NFL Week 3: Falcons Break Through, Quarterback Changes Hit New York and a Loaded Sunday Slate Awaits
September 25, 2026 | NFL News
By I Am Refocused Radio News Desk
The NFL's third week is underway, and the early-season picture is already getting complicated.
Atlanta delivered a statement win Thursday night at Lambeau Field. The New York Giants are turning back to veteran quarterback Jameis Winston after an injury to Jaxson Dart. Seattle continues to monitor Sam Darnold ahead of Sunday's game in Washington, while Baltimore and Dallas prepare to take the league international with a matchup in Rio de Janeiro.
Add a divisional showdown in Pittsburgh, Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City heading to Miami, a prime-time Rams-Broncos matchup and Philadelphia visiting Chicago on Monday night, and the weekend has plenty of consequence.
Here is what to know heading into the rest of Week 3.
Falcons Break Through With 35-14 Win Over Packers
Atlanta entered Thursday night searching for its first victory of the season.
It found one emphatically.
The Falcons defeated the Green Bay Packers 35-14 at Lambeau Field, improving to 1-2 while dropping Green Bay to the same record.
After Green Bay opened the scoring, Atlanta answered with 27 consecutive points and took control of the game.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., making his first start of the season, settled into the offense after a slower opening stretch.
But the centerpiece of Atlanta's performance was its collection of offensive playmakers.
Bijan Robinson produced more than 200 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, while wide receiver Drake London caught nine passes for 194 yards. Atlanta finished with 498 total yards against the Packers defense.
For Green Bay, the defeat adds pressure to an uneven start.
The Packers opened the year with a loss to Minnesota, escaped the Jets in overtime in Week 2 and now sit at 1-2 after being decisively beaten at home.
Three weeks do not determine a season, but Green Bay now enters its next stretch needing greater consistency on both sides of the ball.
Giants Turn to Jameis Winston After Jaxson Dart Injury
The New York Giants are making a significant quarterback change.
Veteran Jameis Winston will start against Tennessee on Sunday after Jaxson Dart suffered a knee injury during Monday night's loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
NFL.com reported Thursday that Dart's injury will require surgery. The Giants subsequently placed him on injured reserve.
Winston entered Monday's game after Dart was injured and now takes over as the starter.
For New York, the challenge is immediate.
The Giants cannot spend much time adjusting to another change behind center with Tennessee arriving Sunday. Winston brings extensive NFL starting experience and a willingness to push the ball downfield, but the offense will need stability after losing its young starter.
The quarterback change also illustrates how quickly an NFL season can shift.
One snap can rewrite an entire team's plan.
Seattle Monitoring Sam Darnold Ahead of Washington Game
Seattle enters Sunday's matchup against Washington at 2-0, but the status of quarterback Sam Darnold remains one of the important injury situations to monitor.
Darnold has been dealing with a glute injury suffered in Seattle's opening game and returned to practice Wednesday. NFL.com reported that he is working toward playing Sunday against the Commanders.
Seattle has opened the season strongly, making Darnold's availability particularly important as the Seahawks try to maintain their early momentum.
Washington, meanwhile, enters the matchup looking to rebound after losing 37-20 to Dallas last Sunday.
A healthy Darnold would give Seattle greater continuity as it heads east for a conference matchup that could offer another indication of how sustainable the Seahawks' early success is.
Baltimore Gets Encouraging Sign on Defensive Front
Baltimore received a potentially positive development ahead of its high-profile matchup with Dallas.
Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike was a full participant in Wednesday's practice while continuing his recovery from a neck injury.
Madubuike said he was in a good place physically, although his status for Sunday's game remained uncertain as of Thursday. He has not appeared in a regular-season game since September 2025.
Baltimore enters the weekend at 1-1 after falling 24-17 to New Orleans last Sunday.
The Ravens now face Dallas in one of the weekend's showcase games.
And this one comes with a passport.
Ravens and Cowboys Take NFL to Rio de Janeiro
The NFL returns to Brazil on Sunday with Baltimore facing Dallas at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. Eastern / 3:25 p.m. Central.
It marks the league's third consecutive season playing a game in Brazil.
The matchup also brings together two franchises that do not meet frequently. Baltimore has historically controlled the series, winning six of the previous seven meetings entering this game.
Dallas arrives after defeating Washington 37-20 in Week 2, while Baltimore is trying to respond to its loss against New Orleans.
For both teams, the international setting adds another layer to an already meaningful early-season matchup.
Joey Porter Jr. Still Working Toward Steelers Return
Pittsburgh cornerback Joey Porter Jr. says his focus has shifted away from contract negotiations and toward getting healthy.
Porter has not played this season while dealing with a persistent back injury that also kept him out during training camp.
He told reporters Thursday that he is not yet fully healthy and offered no firm timetable for his return.
The contract situation had become another storyline surrounding his absence, but Porter said discussions over an extension are now behind him for the time being.
Pittsburgh hosts AFC North rival Cincinnati on Sunday.
Even if Porter remains unavailable, the divisional matchup gives the Steelers little room for distraction.
Chiefs Take Perfect Start to Miami
Kansas City heads to South Florida at 2-0 after surviving a difficult Week 2 matchup against Indianapolis.
The Chiefs beat the Colts 33-30 last Sunday after opening the season with a victory over Denver.
Next comes Miami.
The Dolphins enter Sunday's matchup at 0-2, creating very different stakes for the two teams.
Kansas City has an opportunity to extend an unbeaten start. Miami is trying to prevent an 0-3 opening that would significantly increase the urgency surrounding the rest of its season.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern / noon Central.
Chargers-Bills Offers Another Early Test
Los Angeles travels to Buffalo for one of Sunday's more intriguing early-window matchups.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert enters the week under renewed scrutiny after Los Angeles' early results, but Herbert publicly pushed back Thursday against questions surrounding his leadership and expressed confidence in his teammates. NFL.com featured his comments among the league's major developments entering Week 3.
Buffalo provides a difficult environment for any visiting team.
At this stage of the season, games like this can reveal more than a record alone.
For the Chargers, it is an opportunity to show how they respond away from home. For Buffalo, it is another chance to build momentum inside the AFC.
Rams Head to Denver for Sunday Night Football
The Los Angeles Rams visit the Denver Broncos under the lights Sunday night.
Los Angeles is coming off a 28-6 win over the Giants in which Matthew Stafford threw four touchdown passes and Davante Adams produced 195 receiving yards and two scores.
Denver, meanwhile, earned its first victory of the season last Sunday with a 20-13 win over Jacksonville.
The matchup provides an interesting contrast.
The Rams enter with an experienced quarterback and high-end receiving talent. Denver will try to make the game uncomfortable with its defense and the altitude at Empower Field at Mile High.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. Eastern / 7:20 p.m. Central on NBC.
Eagles and Bears Close the Week Monday Night
Week 3 concludes in Chicago with the Philadelphia Eagles visiting the Bears.
The game is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. Eastern / 7:15 p.m. Central Monday on ESPN.
Monday Night Football gives both teams a national stage and an extra day to prepare.
As Week 3 closes, it will also provide another early checkpoint for two NFC teams trying to establish their identity before the schedule begins accelerating into October.
NFL Week 3 Upcoming Games
Sunday, September 27
Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo Bills
1:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. CT — FOX
Carolina Panthers at Cleveland Browns
1:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. CT — FOX
New York Jets at Detroit Lions
1:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. CT — FOX
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
1:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. CT — CBS
New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars
1:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. CT — CBS
Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins
1:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. CT — CBS
Tennessee Titans at New York Giants
1:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. CT — CBS
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
1:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. CT — CBS
Seattle Seahawks at Washington Commanders
1:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. CT — FOX
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers
4:05 p.m. ET / 3:05 p.m. CT — FOX
Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4:05 p.m. ET / 3:05 p.m. CT — FOX
Las Vegas Raiders at New Orleans Saints
4:25 p.m. ET / 3:25 p.m. CT — CBS
Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
4:25 p.m. ET / 3:25 p.m. CT — CBS
Los Angeles Rams at Denver Broncos
8:20 p.m. ET / 7:20 p.m. CT — NBC
Monday, September 28
Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears
8:15 p.m. ET / 7:15 p.m. CT — ESPN
The official NFL schedule confirms 15 remaining Week 3 games after Atlanta's Thursday night win over Green Bay.
What to Watch
Three themes stand above the noise heading into the weekend.
First is quarterback availability.
New York has already been forced into a change, while Seattle continues to monitor Darnold.
Second is the pressure beginning to build around teams with difficult starts. September does not decide playoff races, but an 0-3 or 1-2 record can quickly reduce a team's margin for error.
And third is the league's increasingly international footprint.
Baltimore and Dallas playing a regular-season game at Maracanã Stadium is not simply another neutral-site matchup. It is part of the NFL's broader effort to turn its schedule into an increasingly global product.
The season is only three weeks old.
Already, injuries are changing depth charts, unexpected teams are gaining momentum and games that looked straightforward in August are starting to carry considerably more weight.
That is usually when the NFL season becomes interesting.
Sources
NFL.com — 2026 NFL Week 3 Schedule
https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-week/week-3
NFL.com — Falcons-Packers: What We Learned From Atlanta's 35-14 Win
https://www.nfl.com/news/falcons-packers-on-thursday-night-football-what-we-learned-from-atlanta-s-35-14-win
NFL.com — Latest NFL News
https://www.nfl.com/news/
NFL.com — NFL News Roundup: Latest League Updates From Thursday, Sept. 24
https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-news-roundup-latest-league-updates-from-thursday-sept-24
NFL.com — Giants' Jameis Winston Returns to Starting QB Role After Jaxson Dart Injury
https://www.nfl.com/news/giants-jameis-winston-starting-qb-jaxson-dart-injury-dream
NFL.com — 2026 NFL Reserve List Transactions
https://www.nfl.com/transactions/league/reserve-list/2026/9
NFL.com — Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. Moves on From Contract Talks, Offers No Firm Timeline for Return
https://www.nfl.com/news/steelers-cb-joey-porter-jr-moves-on-contract-talks-back-timeline
NFL.com — 2026 NFL International Games Schedule
https://www.nfl.com/news/2026-nfl-schedule-release-nine-international-games-dates-times-matchups
NFL.com — Kansas City Chiefs 2026 Schedule
https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-team/kansas-city-chiefs
NFL.com — Baltimore Ravens 2026 Schedule
https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-team/baltimore-ravens
NFL.com — Denver Broncos 2026 Schedule
https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-team/denver-broncos
NFL.com — Los Angeles Rams News, Scores and Schedule
https://www.nfl.com/teams/los-angeles-rams/
NFL.com — Monday Night Football 2026 Schedule
https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/prime-time/monday-night-football
Reporting current as of the morning of September 25, 2026. Player injury designations and game availability can change before kickoff.