing the win.

Philadelphia Eagles 24, Washington Commanders 8

Bombs away!

Jalen Hurts continued to let it fly in the second quarter, as the Eagles shut out the Commanders through three quarters.

Six for No. 6!

Double coverage? No problem for DeVonta Smith, who made jaws drop with this stunning touchdown catch. 

It was just the latest mind-blowing catch from Smith, who reeled in a 45-yard catch for Philly in the first quarter. The Eagles went on to secure the win with ease.

Indianapolis Colts 20, Kansas City Chiefs 17

Indy capitalizes

Colts rookie tight end Jelani Woods accounted for the first touchdown, as Matt Ryan and the Indianapolis offense capitalized on a muffed punt by Chiefs rookie receiver Skyy Moore.

Chaos!

Colts QB Ryan got drilled to the ground when the Chiefs’ defense closed in on him on fourth down. K.C. took over on downs, and Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce immediately went to work on closing the gap.

Upset alert!

Once again, Woods came up big for the Colts, catching a touchdown pass with 24 seconds left to give Indy the victory over Mahomes & Co.

Tennessee Titans 24, Las Vegas Raiders 22

Watch the throne

After Derrick Henry tallied 45 yards on the Titans’ opening drive, Ryan Tannehill faked to the king and tossed a short touchdown pass to tight end Geoff Swaim.

The King is back!

Henry barreled his way into the end zone for a score early in the second quarter to give Tennessee a double-digit lead. It was the 70th of his career, bringing Henry that much closer to tying the Titans’ franchise record.

Delivering big

Davante Adams hauled in a difficult touchdown pass in the back of the end zone, as the Raiders cut into the Titans’ lead. In the end, however, Tennessee had the last word and took home a two-point victory.

Miami Dolphins 21, Buffalo Bills 19

Turnover!

Dolphins safety Jevon Holland stripped the ball away from Josh Allen, and it was recovered by Miami in the red zone. Then, Chase Edmonds ran it in for Miami’s first score of the day and first by a running back this season.

QB1 bounces back

Tua Tagovailoa suffered an apparent head injury in the second quarter that kept him out of action for a bit after the Dolphins QB took a hard shot from Bills linebacker Matt Milano. Backup Teddy Bridgewater checked in just before the break before Tagovailoa returned for the second half.

Tagovailoa didn’t waste any time working on a comeback for the Dolphins. He found Jaylen Waddle on a 45-yard deep shot up the middle that put Miami inside the 10-yard line, which resulted in a Dolphins score.

Close call

Although things got dicey at the end, Miami hung on to the lead, handing Buffalo its first loss of the season.

Cincinnati Bengals 27, New York Jets 12

Cincy strikes first

Joe Burrow found Samaje Perine for six on the Bengals’ opening drive to take an early edge over the Jets.

Breaking free!

Burrow hit wideout Tyler Boyd over the middle, and the receiver took off for a dazzling 56-yard score. Cincinnati went on to dominate N.Y. from start to finish and earn a road win.

Chicago Bears 23, Houston Texans 20

Ground game strong

The Bears were all about running the ball against the Texans. 

QB Justin Fields got things started for Chicago in the first quarter, followed by Khalil Herbert running in an 11-yard score, capping off a drive that began with a monster 41-yard run by Equanimeous St. Brown.

Catching air!

Texans QB Davis Mills hit Jordan Akins for a goal-line score, making it a one-possession game early.

Houston wasn’t able to pull off a comeback, however, as the Bears kicked a game-winning field goal as the clock expired to improve to 2-1 on the season.

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