NFL Game Recaps: Week 3, 2025

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Bills 31, Dolphins 21

The Bills entered this game as 11-point favorites, and despite a Miami opening-drive touchdown, it looked like Buffalo would run away with a blowout victory. They scored two touchdowns on their initial couple of drives and then drove into the red zone on the third possession. The drive stalled because of questionable play-calling deep in Miami territory, so Buffalo had to settle for a field goal. Matt Prater missed, but it still seemed as though Buffalo would win by a large margin.

Everything changed, however, on the final drive right before halftime. The Dolphins put together a 16-play drive in which Tua Tagovailoa inexplicably converted a myriad of third downs. This eventually led to a touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle, tying the game at intermission.

The Bills opened the second half with a quick touchdown drive, but stalled on several possessions after that. Buffalo looked like it was going through the motions, and this allowed the Dolphins to tie the game once again. They even appeared as though they’d have a chance to take the lead, but Zach Sieler roughed Buffalo’s punter, giving Josh Allen another chance. Allen took advantage, tossing a touchdown pass to Khalil Shakir to go up 28-21.

The Dolphins had another chance to tie, and they continued to convert countless third downs. They entered Buffalo territory, but Tagovailoa stared down Waddle, allowing Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard to snatch an interception. The Bills kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive, sealing the victory to improve to 3-0.

Panthers 30, Falcons 0

The Falcons had a great win over the Vikings last week, but as impressive as that victory was, this loss was far worse. The Falcons completely embarrassed themselves against one of the worst teams in the NFL.

Atlanta’s defense was pitiful while trying to stop the Carolina offense. The Panthers didn’t accumulate too many yards, but they were able to convert some key first downs to give themselves an early touchdown. Tetairoa McMillan made some big catches in the first half to help give the Panthers a 10-0 lead heading into intermission.

The worst aspect of the Falcons, however, was Michael Penix Jr. The second-year quarterback had one of the most pitiful performances you’ll ever see from someone at the position. Penix nearly threw three interceptions in the first half despite battling a horrific defense. The Atlanta offensive line didn’t help matters, as Penix saw more pressures than expected. However, Penix was awful, and it seemed as though the Panthers knew every time he would throw a screen because a defender would always be there.

This was the case at the beginning of the third quarter. Penix, seeing lots of pressure on a passing attempt, heaved a reckless throw to the outside. Panthers cornerback Chau Wade-Smith, just sitting and waiting there, snatched the ball and returned the turnover for a touchdown. What was a manageable 10-0 deficit for the Falcons turned into a 17-0 lopsided affair. The Panthers added a field goal following a failed Penix fourth-down conversion, giving them a 20-0 lead.

Browns 13, Packers 10

Anyone who loves shootouts and hates defensive struggles must have been miserable watching this game. Both defenses were stout and didn’t allow anything. This was a 3-0 affair at halftime, but when the Packers finally broke through and scored a touchdown in the third quarter, it seemed as though Cleveland wouldn’t have a chance to overcome a 10-0 deficit.

The Browns had a shot at a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but the Packers had an amazing goal-line stand. Despite getting flagged, allowing Cleveland to have a fresh set of downs, the Packers didn’t just keep Cleveland out of the end zone; they pushed the Browns back to the 20-yard line, forcing a field goal.

Green Bay was still comfortably ahead 10-3, but “No Cookie” Jordan Love made a crucial mistake with an interception. This time, the Browns converted at the goal line with a Quinshon Judkins touchdown.

The Packers bounced back to move deep into Cleveland territory, but a blocked field goal gave the Browns a chance to win the game. Joe Flacco hit David Njoku with an intermediate pass to set up the decisive field goal by Andre Szmyt, who connected from 55 yards.

Jaguars 17, Texans 10

This game featured some of the worst collective quarterbacking anyone will ever see in the NFL. This is especially surprising because it was from two players who were chosen in the top two of their respective NFL Drafts.

Trevor Lawrence began the afternoon completing six of his first seven passes, but was putrid after that. He completed just 14-of-33 passes the rest of the way and made lots of mistakes. And yet, C.J. Stroud may have been even worse. His stats look better, but the defense he faced wasn’t nearly as good as Houston’s.

The two quarterbacks combined for a comedy of errors in the fourth quarter. The fun began when Stroud was picked because he didn’t see Jourdan Lewis. Lawrence responded by heaving an interception into double coverage. This set up Houston’s sole touchdown of the afternoon, with Stroud locating Nico Collins to tie the game at 10.

Lawrence had a pass batted at the line of scrimmage on the ensuing drive and then hurled a helpless pass on fourth down. The Texans looked like they’d be able to milk the clock and kick the decisive field goal, but Collins lost a fumble while trying to spin out of a tackle. The Jaguars moved into field goal range, and Houston wisely allowed them to score a touchdown so they’d have a chance to tie with some time remaining. However, Stroud missed Christian Kirk for a touchdown and then was picked on a deflection to end the game.

Vikings 48, Bengals 10

The Vikings had an ugly performance on Sunday Night Football versus the Falcons in Week 2, but they were getting some major reinforcements back from injury. Christian Darrisaw, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Harrison Smith all returned to give Minnesota a much-needed boost.

The three returning players all made big impacts. Offensively, the Vikings drove down the field and scored a touchdown on the opening drive, as Carson Wentz had much better protection than J.J. McCarthy experienced. The possession was capped off by a touchdown pass to Josh Oliver.

Defensively, the Vikings secured a pick-six on the second drive, as Jake Browning panicked under pressure. On the next possession, Van Ginkel sacked Browning on third down. Toward the end of the first half, Noah Fant was stripped by Isaiah Rodgers, who scooped and scored to give the Vikings a 24-3 lead. And if that wasn’t enough, Rodgers punched the ball out of Ja’Marr Chase’s hands in the final minute prior to intermission. Following the turnover, Wentz found Justin Jefferson for a long gain, setting up a 5-yard Jordan Mason touchdown to give the Vikings an insurmountable 34-3 lead heading into the break.

Steelers 21, Patriots 14

Mike Vrabel is a very good head coach, but he needs to be held completely responsible for this loss. The New England front office spent a high second-round pick on TreVeyon Henderson, but Vrabel’s stubborn stance on his running back rotation cost his team a potential victory.

Rhamondre Stevenson was given the start at running back even though he’s a far inferior talent compared to Henderson. Stevenson, who has a history of fumbling, coughed the ball up early to set up a Pittsburgh touchdown. This wasn’t the only time Stevenson screwed his teammates with poor ball security. He was reaching for a potential touchdown in the third quarter, but lost another fumble. This would have been a nice time to go to Henderson, but Vrabel queued up Antonio Gibson instead. Gibson promptly responded by fumbling at midfield.

Henderson took over after that, but by then, the damage had been done. Besides, Drake Maye was also giving the ball away. The Patriots had a great drive in the second quarter in which they converted a fourth-and-1 on their own 10-yard line, but the possession concluded without any points because Maye was intercepted in the end zone while staring down Kayshon Boutte. Maye later lost a fumble in Pittsburgh territory after another fourth-down conversion.

Despite the five turnovers, the Patriots still had a chance to win this game because the Steelers were doing nothing offensively. Pittsburgh accumulated just 203 net yards, so the Patriots were driving to potentially tie at the end. Maye completed a fourth-down throw to Pop Douglas, but the slot receiver ran backward and lost the line to gain, giving Pittsburgh the victory.

Eagles 33, Rams 26

The score early in the third quarter may not have indicated it, but this seemed like yet another big win for the Eagles. They scored on the opening drive, thanks to two Tush Pushes, albeit with some controversy. The NFL stated that it would call the Tush Push much tighter because teams complained that Philadelphia’s offensive linemen were false starting on the play. Sure enough, one of the guards false started on the initial Tush Push, but the officials ignored it. The Eagles scored on the second to give them a 7-0 lead.

The rest of the game was all Rams. The Eagles had 37 net yards on the opening drive, but had minus-4 net yards the rest of the first half. Los Angeles’ fierce pass rush destroyed Philadelphia’s offensive line, which lost Lane Johnson to injury. The Eagles were constantly stuck deep in their own territory and couldn’t get anything going. The Rams, meanwhile, didn’t have much of an issue scoring. Thanks to some great runs by Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, and a long completion from Matthew Stafford to Davante Adams, the Rams took a 19-7 lead into the break.

Things only got worse for the Eagles following intermission. On the opening possession of the third quarter, Jalen Hurts was strip-sacked deep in his own territory. The Rams recovered, and on the next play, Stafford hit Williams for a touchdown to go up 26-7.

The Eagles stormed back and finally got going with A.J. Brown looking like a functional player for the first time all year. Philadelphia put together numerous scoring drives after going down 26-7 and eventually took a 27-26 lead. The Rams still had one more chance, however, and they moved into field goal range to potentially win the game. However, Joshua Karty’s kick was blocked and returned for a touchdown by Jordan Davis to give Rams bettors once of the worst back-door covers they’ll ever experience.

Colts 41, Titans 20

The Colts continue to impress. It’s likely that many expect the Indianapolis carriage to turn into a pumpkin, but this year’s Cinderella continues to win, improving to 3-0 with a dominant road victory over their divisional rival.

This game was never close, and the defense set the tone early with a pick-six of Cam Ward when Kenny Moore jumped the route and scored easily. The offense dominated after that, with the Titans having severe issues dealing with Jonathan Taylor. Daniel Jones, meanwhile, misfired on just seven occasions.

Ward was at least able to bounce back a bit with an effort that wasn’t too miserable. That said, while he was able to move the chains well in between the 20s, he often stalled in Indianapolis territory, forcing his kicker into long-distance tries on numerous occasions. Ward’s lone touchdown pass came in garbage time.

Redskins 41, Raiders 24

The Redskins weren’t going to have Jayden Daniels coming off an ugly loss to the Packers. They wouldn’t need him, however, as they prevailed despite Marcus Mariota starting under center.

Washington didn’t win in spite of Mariota either. He played well with plus accuracy and mobility. He misfired on just six occasions and had some key runs to keep the chains moving. He also rushed into the end zone on one occasion. The only mistake he made on the day was a lost fumble at the end of a long run while this game was in its early stages.

The defense came up big as well. The Redskins limited Ashton Jeanty to fewer than 50 rushing yards until an 18-yard run in garbage time. And speaking of garbage time, Tre Tucker caught two of his three touchdowns late in the game, but this contest was well decided by then.

Buccaneers 29, Jets 27
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: What a cover! The Jets were given up for dead, but Tyrod Taylor put a great drive together at the end.

For the third straight game, Baker Mayfield led Tampa Bay to game-winning score late in the fourth quarter. The Jets looked like they were going to be blown out, but they kept playing and almost pulled off a huge comeback. With the Falcons losing, the 3-0 Buccaneers have a two-game lead in the NFC South. New York is going to play hard and compete under head coach Aaron Glenn, but at 0-3, clearly the Jets are in rebuilding mode.

On the opening possession of the game, the Jets ran a 14-play drive to produce a field goal for New York. On the ensuing drive, Bucky Irving took a check down for about 30 yards before a series of penalties kept marching them back. Aaron Glenn could have declined one of them to force a long field goal or punt, but he kept accepting them. Then Sauce Gardner was flagged for a pass interference on an incompletion on a third-and-29, and that gave the Bucs 26 yards and a first down inside the 30. The fifth holding penalty on Tampa Bay on the drive took away a chunk completion to Mike Evans, but Chase McLaughlin hit a 54-yard field goal to tie the game at three.

The Jets responded with some chunk gains to Garrett Wilson and a run by Breece Hall to set up another field goal. Tampa Bay took the lead with a 30-yard completion to Emeka Egbuka, and then a quick slant to Mike Evans in the end zone. Late in the second quarter, Taylor was strip-sacked by Antoine Winfield Jr., and Vita Vea recovered at the Jets’ 33, and Tampa Bay turned that into a field goal. With under 30 seconds remaining in the half, Jamel Dean picked off Taylor and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to give the Buccaneers a 20-6 lead at the half.

Tampa Bay added a field goal early in the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, Taylor put a drive together that ended with a short touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson. The Bucs responded with another long field goal from Chase McClaughlin to make it 26-13, but the Jets offense was finally finding some rhythm with Taylor driving them through the air, and on a fourth-and-goal, he found Allen Lazard in the back of the end zone for a touchdown to make it 26-20.

With about three-and-a-half minutes remaining, Mayfield scrambled for a 33-yard gain, and that set up a 33-yard field goal for McLaughlin to put the game away. But shockingly, Will McDonald IV hurdled the offensive line, blocked the field goal, scooped it up, and ran it back about 50 yards for a touchdown. That gave the Jets a 27-26 lead late in the fourth quarter. Tampa Bay got the ball with about 1:40 remaining. After missing a wide-open receiver deep downfield for a touchdown, Mayfield connected with Egbuka for a 28-yard completion into Jets territory. A screen to Sterling Shepard moved them inside the 20, and McLaughlin hit a chip shot game-winner on the final play of the game.

Both teams had some significant injuries worth watching. Mike Evans and Sauce Gardner walked into the locker room in the second half and did not return.

Seahawks 44, Saints 13
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: So much for that Thursday look-ahead angle. Then again, it’s easy to evade that when the special teams are scoring a million touchdowns.

This game went as expected with Seattle dominating the Saints. New Orleans was terrible in all three phases, and especially on special teams. At 2-1, Seattle joins the Rams and Cardinals on the heels of the 3-0 49ers. New Orleans is already three games back in the NFC South, and the question for the Saints is only whether they will land the No. 1 pick and if young players can prove to be starters for seasons to come.

To open the game, the Saints failed on a fourth-and-2 just past midfield, and that set up the Seahawks with good field position. Seattle went down the field, and Darnold connected with Jaxson Smith-Njigba for a 12-yard touchdown. Seattle quickly expanded their lead when Tory Horton returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. New Orleans’ inept special teams struck again when they allowed a blocked punt. Seattle took over at the Saints’ 11-yard line. A couple of plays later, Kenneth Walker fought his way into the end zone to put Seattle up 21-0.

The Saints responded with a field goal drive, but once again, special teams were killing New Orleans, and the Seahawks returned the kickoff 60 yards. A few plays later, Darnold connected with Horton for a touchdown from about 15 yards. Seattle continued to dominate as Darnold lofted in a beauty to Smith-Njigba for a 45-yard gain. A couple of plays later, Walker plunged into the end zone again to put Seattle up by 32 midway through the second quarter. New Orleans horrific special teams play continued with a missed field goal, but Seattle made one of their own to go up 38-3 at the half.

In the third quarter, Seattle tacked on two field goals. To open the fourth quarter, Rattler tossed a short touchdown, and that was the end of the scoring in garbage time.

Chargers 23, Broncos 20

The Chargers seemed to be in control of this game in the opening half. They led just 10-7 at the half, but the Broncos could barely get anything going offensively. Meanwhile, the Chargers were able to run the ball effectively with Omarion Hampton after Najee Harris went down with a nasty-looking Achilles injury. Justin Herbert had to hurdle over Harris while dropping back in the pocket on the play, and all the announcers could say was, “Oh no.”

The game was close, however, which allowed the Broncos to take the lead with some impactful plays in the third quarter. J.K. Dobbins broke two long gains on the same drive, including one where he tip-toed the sideline but managed to stay inbounds. Denver took a 14-10 lead, and that advantage quickly turned to 17-10 once the Chargers fumbled the ensuing kickoff return.

The Chargers trailed for most of the second half, but they were able to put together drives of 61 and 43 yards to score 10 points at the very end. Herbert found Keenan Allen in the end zone to tie the game and then he moved the team deep into Denver territory with a 12-yard completion to Ladd McConkey. This set up the 43-yard game-winning field goal by Cameron Dicker to win the game.

Bears 31, Cowboys 14

The Cowboys and Bears were expected to engage in a high-scoring shootout, but that was never meant to be. Things began poorly for Dallas when Javonte Williams lost a fumble in Chicago territory. The Bears took over and took advantage, with Caleb Williams firing a deep touchdown pass to Rome Odunze.

Dallas once again couldn’t get on the board, but because of an injury this time. CeeDee Lamb suffered an ankle injury, and while he tried to return to action, he never could stay on the field because the swelling was too severe. With Lamb sidelined for most of the game, Dallas’ offense was completely stagnant.

Meanwhile, the Bears were able to pile on the points with the same Ben Johnson magic we saw from the former Lions offensive coordinator in recent years. One such play was a long flea-flicker touchdown from Williams to Luther Burden. Johnson was able to involve Burden and other players creatively throughout the afternoon, while the Cowboys struggled to generate any sort of offense.

49ers 16, Cardinals 15

Nick Bosa is one of the best defensive players in the NFL, so when he was lost for the game in the opening quarter, the Cardinals were going to have an easier time of moving the ball. Arizona did not get the memo, however, as this game was just 6-6 at intermission.

The Cardinals made plenty of mistakes offensively, including some drops by Marvin Harrison Jr., who let a potential touchdown fall through his hands at one point. Emari DeMarcado also dropped a potential touchdown on another drive. Of course, DeMarcado shouldn’t have been playing, but James Conner suffered a nasty knee injury in the third quarter.

The 49ers took a 13-6 lead despite screwing up in the red zone on one occasion. The Cardinals immediately broke out of their offensive funk, as Harrison secured a deep reception, and then Zay Jones drew an interference flag in the end zone to set up a quick touchdown from Kyler Murray to Trey McBride.

This game was tied at 13, but the 49ers were pinned at their own 6-yard line. This poor field position ended up hurting the 49ers, as Dominick Puni committed a holding penalty in the end zone for a safety. The 49ers, however, got the ball back, and thanks to 20- and 11-yard receptions by Christian McCaffrey and Kendrick Bourne, respectively, they were able to move into field goal range and convert the decisive kick.

Chiefs 22, Giants 9

Though the Chiefs won by two scores, this was a tight battle for a while. It was tied at six before Kansas City kicked a field goal right before halftime. The Chiefs couldn’t get anything going offensively, while the Giants put together a good-looking drive with Cam Skattebo making some big plays. The Giants even had a chance at the lead, but Russell Wilson threw an interception on a deep shot into the end zone.

Though the Chiefs struggled offensively throughout the first half, the switch flipped on after halftime. Patrick Mahomes couldn’t escape the pocket because the Giants edge players did a great job of keeping him contained, but he hit some big throws to Tyquan Thornton, including a deep touchdown and reception right near the goal line that set up a Kareem Hunt score.

While Kansas City gained offensive momentum in the second half, the Giants couldn’t muster anything outside of a lone field goal. Russell Wilson saw some major regression and had one of the worst red zone sequences anyone has seen this year. The crowd was not happy, booing Wilson at every opportunity.

Lions 38, Ravens 30

We had a glimpse of Baltimore’s struggles early in this game. The contest was tied at seven, and Baltimore pinned Detroit deep in its own territory. It looked like the Ravens would force a punt when the Lions were in a third-and-long at their own 4-yard line, but Detroit converted a first down and went on to score a touchdown on the possession that spanned 98 yards and nearly 11 minutes on the game clock.

The Ravens couldn’t get off the field for most of the evening, as Detroit gashed them on the ground with their two talented running backs. It was quite apparent that the Ravens missed Pro Bowl defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and linebacker Kyle Van Noy, as their ground defense was miserable without them. Jaire Alexander’s absence in the secondary was also impactful.

Meanwhile, the Ravens couldn’t run at all. Derrick Henry was stymied in the backfield and fumbled once again while down 28-24. Lamar Jackson, meanwhile, had some great deep throws in this game, particularly to Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman, but took seven sacks, two of which were losses of 19 and 18 yards. Jackson couldn’t even scramble, as Detroit’s defensive line locked him down and got a bit lucky with some shoe-string tackles.

Despite this lopsided affair, the Ravens trailed by just seven in the fourth quarter with possession. They were forced to punt, however, and while it appeared as though they also forced Detroit to punt on fourth-and-2, the Lions went for it and converted it with a Jared Goff pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. David Montgomery then galloped for a 31-yard touchdown run to seal the victory.