Week 3 was weird and disorienting, but if you like defensive and special teams scoring, we got nine touchdowns! That made for an interesting week indeed. Let's look back before looking forward.
Week 3 Results
Green Bay (at Cleveland) - 2 sacks, 1 INT
Jordan Love was good in Week 2 because Washington's pass defense is bad, Cleveland's pass defense was bad in Week 2 because Lamar Jackson is good (and Denzel Ward missed some snaps), and the Packers ruined a lot of survivor pool entries.
A Look Ahead: @DAL BYE CIN - The Cowboys lost CeeDee Lamb and Tyler Booker, a second starting offensive lineman, so the Packers are still in play for Week 4.
Seattle (vs New Orleans) - 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 ST TD
The defensive stats don't reflect how lopsided this game was, but a Tory Horton punt return score still made it a hit if you plugged in the Seahawks.
A Look Ahead: @ARI TB @JAX - It's a road game, but it's also a Thursday night game. Seattle has the #2 D/ST through three weeks, so we have to consider them.
Atlanta (at Carolina) - 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery
Michael Penix Jr. played like a bizarro ineffective twin, and it was the Panthers' defense that played the bully in this one.
A Look Ahead: WAS BYE BUF - We will expect Marcus Mariota or Jayden Daniels to play much better than Penix did. Pass.
New England (vs Pittsburgh) - 1 INT
In another uncanny "we picked the wrong side", it was the Steelers forcing five turnovers and sacking Drake Maye five times on the road. The Steelers led early and were able to play hyperconservative on offense.
A Look Ahead: CAR @BUF @NO - The Patriots D/ST is relieved of duty.
Indianapolis (at Tennessee) - 4 sacks, 1 INT, 1 DEF TD
Kenny Moore II's pick-six made your day if you played the Colts D/ST. Cam Ward continues to make the Titans our favorite matchup for rent-a-defense.
A Look Ahead: @LAR LV ARI - We will avoid Matthew Stafford, but may come back to the Colts when they face Geno Smith next week.
LA Chargers (vs Denver) - 2 sacks
Bo Nix had some throws that he'd like to have back, but none were intercepted.
A Look Ahead: @NYG WAS @MIA - Whether this is Jaxson Dart's first start or Russell Wilson's last stand, we'll consider the Chargers.
Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda
Carolina (vs Atlanta) - 1 fumble recovery, 2 INT, 1 DEF TD, 0 pts allowed
Just when we thought we knew the Falcons were good and the Panthers were bad, we get a 30-0 blowout in the opposite direction.
Pittsburgh (at New England) - 5 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries, 1 INT
TreVeyon Henderson was the only Patriots back to not cough up the ball to the Steelers in this one.
Tampa Bay (vs New York Jets) - 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 1 DEF TD
Tyrod Taylor is usually safe with the ball, but an ill-advised pass to the sideline late in the first half was taken back to the house by Jamel Dean.
Chicago (vs Dallas) - 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 3 INT
Once CeeDee Lamb went out of the game and the Bears jumped out to an early lead, it was easier to pick on Dak Prescott and a banged-up Cowboys offensive line.
Washington (vs Las Vegas) - 5 sacks, 1 ST TD
Geno Smith was safer with the ball this week. Still, the Commanders' pass rush got home, and Jaylin Lane returned a punt 90 yards for a score to make the WAS D/ST a Week 3 hit.
Week 4 Candidates
Minnesota, Denver, Green Bay, and Seattle are assumed to be rostered