Week 3 could go a long way toward determining how teams will finish this season.
At home against the Washington Commanders, the desperate Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) — who lost a Week 2 heartbreaker at Kansas City — should get well. Meanwhile, the 0-2 Denver Broncos, 0-2 Indianapolis Colts and 0-2 Jacksonville Jaguars appear to be at a season’s crossroads already.
Ahead of Week 3, Yardbarker NFL writers offer a prediction for every AFC team.
BUFFALO BILLS | Bills dominate Jaguars behind RB James Cook’s stellar encore | Cook’s three first-half touchdowns propelled Buffalo to a blowout win over Miami in Week 2, and the team will surely lean on him heavily again at home against Jacksonville, which has already allowed 273 yards to running backs. If Jaguars HC Doug Pederson isn’t already on the hot seat, he surely will be after Cook rushes for 120 yards and two touchdowns in this “Monday Night Football” matchup.
MIAMI DOLPHINS | RB De’Von Achane leads team in receptions, receiving yards | With QB Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) on injured reserve, backup Skylar Thompson will start Sunday’s road matchup against Seattle, which doesn’t bode well for the production of wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Achane (132.5 all-purpose yards per game), though, could ultimately become the focal point of Miami’s passing attack. He caught four of Thompson’s eight completions in Week 2.
NEW YORK JETS | WR Garrett Wilson delivers breakout performance | The 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year hasn’t made much of an impact to begin the season, catching 10 passes for 117 yards. Expect things to change at home on “Thursday Night Football” against a Patriots defense that allowed 327 yards and one touchdown passing in Week 2 against Seattle. Wilson will cross the 100-yard plateau and score a TD for the first time in 2024.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | Calls for rookie QB Drake Maye to play get louder | Despite leading New England to a 1-1 start, QB Jacoby Brissett hasn’t played particularly well, as he is one of just four starters who haven’t completed a pass of at least 20 yards this season. If Brissett, who had just 32 passing yards in the second half and overtime in the Week 2 loss to Seattle, struggles Thursday against a solid Jets defense, New England will feel pressure to turn to Maye. — Colum Dell
AFC West
DENVER BRONCOS | Offense fails to score 20 points for second straight game | After a 13-6 loss to the Steelers in Week 2, Denver head coach Sean Payton admitted he must find answers for his inept offense. Through two games, the Broncos rank 30th in the league in points (13 PPG). However, don’t expect Payton to solve the unit’s problems in Sunday’s road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are tied for sixth in the league in points allowed (18 PPG).
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | Rookie RB Carson Steele rushes for 50-plus yards |In a Monday news conference, head coach Andy Reid said Steele must help K.C. replace starting RB Isiah Pacheco, who is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a fractured fibula, per ESPN’s Adam Teicher. The undrafted free agent has only rushed for 27 yards in two games, but he will step up in Sunday’s road game against Atlanta, which allowed 186 rushing yards in a 22-21 Week 2 win over Philadelphia.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | DE Maxx Crosby finishes with two-plus sacks | On Monday, Carolina benched second-year QB Bryce Young, replacing him with journeyman Andy Dalton. Dalton has been sacked 348 times in 14 seasons, sixth among active QBs, so bank on Crosby dominating in Sunday’s home game.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | Rookie RT Joe Alt holds edge-rusher T.J. Watt to one sack |Per Pro Football Focus, No. 5 overall pick Alt has allowed one sack and two pressures in two games. Although Watt is perhaps the best pass-rusher in the NFL, the rookie won’t let him wreck L.A.’s offense in Sunday’s road game. — Clark Dalton
AFC North
BALTIMORE RAVENS | Defense gets torched again | The defense has allowed the most passing yards per game (257) in the league through the first two weeks of the season, and things won’t be any easier on the road against the Cowboys. Dallas QB Dak Prescott may not be having the start many imagined (472 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions), but expect him and the offense to bounce back against Baltimore’s underwhelming secondary.
CINCINNATI BENGALS | WR Ja’Marr Chase has a 100+ yard outing | The offense has disappointed through the first two weeks, and a big reason why is the lack of impact by Chase, who has 10 catches for 97 yards and zero touchdowns. However, that should change Sunday when Cincinnati hosts the Washington Commanders, who have allowed the 10th-most passing yards per game (227.5) in the NFL. If wide receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring) is out again, Chase will get even more opportunities.
CLEVELAND BROWNS | Defense posts NFL’s first shutout | The defense has uncharacteristically allowed 46 points through the first two weeks, but it has a great chance to bounce back Sunday at home against the Giants, who are averaging the third-fewest points per game (12). With a dominant showing Sunday, Cleveland could heavily influence New York to pull the plug on QB Daniel Jones.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS | Host the shortest game of the week | The Steelers like to run early and often and play good defense and so do the Chargers under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Through the first two weeks of the season, Pittsburgh has the most rushing attempts (77) in the NFL while Los Angeles has the fifth most (71). This game will be short, but will it be exciting? — Aaron Becker
AFC South
HOUSTON TEXANS | Nico Collins tops 100 receiving yards and makes history | After posting 135 receiving yards in the Texans’ Week 2 19-13 victory over the Chicago Bears, Collins has at least 100 receiving yards in three consecutive regular-season outings dating to last season. On the road Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, who allowed 11 completions of 10 or more yards last week, the fourth-year wideout will feast, joining DeAndre Hopkins (2018, 2015) and Hall of Famer Andre Johnson (2008) as the only receivers in Texans’ history to top the century mark in four straight games, per Stathead.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | Defense snaps interception-less streak | The Colts are one of only nine NFL teams without an interception in 2024. They haven’t recorded one since Week 15 of last season, tied for the longest streak in the franchise’s history (five games). At home Sunday against the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis will record a pick against rookie QB Caleb Williams, whose five turnover-worthy throws trails only Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles (six) for the most in the NFL through two weeks, per Pro Football Focus.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | Man coverage lets defense down | No NFL team has played more man coverage than the Jaguars (63.3 percent) this season, and it will be their undoing in a Week 3 road game against the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football.” Since the start of 2023, Buffalo’s Josh Allen is the top-graded QB in the NFL against Cover 0, per Dalton Wasserman of PFF.
TENNESSEE TITANS | Defense ruins QB Malik Willis’ homecoming | On Sunday, the Titans host the Green Bay Packers, likely without injured starting QB Jordan Love for another week as he continues to nurse an MCL sprain. That will allow Tennessee’s top-ranked defense (206.5 YPG) to lock in on RB Josh Jacobs and set up an enticing matchup against former Tennessee QB Malik Willis, who threw for only 122 yards (12-of-14) in Week 2. — Mike Santa Barbara
