NFL Week 3: Five things we liked and didn't like, including a slow, strange start for Ashton Jeanty

If Week 1 tells lies and Week 2 tells half-truths, Week 3 starts to provide a clearer picture. There are, of course, some confounding results. The Packers, days after starting right tackle Rasheed Walker predicted an undefeated season lost to the previously winless Browns. That doesn't prove that Green Bay's impressive Week 1 win over the Lions and Week 2 win over the Commanders were flukes, but it does show the declarations of undefeated seasons and definitive Super Bowl favorites might have been a touch early.

Week 3 can also serve to confirm problems we saw in the first couple of weeks. The Texans' offense is absolutely broken. Playing behind an overmatched offensive line and alongside an underwhelming running back group, C.J. Stroud looks like a shell of his 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year self. The Texans rank 27th in Pro Football Focus' pass blocking grades and 23rd in its rushing grades. Using expected points added per play, only Cam Ward and Jake Browning have been worse than Stroud this season. Houston is the NFL's lowest-scoring team in the NFL.

Yes, it's still early. No team is close to its final form, nor should it be. In most cases, that's a good thing. In some cases, it will be a bad thing. But we're starting to identify some trends and realize the good -- and the bad -- emerging.

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John Breech

Five things we liked in Week 3

Did Isaiah Rodgers just play the best defensive game ... ever?

Let's start with the basics: Isaiah Rodgers had an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown and a 66-yard fumble return for a touchdown. He also forced the fumble on his fumble return touchdown. Just starting there, he's the only player to have an interception return touchdown, a fumble return touchdown and a fumble forced since forced fumbles became an official stat in 1999.

He's also just the fourth player in NFL history with multiple defensive touchdowns of 60+ yards in the same game, per CBS Sports research.

And if that was all Rodgers did, it would be an all-time game.

Then let's add in the highlights you might not have seen. Not even 30 seconds after his scoop and score, Rodgers forced a fumble against Ja'Marr Chase.

Shortly before those plays, he had a terrific pass breakup against Tee Higgins.

Rodgers earned a 99.9 grade from Pro Football Focus. That's never happened before, and PFF has been grading since 2006.

There have been four-interception games. Derrick Thomas had a seven-sack game in 1990. But Rodgers' performance is up there with any other defensive masterpiece.

Daniel Jones' growth under pressure

"How is Daniel Jones doing this?!" It's one of the most common questions in the NFL this season, and the credit belongs everywhere. Jonathan Taylor looks as good as ever. The Colts have PFF's second-highest pass blocking grade. Shane Steichen is drawing up some great concepts, and the multi-talented pass catching group -- Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Adonai Mitchell, Tyler Warren and even Taylor -- is shining.

But at some point we have to credit Jones. Maybe he's healthy. Maybe he's just in a more positive environment. Maybe he has *gasp* improved! Players can do that, especially when healthy.

Arguably the biggest leap has been when he's under pressure.

I mean, look at this play!

Or this one, with a free rusher in his face!

Danny Dimes indeed.

Eagles remember A.J. Brown is good

Football is incredibly difficult and convoluted.

But sometimes, it's easy.

A.J. Brown is big and fast and strong and very, very good. The Rams' cornerbacks are not nearly as big nor as good.

After recording -1 yards -- yes, that's negative one -- net yards passing in the first half and targeting Brown once, the Eagles targeted Brown nine times in the second half. He caught six for 109 yards and a score, basically playing bully ball.

Brown made sure everyone knew about the change postgame, too.

Entering the second half Sunday, Hurts had completed one pass 10+ yards downfield through two-and-a-half games. He had only attempted 11 such passes. In the second half alone, he completed six of eight such throws, with three going to Brown.

At halftime of this game, I had the Eagles offense as in my "didn't like" column. After the second half, though, it lands here, and hopefully it's a sign of things to come. 

Jaguars show their pass rush duo can get it done, too

In Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, the Texans have one of the most celebrated pass rush tandems in the NFL. But Sunday, going against the Texans, Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker showed they're nothing to sneeze at, either.

Hines-Allen is a great reason why sacks tell only part of the story. He had a half-sack Sunday, his only mark in the sack category this season But he also had six pressures and has 18 on the season, second only to Anderson. Hines-Allen not only was half of the play that saved the game ...

... but he was a menace lining up on both sides.

Meanwhile, Travon Walker had a sack when he ran a stunt and absolutely bullied Woody Marks.

This is a talented, athletic duo leading the Jaguars' (early) defensive improvement.

Ollie Gordon II a bright spot for the Dolphins

The Dolphins don't appear to be going anywhere this year. But part of this column's purpose is to find the good in the bad and the concerning signs in the good. Ollie Gordon II certainly qualifies for the former. The seventh-round rookie out of Oklahoma State ran nine times for 38 yards and a score. They aren't eye-popping numbers by any means. But check out the runs at the following marks of the video below:

• 0:16
• 1:04
• 1:45
• 2:16

Those latter two runs are really impressive and really important. A major issue for the Dolphins has been their lack of offensive heft. They have prioritized speed over power to a fault. He averaged -0.11 yards per rush before contact and 4.33(!) yards per rush after contact.

Gordon had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage in 2023 at Oklahoma State before a disappointing 2024. He fell all the way to the seventh round. But he looks like he can be a valuable asset for Miami now and, regardless of what happens to the front office and coaching staff, in the future.

Five things we didn't like in Week 3

Jerry Jones' Micah Parsons trade keeps looking worse

Jerry Jones trying to say -- with a straight face -- that trading Micah Parsons away made the Cowboys better was laughable then and looks even more ridiculous now. No, this was a move driven by ego, a move meant to say "I'm in charge, and I'm going to do things my way."

If I were a Cowboys fan, I'd be apoplectic that Jones dared to make this move and say the team would be better. Sunday, the Cowboys gave up 298 passing yards and four touchdowns to Caleb Williams. They did not sack Williams, whose 68 sacks taken last year were tied for third-most in a season in NFL history. The week before, they gave up 450 passing yards and three passing touchdowns to Russell Wilson. The Giants scored 40 points; they have scored 15 in their two other games combined.

The Cowboys are dead last in net yards per pass attempt allowed at 9.4 That is on pace to be the worst since at least the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. It's simply untenable, and it's not like they've faced a murderer's row of passers.

Here's the best way to interpret the last line: If this pace continues, it'd equate to the fourth-best season on record (since 2000) with some exalted company.

1. 2007 Tom Brady: 0.44 EPA per play
2. 2004 Peyton Manning: 0.42 EPA per play
3. 2011 Aaron Rodgers: 0.35 EPA per play
4. 2025 QBs vs. the Cowboys: 0.34 EPA per play

Basically, quarterbacks playing the Cowboys are playing like the prime version of three of the best quarterbacks ever.

The secondary is getting shredded. The best way to hide your secondary is to get quick pressures. Cowboys opponents have the second-longest average time to throw in the NFL. It's all bad.

Everything surrounding Ashton Jeanty

When I'm not at a stadium covering a game, I try to watch every single game on Sundays. It requires several screens, and because of where I live, the Commanders end up on the biggest, so I can pay a little more attention to the cinematography of Washington's game against the Raiders.

With 1:26 left in the first half and the Raiders trailing 17-10, the camera panned to Ashton Jeanty on the sideline, helmet not even on. Instead, 2024 sixth-round pick Dylan Laube was in. Geno Smith took a snap, and Bobby Wagner immediately blew by Wagner for a sack.

In the fourth quarter, trailing 34-16, the Raiders faced a third-and-1. Again, Laube was on the field. He got stuffed for no gain. Fourth- and-1? Same result.

With all due respect, what are we doing here, Raiders? This is not a team that's going to win many games this year. If Jeanty struggles in pass protection, this is the time for him to get reps. This is a player who was drafted sixth overall, whose pass-catching abilities was a massive reason he was viewed as an elite prospect. Currently, he has taken fewer third-down snaps than Zamir White, one of the NFL's least effective running backs last year. Sunday, White game 10 third-down snaps, and Jeanty and Laube both played two.

You don't draft early-down-only running backs sixth overall. Jeanty needs these reps.

Of course, he also needs some help. Jeanty has been contacted at or behind the line of scrimmage an astounding 32 times on 47 carries. That's nearly 70% of his runs that he doesn't even get to the line of scrimmage before being hit. The run blocking is awful

Want an upside for Jeanty? He's averaging over 3.1 yards per rush after contact. Other than that, it's hard to find much.

Maxx Crosby stuck on a non-contender

While we're on the Raiders and their struggles, Maxx Crosby not being on a contender is a bummer. Sunday, he had seven tackles, including two for a loss and one sack where he beat a pulling guard to the spot and ran through the running back trying to chip. He also drew two holding penalties.

You just don't find a lot of players like Crosby anymore. He's leading all defensive linemen in snaps played, just as he did in 2023. In 2024, he missed five games but still led the position in snaps per game.

I don't feel bad for Crosby. He's making a ton of money to play football. But I'm sure he wants to win, and with every blown coverage, with every blown blocking assignment, with every blown special teams coverage Sunday, that goal seems farther and farther away.

Michael Penix Jr.'s misfires

Over the summer, I looked at the historic 2024 rookie quarterback class and what each member could do better in 2024. For Michael Penix Jr., I pointed to accuracy: "Over 13% of his passes were off-target, the seventh-highest rate among 47 players who took at least 75 dropbacks."

But in Week 2, he was off target on nearly 24% of his throws, and in a Week 3 30-0 loss to the Panthers, he was at 19%. He basically spiked a fourth and 4 throw intended for Ray-Ray McCloud into the dirt. He missed Drake London and Darnell Mooney downfield. And then, in an absolute no-no, he was late -- and threw flat-footed -- on checkdown to Bijan Robinson.

We do have to remind ourselves that even though Penix is in his second year, he has only started six NFL games. But he played a ton of college ball, and his rookie year issues persist.

Ravens run game goes M.I.A.

The Ravens had a historically explosive run game last year, and when they ran for 238 yards in Week 1, it looked like that would continue. Then the last two weeks happened. The Ravens ran for 85 yards Monday against the Lions after running for just 45 in Week 2 against the Browns.

It's the first time Baltimore has been under 100 yards rushing since 2018, before Lamar Jackson became the team's starting quarterback.

Monday night, the Lions showed discipline in fulfilling their gap assignments, keeping Jackson's scrambling at bay. In Week 2, the offensive line was simply beaten by what is quickly proving to be a monstrous Browns defensive line; the Ravens' averaged negative yards before contact.

It hasn't been good enough, something John Harbaugh acknowledged. Derrick Henry's three fumbles already this season don't help, either. It might have been running into an elite defense one week and a well-prepared one the next. Either way, Baltimore has to get its running game on track.