NFL Week 3 winners and losers, plus J.J. McCarthy dealt to Giants and Eagles-Bears picks for Monday night

Hello football friends, and 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 Commanders -- who just LOST their starting quarterback last week -- take down the undefeated Super Bowl champion Seahawks 33-31. 

That was one of seven upsets that we saw in Week 3. 

If you felt like every game on Sunday was close, you're not crazy. There were a total of 12 games decided by a single possession, which is tied for the most for any day in NFL history and the most for any week in league history. If we get a one-score game tonight, that will set the NFL record for most one-score games in a week, but don't count on that happening, because every Monday night game has been a blowout so far. 

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 be breaking down the J.J. MCCARTHY TRADE that went down on Monday afternoon. 

As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, just click here.  

1. NFL Week 3 grades: Ravens earn 'B+' for wild win in Rio

For the first time ever, CBS got to air an international game and it ended up being possibly the craziest international game of all time with the Ravens beating the Cowboys in Rio De Janeiro. Maybe the NFL should put all their games in Rio. 

Next time there's a game in Rio, I'll be requesting to go, but I didn't go this time because I was way too busy handing out grades. I graded every game from Week 3 and here's a look at the grades from two notable games that were played Sunday:

Ravens 34-31 over Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro

• Ravens takeaway: The Ravens came alarmingly close to blowing a double-digit lead for the second straight week, but Lamar Jackson saved the day with some late magic in Rio de Janeiro. The Ravens QB was absolutely clutch in this game: He only threw for 186 yards, but 72 of that came in the fourth quarter, including a 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers that set up Tyler Loop's game-winning field goal. When Lamar goes into clutch mode, he's almost impossible to stop and the Cowboys found that out here. The Ravens' defense certainly has some cracks, but this unit helped save the win by holding the Cowboys out of the end zone in the final 20 seconds. This feels like the kind of win that can propel a team to greatness so it won't be surprising if we see the Ravens go on a run from here. Grade: B+
• Cowboys takeaway: The Cowboys played well enough to win this game, but a few bad coaching decisions might have cost them the win. After Brandon Aubrey's field goal tied the game with seven seconds left, the Cowboys decided to have Aubrey kick a touchback, which gave the Ravens enough time to pull out the miracle win. This was a rollercoaster game for both sides of the ball. The defense started the fourth quarter with a goal-line stand, but then gave up a long pass to set up the game-winning field goal. Dak Prescott and the offense drove down to Baltimore's 2-yard line in the final 30 seconds, but couldn't punch the ball in for a game-winning touchdown. This team just needed one player -- anyone -- to make one more play, but that didn't happen. The Cowboys will be kicking themselves for 10 straight hours on their flight home to Dallas after this loss. Grade: B

Steelers 30-27 over Bengals

• Bengals takeaway: The Bengals had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year, and it looked like that defense was on the field in Pittsburgh. The Bengals couldn't stop the run, and they got gashed up by a Steelers passing attack that had struggled through the first two weeks. Special teams was also a huge problem for Cincinnati. Not only did Ke'Shawn Williams lose a muffed punt, but the Bengals also got called for roughing the punter on a fourth-and-6 play in the third quarter that gave Pittsburgh a first down. Both of those errors eventually led to touchdowns for Pittsburgh. Despite all of that, Joe Burrow still had a chance to lead a game-winning drive, but he fumbled the game away in the final minute. The Bengals let this game slip through their hands. Grade: C-
• Steelers takeaway: It took two weeks, but the Steelers offense finally came alive on Sunday. The biggest surprise might have been Jaylen Warren, who averaged 7.5 yards per carry on a day where he ran through the Bengals defense for 127 yards. And this came from a Steelers offense that averaged just 74.5 yards per game on the ground through the first two weeks. The passing game was also on point for Pittsburgh, with Aaron Rodgers finally connecting on the long ball. After completing zero passes of 20 air yards or more through the first two weeks, he completed two of those for touchdowns in the first quarter against the Bengals. The Steelers' defense won't be bragging about this performance, except for maybe Derrick Harmon, who won the game by forcing a Joe Burrow fumble. Don't sleep on this Steelers team. Grade: B

As for the other 26 grades that we handed out so far in Week 3, you can check those out by clicking here. 

2. NFL Week 3 winners and losers: Drake Maye's struggles continue

You can't have a week of NFL action without having winners and losers, so we have some winners and losers. Carter Bahns came up with this week's list, and we're going to check out his losers below. At the top of our losers' list is a QB who was in the Super Bowl just seven months ago. 

LOSERS

• Drake Maye. Maye threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in Sunday's 35-6 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The three turnovers brought his season total to seven. In contrast, he was responsible for only 11 turnovers all of last year. The Patriots are off to a 1-2 start, and the offense was atrocious in the two losses with a combined 16 points and five Maye interceptions.
• Mike McDaniel. Things are just not working for the Los Angeles Chargers, specifically on offense. The team is 0-3, and it has not scored more than 16 points in a game. That is against two bottom-dwelling opponents and a Buffalo Bills defense that surrendered exactly 31 points in both of its first two games. Sunday's 24-16 loss in upstate New York was another example of how a highly touted offensive coordinator hire is not delivering the expected results for the Chargers..
• 49ers injury luck. The 49ers lost wide receiver Mike Evans and tackle Trent Williams for the game in their 36-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals, and that is not to mention Nick Bosa's injury in practice leading up to the contest. This team is all too familiar with its best players sitting on the bench and finding itself in tough situations as a result.

If you want to see Carter's list of winners (and a couple of other losers), be sure to click here. 

3. Overreactions from Week 3: Are the Raiders going to make the playoffs? 

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

Statement: The Raiders are going to make the playoffs.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. The Raiders can only play who is on their schedule, and their wins are now over the Chargers (who look miserable), the Dolphins (who might not win a game) and the Saints (who might be good but might be just OK). Let me be perfectly clear: It's OK if the Raiders aren't going to make the playoffs. They already have as many wins this year as they did last year. Kubiak has done wonderful stuff, the young players look great, the free agent additions look great, and it's already one of the most impressive turnarounds of the year.

Statement: Trevor Lawrence is a dark horse MVP candidate.
Overreaction or reality: Reality. Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdown passes and could have ran for another score (he kneeled). The difficulty level on some of his throws is really impressive. Lawrence is simply playing at an extremely high level. He wasn't great last week at the Broncos, but as we've already seen, every quarterback has off weeks. He is finally unlocking everything we projected he could be when he was coming out of Clemson: big arm that can access the entire field, impressive athleticism and awesome downfield accuracy, especially over the middle of the field.

Statement: Brock Purdy is playing as well as he ever has. 
Overreaction or reality: Reality. Let's give Brock Purdy his due. This season, he ranks: 1st in net yards per attempt (9.5), 1st in EPA per dropback (0.62), 1st in success rate (65.6%), 1st in touchdown rate (10.8%), 3rd in completion percentage (72.3%). Now, Kyle Shanahan always has uber-efficient offenses. He's also doing this with no Ricky Pearsall, no De'Zhaun Stribling and no DeMarcus Robinson. Mike Evans left Sunday's game, too.

There are plenty more overreactions and you can check them out here.

4. 10 crazy stats from Week 3: Deebo Samuel just set an NFL record that might not ever be broken

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 10 crazy stats from Week 3: 

1. Deebo's unlikely record. Samuel had 80 receiving yards against the Cardinals, but here's the twist: He didn't catch a single pass. He scored on a hook-and-lateral play where Mike Evans caught a pass from Brock Purdy and then pitched it to Samuel, who eventually scored (You can see the highlight here). On that play, Samuel set the NFL record for most receiving yards without making a catch, topping the mark of 65, which was set in 1961 by Eagles running back Timmy Brown. 
2. High drama in Cowboys-Ravens. The Ravens win over the Cowboys became the first game in the Super Bowl era where both teams kicked a field goal in the final 10 seconds. Brandon Aubry hit a kick to tie the game with seven seconds left and then Tyler Loop ended up hitting a game-winner as time expired.  
3. Raiders are doing the impossible. The Raiders are 3-0, which is almost unheard for a team coming off a season where they earned the No. 1 overall pick. As a matter of fact, this is just the fourth time that the team with the No. 1 pick has started 3-0 in the common draft era, which dates to 1967. The Raiders join the 1967 Colts, 1980 Lions and 2013 Chiefs.  
4. Vikings are doing the impossible. The Vikings are 3-0 even though they rank last in the NFL in total offense. The Vikings are the first team since the 1957 Browns to start 3-0 without topping 250 yards in any of their games. The Browns aren't the worst team to be compared to here because that 1957 team ended up making it to the NFL title game. Minnesota is averaging 238.3 yards per game this season, which is the lowest total for a 3-0 team since the 2004 Jaguars averaged 218. 
5. Bizarre win by Bills. The Bills turned the ball over five times in their 24-16 win over the Chargers. This win marked the first time since 1997 that the Bills won a game with a turnover differential of -4 or worse. That 1997 win came over the Colts, who had Jim Harbaugh as their starting QB. And in a bizarre coincidence, Harbaugh was also on the sideline Sunday as the head coach of the Chargers. 
6. Lions join rare company. With 31 points on Sunday, the Lions have topped 30 points in each of their first three games, but they've also been outscored 95-93 on the season. That makes them just the second team in NFL history -- joining the 1994 Patriots -- to score at least 30 points in each of their first three games and still have a negative point differential. 
7. Don't bet on the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers lost to the Vikings as a -1.5-point favorite and they've now gone 0-12 against the spread in their past 12 games. That's the longest streak without covering a game since at least 1970. 
8. Matthew Stafford sets unwanted record. The Rams QB threw a pick six in a 30-26 loss to the Broncos on Sunday night. It was the 33rd pick six of Stafford's career, which is the most in NFL history. Stafford had been tied with Brett Favre for the record, but now, he has it to himself. With the loss, Stafford's record in Sunday night games now drops to 3-10, which is the second-worst winning percentage in NFL history for any QB with at least 10 starts (Jeff George has the worst percentage after going 1-10 in his career).  
9. Mahomes moves to top of list. With Kansas City's win over the Dolphins, Patrick Mahomes now has 115 victories, which is tied with Tom Brady for the most in NFL history through a player's first 150 games. That's not bad company to be in. 
10. The record that was almost broken. Cam Little came about ONE FOOT away from hitting the longest field goal in NFL history. Little attempted a 70-yarder just before halftime against the Patriots and he just BARELY missed. You can check out a clip of the kick here. 

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

5. Monday night preview: Picks and best bets for Eagles at Bears

There have been two Monday night games so far this year and both of them have been total duds. In Week 1, the Chiefs beat the Broncos 31-10. In Week 2, the Rams beat the Giants 28-6. Yawn. 

The Bears and Eagles will try to end the drought tonight and it should be an interesting matchup. For one, the Bears won't have Caleb Williams. Chicago's star QB injured his hamstring last week and is expected to miss a few games. The Bears just got Tyson Bagent out of concussion protocol and they also have Case Keenum, so one of those two guys will be starting tonight. As things stand now, it's looking like Keenum will get the start. 

Wait, we're getting a backup QB going up against the 2-0 Eagles? Crap. Maybe this Monday night blowout trend is going to continue. 

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

• Why the Eagles can win: The Eagles have more offensive firepower than the Bears and if they use it right, they should be able to win. Dating to their Super Bowl-winning season in 2024, the Eagles are 24-1 (including playoffs) when they score at least 22 points and that includes going 2-0 this year. The Bears gave up 37 points in Week 1 and Jalen Hurts should be able to take advantage of Chicago's bad defense. If Philly can get to 22, Philly's defense should be able to do the rest against a Bears offense that won't have Caleb Williams.  
• Why the Bears can win: This one is simple, the Bears have to get their run game going. The Eagles have surrendered at least 120 yards on the ground in each of their first two games, which means the Bears should be able to run on them. When these two teams met last season, the Bears rushed for 281 yards in a 24-15 win. If they can get just halfway to that number, that will take pressure off their Bagent or Keenum and keep the Eagles' offense on the field. Basically, the Bears need D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai to come up big tonight. 

You can get a full preview of the game from Jared Dubin by clicking here.

If you're thinking about betting on the game, here are a couple of props. 

• ONE RUSHING PROP I LIKE: Kyle Monangai OVER 38.5 rushing yards (-113 at FanDuel): If the Bears are going to have a chance to win tonight, I feel like they're going to have to lean heavily on the run, which should mean a lot action for Monangai. Through two weeks, not only is he averaging 74.5 rushing yards per game, but more importantly, he's averaging 7.35 YARDS PER CARRY. And now, he gets to face an Eagles defense that surrenders 4.2 yards per carry and that could set up a big night for the Bears running back. 
• ONE KICKING PROP I LIKE: Jake Elliott OVER 2.5 extra points (+135 at BetMGM): If you think the Eagles can score three touchdowns against the Bears defense, then you should definitely take the over here. Elliott hit exactly three extra points in each of the Eagles' first two games this year and I feel like we're going to see him do it once again in Week 3.  

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

And now, it's time for some picks. 

PICKS FOR 'MNF'

Jared Dubin's pick: Eagles 23-10 over Bears
John Breech's pick: Eagles 23-16 over Bears
Jordan Dajani's pick: Eagles 21-13 over Bears
Tyler Sullivan's pick: Eagles 26-20 over Bears
Prisco's pick: Eagles 27-13 over Bears

That's right, we're all on the Eagles. If it makes Bears fans feel any better, we we're all on the Packers on Thursday night and that one definitely didn't work out for us. 

Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, all seven of our seven experts are taking the Eagles to win and cover as a 3.5-point favorite. 

6. Extra points: Dolphins RB De'Von Achane out for the season

It's been a busy few days around the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything, I put together a quick roundup for you.

• De'Von Achane out for the year. The Dolphins running back suffered a torn ACL on Sunday and will now miss the rest of the season, according to NFL Network. During the offseason, the Dolphins cleaned house by getting rid of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Tua Tagovailoa, but Achane was the one guy they kept because they thought they could build an offense around him. With Achane now out, the Dolphins' offense is going to go from bad to worse. 
• Giants lose Brian Burns for the season. The Giants got the win over Tennessee on Sunday, but it came at a huge cost. According to ESPN, Burns is "believed" to have torn his ACL, and if that's the case, then he'll miss the rest of the season. 
• Baker Mayfield dealing with dislocated thumb. The Bucs quarterback suffered a dislocated thumb during the fourth quarter of Tampa Bay's 23-16 loss to the Vikings. Mayfield has been with the Bucs since the 2023 season, and in that time, he's never missed a start, but that could soon change. The QB will be undergoing an MRI today and at that point, the Bucs will have a better idea of whether Mayfield will have to miss time. If Mayfield can't play this week against the Packers, the rookie Jalon Daniels would be in line to get his first-career start.
• Commanders sign Austin Ekeler. The veteran NFL running back is returning to Washington. Ekeler is expected to sign with the Commanders today, according to ESPN. Ekeler spent the 2025 season in Washington, but missed the final 15 games after tearing his Achilles. Speaking of injuries, the Commanders got some bad news on Sunday: Leo Chenal will miss the rest of the season. The starting linebacker will be undergoing season-ending surgery after injuring his neck against the Seahawks. 

And we have one more piece of news that's too big to fit in the 'extra points' section...

7. Giants make trade for J.J. McCarthy

After Jaxson Dart got injured last week, John Harbaugh made it clear that the Giants were going to add a quarterback and that's exactly what they did on Monday by acquiring J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings. 

Here are the trade details: 

• Giants receive: QB J.J. McCarthy
• Vikings receive: 2027 fifth-round pick

This seems like a win-win for both sides. The Vikings were definitely out on McCarthy. After he lost the team's QB battle to Kyler Murray during training camp, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before Minnesota made the decision to move on. 

Getting a fifth-round pick in return for a guy who was taken 10th overall isn't ideal, but it's better than nothing. As for the Giants, this a classic Harbaugh move. McCarthy played for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and you can bet that John gave his brother a call before making the decision to go after McCarthy. 

The Giants' offense is at its best when a mobile quarterback is running the show and New York just wasn't going to have that with Jameis Winston under center. With McCarthy getting up to speed, Winston will almost certainly be the starter for New York's Week 4 game against Arizona, but it will be interesting to see what the Giants do after that. 

According to New York sports writer Gary Myers, Giants general manager Joe Schoen actually thought about taking McCarthy with the sixth overall pick in 2024, but they went with Malik Nabers instead. What this means is that Schoen was clearly interested in McCarthy, and now, he has him.