Anything can happen at any time in the NFL, and that certainly proved true in the previously winless Atlanta Falcons' 35-14 road win over the Green Bay Packers on "Thursday Night Football."
Atlanta moved to a perfect 5-0 in primetime as an underdog across the past two seasons, and it won its first game at Lambeau Field since 2008. Running back Bijan Robinson (194 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 29 carries) and wide receiver Drake London (194 yards receiving on nine catches) became the third teammate duo in NFL history to have 175-plus rushing yards and 175-plus receiving, per CBS Sports Research.
So what other outlandish occurrences could go down in Week 3? Let's take a look with five bold predictions.
Chiefs' Kenneth Walker III goes off for 200 rushing yards
Super Bowl LX MVP running back Kenneth Walker III has been a revelation as a Kansas City Chief. He leads the league with 290 yards rushing, which is the fifth-most rushing yards in a player's first two games with a team ever. Walker has also avoided 25 tackles in 2026, the most by any player through two games of a season in the last 10 years, per CBS Sports Research.
This week, he'll face the tanking Dolphins, who are paying more for players not on their roster than they are for players on their active roster in 2026. They possess a $183 million dead money cap hit while paying $104 million for players on their roster. That means 60.7% of their salary cap is dead money. Per CBS Sports Research, no team in recorded history has ever been above 45% since Spotrac began tracking this in 2011. Miami is dead last in the league in active cap spending on both offense ($52 million) and defense ($44 million).
Walker runs through the Dolphins' youthful defense for a 200-yard effort on Sunday.
Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba goes off for 150-plus receiving yards, multiple receiving TDs for second week in a row
Reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba's encore in 2026 is off to a roaring start. He's producing 17 catches for an NFL-leading 277 yards receiving and an NFL-leading four receiving touchdowns through two games. That makes him the first player since Jimmy Smith in 2000 with 275-plus yards receiving and four-plus receiving touchdowns in the first two games of a season.
In Week 3, JSN faces a Washington Commanders defense that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (279 yards and four touchdowns) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (153 yards receiving and two touchdowns on eight catches) shredded in Week 2. Even though it seems unlikely a defense could allow a receiver to go off for 150-plus yards and multiple receiving touchdowns two weeks in a row, Smith-Njigba will do just that on Sunday.
Steelers force Joe Burrow into multiple turnovers
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is fresh off a clean road performance against the Houston Texans, throwing for 207 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 20 of his 31 throws in a 20-6 victory. The Texans are one of the scariest defenses in the league, led by All-Pro edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter.
Burrow now faces a Pittsburgh Steelers squad that might be missing top cornerback Joey Porter Jr. On paper, it looks like Burrow should roll, especially since he might not face much pressure from a Steelers offense that has been anemic through the first two weeks of the season. Their offense ranks bottom-three in the NFL in scoring offense (11.5 points per game, 31st), total offense (249.5 total yards per game, 30th) and third-down offense (20% third-down conversion rate, 31st). All three of those figures are the worst through two games of any season in head coach Mike McCarthy's or quarterback Aaron Rodgers' respective careers.
So how could the Steelers force Burrow into multiple giveaways? Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham opting to heavily blitz Burrow. That sounds crazy, given he has hot reads to both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but it's actually a winning formula.
Burrow has been blitzed on 37% of his dropbacks in 2026, the 10th-highest rate in the league this season and the highest rate of his career. Even though his average time to throw of 2.67 seconds is the fastest of his career and the third-fastest in the NFL this season, Burrow is averaging a career-low 6.4 air yards per pass attempt while being hit on 20.5% of his dropbacks, the highest rate of his career, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats. Versus the blitz in 2026, Burrow possesses the third-lowest expected points added (EPA) per dropback in the league (-0.58), which also ranks as a personal career-low. Only Rodgers (-0.59) and Falcons fill-in Cooper Rush (-0.95) have a lower EPA per dropback against the blitz than Burrow this season.
If Pittsburgh turns into Blitzburgh, the Steelers could force Burrow into at least two turnovers.
Colts force Texans' C.J. Stroud into first interception of 2026
Say what you will about Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, but he is statistically producing similarly to his 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year season through two games this season. In 2023, he completed 58 of his 91 throws for 626 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in his first two games. Through two games this season, he has completed 56 of his 93 throws, the most in the NFL through two weeks, for 627 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
That's not a great matchup against an Indianapolis Colts defense that ranks as the NFL's worst scoring defense, allowing an average of 37 points per game, and total defense with an average of 514.5 yards per game through two weeks. Per the NFL's Next Gen stats, the Colts' 1,029 total yards allowed are the second most allowed through the first two games of a season in league history.
So naturally, they're going to be the first defense to intercept Stroud in 2026 despite having zero interceptions through two weeks. The interior of the Texans' offensive line hasn't fared well in pass protection. Pro Football Focus gives Houston guards Wyatt Teller (60.7 PFF pass-block grade) and Ed Ingram (25.9 PFF pass-block grade) well-below-average marks in that area, and they'll have to face Indianapolis three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Buckner has 1.5 sacks (tied for 21st in the NFL) and 8 quarterback pressures (tied for 15th in the NFL) through two games. Buckner will bulldoze the middle of the Texans' offensive line and force Stroud into his first interception of the year despite the lackluster effort of the rest of his teammates through two weeks.
Patriots hold Jaguars WR Parker Washington under 80 receiving yards
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington is in the zone. He's produced 635 yards receiving in his past six games played, including the playoffs. His six straight games of 80-plus receiving yards stand as the longest streak in Jaguars history, including the playoffs. Washington has 528 yards receiving in his last five regular-season games since Week 16 last season, which ranks third in the league behind only Chris Olave (535) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (529).
However, the New England Patriots won't allow Washington to hit his inevitable 80-plus receiving yards on Sunday thanks to All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Gonzalez leads the league in completion percentage allowed (33%, 5/15, minimum 10 targets faced), passing yards per attempt allowed (1.6 yards per attempt, minimum 10 targets faced) and co-leads the NFL in incomplete targets forced with 10. New England didn't have Gonzalez shadow JSN at all times in Week 1, and to make up for that, they'll have him do so with Washington on Sunday.
