Nothing is ever straightforward in the NFL. Every time you think you have the league figured out, one team that’s supposed to make the playoffs starts off 0-2. Or just when you think you know who’s going to pick first overall next year, they start off with back-to-back wins. You’re always going to have questions about one team or another, which is part of what makes the NFL so fun to watch.

Through the first two weeks of the season, we’ve had a lot of our preseason questions answered, but there have also been a lot more questions raised since then. Are the Los Angeles Chargers really that bad? Will Drake Maye’s slump ever end? How will Ben Johnson’s offense look without a No. 1 pick leading the way?

I asked myself all of that and more heading into Week 3.

Chargers at Bills: Can LAC Dig Themselves Out of a Hole?

The Los Angeles Chargers have dug themselves into a deep, deep hole. They had two easy games to start the year against Arizona and Las Vegas, but they dropped them both, and now they have a brutal schedule over the next seven weeks. If they keep playing the way they have been to start the year, they could be 0-9 by the time this stretch comes to an end.

Even though they’ve given us no reason to assume otherwise, I just have a hard time believing they’re as bad as they’ve been over the past two weeks. This roster has good players all over it, so I want to see if they can find any sort of life against Buffalo. I don’t think they’ll win, but if they can keep it close, maybe it can give them a spark over the next two months.

Panthers at Browns: Can Bryce Young Keep This Up?

Bryce Young is playing at an MVP-level right now. Through two weeks, he ranks second in the NFL in passing yards, is tied for first in passing touchdowns, and has led the Carolina Panthers to 30+ points in each of their first two games. But this is the same Bryce Young who, in a career year last year, threw for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 picks. He’s shown no sign of being an elite QB through his first three seasons, so is this real? Or just a flukey stretch against a couple of bad defenses?

Cleveland doesn’t necessarily have the best defense in the league, but a road game in Cleveland isn’t the easiest task in the world (just as Tampa Bay). If Young can throw for 250+ and multiple touchdowns, maybe he really did make a huge step this offseason. If not, maybe it was just a flash in the pan.

Jets at Lions: How Legit is Aaron Glenn’s Defense?

Everyone has had their doubts about Aaron Glenn since he took over as the New York Jets’ head coach, but one thing is for certain: his defense is playing their tails off right now. Through two weeks, they lead the league in yards per game allowed (197) and rank sixth in points per game allowed (15). If their offense didn’t forget how to play football at the end of last week, they’d be 2-0 right now.

This week, though, the Jets face their toughest test yet. They will travel to Detroit to face one of the best offenses in the league. This game will show us just how good Glenn’s defense is.

Texans at Colts: Which of These Teams’ Playoff Chances go Out the Window?

The Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are two teams that entered the season with playoff aspirations, but for one of them, their season will essentially come to an end after Week 3. That may sound dramatic, but listen to this stat. Since the NFL and AFL merger, only six teams have made the playoffs after a 0-3 start, and if you exclude the Bucs in 1982 when the strike shortened the season to nine games, only five have done so.

To make matters worse, only two teams have done it since 1999 (ironically, those two instances were both the Texans, once in 2018 and then again in 2025).

Is it impossible to overcome a 0-3 start? No, but you have just over a one percent chance of making the playoffs if you start the season with three losses, since 0-3. Both of these teams need a win here, but only one can get it.

Chiefs at Dolphins: Can KC’s Offense Keep on Rolling?

Everyone knows Kansas City’s offense is always going to be good as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center, but there were some question marks heading into this year. Outside of Rashee Rice, who, for some time, looked like he might be suspended, what receivers were going to make plays? How was Travis Kelce going to look at 36 years old?

How was the offensive line going to hold up? How would Mahomes look coming off a torn ACL late in the season? Well, they’ve answered all of those questions and have been one of the best offenses in football. But can they keep it rolling?

Miami’s defense isn’t one of the best in the league by any means, but this is such a trap game for Kansas City. They’re 2-0, coming off two big wins, and have a tough stretch coming up with three divisional opponents and the defending Super Bowl champions in a four-game stretch. If there’s any week their offense could get exposed a bit, it’s this one, so they need to keep up the momentum heading into the next month of the season.

Titans at Giants: What Does Jameis Winston Look Like With a Full Week of Practice?

When Jaxson Dart went out with a knee injury, the air was sucked out of the Giants fanbase. No disrespect to Jameis Winston, but when he comes in, you literally hold your breath every time he drops back to throw. He either balls out for 300+ yards and three touchdowns, or struggles and throws a couple picks. On Monday night, he struggled.

Being a backup QB is one of the hardest jobs in the sport. Life is easy 90 percent of the time, but when you have to come in without any first-team reps all week and throw to receivers you hardly ever throw to in practice, it’s rough. That’s why I’m curious to see what Winston looks like with a full week of practice, especially against this Tennessee defense that isn’t nearly as good as LA. He could actually play pretty well, but fans will still be holding their breath every time he drops back.

Bengals at Steelers: Can Pittsburgh’s Offense Show Any Signs of Life?

The Pittsburgh Steelers may be 1-1, but they have shown absolutely no sign of life on offense. They scored 20 points against a putrid Falcons defense before they were held to three points against the Patriots last week. Aaron Rodgers has thrown for 408 yards and one touchdown, with one pick and six sacks while completing under 60 percent of his throws. Meanwhile, their rushing attack is averaging 3.4 yards per carry and hasn’t scored a single touchdown.

It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Pittsburgh, but if they want to take down Cincinnati in their AFC North opener, they’re going to have to figure it out. The Bengals are capable of scoring 30+ on any given Sunday, and while their defense has improved, they’re not elite. They’re going to need a vintage Aaron Rodgers performance on Sunday.

Seahawks at Commanders: Will Washington Score a Point?

The Seattle Seahawks have to fly across the country to battle with the Washington Commanders at 10 am PST on Sunday, but I’m not too worried about that because defense travels in road games, and right now, there isn’t a better defense in football than the Seahawks. Through two games, they’ve given up 17 total points to two very good offenses, and now they face a Jayden Daniels-less Commanders team.

Without Daniels starting, Washington is going to have to start Marcus Mariota, who hasn’t played bad in his time as a reliever for Washington over the past two seasons, but I do worry whether or not he’ll be able to build much momentum in this game. Seattle has held MVP runner-up Drake Maye and an explosive Arizona offense to 8.5 PPG, so I have trouble seeing Washington finding much success in this one.

Patriots at Jaguars: Can Drake Maye Get Out of His Slump?

After throwing for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight picks last year and finishing second in MVP voting, Drake Maye has been in a massive slump dating back to the start of the playoffs. In four playoff games, Maye completed just 58.3 percent of his throws for 828 yards, six touchdowns and four picks, and he hasn’t been much better to start this year, tossing four interceptions to one touchdown in two games.

Things won’t get much easier for Maye this week. He has to go to Jacksonville to face a Jaguars defense that has given up 30 points this season and has forced three turnovers. With A.J. Brown still out with an ankle injury, will Maye be able to break out of his six-game slump? Or will he continue to struggle against a very good defense on the road?

Cardinals at 49ers: Can Marvin Harrison Jr. Get Going Offensively?

Marvin Harrison Jr. has caught a lot of flak for his inability to adjust to the NFL level. He was supposed to be this bust-proof prospect coming out of college, and he had a solid rookie year, but since then he’s played in 14 games and has caught 42 passes for 641 yards and four touchdowns. And in two games this year, he has just one catch for 33 yards. Needless to say, it’s been a disappointing 365 days for MHJ.

The San Francisco 49ers have a formidable defense, but knowing how football works, this just feels like a game where MHJ will either catch one pass or he’ll go off for 150 yards and a touchdown. There’s no in between. I’m curious to see if Arizona can get him going, or if they maybe start to consider trading him.

Vikings at Buccaneers: How Psychotic Will Brian Flores Be This Time Out?

Brian Flores is a certified psychopath. Through the first two weeks of the season, he is sending a blitz on 77.3 percent of his play calls. Do you know how insane that is? Since 2023, only one other team has sent blitzes on over 50 percent of their snaps through the first two weeks, and it was the Vikings in 2023. The next closest is Tampa Bay this year at 48.6 percent. Blitzing is risky, but it’s helped Minnesota start 2-0 while holding their opponents to 25 combined points.

So, how psychotic will Flores be this week? Tampa’s offensive line has done a pretty good job keeping the pocket clean for Baker Mayfield, who has been pressured just 12 times this season (fewest of any QB with 20+ dropbacks), and Mayfield has been great when blitzed, completing 10 of his 12 attempts for 84 yards and a touchdown. Does Flores keep the pressure coming? Or does he ease off of it now, knowing Tampa is probably game planning for a ton of pressure?

Ravens vs Cowboys: Which Version of Dallas’s Defense Will We See?

Through two weeks, we’ve seen two completely different versions of Dallas’s defense. In Week 1, they looked like the 2025 version, giving up long drives and struggling to keep their opponent out of the red zone. In Week 2, though, they looked much better, recording 20 QB pressures, giving up 207 yards through the air and holding Washington to 20 points. They were aided by Jayden Daniels leaving with an injury, but they still played much better than the week before.

We all know Dallas’s offense is capable of scoring 30+ points on any given Sunday, so the question is, what version of their defense will we see this week? If they can force a turnover or two and hold Baltimore to 24 or fewer points, they have a really good chance to win this game. But if they come out and let Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson march down the field every drive, they’re going to have a long day in Brazil.

Raiders at Saints: Can the Saints Start Fast?

The New Orleans Saints have gotten off to a pretty hot start to the season, losing to Detroit by one in overtime on the road before going to Baltimore and taking down Lamar Jackson and Co., but they haven’t always started fast in the game itself. In Week 1, they were down 21-0 in the middle of the third quarter before surging back behind the arm of Tyler Shough.

Then, in Week 2, they fell behind 14-6 by halftime, and if it weren’t for a huge kick return with seconds left on the clock, it would’ve been 14-3. The Saints have scored 54 points this year, but just six of them have come in the first half.

We all know what this offense is capable of when it’s humming along at full force, so if they can figure out how to come out hot from the moment the game starts, they can be a very dangerous team. This week, against a Las Vegas defense that’s been playing well, but is probably over-performing a bit, I want to see if they can figure out their slow starts and get some points on the board quickly. They haven’t led after the first quarter in any game coached by Kellen Moore, so that should be one of their goals this week.

Rams at Broncos: Who Can Build Off of Last Week?

This is a big game for both teams. The Rams were embarrassed in Week 1, losing to San Francisco, 27-7, in Australia, but so were the Broncos. They went to Kansas City after earning the 1-seed last year and lost, 31-10. After those disappointing losses, though, both teams bounced back in Week 2, with the Rams dominating the Giants and the Broncos squeezing out a close win over the Jaguars. Now, these two will meet in Denver on Sunday night.

At 2-1, you have a 63.8 percent chance to make the playoffs, but at 1-2, that number drops all the way to 36.2 percent. This isn’t a must-win game for both teams, but it feels like it would be a massive confidence booster for both sides, so I want to see who can build off last week’s momentum and get a huge SNF win.

Eagles at Bears: What Does Ben Johnson’s Offense Look Like Without a No. 1 Pick?

Ben Johnson has only ever called plays for two quarterbacks in his career: Jared Goff and Caleb Williams, both of whom were No. 1 overall picks. Now, with Williams out, he’s going to have either Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum under center on Sunday against a very good Philadelphia defense, and I want to see how he attacks the game.

It’s going to be a very run-heavy game plan on Monday Night Football, but he’s going to have to get creative in the pass game and play to whichever quarterback starts strong. Can he adapt when he’s faced with adversity at the quarterback position? Or is Chicago’s offense going to crumble without their No. 1 overall pick at QB?