Bills and Chiefs on collision course? Bengals and Cowboys in trouble? Time to worry about Caleb Williams? NFL Week 3 takeaways

Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season left us with more questions than answers.

We saw five previously winless teams get off the mark and others stutter just when they looked to be kicking into gear.

There is still plenty left to play for with the season in its infancy, but a lot of players and coaches will be left soul-searching as we head into Week 4.

Here are the main takeaways from the past week in the National Football League:

Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills celebrates an interception during the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Orchard Park, New York, on Monday, September 23. This was his first career interception and latest milestone since he suffered from a cardiac arrest on the field in early 2023.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold throws the ball to tight end Johnny Mundt in Minneapolis on Sunday, September 22. The Vikings beat the Houston Texans 34-7.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III runs with the ball for a touchdown during the Steelers’ 20-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in Pittsburgh on September 22.

Kadeem Telfort of the Green Bay Packers takes a selfie with a fan after the Packers beat the Tennessee Titans 30-14 on the road in Nashville on September 22.

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones lands in the end zone for a touchdown in Minneapolis on September 22.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescotts sits on the field after a play during the team’s 28-25 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Arlington, Texas, on September 22.

New York Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard runs past New England Patriots cornerback Alex Austin for a touchdown in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Thursday, September 19. The Jets won 24-3.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney scores a touchdown during the team’s 22-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia on Monday, September 16.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes runs the ball against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dax Hill during the Chiefs’ 26-25 victory in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday, September 15. The defending Super Bowl champs moved to 2-0 on the season.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. catches a pass over Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum and linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. during a game in Minneapolis on September 15. The Vikings would go on to win the game 24-17.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara runs the ball during the Saints’ 44-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, on September 15. Kamara had four touchdowns in the game.

Miami Dolphins players attend to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after he took a hit to the head in the second half of a game against the Buffalo Bills in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Thursday, September 12. Tagovailoa was later ruled out with a concussion.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and teammates wait in a tunnel before a game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, California, on Monday, September 9. This is the first game back for Rodgers since tearing his Achilles tendon last year after his first game of the season.

Los Angeles Chargers players and Las Vegas Raiders players clash after a play during the second half of their game in Inglewood, California, on Sunday, September 8.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott celebrates after a touchdown during the Cowboys’ 33-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland on September 8. Hours before the game, Prescott agreed to a record four-year, $240 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid player in the NFL.

Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. breaks a tackle from Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker K.J. Britt in Tampa, Florida, on September 8. The Buccaneers beat the Commanders 37-20.

Miami Dolphins wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle celebrate a touchdown during a 20-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Miami Gardens, Florida, on September 8. Hill was detained for a short time by police after a traffic incident earlier in the day. Miami-Dade Police Department Director Stephanie V. Daniels said Sunday that an investigation has begun into the incident and one of the officers involved is being placed on administrative duties.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields signals during the second half of a game against the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta on September 8. The Steelers defeated the Falcons 18-10.

Tennessee Titans tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, right, and Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson tumble in the end zone in Chicago on September 8. Okonkwo made the catch for a touchdown, but the Titans ultimately fell 24-17 to the Bears.

Rhamondre Stevenson of the New England Patriots runs the ball against Cincinnati Bengals defenders in Cincinnati on September 8. The Patriots beat the Bengals 16-10.

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, center, celebrates his interception return for a touchdown during the Vikings’ 28-6 victory over the New York Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on September 8.

Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars players pray together at the end of the game in Miami Gardens, Florida, on September 8.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir, top, dives for the end zone for a touchdown as Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Justin Jones is unable to make the tackle in Orchard Park, New York, on September 8. The Bills won 34-28.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love walks off the field after taking a hit in the final seconds of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo early Saturday, September 7. The Eagles won 34-29.

Brazilian and American flags are presented on the field at Neo Química Arena – also known as Corinthians Arena – in São Paulo ahead of the game between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, September 6. It was the first NFL game in South America.

Grammy Award-winning singer Taylor Swift cheers on boyfriend Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs during the game against the Baltimore Ravens in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, September 5.

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely catches a pass with his toe out of bounds as time expires at the end of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 5. The Chiefs won 27-20.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes scrambles during the game against the Baltimore Ravens in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 5.

Fans enter Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, ahead of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens on September 5.

The best photos from the 2024 NFL season

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Are the Bills and Chiefs on an AFC Championship collision course?

Through three weeks, the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs look like the teams to beat in the NFL.

Both are undefeated and have displayed why they have Super Bowl aspirations this year.

For the Chiefs, their three wins have come against teams with preseason contender status in the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons. And while their explosive offense has been lacking at times, their defense has picked up the slack and put the clamps on opposing attacks.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has made some uncharacteristic mistakes through three games, but he has been able to come up with the moments of magic when his team needed them most.

“We haven’t played good – I mean, really all three games,” Mahomes said after Kansas City’s victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday. “We’ve been able to win. That speaks to the character of the team, the grit, how we’ve been in these situations before.

“But, I’ll speak especially offensively to me, myself. I feel like I haven’t played very well, and that’s not a stats thing. I just feel like I’m missing opportunities whenever they’re out there and not throwing the ball in the exact spot I want it to be at. So it’s about me getting back to my fundamentals, putting our guys in the right position, and then we’ve got to execute at a higher level offensively.”

Mahomes has had a slow start despite the Chiefs’ unbeaten opening to the 2024 season.

The Bills, on the other hand, came into 2024 with questions over the direction of the organization after an offseason of upheaval.

But three impressive victories – including comfortable wins against the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars – have allayed some of those fears with quarterback Josh Allen putting in some inspired performances.

Buffalo has scored the most points in the NFL this season so far with 112 and – although the Bills face three tough away games in a row against the Ravens, Houston Texans and New York Jets – Allen and Co. have a perfect platform to continue their hot start to the season.

The Chiefs and Bills have had some memorable playoff meetings in past years, with Allen and Mahomes doing battle in the AFC postseason numerous times, and we could be treated to another if Buffalo and Kansas City continue at their current pace.

Allen has been successful in the regular season for the Bills but has not reached the Super Bowl yet.

Are the Bengals and Cowboys in trouble?

It has been a 2024 season to forget so far for the Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys.

Cincinnati is winless and has suffered two shock losses at home to the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders to leave their season teetering on the brink already.

Their hopes of reaching another Super Bowl now look slim and history is against them; only six teams have made the playoffs after starting 0-3 since 1979 – and just one since 2000 – with none of them winning the Super Bowl, per the Associated Press.

With a stacked offense that competed toe-to-toe with the Chiefs and Commanders, residing at the bottom of the AFC North is far below Cincinnati’s expectations. The franchise already sits three games behind the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, who are 3-0.

Burrow (left) has steadily improved this season, but the Bengals are without a win through three weeks.

‘America’s Team’ is also surrounded with negativity after two successive disappointing home losses.

First, they were demolished by New Orleans Saints, and on Sunday, Baltimore ran all over Dallas’ defense to claim its first win of the season and deepen the Cowboys’ woes.

There was pressure on head coach Mike McCarthy’s shoulders heading into this year’s campaign after successful regular seasons but lackluster playoff runs.

Things appeared to be trending in the right direction with a convincing 33-17 Week 1 victory over the Cleveland Browns and the signing of quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to long-term extensions.

But all that goodwill seems to have evaporated after three weeks, with question marks popping up around the team’s future, especially if the poor results continue.

Despite the rough start to the year, McCarthy called his team a “work in progress” after Sunday’s defeat to the Ravens.

Prescott signed a big-money contract extension with the Cowboys just hours ahead of Dallas’ Week 1 game.

“I get it, you love the fan support. I stood up in Week 1 and said the same thing. I didn’t feel like we were anywhere close to where we needed to be in Week 1,” he told reporters.

“We’ve clearly got some things that we’re going to work on, and anytime you struggle with a situation or a unit struggles, whether it’s run offense or run defense or pass protection and so forth. So we need to clean our own house. Our house isn’t where it needs to be right now.”

Up next for Dallas are two big away games where only wins are acceptable for owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys fanbase: first to division rival, the New York Giants, in Week 4 and then a trip to Pennsylvania to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5.

Is it time to worry about Chicago’s Caleb Williams?

It has not been a dream start to life in the NFL for Caleb Williams.

The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft has battled the growing pains of adjusting to pro football in his first three games for the Chicago Bears and showed all the inexperience of a rookie quarterback in Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

He threw the ball 52 times, completing 33 passes for 363 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

While he achieved a career high in passing yards and his first two touchdown throws of the season against the Colts, Williams’ display came with the errors one might expect of a first-year passer.

The former USC Trojan star is not helped by a porous Chicago offensive line and an almost non-existent running game – the Bears have totaled a mere 218 yards on the ground this season, second-worst in the NFL. And despite that, Williams has still been able to produce some highlight-reel plays.

But those are interspersed with some head-scratching decisions, including his two interceptions against the Colts where he threw the ball into the hands of Jaylon Jones . He was also stripped-sacked late in the fourth quarter, resulting in a touchdown that sealed the win for Indianapolis.

After the latest loss, Williams said that despite the problems so far this season, he feels like the Bears are close to finding their offensive identity.

Williams (No. 18) has had his highs and lows in his three starts for the Chicago Bears.

“Got our first two pass touchdowns of the year. Obviously, which feels good. Excited to get that going, finally, in the second half of this game,” he told reporters. “So having the offensive identity is – I think it is brewing.

“I think it is a lot closer than it was the week before, or weeks before. And I think us figuring that out is going to get this thing going. I think we’re right there. It’s – on all the plays, we were just simply, one small detail – I mean, that’s myself included on some of these plays that happen today, but we’re one small detail (away). A lot of these plays that like I’ve said in many other interviews, that these small details always add up to be something bigger.”

The Bears are lucky to be 1-2 this season after some defensive and special team heroics bailed them out in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans. But while Williams is clearly still coming to terms with the speed of the pro game, there doesn’t appear to be a need to panic yet in terms of his development as he continues to learn and settle into the NFL.

Full Week 3 scores

Away vs. home (winners in bold)

New England Patriots 3-24 New York Jets

New York Giants 21-15 Cleveland Browns

Chicago Bears 16-21 Indianapolis Colts

Houston Texans 7-34 Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles 15-12 New Orleans Saints

Los Angeles Chargers 10-20 Pittsburgh Steelers

Denver Broncos 26-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Green Bay Packers 30-14 Tennessee Titans

Carolina Panthers 36-22 Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins 3-24 Seattle Seahawks

Detroit Lions 20-13 Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens 28-25 Dallas Cowboys

San Francisco 49ers 24-27 Los Angeles Rams

Kansas City Chiefs 22-17 Atlanta Falcons

Jacksonville Jaguars 10-47 Buffalo Bills

Washington Commanders 38-33 Cincinnati Bengals