What we learned in NFL Week 3: Answering big questions and sizing up every single matchup

Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season kicked off Thursday night with the Bills fending off the Dolphins to stay undefeated. In the early window Sunday, the Browns stunned the Packers with a game-winning field goal by kicker Andre Szmyt as time expired. The Panthers completely shut out the Falcons, while the Steelers made a key fourth-down stop in the final two minutes to defeat the Patriots.

Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for every team. Let's get to it.

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GB-CLE | PIT-NE
ATL-CAR | MIA-BUF

Cleveland 13, Green Bay 10

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Browns

Did the Browns find a formula to win games? For three quarters, the Browns' offense looked lifeless as its defense did all it could to keep Cleveland in the game. Then, the team started playing the complementary ball it has preached. The offense found a run game, safety Grant Delpit made a clutch interception and special teams capitalized with a blocked kick and Andre Szmyt's walk-off field goal. It wasn't pretty, but it's the way the Browns might have to play to win.

Stat to know: Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins' 38-yard run in the fourth quarter gives him two of the Browns' longest plays of the season -- he had a 31-yard run in the fourth quarter of last week's loss to Baltimore. He finished with 94 yards and a TD on 18 carries. It was Judkins' second career game after a two-month layoff as he went unsigned amid a legal matter. -- Daniel Oyefusi

Next game: at Lions (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Packers

How concerned should the Packers be about their offensive struggles? The Browns' defense is no joke; Cleveland came in with the No. 1 overall defense. But not scoring a touchdown until 3:23 left in the third quarter and then turning the ball over late in the fourth quarter on a terrible interception by Jordan Love, who hadn't thrown a pick for the first 11 quarters of the season, has to be considered troubling. Even on the drive that put them in position to attempt a go-ahead field goal -- which was blocked -- with 27 seconds left, their best play was a 20-yard pass interference penalty. Plus, the Packers lost two starting offensive linemen -- right tackle Zach Tom (oblique) after just one play and left guard Aaron Banks (groin) after the first half.

Trend to watch: Edge rusher Rashan Gary might be on his way to his first career double-digit sack season. The 2019 first-round pick sacked Browns QB Joe Flacco twice Sunday to bring his three-game total to 4.5. No doubt the presence of Micah Parsons has helped Gary perhaps more than anyone. -- Rob Demovsky

Next game: at Cowboys (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)

Pittsburgh 21, New England 14

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Steelers

What's keeping the Steelers from finding offensive consistency? Sometimes it's about how you start and how you finish -- and not as much about what happened between those two things. That was the case Sunday afternoon, when the Steelers scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives, went cold for the better part of two quarters, and then went on a nine-play, 67-yard drive. The possession was capped by a 17-yard dime from quarterback Aaron Rodgers to wide receiver Calvin Austin III. The Steelers offense struggled to find any kind of rhythm or consistency for most of the game -- gaining just 31 yards in the second and third quarters after 102 in the first -- and squandered three takeaways. But Rodgers, who threw an interception himself, made the clutch play when it mattered most.

Stat to know: Fourteen points scored off five takeaways. The Steelers defense brought the splash plays by forcing six turnovers, including a fumble on back-to-back third-quarter drives and a sack fumble. They also forced a turnover on downs on the Patriots' potential game-winning and then game-tying fourth-quarter drives. But the defense still busted too often on big plays, allowing more than 10 plays of at least 10 yards, and the offense failed to capitalize on the opportunities. -- Brooke Pryor

Next game: vs. Vikings (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Patriots

Will Rhamondre Stevenson's two lost fumbles lead to a change as the Patriots' lead RB? After losing a fumble on the opening drive, and then at the goal-line at the start of the second half, Stevenson was used sparingly for the remainder of the game. Coach Mike Vrabel notably kept Stevenson on the sideline for 11 straight snaps after the second fumble. He then turned almost exclusively to rookie TreVeyon Henderson and Antonio Gibson the rest of the way. (Stevenson played just two snaps after his second lost fumble). Stevenson's five lost fumbles since the start of the 2024 season are the most of any NFL running back, according to ESPN Research. Stevenson also became the first Patriots player to lose two fumbles in a game since Tom Brady on Sept. 7, 2014 at the Dolphins.

Stat to know: Tight end Hunter Henry (10th season) had his fifth career game with multiple touchdown receptions, and his first since Week 14 of 2023 (also versus the Steelers). Three of Henry's multiple-TD games have come against Pittsburgh. Also, Henry moved into third place on the Patriots' all-time list for receptions for a tight end (211), passing Marv Cook, with only Rob Gronkowski and Ben Coates ahead of him. -- Mike Reiss

Next game: vs. Panthers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Carolina 30, Atlanta 0

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Panthers

Are the Panthers' offseason moves to upgrade the league's worst defense paying off? It helped that quarterback Bryce Young didn't have any turnovers in the first half (he had four over the first two games) and Carolina wasn't playing from behind. It also helped that Atlanta missed two early field goals. That being said, the defense made plays. Cornerback Chau Smith-Wade had a pick-six. Mike Jackson had a pick. Linebacker Christian Rozeboom was everywhere. Bottom line, this isn't the NFL's worst defense anymore.

What to make of the QB performance: No turnovers was huge, as Young had five in the first five quarters of the 2025 season. Two of them last week against the Cardinals resulted in an early 10-0 hole. Young played within the offense, scrambling for a touchdown and making enough good throws to keep the offense moving despite a few errant throws. -- David Newton

Next game: at Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Falcons

What is wrong with what was supposed to be a high-powered Falcons offense? The Falcons had a goal of being the best offense in the league this season. They have not been close. Atlanta has scored just one touchdown the last two games. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had the worst outing of his young career Sunday. Plays seem to be getting in too late, and receivers dropped several passes. The running game, led by Bijan Robinson, was taken away due to playing from behind. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson needs to figure out what's wrong before it's too late.

What to make of the QB performance: Young quarterbacks will have games where they struggle. That was the case Sunday with Penix, who had two interceptions, including giving up his first career pick-six. He dealt with headset audio issues early on, looked frustrated and went 18-for-36 passing. Backup Kirk Cousins took over when the game was out of hand. -- Marc Raimondi

Next game: vs. Commanders (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Buffalo 31, Miami 21

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Bills

Can the Bills' ability to close out games make up for other deficiencies? It sure looks that way. The Bills can't have struggles like they did defensively -- allowing conversions on 10-of-15 third downs -- and pull out the win every time, but this is the second of three games the Bills had a game-changing takeaway late. Continuing to be effective in that area will be key. "The ball is the most important thing," linebacker Terrel Bernard said. "And we know it's not going to be perfect. Offenses around the league are good. That's a known fact. But for us, it comes down to taking the ball away."

What to make of the QB performance: Overall, Allen had another strong day, not turning the ball over and orchestrating impressive drives -- in addition to throwing three touchdown passes to get to 200 on his career. The Dolphins, however, took away the Bills' ability to get the ball downfield. Allen attempted only one pass more than 10 yards downfield, which wasn't completed. This is the first time in his career Allen has failed to complete one in a game (minimum of 10 pass attempts), per ESPN Research. -- Alaina Getzenberg

Next game: vs. Saints (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Dolphins

Was Thursday night enough of a spark to turn the Dolphins' season around? History is not on Miami's side here -- of the 117 NFL teams since 2000 to lose its first three games of a season, only the 2018 Texans actually made the playoffs. The loss was closer than the final score, but the Dolphins still have glaring issues to fix. Their defense allowed points on five of eight possessions, excluding a kneel-down to end the first half, and that number would've been higher were it not for a missed field goal in the second quarter. They also allowed more than 150 rushing yards for the second time this season. But Miami did set a season high with 130 rushing yards of its own with a solid backfield performance from De'Von Achane and rookie Ollie Gordon II.