September has already delivered a few curveballs in the NFC, and the first month of the 2026 NFL season ended with a couple of storylines nobody would have circled in August. Quarterback injuries have already started piling up around the conference, and the league has wasted no time turning preseason expectations upside down.
Three developments stand out most through the first three weeks: the quarterback leaderboard, the mess in Tampa Bay, and the strange shared record sitting on the backs of the Rams and Cardinals.
The most eye-opening number in the conference belongs to two passers no one would have predicted to be there. Tyler Shough and Bryce Young are leading the NFL in passing yards through three games, with Young at 939 and Shough right behind him at 917.
They are also the only quarterbacks in the league who have reached 900 passing yards so far. And just to add another NFC South wrinkle, Michael Penix Jr. - who has played only one game - leads the league in yards per attempt at 10.2.
Then there’s Tampa Bay, where the early-season wobble has turned into something far uglier. The Buccaneers were always capable of hitting a rough patch, but starting 0-3 is another level entirely.
They opened on the road against the Bengals, a game they would have entered as at least slight underdogs, then came home for matchups with the Browns and Vikings. A 1-2 start would have qualified as a nightmare for a team with division-title hopes.
Instead, the Bucs are sitting at 0-3, and Baker Mayfield is out with a thumb injury. That has the feel of a “blow it up midseason” type of situation.
At the top of the surprise list, though, is the odd pairing of the Rams and Cardinals sharing the same record after September. Arizona started the year by beating the Chargers and moving to 1-0, while the Rams got hit with a brutal loss in Australia against the 49ers that undercut the super-team narrative right away. Week 2 briefly flipped the script - the Cardinals were blown out by the Seahawks and the Rams hammered the Giants - but both teams lost again in Week 3 and finished the month at 1-2.
The Rams were expected to roll through the schedule, even with tough early games against the 49ers and Broncos. The Cardinals, by contrast, were supposed to be bad from the start.
Instead, Arizona played the Chargers exceptionally well and even had the 49ers sweating a bit in Week 3. The two teams still look headed in different directions, but ending September with the same record is a genuine stunner.
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Cardinals Let Upset Bid Slip Away For One Frustrating Reason
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Jacoby Brissett gave Arizona enough to stay in the fight, finishing 38 of 52 for 280 yards and two touchdowns, even if the offense took too long to get rolling. There were positive signs, too, including Simi Fehokos recovery of a muffed punt, but those flashes were drowned out by 10 penalties for 86 yards and the kind of tackling breakdowns that can erase a strong stretch in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]