What to know from Sunday's Week 3 games: Big day for Jahmyr Gibbs, plus concern for Drake Maye

Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season featured shocking individual performances in the early window Sunday, including turnover-filled afternoons by Patriots' Drake Maye and Chargers' Justin Herbert. Meanwhile, Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs put together a vintage three-touchdown performance against the Jets, including the go-ahead score with two minutes left in the game. Elsewhere during the early window, the Giants defeated the Titans in a stormy New Jersey. The Colts needed a game-winning drive to defeat the Texans. And the Chiefs handled the Dolphins despite failing to pressure QB Malik Willis. Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for teams that played Sunday. Fantasy football analysts Matt Bowen and Tristan Cockcroft also have fantasy takeaways from each matchup. Let's get to it. Jump to: TEN-NYG | LAC-BUF | HOU-IND NYJ-DET | NE-JAX | KC-MIA Catch up on Thursday's game: ATL-GB N.Y. Giants 12, Tennessee 7 Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap Giants Did Jameis Winston do enough to inspire confidence as Giants QB? It wasn't perfect, but a win is a win. Winston did enough to help the Giants beat a struggling Titans team. His accuracy was off early, but he made some big plays throughout the game, especially on the opening drive of the second half. He finished 14-of-22 for 118 yards. It should be enough for him to remain the starter, and the Giants are still intent on adding another QB. Jimmy Garoppolo, J.J. McCarthy and Gardner Minshew are the most likely options. Trend to watch: Running back Najee Harris' role increases. The veteran had four carries in his debut last week and nine Sunday for 52 yards. Harris jumpstarted the Giants' offense with six carries for 36 yards on their first drive of the second half. It should increase his playing time and role moving forward. Starter Cam Skattebo had 23 touches for 100 yards. -- Jordan Raanan Next game: vs. Cardinals (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) Titans Are the Titans playing like the worst team in the league? The Titans' offense was downright miserable for most of the game. Cam Ward failed to see open receivers on multiple plays and missed Carnell Tate for what should have been an easy touchdown. They opened up with five consecutive three-and-outs and finally got a first down late in the third quarter. The series of three-and-outs came after Chimere Dike fumbled the opening kickoff. It was a respectable effort by the defense, but Ward's inexplicable pass late it the fourth resulted in an interception and a Titans loss. Trend to watch: Time of possession was an issue for the third game. At one point, the Giants held a 28:15 to 9:49 lead over Tennessee. The Titans managed to drive 91 yards in seven minutes late in the fourth quarter for their first points to help cut the deficit in time of possession and the overall score. The final drive, which ended in an interception, made it 34:26 to 25:34. -- Turron Davenport Next game: at Ravens (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) Fantasy football takeaway: Giants WR Malik Nabers is struggling terribly with QB Jaxson Dart sidelined. Nabers' 7.6 fantasy point performance means that two of his four worst fantasy scores of his career have come in the past two weeks. Nabers might have difficulty delivering even WR2 value without a QB upgrade. -- Cockcroft Buffalo 24, L.A. Chargers 16 Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap Bills How did the Bills remain undefeated after five turnovers? Five turnovers, 10 penalties, two dropped interceptions and four sacks allowed. Quarterback Josh Allen's passer rating was barely north of 50. The Bills had no right to have kept this one close, but despite the game never spun out of control. These battled-tested Bills somehow avoided spiraling or pressing. Give the defense its flowers, but the real impressive trend was the team's overall composure in the face of mistake after mistake to keep the win in reach. Key stat to know: This was the first time the Bills won a game with a minus-four turnover differential since 1997. The opposing quarterback that afternoon was Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh. That was also the last time the Bills won any game in which they turned the ball over five times. -- Nick Suss Next game: vs. Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) Chargers How concerning is Justin Herbert's start to the season? The defense tried its best to give quarterback Justin Herbert and the offense a chance to win. Herbert -- who could have easily had three interceptions -- ended up throwing just one, and yet, the interception to CJ Gardner-Johnson was a dagger. Herbert wasn't the only issue, as there were dropped passes and questionable playcalls. But ultimately, he hasn't looked like the superstar he was during the first six years of his career. Most surprising performance: The Chargers' defense. Five turnovers typically means a win in the NFL. Somehow, it didn't on this day. Nevertheless, putting a lid on the league's best offense was encouraging. This is a unit that struggled against Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins and Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brisset. So the Chargers should feel encouraged that their defense -- which has been the top unit the past two seasons -- is back. -- Kris Rhim Next game: at Seahawks (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET) Fantasy football takeaway: Is Chargers RB Omarion Hampton's grip on the primary running back role no longer ironclad? He barely edged Keaton Mitchell in snap share (42% to 36%) and total touches (15-11). Mitchell also had the better underlying metrics, hinting at more sharing moving forward. Add Mitchell, who is available in 84.4% of ESPN leagues. -- Cockcroft Indianapolis 19, Houston 17 Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap Colts Has the Colts' defense stopped the bleeding? The Colts entered this game ranked last in several major defensive categories, including a staggering 1,029 yards allowed in the first two weeks -- second most in NFL history. On Sunday, the missed assignments that led to wide-open receivers in the first two games and the flurry of missed tackles seemed to be mostly addressed. The Colts also took advantage of Houston's porous pass protection to consistently pressure Texans QB C.J. Stroud. Whether this was a one-week reprieve or the start of a trend, the Colts needed this. What to make of the QB performance: Daniel Jones did not play smart in this game, as at least two of his three turnovers could be attributed to his own decisions. Jones' interception came when he threw a desperation pass while under pressure in field-goal range. He also fumbled in the fourth quarter after not protecting the ball despite multiple pass rushers converging on him. He did make some clutch throws on the game-winning drive. -- Stephen Holder Next game: vs. Commanders in London (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. (London) p.m. ET) Texans Is is time to panic on the Texans' 2026 season? It's trending that way. Even though the Texans' defense forced three turnovers (two in the second half) and had clutch plays from Stroud on their second-to-last drive to take the lead, it wasn't enough. Yes, the Texans started 0-3 last season and recovered, but that is not sustainable again. No team in NFL history has ever overcome 0-3 holes in back-to-back seasons, so expecting Houston to do that again was unrealistic. Trend to watch: Houston's defense had zero turnovers coming into Week 3, but forced three which gave them a chance to win. That's the type of defense Houston wants: playmaking. And they're going to need it to dig themselves out of the 0-3 hole. -- DJ Bien-Aime Next game: vs. Cowboys (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) Fantasy football takeaway: Colts WR Keenan Allen scored 18.3 fantasy points, stepping up as a short-route target over the middle while Alec Pierce (heel) heals. Daniel Jones' area of strength has come in the short game so far this season, so Allen shapes up as a matchup-dependent fantasy WR3 in the short term. -- Cockcroft Detroit 31, N.Y. Jets 24 Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap Lions Have the Lions fixed their defensive issues after rough start to season? After giving up 71 points through the first two weeks, Detroit shook up its secondary with Rock Ya-Sin serving a reserve role, while CB Roger McCreary started at outside cornerback alongside veteran D.J. Reed. Entering the game, the Lions were outgained by 191 total yards, fifth worst in the NFL, but second-year defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard refused to do any finger-pointing. Instead, he held a Monday meeting to dissect the struggles. The unit responded with a key takeaway in crunch time, but the defense still has major work to do. Key stat to know: Jahmyr Gibbs finished with three total TDs, but his two rushing touchdowns helped him surpass Billy Sims (42) for the second-most rushing TDs (43) in franchise history -- trailing only Barry Sanders (99). Sanders was in attendance as part of the Lions' alumni homecoming. Gibbs put on a show in front of the Hall of Famer, finishing with 20 carries for 99 rushing yards and seven catches for 65 receiving yards. -- Eric Woodyard Next game: at Panthers (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET) Jets Why can't the Jets win close games? Another week, another crushing loss. The Jets had a chance to steal one in Motown, but their defense -- ranked No. 1 in yards allowed heading into the game -- imploded in crunch time. They let the Lions march 65 yards on four plays for the winning touchdown with 2:20 left in the fourth quarter, thanks to blown coverages on two pass plays. Then QB Geno Smith fumbled on the ensuing possession. Good teams rise up in the clutch; the Jets haven't mastered that yet. They blew a 10-point lead last week and lost in overtime. This week, a 14-point comeback wasn't enough. Trend to watch: Rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq has arrived. It took only three games for the first-round pick to establish himself as a versatile target. He caught seven passes for 105 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown on a diving play in the end zone. Sadiq now has a receiving TD and a rushing TD (Week 1) in his first three games. -- Rich Cimini Next game: at Bears (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) Fantasy football takeaway: Sadiq displayed his seam-stretching ability in a positive matchup versus the Lions' secondary, scoring a career-best 23.5 points. Available in over 65% of ESPN leagues, he should be added this week. But Sadiq should still be viewed only as a deeper league starter. -- Bowen Jacksonville 35, New England 6 Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap Jaguars Do the Jaguars even need Travis Hunter to play offense? After three weeks, Hunter has one catch and one carry. He hasn't touched the ball on offense since the opener. Hunter played five offensive snaps Sunday, giving him 16 for the season. But the Jaguars have scored 82 points, rookie WR Josh Cameron has emerged, and QB Trevor Lawrence is having success spreading the ball around. The run game cranked up against New England, too (135 yards). Why force Hunter on the field if the offense is rolling without him? Most surprising performance: The Jaguars gave Cameron a bigger role in Week 3, and he delivered with a touchdown catch (second on three catches this season) and a 42-yard kickoff return. Through three quarters versus the Patriots, he had nearly as many snaps on offense (16) as Brian Thomas Jr. (21) -- an indication that more work could be ahead as the season progresses. -- Mike DiRocco Next game: at Bengals (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) Patriots What can the Patriots do to get Drake Maye back on track? Maye's 2026 woes continued with his 10th game of multiple turnovers (tied for most in NFL since 2024). The end zone interception just before halftime, on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line, was a shocking decision as WR Efton Chism III was tightly covered by Travis Hunter. It was a play similar to Maye's miscue in the season-opening loss at Seattle. In the first half, Maye was pressured 11 times -- his most before halftime in his career -- and went 2-of-7 with an interception and two sacks, per ESPN Research. Trend to watch: Offensive line injuries. Veteran Greg Van Roten, who started at right guard in place of Mike Onwenu (broken ankle), didn't return after leaving the game in the second quarter (thigh). Walter Rouse, who was acquired in a trade with the Vikings in August, took over for Van Roten. -- Mike Reiss Next game: at Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) Fantasy football takeaway: Though Chris Rodriguez Jr. scored, Bhayshul Tuten continued to flash his elite speed, scoring 17.0 fantasy points on 17 touches. Tuten's 48% snap share and usage offer encouragement that he can be a weekly fantasy RB2. (And, for what it's worth, sit Maye next week at Buffalo. Please.) -- Cockcroft Kansas City 24, Miami 10 Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap Chiefs Despite winning, should the Chiefs be concerned about their pass rush? Entering Week 3, no NFL QB had been sacked more than Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis (nine). The fact that the Chiefs couldn't pressure him while not blitzing was similar to the pass-rush struggles of last season, when defensive tackle Chris Jones was the lone major presence. On Sunday, defensive end George Karlaftis was the lone defender to record a hit on Willis. The Chiefs won't beat better opponents with a similar performance. The Chiefs also didn't sack Colts quarterback Daniel Jones last week -- and that game ended in overtime. Stat to know: Running back Kenneth Walker III is the first player to have two games with a rushing and receiving touchdown within his team's first three games of a season since 2017, when former running back Todd Gurley was a member of the Rams. Walker is also the first player in Chiefs history to accomplish the feat. -- Nate Taylor Next game: at Raiders (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET) Dolphins Have the Dolphins begun to turn the page on both sides of the ball? On defense, absolutely. The Dolphins kept the game in front of them, forced turnovers and rallied after an ugly first two drives. Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez recorded his first career takeaway and looked like a future star. The Chiefs' offense made plenty of mistakes, but Miami flew to the ball and limited explosives for the most part. Meanwhile, the Dolphins' passing game looked sharper than it has all season, but they struggled to run the ball after De'Von Achane was injured on the opening drive. We will see if Miami can build on this next week. What to make of the QB performance: Willis completed 20 of 36 passes for 210 yards in possibly his best performance of the season. Unlike his previous two games, Willis made quicker decisions with the football and was far more willing to take off if receivers weren't open. That being said, his accuracy waned at times, and he missed a few deep shots. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques Next game: at Vikings (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET) Fantasy football takeaway: Dolphins RB Ollie Gordon II played 83% of the offensive snaps after Achane's injury, recording 20 touches and 14.5 fantasy points. The Dolphins would probably activate Jaylen Wright for depth next week, but Gordon should be a priority pickup if Achane's prognosis for Week 4 is iffy. -- Cockcroft