Biggest overreactions from NFL Week 3, plus grades for each team and picks for Lions-Ravens on Monday night

USATSI

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

If you're still trying to recover from Sunday's NFL action, welcome to the club. Every time I thought Week 3 couldn't get any crazier, it somehow got crazier. In the early slate of games, we saw the Browns -- THE BROWNS -- storm back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Packers. We also saw the Panthers -- THE PANTHERS -- pitch a shutout against the Falcons. Dogs and cats are living together in harmony. That's where the NFL season is right now.

Things got so crazy Sunday that there were a total of seven games decided with a game-winning score in the final three minutes, which is tied for the most in any week since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. What that means is that we just witnessed one of the wildest weeks the NFL has ever given us over the past 55 years. Let's hope Ravens-Lions can keep the fun going tonight.

Anyway, it's Monday, so you probably already know what's coming your way: We've got grades from every game, plus some overreactions. And of course, we'll have some picks and best bets for the Monday night game in Baltimore.

As always, here's your reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here.

1. NFL Week 3 grades: Browns get an 'A' after shocking Packers

After a one-week hiatus, I am back to hand out grades. Last week, Cody Benjamin was in charge of the grades, and I'm giving him an 'A' for handling that, but this week, you're getting me.

Here's a look at the grades from three notable games Sunday:

Browns 13-10 over Packers (full recap)

Packers takeaway: This was an all-time collapse by a Packers team that blew a 10-0 lead over the final four minutes of the game. The fourth-quarter meltdown started with a Jordan Love interception that the Browns quickly turned into a touchdown. The Packers then got the ball back -- only to give up a blocked field goal with under 30 seconds left to play. The fourth quarter was filled with uncharacteristic errors from a team that doesn't usually make uncharacteristic errors. The Packers defense, which shut the Browns down for three quarters, surrendered 103 yards and 13 points in the fourth quarter. This loss is definitely going to sting for awhile. Grade: C-
Browns takeaway: The Browns might have the best defense in the NFL. After holding both the Bengals and Ravens under 250 yards in the first two weeks, the Browns came out and did the same thing to the Packers on Sunday. The pass rush beat up on Jordan Love for four straight quarters, sacking the Packers QB five times. The Browns outscored the Packers, 13-0, in the fourth quarter thanks in large part to several huge plays, including a Grant Delpit interception and a blocked field goal by Shelby Harris. Andre Szmyt then won the game with a 55-yard field goal as time expired. If not for a missed field goal in Week 1, this team could very easily be 2-1. This marked the first time since 2002 that the Browns came back to win after trailing by double digits in the final four minutes. The Browns might just be better than most people think. Grade: A

49ers 16-15 over Cardinals (full recap)

Cardinals takeaway: This loss is mostly on the offense. The Cardinals had two chances to put the game away in the final five minutes, but they couldn't do it. Kyler Murray and the offense didn't convert a single third down in the fourth quarter. It might be time for offensive coordinator Drew Petzing to go back to the drawing board. Defensively, the Cards came up with an interception along with a safety that gave them a 15-13 lead and the ball with just 3:15 left to play, but they couldn't hold on. This was as painful as it gets for the Cardinals: They lost to a division rival on the final play and might be without James Conner for the rest of the season after he suffered what appeared to be a devastating leg injury. Grade: B
49ers takeaway: The return of Robert Saleh might be the best thing that happened to the 49ers this year. Saleh's defense mostly shut down the Cardinals, and the 49ers certainly needed that because their offense wasn't going to win a shootout on Sunday. With Mac Jones running the show, the 49ers struggled to put up points. However, Jones did come through on the game's final drive, throwing for 59 yards to set up Eddy Pineiro's game-winning field goal. For the 49ers, Christian McCaffrey continues to look like the team's MVP: He had 27 touches for 140 yards. Ricky Pearsall also came up a big: The former first-round pick topped the 100-yard mark for the second time in three games. The 49ers are winning ugly, but they're winning and that's all that matters. Grade: B

Chiefs 22-9 over Giants (full recap)

Chiefs takeaway: Whatever Andy Reid said at halftime, he might want to bottle some of that up for the future, because the Chiefs came out on fire in the third quarter after a sluggish first half. Patrick Mahomes went 10 of 14 for 124 yards in the second half as the Chiefs played smart, efficient football, although there are still definitely some concerns. The offense doesn't look explosive and every other play seems to rely on Mahomes making something out of nothing. One positive for the Chiefs is that Tyquan Thornton (five catches, 71 yards, TD) is slowly emerging as a legitimate receiving threat. On the other side of the ball, the defense, which has been getting better every week, deserves a lot of credit for the win. The unit's constant pressure on Russell Wilson led to two sacks and two interceptions. It would have been panic time in Kansas City if the Chiefs had fallen to 0-3, but that didn't happen. This was a huge win for a team that has the Ravens coming up in Week 4. Grade: B-
Giants takeaway: It might be time for the Giants to send Russell Wilson to the bench. The New York defense kept it in this game, but Wilson and the offense wasted the effort. Wilson missed on several deep balls, threw two interceptions and had a painful series near the end of the game during which he got called for intentional grounding on a play where the Giants had the ball at Kansas City's 4-yard line. (On that same series, he also threw a pass out of bounds on fourth down.) The Giants have now been held under 10 points in two of their three games, and unless something changes, it's hard to see things getting better. Grade: C-

As for the other 24 grades we handed out in Week 3, you can check those out by clicking here.

2. NFL Week 3 winners and losers: Coaches and coordinators have a big week

You can't have a week of NFL action without having winners and losers, so we have some winners and losers. Cody Benjamin came up with this week's list, and we're going to check out his winners, which is pretty coach-heavy.

Winners

Bears head coach Ben Johnson. The new Bears coach could've thrown in the towel after an ugly loss to his old friends, the Lions, in Week 2. Instead he turned around and produced an awe-inspiring game plan against the Cowboys, unfurling a confident Caleb Williams, effortless offensive production and even a flea flicker to cruise past Dallas in front of a roaring Soldier Field.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Carson Wentz was the big story under center for Minnesota. ... But Flores was the real MVP of the Bengals beatdown, confusing and pressuring Browning from the jump. Cincinnati didn't once look comfortable, leaving Zac Taylor totally without answers on the other sideline. Looks like the NFC North isn't a wrap just yet.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen. Another week, another sharp day from Daniel Jones as the undefeated starting quarterback of the Colts. The most impressive thing about Jones in Indianapolis? He's actually threading the needle down the field, which he rarely did with the Giants. Besides his resurgence, Steichen can also smile about Jonathan Taylor, who looks like MVP material.

If you want to see Benjamin's list of losers, be sure to click here.

3. Overreactions from Week 3: Should Falcons go back to Kirk Cousins?

Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that's especially true when we're talking about the the NFL. With that in mind, Jeff Kerr decided to take a look at several things that happened in Week 3 to decide if we're all overreacting.

Statement: Falcons should bench Michael Penix Jr. and go back to Kirk Cousins.
Overreaction or reality: Reality. Penix was awful in a 30-0 loss to the Panthers, completing just 18 of 36 passes for 178 yards and two interceptions (40.5 rating). This was Penix's first multiple interception game in the NFL, but he hasn't been good in his three games this season -- completing just 58.6% of his passes for a 78.3 rating. ... Cousins may give the Falcons a spark on offense, which they really haven't had all year. NOTE: Cody Benjamin made the case for why the Falcons should STICK with Penix, and you can check that out here.

Statement: Justin Herbert is the frontrunner for MVP.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. Perhaps Herbert isn't the MVP yet, but the Chargers quarterback is in the conversation. Herbert didn't turn in an MVP stat line in the Chargers' comeback win over the Broncos, but he played like one on the final two drives. With the Chargers trailing, 20-13, in the fourth quarter, Herbert went 8 of 8 for 93 yards and a touchdown on the final two drives -- leading the Chargers to 10 unanswered points to get to 3-0.

Statement: Bengals should fire Zac Taylor after the season.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. Even though the Bengals were blown out in the first game Joe Burrow missed, this isn't a reflection on Taylor. This is the result of an organization that built a bad offensive line, did not draft well, did not spend the money to improve on defense and became too reliant on Burrow to win games. ... The Bengals just aren't good without Burrow, no matter who their coach is. Taylor will likely be on the hot seat if the season goes into a free fall, but right now Cincinnati is 2-1. The Bengals still control their own destiny. Their season isn't off the rails yet.

There are plenty more overreactions, and if you want to check those out, be sure to click here.

4. 15 crazy stats from Week 3: Browns pull off miracle comeback

Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild stats about the games that were just played.

With that in mind, here are 15 crazy stats from Week 1:

Browns miracle win snaps 300-game winning streak by Packers. The Browns beat the Packers, 13-10, in a game where they trailed by 10 with just four minutes left. The Packers had won 300 straight games dating back to 1967 when up by at least 10 points in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter. On the Browns' end, they had lost 145 straight games in that situation, dating back to 2002.
Historical day for non-offensive touchdowns. Week 3 marked the first time in NFL history where there were multiple pick-sixes, multiple punt return touchdowns and multiple blocked field goals returned for a touchdown in the same week.
Fly Eagles Fly. With a 61-yard score against the Rams, Philadelphia's Jordan Davis became the heaviest player (336 pounds) in NFL history to return a blocked kick at least 50 yards for a touchdown. Davis' score came on the final play of the game on a 44-yard field goal attempt that would have won the game for the Rams. The Eagles blocked two field goals in the fourth quarter of their 33-26 win, making them the first team since at least 1978 to pull that off.
Chargers already dominating their division. With their win over the Broncos, the Chargers became the first team in 19 years to start the season with three straight divisional wins. The last team to do that was the 2006 Bears, and they ended up making it all the way to the Super Bowl.
Houston, we have a problem. The Texans are the only team in the last 20 seasons to surrender 55 points or less through the first three weeks and still start 0-3.
Rookies pull off big returns. Seahawks rookie Tory Horton (95 yards) and Commanders rookie Jaylin Lane (90 yards) each recorded a punt return TD of at least 90 yards in Week 3, marking the first time in NFL history that multiple rookies scored on a punt return of at least 90 yards in the same week. Horton's return was the longest by any rookie since Tyreek Hill also had a 95-yarder in 2017.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Awesome. Daniel Jones is just the third QB since 1950 to start 3-0 with zero turnovers while also averaging at least nine yards per pass attempt (minimum: 75 pass attempts). Jones joins Alex Smith (2017) and Patrick Mahomes (2018), who both did it with the Chiefs.
Aaron Rodgers passes Brett Favre on all-time TD list. With two TD passes against the Steelers, Rodgers now has 510 for his career, which moves into fourth-place all-time. Going into Sunday, Rodgers had been tied with Brett Favre with 508 TD passes.
Isaiah Rodgers makes history. During Minnesota's 48-10 win over the Bengals, the Vikings cornerback became the first player in NFL history with a pick-six of 85 yards or more and a fumble return TD of 65 yards or more in the same game. Rodgers also became the first player in Vikings history to score on both an interception and fumble return in the same game. We have more on Rodgers' history-making performance here.
Cardiac kids. The Buccaneers are the first team in NFL history to start 3-0 by getting a game-winning score in the final minute of the fourth quarter in each of their games. The Bucs beat the Jets, 29-27, on a last-second 36-yard field goal from Chase McLaughlin.
McCaffrey joins rare club. With 17 carries and 10 catches against the Cardinals, McCaffrey now has 52 carries and 25 receptions on the season. That makes him just the second player in NFL history to record at least 50 rushes and 25 catches through the first three weeks, joining Thurman Thomas, who did it in 1991.
Giant disappointment. The Giants scored just nine points against the Chiefs on Sunday night and have now gone 12 straight home openers without scoring 20 points, which is the longest streak by a team in NFL history. The Giants are also now 2-19 in prime-time games since 2019, which is the worst record in the NFL over that span.

If you see any other fun facts, feel free to tweet them at me.

5. Monday night preview: Picks and best bets for Lions at Ravens

The NFL is saving its best for last this week. There are only four teams in the league who are averaging more than 30 points per game this year, and two of them will be playing tonight. The Ravens are the highest-scoring team in the NFL with an average of 40.5 points per game, and the Lions aren't too far behind them with an average of 32.5 points. Basically, don't be surprised if this turns into a shootout.

Here's one reason why each team should be feeling confident going into the game:

Why the Lions can win: Jared Goff is coming off a Week 2 win where he threw for 334 yards, and now he gets to go up against a Ravens defense that hasn't been able to stop the pass at all this year. Baltimore is surrendering 298.5 yards through the air this year, which is the most in the NFL. With Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Isaac TeSlaa, the Lions certainly have the weapons to take advantage of Baltimore's struggling pass defense. One thing working in Detroit's favor tonight is that the Ravens defense will be missing two Pro Bowl pass-rushers in Kyle Van Noy and Nnamdi Madubuike.
Why the Ravens can win: This game is against an NFC team in prime time, which is where Lamar Jackson seems to thrive the most. The Ravens QB is 24-2 in his career against the NFC, and that likely has to do with the fact that NFC teams rarely get to play against him so they have no idea what they're getting into. Jackson also has a 20-6 record in prime time, which is the best record by any QB with at least 10 prime-time starts since 2000. Over the course of his career, Monday has been Jackson's favorite night to play: He has 22 touchdown passes compared to ZERO interceptions on Monday nights in his career. The point here is that you probably shouldn't be surprised if Jackson has a huge game.

You can get a full preview of the game from Cody Benjamin by clicking here.

If you're thinking about betting on the game, here are a couple of props (odds via BetMGM):

ONE RUSHING PROP I LIKE: Derrick Henry OVER 84.5 rushing yards (-115): After being held to just 23 yards in Week 2, I have a feeling Henry is going to go off this week. If you think it's hard to tackle Henry, try tackling an angry Henry. The last two times he was held under 70 yards rushing in a game, he bounced back with performances of 140 and 162 yards. He's going to be looking to steamroll the Lions defense.
ONE KICKING PROP I LIKE: Tyler Loop OVER 7.5 points (-115): The Ravens rookie has kicked in two games this season and he's scored double-digit points in both games. (He scored 11 points in Week 1 followed by a 10-point showing in Week 2.) The Ravens have a high-powered offense that generates a lot of points, and many of those points are scored by the kicker, which is why Loop feels like a safe bet.

If you're wondering how my props are doing this year, I'm 6-5 (3-2 on kicker props and 3-3 on all other props).

And now, it's time for some picks.

PICKS FOR 'MNF'

Cody's pick: Ravens 28-26 over Lions
Prisco's pick: Ravens 37-30 over Lions
My pick: Ravens 34-27 over Lions

Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, all eight of us are taking the Ravens to win straight-up, but only two of us are taking them to cover as 5.5-point favorites.

6. Extra points: Giants won't commit to Russell Wilson

It was a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.

Brian Daboll makes no promises that Russell Wilson will remain starting QB. For the second straight week, Brian Daboll was noncommittal when asked whether Russell Wilson would remain his starter. "I'm not gonna answer that," Daboll said when asked if Wilson would be the starter in Week 4 vs. the Chargers. Wilson threw two interceptions in New York's 22-9 loss to Kansas City on Sunday night. You can read Daboll's full comments here.
Mac Jones dealing with knee injury. The 49ers QB had to play the second half with a knee brace after aggravating a PCL injury he suffered earlier this year. With Jones and Brock Purdy (toe/shoulder) both battling injuries, it will be interesting to see what the 49ers' QB situation looks like heading into their Week 4 game against the Jaguars.
Falcons still open to trading Kirk Cousins. If any team out there is looking to make an upgrade at quarterback, the Falcons are willing to trade Cousins, but only if a "premium" pick is involved, according to NFL Media. Cousins actually saw some playing time Sunday during the fourth quarter of the Falcons' 30-0 loss to the Panthers. Based on how Michael Penix Jr. played in that game, maybe the Falcons should think about holding on to Cousins.
Najee Harris likely out for the season. The Chargers running back had to be carted off the field after injuring his Achilles on Sunday, and if that ends up being diagnosed as a torn Achilles, he'll be out for the season. Harris had rushed for 33 yards on nine carries against the Broncos before going out with an injury in the first half. We've got more details on his injury here.
James Connor likely out for the season. The Cardinals running back had to be carted off the field Sunday after suffering a gruesome injury to his right ankle. According to ESPN, Connor will now have to undergo season-ending surgery. You can read more about Connor's injury here.