PFF broke down the numbers immediately after every NFL Week 3 game, including scores, rookie standouts, offensive line performances and more.
Click to jump to a game:
PIT@CLE | BUF@MIA | CIN@NYJ | LVR@TEN | NO@CAR | BAL@NE
DET@MIN | PHI@WSH | KC@IND | HOU@CHI | JAX@LAC | LAR@ARZ
GB@TB | ATL@SEA | SF@DEN | DAL@NYG
Cleveland Browns 29, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
Offensive spotlight: If Brissett's 90.0-plus passing grade on first review holds, it will represent the highest single-game passing grade of his career. Not only did Brissett finish with two big-time throws, but he dealt with three dropped passes, avoided turnover-worthy plays and finished with an 82.8% adjusted completion rate. Ultimately, Brissett finished 21-of-31 for 220 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensive spotlight: Even in a losing effort, Steelers edge defender Alex Highsmith had an impressive performance, particularly against the run. The former third-round pick totaled six run stops with an impressive 0.83-yard average depth of tackle against Cleveland on first review. Coming into this game, the Las Vegas Raiders‘ Maxx Crosby led the league in run stops with nine, but Highsmith is now tied with Crosby after his productive evening against the run on Thursday.
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Miami Dolphins 21, Buffalo Bills 19
Offensive spotlight: Sixteen routes. That’s all it took for Jaylen Waddle to rack up 102 yards on four catches against the Bills' banged-up secondary. His 45-yard catch on 3rd-and-22 set up the game-winning score early in the fourth quarter.
Defensive spotlight: The Dolphins would not have won this game without Jevon Holland. He allowed 1-of-3 targets for six yards in coverage with two forced incompletions. The former second-rounder also made the biggest play in the game when he forced a Josh Allen fumble.
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Cincinnati Bengals 27, New York Jets 12
Offensive spotlight: Joe Burrow was under pressure a lot in this game, continuing a trend from the first two contests of the season, but this time he was able to make plays regardless. He completed 23 of 36 pass attempts and recorded a 73.5% adjusted completion rate.
Defensive spotlight: Jets rookie Sauce Gardner had an eventful day that saw him give up some critical plays but also break up two passes thrown into his coverage — including a deep shot to Ja’Marr Chase down the sideline.
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Tennessee Titans 24, Las Vegas Raiders 22
Offensive spotlight: Despite the result, Raiders wideout Mack Hollins had the best game of his career, catching all eight of his catchable targets for 158 yards and a touchdown. He also recorded five first downs and three explosive plays of 15 or more yards.
Defensive spotlight: Raiders pass-rusher Maxx Crosby came away with a sack and four hurries from 25 pass-rush snaps on first review, and he added a batted pass at the line of scrimmage for good measure.
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Carolina Panthers 22, New Orleans Saints 14
Offensive spotlight: Laviska Shenault Jr. needed only two catches to put up 90 receiving yards. He took his first catch — his first reception as a member of the Panthers — 67 yards after the catch for the score, forcing one missed tackle along the way.
Defensive spotlight: Panthers second-year corner Jaycee Horn was targeted twice in coverage. He didn't allow a catch and came away with an interception, leaving Jameis Winston with a 0.0 passer rating when throwing his way.
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Baltimore Ravens 37, New England Patriots 26
Offensive spotlight: Mac Jones made six big-time throws but also four turnover-worthy plays on his 32 passing attempts, pending review. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson finished with a 73.1% adjusted completion rate and two forced missed tackles on the ground.
Defensive spotlight: While Mac Jones had his way with some of Baltimore's younger defensive backs, veterans Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters held their ground. They combined to give up just three catches on seven targets for 41 yards, with each also notching an interception.
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Minnesota Vikings 28, Detroit Lions 24
Offensive spotlight: Jamaal Williams heavily outworked D'Andre Swift in the Lions' backfield. Although Williams played only one more snap (33 to 32), he handled 19 carries to Swift's seven and turned that into 85 yards, two scores and five forced missed tackles.
Defensive spotlight: Free agent signing Za'Darius Smith tallied a game-high five quarterback pressures and cleanly beat his blocker on another two reps en route to the highest pass-rushing grade of any defender, pending review.
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Philadelphia Eagles 24, Washington Commanders 8
Offensive spotlight: DeVonta Smith caught all eight of his catchable targets for 169 yards and a touchdown. He moved the chains six times, racked up 69 yards after the catch and came away with four explosive plays of 15 or more yards.
Defensive spotlight: Veteran pass-rusher Brandon Graham recorded three sacks and two hits on his former quarterback, beating his blocker on 31.6% of his pass-rush snaps on the day.
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Indianapolis Colts 20, Kansas City Chiefs 17
Offensive spotlight: The Colts held Patrick Mahomes largely in check, keeping him to one touchdown pass and intercepting him to seal the game. And for the first time all year, he didn't make a big-time throw (pending review). Mahomes still put up a 9.5-yard average target depth compared to Matt Ryan‘s conservative 4.7-yard effort.
Defensive spotlight: Kwity Paye may have been kept out of the sack column, but he notched a game-high five pressures on his 24 pass-rushing snaps. He made another two stops in run defense.
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Chicago Bears 23, Houston Texans 20
Offensive spotlight: Khalil Herbert took over the Bears' RB1 duties after David Montgomery exited with an injury. The second-year back from Virginia Tech didn't disappoint. He tallied six explosive runs, eight first-down rushes, 130 ground yards after contact and two rushing scores to cap off an 80.0-plus grade, pending review.
Defensive spotlight: Turnover savant Eddie Jackson was back to his usual tricks for the second time in three weeks. The five-year vet had a forced fumble and an interception, and he didn't allow a catch into his coverage.
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Jacksonville Jaguars 38, Los Angeles Chargers 10
Offensive spotlight: RB James Robinson eclipsed the century mark for the first time this year, running for 100 yards, four first downs and 46 yards after contact. The second-year back rushed for a score and amassed three explosive runs of 10 or more yards.
Defensive spotlight: Jags cornerback Tyson Campbell registered two defensive stops in coverage and allowed just three catches for 22 yards across six targets. He finished the afternoon with a 77.1 coverage grade on first review.
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Los Angeles Rams 20, Arizona Cardinals 12
Offensive spotlight: Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray threw for 314 yards, with his former college teammate Marquise Brown accounting for 45% of them. Brown finished with 14 catches on 17 targets for 140 yards. He’s buoying a Cardinals receiving corps that will be without its star DeAndre Hopkins for three more games as he serves his suspension.
Defensive spotlight: Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey showed why many consider him the top corner in the league. On 49 coverage snaps, he allowed three catches on four targets for 14 yards while also forcing two incompletions and two coverage stops. He also had a tackle for loss in the run game.
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Green Bay Packers 14, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12
Offensive spotlight: Both teams were dealing with injuries on offense, particularly at receiver, but it was Tom Brady’s receivers who were hit harder and struggled more in this game. They only actually cost the Bucs a pair of drops, but there were numerous other instances where they weren’t quite on the same page or able to secure the catch.
Defensive spotlight: De’Vondre Campbell made the game-winning play in the end zone, breaking up a pass that would have tied the game on a two-point conversion. Campbell tipped the ball away a full stretch and continues to look like he will back up the All-Pro season that came out of the blue last year.
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Atlanta Falcons 27, Seattle Seahawks 23
Offensive spotlight: Although it was in another losing effort, quarterback Geno Smith continues to play far better than many expected entering the season. He was volatile on Sunday, making five big-time throws and four big-time throws, but the overall performance should earn the 10th-year veteran another strong game grade.
Defensive spotlight: Richie Grant capped off his solid day in coverage with a game-sealing interception. And that was after he had already forced an incompletion and allowed only four yards on two catches and three targets.
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Denver Broncos 11, San Francisco 49ers 10
Offensive spotlight: Offense was hard to come by in this contest. Still, Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton made the most of his looks. He hauled in eight of his 10 targets for 97 yards — 21 of which came after the catch. He did drop one of those incompletions, but he also made two contested grabs.
Defensive spotlight: Five targets came Patrick Surtain II‘s way, and five hit the ground. The second-year star forced two of those incompletions and has now allowed all of 45 yards on 14 targets this season, pending final review.
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Dallas Cowboys 23, New York Giants 16
Offensive spotlight: He's not going to be mistaken for Patrick Mahomes anytime soon, but Cooper Rush continues to do enough to put the Cowboys in position to pick up victories. Ultimately, Rush finished 21-of-31 for 215 passing yards, one touchdown, one big-time throw and most importantly zero turnover-worthy plays. Rush did a great job helping his offensive line by getting the ball out early, finishing with a 2.23 second average time to throw, which is the fourth-quickest time-to-throw among Week 3 quarterbacks with at least five dropbacks.
Defensive spotlight: Even though Micah Parsons (correctly) received all the attention, DeMarcus Lawrence was the Cowboys pass-rusher who the Giants had no answer for. Even though he missed some time due to a lower-leg injury, the perennially underrated edge defender finished with three sacks and seven total pressures en route to a 90.0-plus pass-rush grade and 25.9% pressure rate on first review. Additionally, Lawrence also recorded three tackles and two stops against the run to round out his performance.
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