NFL Week 3 Schedule 2026: Ranking All 16 Games From Worst to Best

The story of Week 3 in the 2026 NFL season is health—or lack thereof—at the quarterback position. So far, six teams have had to turn to their No. 2 options under center while their starters deal with injuries, and while Kyler Murray is returning for the Vikings and Michael Penix Jr. is back in the lineup for the Falcons, the Bears, Commanders, Giants, and Seahawks are expected to turn to their backups this weekend.

Elsewhere across the league in Week 3, we have four matchups between teams that are 2–0 and 0–2, three intradivision battles and the league’s second of nine international games in 2026.

Here’s a snapshot preview of all 16 games in Week 3, ranked from least to most watchable.

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Ranking all 16 NFL Week 3 games from worst to best
Full Week 3 NFL schedule

Ranking all 16 NFL Week 3 games from worst to best

Michael Penix Jr. is back for the Falcons. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

16. Falcons (0–2) vs. Packers (1–1)

Date: Thursday, Sept. 24
Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisc.
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

The Falcons will turn to Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback this week after two disappointing showings from third-stringer Cooper Rush. The 2024 first-round pick has fully recovered from the torn ACL he sustained at the end of last season and is now tasked with pulling Atlanta out of an 0–2 hole. Penix will lead his team into Lambeau Field to take on the Packers—who have also had a less-than-ideal start to 2026. After an ugly Week 1 loss to the Vikings, Green Bay barely got past the Jets last Sunday to get themselves to 1–1. It’s unfortunate we’ll get the worst game of the week in prime time, but the best part about this matchup? We get it over with on Thursday night.

15. Panthers (1–1) vs. Browns (1–1)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox

The Browns were able to weather the Deshaun Watson storm—at least for now—with a win over the Buccaneers last Sunday. They’ll return home to Cleveland this weekend to take on the Panthers and Bryce Young, who has thrown for 648 yards and six touchdowns over Carolina’s first two games. While the game itself isn’t one to necessarily get excited about, the reception Watson receives from Browns fans will be worth keeping an eye on.

14. Titans (0–2) vs. Giants (1–1)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS

The Giants will enter their Week 3 matchup against the Titans without quarterback Jaxson Dart, as the 2025 first-round pick sustained a knee injury in New York’s loss to the Rams on Monday night. Instead, it will be Jameis Winston under center for the G-Men when the Titans come to MetLife Stadium this weekend. Tennessee’s offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, spent three and a half seasons as the Giants’ head coach and will now look to take down his former team while helping quarterback Cam Ward along in his second season.

13. Seahawks (2–0) vs. Commanders (0–2)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Northwest Stadium, Landover, Md.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox

We have a battle of backup quarterbacks on our hands Sunday afternoon. Drew Lock will once again start for the Seahawks in place of Sam Darnold—who’s still dealing with the glute injury he suffered in Week 1—while Marcus Mariota will lead the Commanders’ offense as Jayden Daniels recovers from a dislocated elbow. This will be quite the test for Washington as it goes up against a Seattle defense that has allowed just 17 points over its first two games. As far as the Seahawks’ offense goes, it could have its way with Dan Quinn–led Commanders defense that allowed 37 points to the Cowboys in Week 2.

12. Jets (1–1) vs. Lions (1–1)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Ford Field, Detroit
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox

Sunday’s contest between the Jets and Lions is highlighted by Aaron Glenn’s return to Detroit—where he spent four seasons as the club’s defensive coordinator from 2021 to ’24. The New York head coach will lead his squad to the Motor City with a 1–1 record and fresh off an overtime loss to the Packers that was marred by some poor clock management. The Jets’ offense should have plenty of chances to score against this Lions defense, which ranks second-to-last in points allowed through two weeks with 71.

11. Chiefs (2–0) vs. Dolphins (0–2)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS

The Chiefs are back. After taking down the Colts on Sunday Night Football last weekend, Kansas City is now 2–0 for the third time since the 2022 season. Patrick Mahomes is looking like himself after last year’s season-ending knee injury, Travis Kelce is catching touchdowns and the defense has forced its opponents into three turnovers over the first two games. This is what the Dolphins—who have opened Jeff Hafley’s first season 0–2 and with a minus-36 point differential, the second-worst in the NFL—get to look forward to when they welcome the Chiefs to Hard Rock Stadium this weekend.

10. Vikings (2–0) vs. Buccaneers (0–2)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox

Sunday’s matchup between the Vikings and Buccaneers will include two quarterbacks who won Heisman Trophies at Oklahoma, as Kyler Murray has cleared concussion protocol and will start for Minnesota. On the other sideline will be Baker Mayfield, whose Buccaneers are looking to avoid going 0–3 less than three weeks after signing the quarterback to a massive three-year, $165 million extension.

9. Chargers (0–2) vs. Bills (2–0)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox

The Chargers are off to an ice-cold start to the 2026 season. According to OptaStats, they’re just the second team in NFL history to lose back-to-back games by double digits, at home, against teams that had a sub-.200 winning percentage the previous season. The first team to do so? The 1926 Racine Tornadoes, who played just one more game before folding as a franchise. Los Angeles will now head to Buffalo to take on the red-hot Bills, whose league-leading offense is being paced by Josh Allen—who has accounted for an NFL-high nine total touchdowns through two weeks. While the matchup is intriguing, there’s also a chance it could get ugly, as both teams are seemingly headed in opposite directions.

8. Cardinals (1–1) vs. 49ers (2–0)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox

The Cardinals were put back in their place last Sunday following their upset win over the Chargers in Week 1, as they lost to the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks 31–7. Now dealing with questions about wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.’s effort, they’ll head to Santa Clara to take on the 49ers, who are 2–0 and leading the NFL in point differential at plus-42. This matchup features two coaches from the McVay coaching tree in Kyle Shanahan and Mike LaFleur, and could have a significant impact on the NFC West standings down the stretch of the season.

7. Texans (0–2) vs. Colts (0–2)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS

Speaking of games with in-division implications, the Texans and Colts will face off Sunday afternoon, with the loser remaining winless to start the 2026 campaign. The last time the Texans started 0–3 was way back—err—in 2025, before they rattled off wins in 12 of their final 14 games to win the AFC South. As for the Colts, they started the 2021 season 0–3, just one year removed from an 11–5 finish. The following season, they fired Frank Reich after a 3-5-1 start and handed the keys to Jeff Saturday, fresh out of the ESPN studio. While a game between two 0–2 teams may seem like a slog, this one will be worth watching to see who can potentially save their season—and who will be facing an even steeper uphill climb.

6. Bengals (2–0) vs. Steelers (1–1)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS

Despite having a reputation for slow starts, the Bengals have now begun the season 2–0 for a second consecutive year. Better yet, they’ve done so behind a stout defense, which is tied for the league lead in both sacks (eight) and turnovers (three). Cincinnati will travel to Pittsburgh for a divisional matchup against the Steelers, whose offense scored a measly three points last weekend against the Patriots. While that may seem like a lopsided matchup, Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase & Co. against Pittsburgh’s defense will be must-watch.

5. Raiders (2–0) vs. Saints (1–1)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS

Sunday’s bout between the Raiders and Saints features two teams that have exceeded expectations to begin 2026. Klint Kubiak has Las Vegas rolling through his first two games as head coach, leaning on a healthy slew of veterans to get the squad to a 2–0 record for the first time since 2021. New Orleans, meanwhile, is a Week 1 two-point conversion shy of also being undefeated. Last Sunday—behind another quality performance from the NFL’s league leader in passing yards, Tyler Shough—the Saints were able to upset the Ravens in Baltimore after erasing an 11-point halftime deficit.

4. Patriots (1–1) vs. Jaguars (1–1)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Everbank Stadium, Jacksonville
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS

Despite another lackluster performance from quarterback Drake Maye, the Patriots notched their first win of the season last Sunday with a 20–3 victory over the Steelers. At 1–1, they’re already chasing the Bills in the AFC East standings, making their Week 3 matchup against the Jaguars—who are also 1–1—a sneaky important one for the conference’s eventual wild-card standings.

3. Eagles (2–0) vs. Bears (1–1)

Date: Monday, Sept. 28
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Where to watch: ESPN

This one may have been the No. 1 game of the week if not for the Bears’ shaky quarterback situation. Not only is starter Caleb Williams dealing with a hamstring injury, but backup Tyson Bagent sustained a concussion in his relief outing against the Vikings and is now in the league’s protocol. This could thrust 38-year-old Case Keenum into action when Chicago takes on the 2–0 Eagles on Monday night. It will be another tough test for Bears coach Ben Johnson’s offense, which will face an elite defensive coordinator for a second week in a row, this time in Philadelphia’s Vic Fangio.

2. Ravens (1–1) vs. Cowboys (1–1)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS

The NFL’s nine-game International Series will continue in Brazil on Sunday afternoon, as the Ravens and Cowboys are headed to Rio for a cross-conference matchup from the city’s Maracanã Stadium. The main storyline coming into this one is the playing surface, which is expected to be in rough shape following some heavy rainfall in the area. As for the teams taking said field, Baltimore is 1–1 and coming off an upset loss to the Saints last weekend, while Dallas, too, has notched both a win and a loss in 2026. Headlined by two star quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott, this one would have likely earned a prime-time slot if it were being played stateside.

1. Rams (1–1) vs. Broncos (1–1)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Location: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NBC

Two teams that entered 2026 with Super Bowl expectations in the Rams and Broncos each started the season 0–1 before bouncing back in Week 2. Now, a battle between two offensive gurus named Sean—McVay and Payton, that is—will commence on Sunday night in Denver. This will also mark Aaron Donald’s second game back with Los Angeles since coming out of retirement. In his first, he logged three total tackles, including one for a loss.

Full Week 3 NFL schedule

Matthew Stafford and the Rams will take on the Broncos in Denver on Sunday night. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Who is playing on Thursday Night Football this week?

Home team	Away team	Time	Where to watch
Green Bay Packers	Atlanta Falcons	8:15 p.m. ET	Amazon Prime Video

Sunday, Sept. 27

Home team	Away team	Time	Where to watch
Buffalo Bills	Los Angeles Chargers	1:00 p.m. ET	Fox
Cleveland Browns	Carolina Panthers	1:00 p.m. ET	Fox
Detroit Lions	New York Jets	1:00 p.m. ET	Fox
Indianapolis Colts	Houston Texans	1:00 p.m. ET	CBS
Miami Dolphins	Kansas City Chiefs	1:00 p.m. ET	CBS
New York Giants	Tennessee Titans	1:00 p.m. ET	CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals	1:00 p.m. ET	CBS
Washington Commanders	Seattle Seahawks	1:00 p.m. ET	Fox
Jacksonville Jaguars	New England Patriots	1:00 p.m. ET	CBS
San Francisco 49ers	Arizona Cardinals	4:05 p.m. ET	Fox
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Minnesota Vikings	4:05 p.m. ET	Fox
Dallas Cowboys	Baltimore Ravens	4:25 p.m. ET	CBS
New Orleans Saints	Las Vegas Raiders	4:25 p.m. ET	CBS

Who is playing on Sunday Night Football this week?

Home team	Away team	Time	Where to watch
Denver Broncos	Los Angeles Rams	8:20 p.m. ET	NBC

Who is playing on Monday Night Football this week?

Home team	Away team	Time	Where to watch
Chicago Bears	Philadelphia Eagles	8:15 p.m. ET	ESPN/ABC

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