Vikings cement Super Bowl credentials in Week 3, Ravens plunge Cowboys into crisis mode, Panthers get 1st win

Ben Morse, CNN

(CNN) The taxable for Week 3 was teams getting their first triumph of nan season.

Six franchises entered Sunday’s slate of games pinch 2 defeats to statesman nan caller season, but that each changed this week arsenic only nan Tennessee Titans stay winless aft 3 games played – though nan Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars could subordinate them aft Monday night.

There were besides awesome performances and victories from immoderate Super Bowl contenders arsenic they cemented their credentials arsenic title challengers.

Here are nan main storylines from Sunday’s action.

The Minnesota Vikings are really for real?
Two wins to unfastened nan NFL play could beryllium seen arsenic a fluke. But nan Minnesota Vikings put to furniture immoderate fears they were a flash successful a cookware pinch a ascendant 34-7 triumph complete nan Houston Texans connected Sunday.

Any doubts that Minnesota had caught lightning successful a vessel successful nan opening weeks of nan play were allayed arsenic Sam Darnold – nan backup successful preseason earlier first-round rookie JJ McCarthy was ruled retired for nan play – superbly ran nan discourtesy erstwhile again.

Darnold threw 17-of-28 for 181 yards and 4 touchdowns against a stacked Texans defense, 1 apiece to Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones, Jalen Nailor and Johnny Mundt.

The 27-year-old is enjoying a caller lease of life pinch nan Vikings nether caput coach Kevin O’Connell. Sunday’s multiple-touchdown outing was nan first clip successful Darnold’s profession he has done truthful successful 3 consecutive games.

In his 66 games pinch nan New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, Darnold had 1 different crippled pinch 4 touchdown throws but now has achieved nan feat successful conscionable his 3rd outing pinch Minnesota.

According to nan NFL, Darnold became nan 4th backmost successful Vikings history to commencement a play 3-0, joining Hall of Famers Fran Tarkenton and Brett Favre, arsenic good arsenic Daunte Culpepper.

Afterwards, O’Connell called Darnold’s capacity against nan Texans “really, really good.”

“Smart, really decisive, took attraction of nan football, accurate,” he said.

On nan different side, nan antecedently explosive Texans discourtesy was nullified by Minnesota’s defense, led by coordinator Brian Flores.

Flores’ playcalling seemed to confuse second-year passer CJ Stroud, arsenic Houston began nan crippled pinch an interception. He would propulsion a further 1 successful a disappointing day for past season’s Offensive Rookie of nan Year.

Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard was routinely nan game-wrecker against his erstwhile team, finishing nan crippled pinch 3 sacks.

“It’s successful your champion liking to not (mess astir pinch me),” Greenard said afterwards. “I’m gladsome I’m present successful Minnesota because they evidently respect me. Anybody other wants to do that, they tin try.”

Such was nan emphatic quality of nan conclusion that Stroud was benched midway done nan 4th fourth to forestall immoderate costly injuries arsenic nan Texans suffered their first conclusion of nan season.

Ravens disconnected nan mark, plunge Cowboys into situation mode
Both nan Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys entered Sunday’s Week 3 conflict successful Arlington, Texas, needing a triumph aft underwhelming successful Week 2.

Sunday’s conflict was a tight encounter, but nan Ravens were capable to get disconnected nan people this play and plunge “America’s Team” into situation mode pinch their 28-25 victory.

Baltimore raced retired to a large lead, mostly successful portion to a breakout crippled for offseason signing Derrick Henry.

The moving backmost had 2 rushing touchdowns and backmost Lamar Jackson added a passing and moving people arsenic nan Ravens held a 28-6 lead successful nan 4th quarter.

Henry vanished pinch 151 yards disconnected 25 carries connected nan crushed and Jackson racked up 87 rushing yards of his ain arsenic nan duo dissected Dallas pinch their legs.

Per nan NFL, Sunday’s crippled was Henry’s 12th profession crippled pinch 150-plus rushing yards and 2 aliases much rushing touchdowns, tied for second-most successful NFL history pinch LaDainian Tomlinson and 1 down Jim Brown.

Although nan discourtesy struggled precocious and nan defense allowed 3 consecutive touchdown drives, Baltimore was capable to clasp connected and yet get its first triumph of nan season.

After starting 0-2 for nan campaign, Jackson said aft nan triumph astir nan value of realizing their preseason goals.

“To beryllium honest, each crippled is simply a large crippled for america because we’re trying to get somewhere,” Jackson said. “We’ve sewage to triumph these games to get to nan playoffs, man, and triumph these playoff games to get to nan Super Bowl. But it starts pinch nan crippled that’s successful beforehand of us.”

For Dallas, it is simply a 3rd consecutive location nonaccomplishment arsenic siren bells are ringing successful Mike McCarthy’s team.

Having been blown retired by nan New Orleans Saints successful Week 2, Dallas expected to bounce backmost against nan Ravens and correct nan ship.

But nan squad now falls to 1-2 arsenic unit continues to equine connected McCarthy’s shoulders. With only a four-day break earlier they play again connected Thursday Night Football against nan New York Giants, nan Cowboys caput coach says he prefers to attraction connected nan team’s precocious comeback against Baltimore.

“It’s thing that doesn’t show up successful nan playbook, successful nan scheme. The bosom and psyche of your shot squad and nan expertise to turn emotionally and having that experience,” McCarthy told reporters. “It’s a awesome 4th fourth for our first-year players.

“It’s nan relationship that we don’t person correct now to nan level that we’re tin of. So this is nan affectional realm that we request to beryllium overmuch amended in. They person activity ethic, it’s a really bully locker room. There’s talent. The intelligence portion of it, we amended person taken a measurement from past week. Last week was wholly not bully enough. The affectional portion is wherever nan existent golden is. This extremity of nan crippled tin service arsenic well.”

Panthers get first triumph aft benching Bryce Young
The Panthers had been nan astir disappointing squad successful nan NFL done 2 weeks, aft 2 convincing defeats to nan Saints and nan Los Angeles Chargers.

First-year caput coach Dave Canales made nan large determination up of Week 3 to chair 2023 No. 1 wide prime Bryce Young and switch him pinch seasoned Andy Dalton.

And nan determination paid contiguous dividends arsenic nan Panthers looked overmuch improved successful their 36-22 triumph complete nan Las Vegas Raiders.

Dalton threw 26-of-37 for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns arsenic Carolina looked for illustration a wholly different squad pinch nan 36-year-old astatine nan helm. They scored much points (21) successful nan first half of Sunday’s crippled than they had successful nan erstwhile 2 weeks mixed (13).

His relationship pinch wide receiver Diontae Johnson was key, pinch nan erstwhile Pittsburgh Steeler having a profession time pinch 122 receiving yards connected 8 catches and a touchdown. The pair’s occurrence done nan aerial opened up nan moving game, pinch Chuba Hubbard adding 117 yards connected nan crushed disconnected 21 carries.

After nan victory, Dalton said it had been a “heavy week” wrong nan statement pursuing nan benching of Young but said astir really typical nan capacity against nan Raiders was for him.

“I mean, it felt great. Obviously, for maine to get an opportunity to beryllium retired location and for it to spell nan measurement it did, couldn’t person drawn it up immoderate better,” Dalton told reporters. “I thought our guys came retired pinch nan correct attitude, nan correct mentality from nan start, and we ne'er slowed down.

“That was nan nosy portion of it. We didn’t conscionable put 1 thrust together. We were capable to do it nan full game. Played complementary football, and guys were having a ton of fun, and that’s really it should be.”

It was a disappointing outing for nan Raiders coming disconnected a astonishing triumph complete nan Ravens successful Week 2.

Las Vegas scored conscionable 7 points successful nan opening 3 quarters of Sunday’s crippled and nan squad was booed disconnected nan Allegiant Stadium section aft nan defeat.

Following nan location loss, Raiders caput coach Antonio Pierce expressed his anger astatine his team’s performance, saying that immoderate of his players made “business decisions” during Sunday’s game.

“We sewage our a** whooped,” Pierce told reporters. “We sewage to put pads on, I don’t know, sewage to get connected nan sled. Same group that’s, for nan astir part, each travel backmost and aforesaid technique, aforesaid coaches, it’s not a different scheme, truthful evidently we person to coach amended and beryllium immoderate difficult a**es connected nan guys, and guys person to return immoderate unsmooth coaching because conscionable didn’t spot that connected either broadside of nan ball.

“We had an opportunity to tally nan shot and we didn’t. Didn’t do that astatine all. We tried and tried and tried, and I would person booed us, too. Offensively, defensively, we didn’t do a bully capable occupation up front, not bully enough.”

Full Week 3 Sunday scores
Away @ location (winners successful bold)

New York Giants 21-15 Cleveland Browns

Chicago Bears 16-21 Indianapolis Colts

Houston Texans 7-34 Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles 15-12 New Orleans Saints

Los Angeles Chargers 10-20 Pittsburgh Steelers

Denver Broncos 26-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Green Bay Packers 30-14 Tennessee Titans

Carolina Panthers 36-22 Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins 3-24 Seattle Seahawks

Detroit Lions 20-13 Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens 28-25 Dallas Cowboys

San Francisco 49ers 24-27 Los Angeles Rams

Kansas City Chiefs 22-17 Atlanta Falcons