There was a lot of drama from Week 2 of the NFL season, but we are still relatively early in the new campaign. The first Sunday of fall could be a significant moving day in the league as a slew of teams try to get into the win column before October and a few teams have to test out new starting quarterbacks.
With kickoff of the afternoon slate just hours away, let's dive into some of the most impactful questions that must be answered after Week 3. We'll begin with one of the hot-button stories of the week, the three new starting quarterbacks as a result of Week 2 injuries.
1. Whose backup quarterback is best equipped to keep their team's season afloat?
The three teams set to debut new quarterbacks in Week 3 are expected to take a significant step back in terms of offensive potential. The Chicago Bears don't even know who their quarterback will be on Monday night, as Caleb Williams is expected to miss about 3-4 weeks with a hamstring strain while backup Tyson Bagent is questionable after entering concussion protocol earlier in the week.
The Commanders have steady veteran Marcus Mariota around to hold the fort for Jayden Daniels, who appears to have avoided disaster with his elbow. But they still enter Sunday in an 0-2 hole. The Giants weren't as lucky with Jaxson Dart, losing him for the season, and have to hope that recently extended backup Jameis Winston looks more capable with a week of practice reps under his belt.
2. Who can avoid the dreaded 0-3 start?
Eight NFL teams entered Week 3 at 0-2, but Atlanta got on the board with an emphatic win over the slumping Packers at Lambeau Field on Thursday night. The remaining crop of 0-2 teams includes the Dolphins, Colts, Titans, Texans, Chargers, Commanders and Buccaneers.
At least one additional team (barring a tie) will leave that group behind, as the Colts and Texans square off in Indianapolis in the early window on Sunday. The pressure figures to be the highest on the Chargers and Bucs, each of which entered the year with realistic playoff expectations that could go up in smoke by going 0-for-September.
3. Will a questionable field in Rio lead to significant injuries?
The NFL's next international game comes in Brazil, as the Ravens take on the Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro — but all the headlines from this game surround a suspect playing surface. Several soccer players have noted that the field at Maracana Stadium was not great, and videos surfaced over the weekend that showcased how sketchy it looks less than 24 hours before kickoff.
The league has backed the stadium's playing quality despite numerous concerns from the NFLPA, and the game will go on as planned. We could be in for quite a week of complaints if either Baltimore or Dallas loses a star player to a significant injury after playing on a field that the PA feels is not quite up to snuff by NFL standards.
4. Can the Raiders get to 3-0?
It feels like we always have at least one surprise team show itself early in the season, and this year's group may well be the Raiders, which are 2-0 after wins over the Dolphins and Chargers. Las Vegas held the No. 1 pick in April's draft, but Fernando Mendoza may be waiting a while to see the field as the combination of new head coach Klint Kubiak and veteran Kirk Cousins has helped the Raiders start fast even without star tight end Brock Bowers (who has missed the first two weeks with a knee issue).
This week's trip to New Orleans to take on the 1-1 Saints is a much tougher spot than it appears on paper, since Kellen Moore's crew came very close to upsetting the Lions in Detroit in Week 1 before scoring an upset in Baltimore last Sunday. If the Raiders can march into the Superdome and leave with another win, we may have to take them seriously as a threat to win the AFC West.
5. Will the real Rams and Broncos please stand up?
The Sunday night showdown in Denver is an intriguing litmus test for two potential Super Bowl contenders. The Rams and Broncos have followed the same script so far, looking sluggish in Week 1 before bouncing back with wins in Week 2, although it is fair to note that Los Angeles looked far more convincing in their win over the Giants than the Broncos did against Jacksonville.
It looks like the Rams will be down Puka Nacua again for this game, but they looked quite good without him against New York. Denver's defense is a significant step up in quality here, however, so it should be intriguing to see which team looks more like what we expected of them on Sunday night.
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