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There are plenty of reasons for fans to worry as the NFL hits Week 3. Here are 5 things to watch

It’s the third week of the NFL season and some issues are becoming blatantly apparent as teams start to figure out their identities.

CNNKyle Feldscher2026-09-24 11:00查看原文 ↗

Brett Davis/Imagn Images/Reuters

It’s the third week of the NFL season and some issues are becoming blatantly apparent as teams start to figure out their identities.

In some places, injuries are piling up and threatening to derail teams before the season gets out of its first month. In others, there are clear personnel issues that are flashing warning signs about what the future may hold.

And in Atlanta, everyone’s just mad.

Here are five things to watch in Week 3 of the NFL season.

It was a tough Week 2 for the New York Giants, Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears as each team saw their starting quarterback knocked out of their games with injuries.

It seems like it’s only going to be worse this week.

The Bears host the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night and might be playing with their third-string quarterback. Caleb Williams left Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings with a hamstring injury (he’s week-to-week) and backup Tyson Bagent is in concussion protocol and also could miss Sunday’s game. That leaves Case Keenum as the next man up to face a ferocious Philly defense in a primetime game. It’s a brutal early season situation for a team that was widely seen as favorites in the NFC North this year.

The Commanders and Giants will also face difficult situations as Jayden Daniels (dislocated left elbow) and Jaxson Dart (knee injury) are both out.

Daniels dislocated the same elbow that he injured in 2025, causing him to miss about half the season, just before halftime of Sunday’s loss against Dallas. He’ll miss Week 3 against Seattle with Marcus Mariota taking over starting duties against the defending Super Bowl champions. It’s unclear when Daniels might return as he is seeing specialists about his elbow and the Commanders aren’t working on a specific timeframe.

Dart and the Giants face a similar situation. While initial signs were good after Dart took a big hit to his left knee on the opening drive of Monday’s game against the Rams – he walked off under his own power and returned to the sidelines in street clothes – Tuesday brought devastating news for his team. Dart’s injury is feared to be worse than initially thought and he could end up missing significant time, if not the whole season.

Harry How/Getty Images

Giants QB Jaxson Dart is expected to have season-ending knee surgery

The Giants were hoping for a big turnaround under head coach John Harbaugh and Dart was a big part of those plans. They take on the lowly Tennessee Titans on Sunday in New Jersey, giving Jameis Winston a chance to get his feet under him as the new starter in the Meadowlands.

Kathryn Riley/Getty Images

Detroit Lions fans at Ford Field on Sunday might look across at the opposing sideline and long for the face they see there: New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.

Glenn was Detroit’s defensive coordinator under head coach Dan Campbell from 2021 to 2024 and a key part of a coaching staff that led a massive turnaround in fortunes in the Motor City as the Lions became Super Bowl contenders. The defense under Glenn was never lockdown, but it was serviceable.

Since he left to take the Jets’ head coaching job, Detroit’s defense has been shambolic.

The Lions allowed more than 24 points per game in 2025, 22nd in the league. Big plays abounded, the team struggled to get off the field on third down and injuries hurt the unit. It all led to a 9-8 record and the Lions missing the playoffs.

So far, things aren’t much better this year.

Through two games, the Lions have the second-worst defense in the league – though facing Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills on a short week seven days ago didn’t help their stats. The Lions are struggling to stop the pass, struggling to stop the run, are allowing lengthy drives and are – once again – facing injuries to key players.

The Jets aren’t exactly setting the world on fire offensively, but quarterback Geno Smith has feasted on the Lions defense in the past during his time in Seattle. Sunday’s game could be a sign of where Detroit is headed this year; the team’s offense looks supercharged once again behind Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown, but they’ll only go as far as the defense allows them to go.

Things in Atlanta are … not great.

The Falcons’ quarterback situation is abysmal. Michael Penix Jr. missed the first two games of the season while recovering from last year’s torn ACL. Tua Tagovailoa was slated to start the season and then started having oblique spasms days before the opener and also missed those two games. Cooper Rush filled in and proceeded to throw four interceptions and never going over 150 yards in losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers. Jack Strand came in against Carolina and he was bad too, throwing another pick.

The team is 0-2, getting blown out in its home opener to boos from the Atlanta faithful. Vibes are bad, and the future doesn’t exactly look promising.

So, of course, the Falcons are going to be on national TV for their next three games.

Thursday night’s game against the Packers starts the stretch as the Dirty Birds head to Lambeau Field with Penix expected to make his first start of the season. Then after a week off, the Falcons will head to New Orleans to face their NFC South rivals on October 5 before hosting the Baltimore Ravens in the Sunday night game on October 11.

Falcons fans have been dreading the start of the season ever since the decision to pick up Tagovailoa in the offseason, which immediately created a quarterback controversy with Penix as two often-injured players would compete for the starting job. Those low expectations have been justified by the poor start to the season and it seems like the misery is about to go national.

Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images

A record-breaking nine NFL games will be played out of the US in 2026, and the international schedule really gets going in earnest this week.

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers got their seasons started in Australia, but when the Ravens and Cowboys kick off in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, it will mark the start of eight straight weeks of international action.

Sunday’s showdown at the famous Maracanā Stadium in Rio is the first time the NFL has played a game at one of the most legendary venues in all of global sport. The Maracanā has hosted two World Cup finals, saw Brazil men’s soccer win an Olympic gold medal during the 2016 Rio Games, where it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, held countless major concerts and soccer matches, and is generally one of the most celebrated venues in the world.

It’s nice that the NFL sent two teams that could put on an exciting game for the Brazilian fans, one that could match the prestige of the venue.

The Ravens and Cowboys are expected to compete for the top spots in their divisions, and the quarterback matchup of Lamar Jackson vs. Dak Prescott is pure box office. Prescott has started this season hot and leads the league in passing touchdowns, and Jackson is off to a similarly blistering start after torching the Saints and Indianapolis Colts in the first two games.

Following this week’s game in Brazil, the NFL heads to Europe for three games in London then individual games in Paris, Madrid and Munich. The international slate wraps up with that game in Germany on November 15 when the Cincinnati Bengals and Lions face off.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The AFC South is not good this year. The Jacksonville Jaguars are 1-1 and are the only team in the division with a win. The Titans, Houston Texans and Colts are all 0-2.

That most likely will change on Sunday.

The Texans and Colts will face off in Indy in a game that, theoretically, one team has to win (a tie is possible and would make life worse for both teams).

The stakes are particularly high for the Texans, a team that was expected to compete for a playoff spot this year but have so far been unable to stop two of the top teams in the AFC in losses to the Bills and Bengals.

The Colts suffered a heartbreaker in Kansas City in Week 2, losing in overtime to the Chiefs. Indianapolis hopes to take another major step after finishing 8-9 last year, including challenging the Texans for the top spot in the division and returning to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-2021 season.

The odds for a playoff berth will be stacked against whoever loses this game on Sunday – only seven teams in NFL history have made the playoffs after starting 0-3. And two of those teams happens to be the 2018 and 2025 Houston Texans, so there’s still always hope deep in the heart of Texas.

Atlanta Falcons @ Green Bay Packers, 8:15 p.m. ET

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. ET

New England Patriots @ Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET

Tennessee Titans @ New York Giants, 1 p.m. ET

Seattle Seahawks @ Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. ET

New York Jets @ Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. ET

Carolina Panthers @ Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET

Kansas City Chiefs @ Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET

Los Angeles Chargers @ Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET

Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. ET

Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m. ET

Minnesota Vikings @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4:05 p.m. ET

Las Vegas Raiders @ New Orleans Saint, 4:25 p.m. ET

Baltimore Ravens @ Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. ET

Los Angeles Rams @ Denver Broncos, 8:20 p.m. ET

Philadelphia Eagles @ Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m. ET

Brett Davis/Imagn Images/路透社

NFL赛季已经进行到第三周，随着各队开始确立自己的风格，一些问题也变得显而易见。

在一些地方，伤病不断累积，威胁着球队在赛季开始不到一个月就功亏一篑。而在另一些地方，明显的人员问题则预示着球队未来可能面临的困境。

在亚特兰大，每个人都怒不可遏。

以下是NFL赛季第三周值得关注的五件事。

对于纽约巨人队、华盛顿指挥官队和芝加哥熊队来说，第二周都是艰难的一周，因为每支球队的首发四分卫都因伤退出了比赛。

看来这周情况只会更糟。

芝加哥熊队将于周一晚主场迎战费城老鹰队，但他们可能不得不启用第三替补四分卫。卡莱布·威廉姆斯在周日负于明尼苏达维京人队的比赛中腿筋受伤（目前状态为每周观察），而替补四分卫泰森·巴根特则因脑震荡正在接受检查，也可能缺席周日的比赛。这意味着凯斯·基纳姆将临危受命，在黄金时段的比赛中面对费城老鹰队凶猛的防守。对于这支被广泛认为是本赛季国联北区夺冠热门的球队来说，这无疑是一个残酷的赛季开局。

由于杰登·丹尼尔斯（左肘脱臼）和杰克逊·达特（膝盖受伤）都无法上场，指挥官队和巨人队也将面临困境。

丹尼尔斯在周日对阵达拉斯牛仔队的比赛中场休息前，肘部再次脱臼，而他2025年受伤的肘部正是他当年导致缺席近半个赛季的那根。他将缺席第三周对阵西雅图海鹰队的比赛，届时马库斯·马里奥塔将顶替他首发，迎战卫冕超级碗冠军。目前尚不清楚丹尼尔斯何时能够复出，他正在接受专家的肘部治疗，而指挥官队也没有制定具体的复出时间表。

达特和巨人队面临着类似的困境。周一对阵公羊队的比赛开场，达特左膝遭到重击，起初情况看起来不错——他能够自行走下场，并穿着便服回到场边——但周二却传来噩耗，令球队雪上加霜。达特的伤势恐怕比最初预想的更为严重，他可能缺席相当长一段时间，甚至整个赛季。

Harry How/Getty Images

巨人队四分卫杰克逊·达特预计将接受赛季报销的膝盖手术。

巨人队希望在主教练约翰·哈博的带领下实现重大转变，而达特正是这一计划的重要组成部分。他们将于周日在新泽西州挑战实力较弱的田纳西泰坦队，这将给杰米斯·温斯顿一个机会，让他作为新任首发四分卫在梅多兰兹球场站稳脚跟。

Kathryn Riley/Getty Images

周日，底特律雄狮队的球迷们在福特球场可能会望向对方的替补席，并渴望看到他们在那里看到的那张脸：纽约喷气机队的主教练亚伦·格伦。

格伦在2021年至2024年担任底特律雄狮队主教练丹·坎贝尔的防守协调员，是带领这支汽车城球队实现巨大逆转、成为超级碗有力竞争者的教练组的关键成员。格伦执教下的防守虽然算不上固若金汤，但也足以应对对手的进攻。

自从他离开去担任喷气机队的主教练以来，底特律的防守一直一团糟。

2025赛季，底特律雄狮队场均失分超过24分，排名联盟第22位。比赛中，对手频频打出长传进攻，球队在第三档防守中屡屡受挫，伤病也严重影响了球队的进攻。最终，雄狮队以9胜8负的战绩无缘季后赛。

到目前为止，今年的情况并没有好转多少。

两场比赛过后，雄狮队的防守排名联盟倒数第二——尽管七天前在短时间内迎战约什·艾伦领衔的布法罗比尔队无疑加剧了他们的防守问题。雄狮队在防守传球和跑动方面都表现挣扎，经常让对手打出长时间的进攻，而且——再一次——他们的关键球员遭遇了伤病困扰。

喷气机队的进攻火力并不算强劲，但四分卫吉诺·史密斯在西雅图效力期间曾多次轻松击败雄狮队的防守。周日的比赛或许预示着底特律雄狮队今年的走向；在贾里德·戈夫、贾米尔·吉布斯和阿蒙-拉·圣布朗的带领下，球队的进攻火力似乎再次爆发，但他们的发挥最终取决于防守端的表现。

亚特兰大的情况……不太好。

猎鹰队的四分卫位置简直糟糕透顶。迈克尔·佩尼克斯二世因去年前交叉韧带撕裂的伤病缺席了赛季前两场比赛。图阿·塔戈瓦伊洛亚原本计划首发，但在揭幕战前几天开始出现腹斜肌痉挛，也因此缺席了这两场比赛。库珀·拉什临危受命，在对阵匹兹堡钢人和卡罗莱纳黑豹的比赛中，他四次被抄截，且单场传球码数从未超过150码，最终球队也输掉了比赛。杰克·斯特兰德在对阵黑豹的比赛中替补出场，表现同样糟糕，又一次被抄截。

球队目前战绩0胜2负，主场揭幕战惨败，亚特兰大球迷报以嘘声。球队氛围糟糕，前景堪忧。

所以，猎鹰队接下来的三场比赛当然都会在全国电视台上播出。

周四晚对阵包装工队的比赛拉开了新赛季的序幕，猎鹰队将前往兰博球场挑战绿湾包装工队，预计佩尼克斯将迎来本赛季的首次首发。休息一周后，猎鹰队将于10月5日前往新奥尔良，与同区对手圣徒队交锋，随后在10月11日周日晚的比赛中主场迎战巴尔的摩乌鸦队。

自从休赛期签下塔戈瓦伊洛亚（Tagovailoa）以来，猎鹰队的球迷就一直忧心忡忡，因为签下他立刻引发了与佩尼克斯（Penix）的四分卫之争，两名伤病缠身的球员将竞争首发位置。糟糕的赛季开局印证了球迷们的低预期，而且这种糟糕的局面似乎即将蔓延至全国。

Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images

2026 年，将有创纪录的 9 场 NFL 比赛在美国境外举行，而国际赛程本周将真正拉开帷幕。

洛杉矶公羊队和旧金山49人队在澳大利亚开始了他们的赛季，但当乌鸦队和牛仔队周日在里约热内卢开赛时，这将标志着连续八周国际比赛的开始。

周日在里约热内卢著名的马拉卡纳体育场举行的这场焦点大战，是NFL首次在这座全球体育界最具传奇色彩的场馆之一进行比赛。马拉卡纳体育场曾举办过两届世界杯决赛，见证了巴西男足在2016年里约奥运会上夺得金牌，并承办了奥运会的开幕式和闭幕式。此外，这里还举办过无数场大型音乐会和足球比赛，堪称世界上最负盛名的场馆之一。

NFL派出两支能够为巴西球迷奉献精彩比赛的球队，这真是太好了，这场比赛的精彩程度足以与比赛场地的声望相匹配。

乌鸦队和牛仔队预计将争夺各自赛区的头名，而拉马尔·杰克逊和达克·普雷斯科特的四分卫对决更是绝对的焦点。普雷斯科特本赛季开局火热，目前领跑联盟传球达阵榜，而杰克逊在前两场比赛中分别大胜圣徒队和印第安纳波利斯小马队，同样展现出了惊人的状态。

本周在巴西的比赛结束后，NFL将前往欧洲，在伦敦进行三场比赛，随后分别在巴黎、马德里和慕尼黑进行单场比赛。国际赛程将于11月15日在德国落下帷幕，届时辛辛那提猛虎队将与底特律雄狮队展开对决。

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

今年美联南区形势严峻。杰克逊维尔美洲虎队目前战绩1胜1负，是该分区唯一一支取得胜利的球队。泰坦队、休斯顿德州人队和印第安纳波利斯小马队均为0胜2负。

这种情况很可能在周日发生改变。

德州人和小马队将在印第安纳波利斯进行比赛，理论上，这场比赛必须有一支球队获胜（平局是有可能的，但对两队来说都会更糟）。

对于德州人来说，这场比赛意义重大。这支球队原本被寄予厚望，有望在今年争夺季后赛席位，但到目前为止，他们却未能战胜美联的两支顶级球队——比尔队和猛虎队，最终以失败告终。

印第安纳波利斯小马队在第二周的比赛中遭遇惨痛失利，在加时赛中负于堪萨斯城酋长队。上赛季战绩为8胜9负，小马队希望在新赛季取得更大进步，包括挑战休斯顿德州人队争夺分区头名，并自2020-2021赛季以来首次重返季后赛。

周日这场比赛的失利者晋级季后赛的希望将非常渺茫——NFL历史上只有7支球队在开局0胜3负的情况下最终进入季后赛。而其中两支球队恰好是2018年和2025年的休斯顿德州人队，所以在德克萨斯州的腹地，希望依然存在。

亚特兰大猎鹰队客场挑战绿湾包装工队，美国东部时间晚上8:15

辛辛那提猛虎队客场挑战匹兹堡钢人队，美国东部时间下午1点。