Week 3 of the NFL season has arrived. It starts on Thursday night when the Dolphins visit the Bills in a game that's likely going to be so lopsided that I won't even regret having it on my second screen while I pay more attention to the Big Brother live double eviction episode. (Though I'm still sad that South Carolina women's basketball podcaster Captain Will went home last week.)
That's not a very bold prediction, though. Big Brother being more exciting than a Thursday night blowout is probably the case at least half of the time that those two things overlap, since Thursday night games tend to be...well, all the things we usually say to denigrate Thursday night games.
Anyway, here are five actual bold predictions for NFL Week 3, and I'm not just throwing out far-fetched stuff. All of these could realistically happen.
Aaron Rodgers shreds the Patriots defense
Aaron Rodgers was really good in Week 1, throwing four touchdowns in a win over the Jets, but he crashed back down to earth in Week 2 against Seattle as he was picked off twice in a 31-17 loss.
But Rodgers is set for a huge bounce-back effort this week as he takes on a New England Patriots defense that has just been shredded to open the season. The Patriots have allowed 315.0 passing yards per game this season, the most in the league, and it's not like they've even faced good quarterbacks. The defense has struggled against Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa. Neither guy is a scrub, but to rank where they do in passing yards allowed, you'd think the defense had faced at least one elite quarterback.
This game truly has a chance to be the highlight of Rodgers' 2025 season.
Chase Brown leads the week in rushing yards
Who's ready for the big game between Jake Browning's Bengals and Carson Wentz's Vikings?
Yeah, so...this is a game that's happening, and a week ago it would have been a game that I was super excited to watch. Joe Burrow taking on J.J. McCarthy? There are some storylines there. Veteran facing an up-and-coming second-year quarterback. Justin Jefferson vs. Ja'Marr Chase. A guy who went to Ohio State against a guy who went to Michigan.
Much of that hype is neutered now. How much damage can those elite receivers do with Browning and Wentz throwing the ball?
Minnesota also won't have Aaron Jones for this one as he's out with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Bengals running back Chase Brown has underperformed through two games, but he has a juicy matchup against a Vikings defense that's allowed the third-most rushing yards this season. Browning should outplay Wentz, allowing the Bengals to get out in front and lean heavily on Brown. Expect a big game from the running back.
The Jets upset the Buccaneers on the road
Here's my upset of the week: the Jets, with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback, go on the road and hand Tampa Bay its first loss of the season.
I admittedly don't have a ton of good reasonings for why this happens, aside from the fact that Emeka Egbuka has been out of practice this week with hip and groin issues.
Tampa might be 2-0, but both were one-score victories, including a one-point win last week against the winless Texans. I'm just not sure this team is as good as its record indicates, and the Jets pass defense hasn't been awful.
Plus, weird things tend to happen all the time in the NFL! It's not like the Jets are bad enough to be a winless team, and it's not like the Bucs are good enough to avoid losing a game they should have won.
C.J. Stroud throws three interceptions, but Houston gets its first win
As a Texans fan, I've reached the point where I'm sincerely worried about C.J. Stroud as our franchise quarterback. The offensive line woes have contributed to his slow start, but it's also clear that he's not as good as he was back in his strong 2023 rookie campaign.
Those concerns will be magnified this week. Jacksonville's rebuilt secondary has picked off five passes already this year, including picking off Jake Browning three times last week. This week, they're doing it again.
And, for the second week in a row, it won't matter. Jacksonville lost despite forcing turnovers against Cincy and it will lose despite forcing them against the Texans. That's because Stroud will still step up and make a handful of key throws, while rookie running back Woody Marks is going to score his first NFL touchdown on Sunday. It won't be a pretty win and it'll lead to more Stroud questions, but at least Houston will move to 1-2.
Dak Prescott goes off on the Bears so bad that fans call for Dennis Allen to be fired
The Bears defense has been bad, allowing the fifth-most yards overall this season and notably giving up seven passing touchdowns through seven games. Meanwhile, the defense has just three sacks.
Dak Prescott comes in off a huge game against the Giants, throwing for 361 yards and two touchdowns in an overtime win. He leads the NFL in pass completions.
Prescott having a big game isn't a bold prediction. What's bold is that I foresee Prescott having a game so big that Bears fans turn on defensive coordinator Dennis Allen after just three games. That'll be especially true when we see Chicago play its best offensive game of the season and still lose because the defense simply has no hope of slowing down Prescott.