TWELVE NFL WEEK THREE GAMES CAME DOWN TO ONE POSSESSION

Week 3 did not produce one defining game. It produced twelve of them. The league tied its record for one possession games on a single day, and the last of them ended in Baltimore with a kick that left a second on the clock.

The Finishes

The Ravens beat the Cowboys 34 to 31 after Lamar Jackson found Zay Flowers for 27 yards with a single tick left, and Tyler Loop came on and made it from 56. It was billed as the fastest game winning drive in NFL history, which is the kind of stat that sounds invented until you watch a team need eight seconds and use six.

Indianapolis did the same thing in slower motion, beating Houston 19 to 17 on a 53 yard Spencer Shrader boot with 16 seconds left, his second make from beyond 50 on the day. Washington went into Seattle and won 33 to 31 in a game Sam Darnold nearly stole back in his return, throwing for 379 yards and four touchdowns in a loss. Marcus Mariota threw three touchdowns on 183 yards for the Commanders, and linebacker Kain Medrano took an interception 50 yards the other way, which is how a backup quarterback wins a road game.

Pittsburgh outlasted Cincinnati 30 to 27, with Aaron Rodgers throwing for 292 and three scores, Jaylen Warren running for 127, and Derrick Harmon ending it with a strip sack. Buffalo spent the afternoon trying to lose to the Chargers and won anyway, 24 to 16, despite five turnovers and ten penalties. James Cook ran for 154.

Monday Night Went Sideways

Chicago was not supposed to be competitive in Philadelphia without its quarterback. The Bears won 27 to 7. Case Keenum started in place of Caleb Williams, who left Week 2 on a cart and now carries a Grade 2 hamstring strain with a three to four week timeline attached to it.

The Injury List Got Worse

Last week the story was three young quarterbacks going down in one weekend. This week the follow up was worse than the original. Jaxson Dart, hurt on the opening drive of Monday night in Week 2, turned out to have damage to his MCL, PCL and meniscus. He needs surgery and will miss the rest of the regular season.

Miami lost De'Von Achane to a reported torn ACL. The Giants lost Brian Burns to a reported torn ACL of his own, on an afternoon they won 12 to 7 without their starting quarterback. Baker Mayfield dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand. Justin Jefferson left after six plays. San Francisco played without Nick Bosa and then lost Trent Williams to a stinger and Mike Evans to a rib strain, and still won.

Everything Else

Atlanta opened the week Thursday night by winning 35 to 14 at Lambeau Field for its first victory of the season. Jacksonville buried New England 35 to 6, a game in which Drake Maye threw two more interceptions and lost a fumble, giving him seven turnovers through three games, the most by a Patriots player in the first three weeks of a season in thirty years.

Kansas City handled Miami 24 to 10 behind a clean Patrick Mahomes line of 20 for 24. Detroit beat the Jets 31 to 24 with Jahmyr Gibbs scoring twice on the ground and once through the air. Las Vegas moved to 3 and 0 under first year head coach Klint Kubiak by beating New Orleans 35 to 27, with Brock Bowers catching ten passes for 116 yards. Minnesota is also 3 and 0 after a 23 to 16 win over Tampa Bay built on six sacks and an 86 yard punt return touchdown from Myles Price.

San Francisco outscored Arizona 36 to 30 with Brock Purdy throwing for 297 and four scores. Denver came back to beat the Rams 30 to 26, the turn coming on a 66 yard interception return for a touchdown by Talanoa Hufanga, which wasted 390 passing yards from Matthew Stafford. Cleveland won its second straight, 21 to 18 over Carolina.

Where That Leaves Everyone

Two unbeaten teams, the Vikings and the Raiders, neither of whom were the preseason answer to anything. One 0 and 3 team in Philadelphia's rearview after Monday. And a league that has now spent three weeks watching its most valuable players leave games early.

The games are close enough to be worth watching every Sunday. The problem is that the injury report is the part that keeps deciding them.