Week 3 of the NFL had its fair share of close action, and to the victor go the spoil.
The Pittsburgh Steelers held on to defeat the New England Patriots 21-14 on the road. With the game on the line, New England faced a fourth-and-1 with just over a minute remaining, but failed to convert.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 139 yards and two touchdowns, while Patriots signal-caller Drake Maye had 268 passing yards and two scores himself. Rodgers' first touchdown pass gave him 509 for his career, passing Brett Favre for the fourth-most in NFL history. Pittsburgh forced five turnovers, including a whopping four fumbles.
The Steelers posted multiple references to actors with Boston ties, including Mark Wahlberg from the movie "Ted," and an edit with Matt Damon in "Good Will Hunting." Damon acts as the Steelers showing a "W" to the Patriots in the famous "how do you like them apples?" scene, while Steelers hats were edited on Wahlberg and the film's titular teddy bear. They also shared a video of a wagon with a "W" arriving in Harvard Yard.
Here are the top trolls from Week 3.
Carolina Panthers 30, Atlanta Falcons 0
The Carolina Panthers made the win column for the first time this season and it came in dominating fashion.
Carolina shutout the Atlanta Falcons, marking its first shutout victory since Week 11 of the 2020 season (20-0 over the Detroit Lions), according to ESPN Research. The Panthers forced three Falcons' turnovers, including two interceptions from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Carolina quarterback Bryce Young threw for 121 yards with a rushing score.
Carolina's win came with a petty troll aimed at Atlanta's namesake, and a reference to a post from earlier in the week. The Panthers also left their footprints on the Falcons' all-white uniform post.
Cleveland Browns 13, Green Bay Packers 10
In arguably the most shocking upset of the season so far, the Cleveland Browns defeated the Green Bay Packers at home.
Green Bay seemed to be in the driver's seat with 27 seconds remaining and a 43-yard field goal on deck. However, Cleveland blocked the kick from Brandon McManus and recovered it to set up the offense at its 47-yard line. Browns kicker Andre Szmyt secured the victory moments later with a 55-yard field goal as time expired.
The stunning win came with a sliced cheese-themed troll. Cleveland also resurfaced a viral video from their helmet reveal during the offseason when a photographer fell into the water. In this case, the Packers took the fall.
Jacksonville Jaguars 17, Houston Texans 10
The Jacksonville Jaguars secured a key divisional victory over the Houston Texans after a late interception.
Jacksonville took the lead with 1:48 left in the game, and Houston marched down the field before quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a pick. The loss moved the Texans to 0-3 for the first time since 2020.
The Jaguars focused on Texas for their petty posts, highlighting that "everything's bigger" in Duval County -- where they play -- and throwing a Texans helmet in a virtual recycle bin.
