Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts against the Miami Dolphins during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on September 27, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are truly back, and the best sign of this is that they won a road game by double digits and NOBODY batted an eye.
This is the type of performance which, prior to 2025, we had come to expect from Mahomes, making enough standout plays to keep his opposition at arm's length without ever seeming to exit 3rd gear.
It's particularly concerning to rival fans that the Chiefs are 3-0 and have won all 3 games in very different ways, showing a strength and versatility that many thought this roster would not be capable of, even if their quarterback existed outside of the common preseason doubts.
2 - Lamar Jackson (BAL): 186 passing yds, 50 rushing yds, 2 total TDs, 0 turnovers in 34-31 win vs Dallas Cowboys
Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball past Shemar James #50 of the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter at Maracanã Stadium on September 27, 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
7 seconds. That's all Lamar Jackson needed to win the game against the Dallas Cowboys in Rio.
Is that partially due to the Cowboys' horrendous mismanagement of the game? Yes. Is that still an incredibly impressive feat from Jackson and his receiver Zay Flowers to get his team into field goal range? Also, yes.
The rest of the game wasn't 'vintage' Lamar, but it was certainly good enough to keep pace with Dallas, with Jackson sprinkling in some of the scrambles which Ravens fans are so desperate to see alongside making plays from the pocket.
3 - Josh Allen (BUF): 204 passing yds, 22 rushing yds, 2 total TDs, 3 turnovers in 24-16 win vs LA Chargers
Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills runs with the ball during the first quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Highmark Stadium on September 27, 2026 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
Allowing Josh Allen to be "Josh Allen" means you have to suffer through a couple of games a year where the mistakes outweigh the brilliance. The Bills just have to hope that those games don't come in January, as they did in 2025.
Week 3 was exactly one of those games for Allen, but the fact that Buffalo was able to overcome his 3 turnovers to come out on top against the Chargers is as encouraging a sign as the Bills putting up 77 points through the first two weeks.
Whilst individually Allen's MVP stock may have taken a hit against Los Angeles, the Bills' status as contenders may have been solidified by their ability to win without needing him to be at his 'superman' peak.
4 - Joe Burrow (CIN): 282 passing yds, 13 rushing yds, 3 total TDs, 1 turnover in 30-27 loss vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on September 27, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
A concerning statistic has emerged following Joe Burrow and the Bengals' first loss of 2026. Burrow has played in 35 games where his side has trailed with 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter; his record is 1-34.
The continuation of this trend puts a stain on what was otherwise a really impressive performance from Burrow in Pittsburgh - his 3 passing touchdowns and 123.9 passer rating are tarnished by his fumble on the final drive, which clinched the victory for the Steelers.
5 - Brock Purdy (SF): 297 passing yds, 34 rushing yds, 4 total TDs, 0 turnovers in 36-30 win vs Arizona Cardinals
Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers against the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium on September 27, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Brock Purdy has made a believer of me.
For years, I have emphasised the brilliance of Kyle Shanahan's offence as the reason for Purdy's rise to success in San Francisco, but the former 'Mr Irrelevant' is making me re-evaluate that opinion so far this season.
In-schedule or off-schedule, inside the pocket or rolling out of it, Purdy seems to be well within his comfort zone whatever opposing defences have shown him thus far. That might be because he's played the Dolphins, Cardinals and the (jet lagged) Rams, so his form will be tested against Denver this weekend, but based on what he's put on tape so far it's hard to imagine how he could've been more impressive.
6 - Matthew Stafford (LAR): 390 passing yds, 13 rushing yds, 2 total TDs, 2 turnovers in 30-26 loss vs Denver Broncos
Stafford (9) of the Los Angeles Rams leads a drive during the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, September 27, 2026. (Photo by Aaron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Matthew Stafford played his best game of the year so far against the Denver Broncos. Then he made one HORRENDOUS throw which completely changed how this performance needed to be evaluated.
After throwing away an early 16-0, Stafford misdiagnosed a zone coverage, mistaking it for man-to-man defence, and throwing an interception straight to Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga, who would take it all the way back for a pick-six.
Stafford would respond to retake the lead, but the damage was already done, and the Broncos would get the ball back with the ability to conduct a game-winning drive, which they did.
Last year's MVP has unfortunately looked his age so far this season, and as a result his team's status as unquestioned Super Bowl favourites has come under serious skepticism.
7 - Dak Prescott (DAL): 276 passing yds, 19 rushing yds, 1 total TD, 0 turnovers in 34-31 loss vs Baltimore Ravens
Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys throws during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Maracanã Stadium on September 27, 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)
Dak's clock management is becoming a real concern. A huge slice of the blame for the Cowboys' loss in Rio obviously lands at the foot of the head coach, but Dak is far from innocent in all this.
He has had a number of extremely concerning 'end-of-game' moments in his career thus far, and running 35 seconds needlessly off the clock on a potential game-winning drive has to be added to the list.
Final drive aside, Dak was excellent in Rio. This Ravens defence is no joke through 3 weeks of the season and this Cowboys offence was able to consistently move down the field.
Despite some strong showings, Dallas is 1-2, and if it wasn't for struggles elsewhere in the NFC North, questions would already be forming in the minds of Cowboys fans about whether this really is the group to get them over the hump.
8 - Trevor Lawrence (JAX): 182 passing yds, 25 rushing yds, 3 total TDs, 1 turnover in 35-6 win vs New England Patriots
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars against the New England Patriots at EverBank Stadium on September 27, 2026 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
Simply put, the Jags are REALLY good. And so is their quarterback.
Trevor Lawrence's battle against Drake Maye and the New England Patriots was advertised as a heavyweight clash. Instead, it was a bloodbath, where one team and one quarterback looked superior in every aspect to the other.
Lawrence has consistently been underrated throughout the league's media circles. It feels strange that a quarterback who had this much publicity coming out of college and is currently playing this well can be receiving such little hype. The reason for this probably lies in that we've seen Lawrence go on a great streak before, and have it all crumble due to injury and regime instability.
However, if Lawrence stays healthy, and Liam Cohen stays as dialled in as he's been as head coach since he's got to Jacksonville, I see no reason why the Jaguars shouldn't be viewed as legitimate contenders.
9 - Jared Goff (DET): 269 passing yds, 6 rushing yds, 2 total TDs, 0 turnovers in 31-24 win vs New York Jets
Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions reacts to play against the New York Jets during the third quarter at Ford Field on September 27, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
The Lions might not win a single game this year where Jared Goff and his offence don't put up 30 points.
If Geno Smith and the Jets were able to look this good against the Lions defence, it's likely that the other side of the ball in Detroit is going to have A LOT of work to do to drag this team into the playoffs.
Luckily for the Lions, Goff has started 2026 in excellent form. His Week 1 performance against the Saints is aging better by the week with how solid New Orleans' defence looks, and his 8 touchdowns to 0 interceptions have been crucial in keeping games within Detroit's control.
Aside from Green Bay, Detroit's divisional foes appear as strong as ever this year, so Goff will have to maintain this strong start across all 17 games for the Lions to remain competitive in January.
10 - Tyler Shough (NO): 255 passing yds, 36 rushing yds, 4 total TDs, 1 turnover in 35-27 loss vs Las Vegas Raiders
Tyler Shough #6 of the New Orleans Saints against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half of the NFL football game at Caesars Superdome on September 27, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Tyler Shough vs Kirk Cousins was arguably the most entertaining quarterback matchup of the last weekend, which is fitting, as I have always felt that Shough was the modern version of his opposing number.
Both quarterbacks have similar personas, similar abilities within the pocket, and a very similar growing cult following.
Despite coming out second-best against Cousins and the Raiders in Week 3, Shough has still shown me a lot to be impressed with in his sophomore year. His chemistry with star receiver Chris Olave is becoming increasingly unstoppable, and his mobility to stretch plays is something I think fans and opposing defensive coordinators continue to underrate.
Prior to the year, I felt that Shough would end 2026 as the best quarterback in the NFC South, and that opinion is becoming more and more consolidated by the day.
