Keeping Up with the NFC East: A Giant Upset (No, Not That One) Highlights Week 3

Only one undefeated team remains in the NFC East (surprise!)) Let's run down the Week 3 action.

Author:
Joe Najarian
Publish date:
Sep 25, 2023 11:05 PM EDT

In this story:

The New York Giants, unfortunately, could carry over their momentum from their Week 2 come-from-behind win over the Arizona Cardinals into an upset win over the San Francisco 49ers.

And speaking of the Cardinals, they handed the Dallas Cowboys their first loss of 2023 while the Washington Commanders came crashing back down to earth against the Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles remained perfect with their primetime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Let's recap the action.

September 21, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) passes the football against the San Francisco 49ers during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

49ers 30, Giants 12

The San Francisco 49ers won their 13th consecutive regular season game by defeating the New York Giants, 30-12 on Thursday Night Football,.

San Francisco racked up 441 yards of offense while holding New York to just 150, and held the ball for 39 minutes. Nonetheless, they needed to score 13 unanswered points to clinch the victory, as the Giants hung around for three quarters and even made it a one-possession game at one point.

Both teams kicked field goals on their first possessions and punted on their second before the 49ers broke the ice in the second quarter. They strung together a pair of 11-play touchdown drives, with quarterback Brock Purdy connecting with Ronnie Bell and running back Christian McCaffrey scoring a touchdown in his 12th straight game.

The Giants would make things competitive in the third quarter; after setting up a Graham Gano field goal before halftime, they cut their deficit to 17-12 by taking advantage of a 22-yard pass interference penalty, which set up running back Matt Breida’s 8-yard touchdown run.

However, the shorthanded Giants, playing without star running back Saquon Barkley and offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, ran out of gas as the 49ers controlled the rest of the game from there. San Francisco responded with three straight scoring drives, the first two ending in Jake Moody field goals and the third with Purdy’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel.

Meanwhile, their defense managed to pin down New York, sealing the game by intercepting quarterback Daniel Jones with less than five minutes left.

Sep 24, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) runs past Washington Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste (25) during the second half at FedExField.
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Bills 37, Commanders 3

Despite their 2-0 start to the season, the Washington Commanders proved to be no match for the powerful Buffalo Bills and were blown out 37-3 on their home field.

Buffalo completely dominated Washington on both sides of the ball. On offense, quarterback Josh Allen threw for 218 yards and a touchdown to receiver Gabe Davis, while fellow wide receiver Stefon Diggs hauled in eight catches for 111 yards.

Meanwhile, the Bills’ defense forced five turnovers and terrorized Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, sacking him a whopping nine times and intercepting four of his passes, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Buffalo began the scoring on their opening possession when Tyler Bass kicked a 36-yard field goal, his first of three on the day. On Washington’s first possession, Howell threw his first interception to Terrel Bernard, which set the tone for the rest of the game.

The Commanders’ next four drives in the first half ended in a punt, a turnover on downs, an interception to Micah Hyde, and time expiring in the half. Meanwhile, the Bills stretched their lead to 16-0 by halftime, with Allen’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Davis and two more field goals from Bass.

There would be no scoring in the third quarter, but in the fourth, the Bills turned the game into a rout. Bernard recovered a fumble from Commanders running back Antonio Gibson at the Washington 30, which set up a 10-yard touchdown run from Allen.

On Washington’s next drive, Howell (who threw his third pick in the third quarter) threw his fourth interception of the game, this one to defensive lineman AJ Epenesa, who returned it 32 yards for a touchdown to extend the lead to 30-0.

Buffalo would later make it 37-0 on a 2-yard touchdown run by running back Latavius Murray, while all Washington could do was avoid a shutout when Joey Slye kicked a 51-yard field goal with just 46 seconds left in the game.

Sep 24, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White (7) intercepts a Dallas Cowboys pass in the end zone in the second half at State Farm Stadium.
Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic

Cardinals 28, Cowboys 16

The Arizona Cardinals won their first game of the season, 28-16, at home against the Dallas Cowboys. After blowing a 21-point lead to the Giants the previous week, the Cardinals had another chance to upset an NFC East opponent and did so by shocking a Cowboys team that had outscored their first two opponents by 60 points.

Arizona scored on Matt Prater’s 39-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive and would maintain their lead over the rest of the game. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs won his first career game as a starter and was remarkably efficient, completing 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown while posting a passer rating of 120. Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ rushing attack racked up 222 yards, led by James Conner’s 98.

Despite the score, Dallas outgained Arizona in total yards 416-400, but were undone by 13 penalties (which accounted for 107 yards) and two drives inside the Arizona 10-yard line that ended in no points. Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 25 of 40 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown but threw a late interception in the endzone that effectively decided the game. The Cowboys’ rushing corps had a strong game with 185 yards, 122 coming from Tony Pollard.

After opening the game with Prater’s field goal, the Cardinals moved 82 yards in just seven plays before scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run by Conner, making it 9-0 after a failed two-point conversion. Dallas responded with a 49-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey. Still, Arizona again responded with a touchdown in just seven plays, taking a 15-3 lead (after another failed two-point conversion) on a 45-yard romp by Rondale Moore.

The Cowboys struck back with a long, 13-play, 75-yard drive that took seven minutes off the clock, finishing it with Prescott’s 15-yard touchdown pass to running back Rico Dowdle. But the Cardinals tacked on six more points before the end of the half with two field goals from Prater; the second was a 62-yard low linedrive that cleared the crossbar on the final play before halftime.

The scoring slowed down in the second half, with Dallas scoring six on two field goals from Aubrey and Arizona adding seven with Dobbs’ 2-yard touchdown pass to Marquise Brown (this time with a successful PAT from Prater).

Ultimately, the game came down to two Dallas possessions that saw them drive inside the Arizona 10-yard line but fail to score any points. The first was an 8-play, 80-yard drive that featured a 27-yard reception by Michael Gallup and a 31-yard burst by Pollard. But the drive ended on a turnover on downs when Prescott’s endzone pass to CeeDee Lamb fell incomplete on 4th and 3.

The second came after Brown’s touchdown for Arizona; the Cowboys moved 69 yards in 13 plays before facing 3rd and Goal at the Arizona 6 with just over three minutes remaining. But Prescott’s pass was intercepted in the end zone by the Cardinals’ Kyzir White, and Arizona’s offense ran out the remaining three minutes to secure the biggest upset of the young season.

Sep 25, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs with the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium.
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Eagles 25, Buccaneers 11

In a Monday Night Football matchup between 2-0 teams, the Philadelphia Eagles easily trounced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 25-11.

The Eagles, who managed to win their first two games despite not playing at their best, looked like last year's dominant team. They tallied 472 total offensive yards, while their defense allowed just 174. The ground game was a major factor, as Philadelphia’s potent ground game tallied 201 rushing yards, while the Buccaneers could only muster 41.

Despite throwing two interceptions, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 277 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another. Running back D’Andre Swift had another huge game with 130 rushing yards on 16 carries, while wide receiver A.J. Brown caught nine passes for 131 yards.

After forcing the Buccaneers to punt on the game’s first possession, the Eagles mounted a drive to the Tampa Bay 14-yard line. However, facing 4th-and-1, Philadelphia surprisingly chose not to execute their infamous QB sneak with Hurts, which backfired when the Buccaneer defense turned away Kenneth Gainwell.

This would only be a minor setback, as the Eagles would soon control the game. A 52-yard punt return by Britain Covey set up the first of three field goals from Jake Elliott. The Buccaneers would tie the game in the second quarter on a 33-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin, but Philadelphia responded by taking the lead for good, as Hurts threw a 34-yard strike to Olamide Zaccheaus to finish an 84-yard drive in just eight plays.

The next three possessions ended in turnovers, which included interceptions from Hurts and Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, before a fumble by Tampa Bay running back Rachaad White set up Elliott’s second field goal to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 13-3 at halftime.

Philadelphia began the second half with a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with the infamous “Tush Push” for a 1-yard touchdown run by Hurts. Later, Hurts would throw an interception to the Tampa Bay 1-yard line, but the Eagles’ defense immediately tackled White in his own endzone for a safety. The Eagles then concluded their scoring by parlaying the free kick into Elliott’s third field goal of the night.

The Buccaneers were able to find the end zone after a 9-play, 75-yard drive ended with Mayfield’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans (followed by a successful pass to Chris Godwin for a two-point conversion), making the score 25-11 Philadelphia with nine minutes and 22 seconds remaining. But the Eagles would completely run out the clock on their next drive, using 15 plays, three conversions on third down, and a final conversion on fourth down to seal the victory.