The Week 3 slate of games are now in the books. Kyle Allen was fantastic stepping in for Cam Newton against Arizona, Daniel Jones led the New York Giants back from a big deficit and Minkah Fitzpatrick had some highlight-reel plays in his new Pittsburgh Steelers uniform. Here's PFF's NFL Week 3 Team of the Week, highlighting the best single-game performances around the league.
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Offense
QB Kyle Allen, Carolina Panthers
Allen was impressive against the Cardinals, both when Arizona got pressure and when they didn’t. Under pressure, he completed five of his nine passes for 37 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He went 14-for-17 for 224 and another two scores when kept clean.
RB Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
Cook has been lighting up the NFL through three weeks, and Sunday was no different. He racked up 110 yards from 16 carries to the tune of 6.9 yards per carry with an average of three of those yards coming after contact. He forced seven missed tackles, taking his total to 15 on 57 carries so far this season.
WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
Remember when Julio Jones was going through a touchdown drought? Well not anymore. The Falcons star receiver racked up his fourth score of the year in the loss against the Colts. He was in delightfully dominant form, pulling in all eight catchable passes thrown his way for 128 yards. Through three weeks, he has yet to drop a pass.
WR Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The New York Giants could not stop Evans on Sunday, particularly in the first half. He averaged a ridiculous 23.8 yards per reception on eight catches on his way to a 190-yard, three-touchdown day. When all was said and done, just one of his receptions did not result in either a first down or touchdown.
FLEX: WR Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions
Jones burst into action after a slow start to the year, setting season highs in targets, receptions, yards and touchdowns. Four of his six receptions went for a first down, with another finding the end zone. Throws to him resulted in an NFL passer rating of 141.4 on the day.
TE Irv Smith Jr., Minnesota Vikings
Smith saw career highs in targets (3), receptions (3) and yards (60) in Sunday’s win for the Vikings. After pulling in his first reception for a loss of a yard last week, he saw all three of his Week 3 catches result in a Minnesota first down.
LT Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys
Smith was utterly dominant against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday and didn’t allow a single sack, hit or hurry from 36 pass-blocking snaps. Through three weeks and 107 pass-blocking snaps, his total pressures allowed still sits at zero.
LG Richie Incognito, Oakland Raiders
In his first game back from suspension, Incognito looked impressive, allowing just one hurry from 39 pass-blocking snaps for the Raiders. One of the few bright spots for the team, he also impressed as a run-blocker, with a PFF run-blocking grade of 81.4 on the day.
C Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles
The result didn’t go the Eagles' way, but center Jason Kelce was impressive up front. From 47 pass-blocking snaps against the Lions, he allowed just one hurry and produced a PFF run-blocking grade of 75.6. It was his best game of the season so far, and his history suggests we should expect more of the same throughout the season.
RG Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys
The second of three Cowboys offensive linemen to make the PFF Week 3 Team of the Week, Martin dominated in the running game, creating room for running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard to work with and finishing the game with a PFF run-blocking grade of 87.1.
RT La’el Collins, Dallas Cowboys
Joining Smith on the Team of the Week, Collins showcased why he is well on his way to a career year with the work we’ve seen through three weeks. He allowed one hurry on 36 pass-blocking snaps, the lone pressure he has allowed so far this season, with he and Smith forming a dominant duo of bookend tackles.
Defense
DI Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars
Campbell moves around between the edge and the interior and was utterly dominant on Thursday Night Football. From 39 pass-rushing snaps, he racked up three sacks, two hits and five hurries. He averaged a pressure once every 3.9 pass-rushing snaps.
DI Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
He didn’t make the Team of the Week in Weeks 1 and 2, but Donald’s dominance was easy to see on Sunday Night Football. From 40 pass-rushing snaps, he racked up a sack and seven hurries, averaging a pressure once every five pass-rushing snaps.
Edge Shaquil Barrett, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This was all kinds of ridiculous from Barrett, a player we have said was deserving of a full-time role for a long time now. From 42 pass-rushing snaps, he racked up four sacks, a hit and four hurries, forcing two fumbles along the way.
Edge Preston Smith, Green Bay Packers
With a performance that showed why the Packers went after him in free agency, Smith was dominant against the Broncos on Sunday. From 21 pass-rushing snaps, he registered three sacks and two hurries, adding a forced fumble in the process.
LB Jamie Collins, New England Patriots
Collins repeats on the PFF Team of the Week after another impressive performance for the Patriots. He registered three solo tackles in the game, with all of them resulting in a defensive stop. The Patriots utilized him as a pass-rusher too, and he added two sacks from nine pass-rushing snaps.
LB Blake Martinez, Green Bay Packers
Martinez was another impressive component to the Packers defense on Sunday, finishing the game with zero missed tackles despite attempting 13 combined solo and assists. Five of those tackles resulted in a defensive stop and, while he allowed six receptions in coverage, they went for just 27 yards.
CB K’Waun Williams, San Francisco 49ers
Williams was on the field for 27 coverage snaps on Sunday afternoon and delivered one of the best performances of his career. Targeted twice on the day, he allowed just one reception for six yards and recorded an interception. That all added up to an NFL passer rating allowed of just 16.7.
CB Jaire Alexander, Green Bay Packers
Alexander delivered his best game of the season so far with an elite performance in coverage. On the field for 36 coverage snaps, he saw five passes thrown into his coverage. They resulted in three receptions for 20 yards, with the former first-round draft pick out of Louisville recording two pass breakups on the day.
FLEX: CB Donte Jackson, Carolina Panthers
Jackson was on the field for 75 snaps on Sunday and delivered quite the performance. Despite being targeted eight times in coverage, he allowed just 21 yards on five receptions. Capping off an incredible day, he picked off two passes for the victorious Panthers.
S Jamal Adams, New York Jets
Adams had struggled in the opening two weeks of the season but bounced back on Sunday with one of the best performances of his career. Targeted three times in primary coverage, he allowed just one reception that went for -6 yards, and he pulled in an interception that he took back the other way for a touchdown.
S Micah Hyde, Buffalo Bills
Another safety who had his best performance of the season, Hyde registered six solo tackles without a miss on Sunday. Two of those resulted in a defensive stop, and he finished the day with a forced fumble to cap an impressive showing in the win for the now 3-0 Bills.
Special Teams
K Dan Bailey, Minnesota Vikings
After all their struggles with kickers in the preseason, the Vikings have a kicker on the PFF Team of the Week! Bailey connected on all four extra points and both field-goal attempts, including one from beyond 50 yards.
P Brett Kern, Tennessee Titans
Kern boomed eight punts for the Titans on Thursday Night Football against the Jaguars and averaged 40.1 net yards per punt on the night. He averaged 4.24 seconds of hang-time, with six of those punts landing inside the Jaguars’ 20-yard line.
K/PR Jamal Agnew, Detroit Lions
We didn’t see a return for a touchdown in the opening two weeks of the season, but Agnew sorted that out early against the Philadelphia Eagles with an impressive 100-yard return for a score.
ST Malcolm Jenkins, Philadelphia Eagles
Jenkins almost dragged the Eagles back into the game on Sunday, blocking a field goal and recovering it afterward. It wasn’t to be for the Eagles, but it was an impressive play by the former Ohio State standout.
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