The NFL’s first three weeks have already carved the league into two very different groups. At the top, Buffalo, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Minnesota and San Francisco are the only 3-0 teams left standing. And history says that kind of start matters: since 1990, clubs that open 3-0 have made the playoffs at a .750 clip.
At the other end, five teams are already trying to climb out of a 0-3 crater: Houston, the Chargers, Miami, Tampa Bay and Tennessee. That’s a steep hill, especially in a league where only seven teams in history have bounced back from 0-3 to make the postseason, with the latest example coming from the 2025 Houston Texans.
Week 4 gives us a little bit of everything, from unbeaten matchups to teams already feeling the pressure.
Thursday night opens with Pittsburgh at Cleveland, and the AFC North is as tight as it gets with every team sitting at 2-1. These two have split their season series in each of the past four years, and the home team has taken all eight of those games. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has been sharp, throwing five touchdown passes against just one interception.
Sunday’s slate starts in London, where Indianapolis and Washington meet with matching 1-2 records. Both clubs finally got into the win column last week, and both wins came by two points. The problem is on the other side of the ball: Washington has already allowed 92 points, and Indianapolis has given up 91.
Tennessee heads to Baltimore carrying an 0-3 record, and Robert Saleh’s team is staring at a rough stretch after dropping 49 of its last 61 games since starting 7-3 in 2022. The Ravens come in after a wild win over the Cowboys in Rio, and Derrick Henry has already found the end zone six times in three games.
Arizona visits the Giants, with Mike LaFleur’s team trying to stop a two-game slide after its Week 1 upset of the Chargers. The Cardinals have given up 67 points in losses to Seattle and San Francisco. New York is over .500 even though it has managed only six field goals over its last eight quarters.
Jacksonville and Cincinnati both enter at 2-1, but they arrive there in different ways. The Jaguars blew past New England and have allowed an NFL-low 36 points.
Cincinnati is coming off a loss at Pittsburgh after giving up 411 total yards and 30 points. The quarterback spotlight belongs to two first overall picks: Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow.
Buffalo gets New England at home, and the Bills are 3-0 even after turning the ball over five times against the Chargers. The Patriots, meanwhile, are dealing with a rough run from Drake Maye, who has 15 turnovers in his last seven outings, including the playoffs. The source also notes that Mike Vrabel’s club lost two of its first three games last season and still reached the Super Bowl.
Dallas travels to Houston in a matchup that already carries plenty of baggage for the Texans. The Cowboys’ defense has given up 10 touchdowns in three games, including seven through the air.
Houston is 0-3 for the second straight year under DeMeco Ryans, though the Texans still managed to rally into the playoffs after that kind of start last season. The piece frames it as a “now or never” spot.
The Rams and Eagles meet again, marking their fifth matchup in four seasons when you include a playoff game from 2024. Sean McVay’s team has coughed it up six times in three games. Philadelphia is the only team in the league without a takeaway.
Green Bay heads to Tampa Bay, where the Packers are trying to shake off a skid that has seen them lose seven of their last eight games, including playoffs, after opening 9-3-1 in 2025. The Buccaneers are in trouble too, sitting 2-10 since starting 6-2 last season. Baker Mayfield is out with a thumb injury, so undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels gets the call.
The Jets go to Chicago after a competitive showing in Detroit that still ended in defeat. The Bears rolled up 375 total yards in a convincing Monday night win over the Eagles behind quarterback Case Keenum. For New York, the defensive frustration is glaring: the Jets have gone 20 straight games under Aaron Glenn without an interception.
Miami travels to Minnesota in a matchup of very different starts. The Dolphins are 0-3 and will finish the season without running back De’Von Achane.
Minnesota, meanwhile, is 3-0 for the second time in three seasons and has done it with two different quarterbacks. The Vikings have allowed only three offensive touchdowns and lead the NFL with 14 sacks.
Denver goes to San Francisco after the Broncos erased a huge early deficit against the Rams, outscoring them 16-0 in the second half after being outgained 273-67 and trailing 16-0 at the break. The 49ers are still unbeaten and already 2-0 in the NFC West. Denver, for its part, has been outscored 40-10 in first halves this season.
The Chargers, now 0-3, visit Seattle looking for a much-needed reset. Los Angeles is off to its worst start since 2017, when it dropped its first four before finishing 9-7. The Seahawks are coming off a loss that snapped a 12-game overall winning streak for the reigning Super Bowl champions, though Seattle’s run game was held to a season-low 44 yards.
Kansas City and Las Vegas close out the Sunday slate in the week’s most eye-catching unbeaten matchup. Both teams are 3-0, and both have scored 88 points.
Andy Reid’s record against the Raiders since taking over in Kansas City in 2013 is 21-5. There’s also a reunion angle, with ex-Seahawks Kenneth Walker III now in the Chiefs’ backfield and Klint Kubiak on the Raiders’ sideline.
Sunday night brings Detroit to Carolina. The Lions have been a model of consistency on offense, scoring exactly 31 points in each of their first three games. The Panthers have dropped their last three home games, including last season’s playoff loss to the Rams, and Jahmyr Gibbs looms as a major problem for Carolina’s shaky run defense.
Week 4 wraps Monday night with Atlanta at New Orleans. Both teams sit at 1-2, and both may be a little better than the record says. Still, ball security has dragged them down: the Falcons are tied for last in the league with eight turnovers, and the Saints have already given it away seven times.
In Other News...
Chargers Rough Start Just Got More Embarrassing Off The Field
The Chargers rough opening to the 2026 season has already left plenty for the football side to answer for, but now the noise around the team is spilling well beyond the standings. Former Love Island USA star Jaiden Bacciocco said on a podcast that after visiting the Chargers preseason training camp, she received direct messages from six players, adding another awkward layer to a team already trying to steady itself after an 0-3 start.
Bacciocco also said one player blocked her the next morning and suggested the messaging pattern involved players reaching out to multiple women. For a team already taking heat for its on-field performance, it is the kind of off-field chatter that only makes the early-season spotlight harsher, and it leaves the Chargers with more to manage than just their record. [Read more 🡒]
Jim Harbaugh Quietly Shaped A QB Move Chargers Fans Will Notice
The quarterback carousel around the league has a Chargers connection now, even if the move itself happened elsewhere. After the Giants lost Jaxson Dart to injury, they swung a trade for J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings, and before they closed the deal, head coach John Harbaugh checked in with his brother Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles. For Chargers fans, it is another reminder that Jim Harbaughs voice carries weight well beyond the building in El Segundo.
Jim Harbaugh reportedly came away supportive of McCarthy, and that endorsement helped shape the Giants thinking as they moved forward. It is not the kind of headline that changes the Chargers depth chart, but it does show how interconnected the league can be when a head coach with Harbaughs reputation is in the mix. For a fan base watching every quarterback ripple across the NFL, the more interesting question is how much more often his opinion ends up nudging decisions like this. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Suddenly Face A Justin Herbert Weapons Dilemma
The Chargers receiver room is already under a lot of pressure, and the latest personnel shuffle around the league only adds to the conversation. Injuries and uneven play have left Los Angeles searching for more reliable options around Justin Herbert, with Brenen Thompson and Quentin Johnston among the names dealing with health issues or inconsistency while the pass-catching group tries to stabilize.
Odell Beckham Jr. being available again gives the Chargers another name to consider as they look for help, especially with the offense needing more dependable targets. It is the kind of situation that forces a front office to weigh fit, urgency and upside all at once, and in Los Angeles the question is no longer whether Herbert could use more weapons, but which move makes the most sense and how quickly it has to happen. [Read more 🡒]