Week 3 of the NFL season brought another round of former LSU players all over the league, and the results were a mixed bag. Some Tigers popped, some barely showed up on the stat sheet, and a few teams didn’t have a former LSU player on the field at all.
The best individual showing of the week came in Pittsburgh’s 30-27 win over Cincinnati. Even in defeat, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow delivered a sharp line, going 28-for-37 for 282 yards and three touchdowns for a QBR of 123.9.
Ja’Marr Chase was right there with him, hauling in nine of 12 targets for 98 yards and a score. On the other side, Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen filled up the box score with 13 tackles, four of them solo, plus a tackle for loss and a pass defense that was close to becoming a pick.
The game ended with a Burrow fumble, though the report didn’t pin that on him, pointing instead to the lack of help from his offensive line. It was also called the best game of the 2026 season so far.
Houston’s 19-17 loss to Indianapolis featured a few quieter but still notable LSU ties. Texans receiver Kayshon Boutte caught both of his targets for 21 yards, while tight end Foster Moreau turned two catches into seven yards and the Texans’ only touchdown through the air.
Danielle Hunter logged six tackles, two QB hits, a pass defense and half a sack. Derek Stingley Jr. added one solo tackle.
For the Colts, S A.J. Haulcy posted three tackles and defensive end Arden Key added a QB hit.
There were also a few solid defensive outings scattered around the slate. In Kansas City’s 24-10 win over Miami, Chiefs cornerback Mansoor Delane was busy all afternoon, finishing with 10 tackles, seven of them solo, along with a tackle for loss and a pass defense.
In Washington’s 33-31 win over Seattle, Commanders linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson made three solo tackles, added a tackle for loss and hit the quarterback. Broncos-Rams produced another strong defensive line from an LSU alum, with Rams linebacker Omar Speights putting up six tackles, three solo, and the Rams’ only sack in a 30-26 loss.
Some Tigers’ days were defined more by what happened around them than by their own numbers. Panthers guard Damien Lewis had a game that was most notable for an injury that will keep him out for several weeks in Cleveland’s 21-18 win.
Justin Jefferson caught both of his targets for 32 yards in Minnesota’s 23-16 win at Tampa Bay, but left early with a high ankle sprain. Jets tight end Mason Taylor was out with a thumb injury in Detroit’s 31-24 win over New York.
Saints defensive tackle Davon Godchaux finished with five tackles, two solo, in New Orleans’ 35-27 loss to Las Vegas. In Baltimore’s 34-31 win over Dallas in Rio de Janeiro, Ravens tackle Emery Jones played on special teams and got his first offensive snaps of the season, while center Ethan Pocic came in for the injured Jovaughn Gwyn before suffering a long-term knee injury.
A few former Tigers saw limited action or modest stat lines. Falcons defensive tackle Maason Smith recorded a quarterback hit in Atlanta’s 35-14 win at Green Bay, and linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. added four tackles, two solo.
Browns safety Grant Delpit had four tackles, two solo, in Cleveland’s win over Carolina. Chiefs cornerback Donte Jackson had one pass defense in Kansas City’s victory.
Bills center Lloyd Cushenberry and long snapper Reid Ferguson both had solid games in Buffalo’s 24-16 win over the Chargers, who got one pass defense from cornerback Donte Jackson. Giants receiver Malik Nabers caught five of six targets for 26 yards in New York’s 12-7 win over Tennessee, while Titans cornerback Cor’Dale Flott posted five tackles, three solo.
Bears receiver Zavion Thomas caught his first career target for 1 yard and added a 32-yard kickoff return in Chicago’s 27-7 win over Philadelphia. Lions offensive lineman Miles Frazier was the lone Tiger in Detroit’s win over the Jets, playing five special teams snaps.
And in Jacksonville’s 35-6 win over New England, Brian Thomas Jr. caught his only target for 8 yards, while Patriots tackle Will Campbell was described as having a decent game by the standards the Patriots had in that one and was the fourth-highest graded offensive player according to PFF.
A few teams had no former LSU players at all. The Packers, Dolphins, Seahawks, Broncos, Raiders, Cowboys, Eagles and 49ers were all listed that way in their respective games.
The 49ers-Cardinals matchup drew the harshest line of the week: “Is there a grade lower than F-?” That one earned an F-.
The Lions-Jets game was also rough enough to land at F+, while Falcons-Packers and Browns-Panthers both came in at D. The Commanders-Seahawks game was graded D, Giants-Titans C, Vikings-Buccaneers C, Bills-Chargers C-, Chiefs-Dolphins C-, Jaguars-Patriots C-, Broncos-Rams C-, Texans-Colts B-, and Steelers-Bengals got the top mark of the week at A.
In Other News...
LSU Could Embrace A New Death Valley Look Fans Will Debate
As LSU football settles into a new era with Lane Kiffin set to take over in 2026, one of the livelier side conversations around the program has nothing to do with scheme or roster management. It is the possibility of a fresh Death Valley look, with an all-black uniform idea surfacing as part of the broader rebranding buzz, the kind of move that would immediately grab attention in Baton Rouge and beyond.
LSU has long had black threaded through its athletic identity in other sports and in merchandise, so the concept is not arriving out of nowhere. Still, there has been no official word of any uniform change, and the debate feels familiar for a program that has watched other schools lean into blackout games and alternate looks while weighing how far tradition should bend for a new edge. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Has Every Reason To Push Back On ESPN's Latest Outlook
LSU has already given itself a solid early foundation in the 2026 season, opening 3-1 with wins over Clemson, Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M before the loss to Ole Miss. Even with the loss in the SEC opener, that start has put the Tigers in position to remain part of the conference conversation, especially with the schedule still offering plenty of chances to shape the second half of the season.
So ESPNs latest College Football Power Index outlook, which slots LSU into an 8-4 finish and a 4-3 mark in the remaining SEC games, is the kind of projection that naturally invites pushback in Baton Rouge. The Tigers have already shown they can win high-end matchups, but injuries to key players are now part of the conversation and could test their depth as the season moves deeper into league play. [Read more 🡒]
LSU-McNeese Means More To Louisiana Football Than Fans Realize
For Louisiana football, LSUs matchup with McNeese is more than an in-state tune-up. It is a reminder of how tightly connected the states programs can be, from coaching ties to the practical realities that come with bigger schools helping smaller ones get a payday and a bigger stage. The game will be the third scheduled meeting between the teams, and LSU has taken the first two, but the series has always carried a broader meaning than the scoreboard.
Frank Wilson is part of that thread, with coaching experience at both schools, which gives this meeting a little extra familiarity for the people around it. McNeese also benefited handsomely from the arrangement, with LSU paying the Cowboys $1.53 million for two games at Tiger Stadium, the kind of exposure and financial boost that can matter long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]