We’re three weeks into the season, and the NFC already looks exactly like the kind of traffic jam everyone expected. The South is doing NFC South things, but the rest of the conference is crowded, competitive, and loaded. After the first month of September, only three NFC teams are still unbeaten, and that number may not last much longer.
Here’s how the undefeated teams stack up heading into Week 4.
- San Francisco 49ers
Right now, the 49ers look like the most complete team in the conference, maybe the entire league. Through three games, they’ve been as dominant as anyone.
What makes San Francisco stand out is how little the injuries seem to slow them down. This team has dealt with one setback after another, and every time it looks like someone is going to be missed, another player steps in and fills the gap. It hasn’t mattered what spot gets hit or how important the injured player is - the 49ers keep finding answers.
Offensively, they’re operating like a machine. Yes, the last two wins came against the Cardinals and Dolphins, but the season opened with a strong statement against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia. That opener showed what this group can be when it gets rolling.
- Philadelphia Eagles
This ranking comes with one obvious caveat: it was written before the Eagles played the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. So by the time anyone reads it, the record could already look different.
Still, with the Bears’ quarterback situation, Philadelphia had a clear path to 3-0, and even before that game kicked off, the Eagles fit comfortably as the second-best undefeated team in the NFC.
They haven’t been spectacular across the board, but the talent is there, and so is the big-game experience. This is a team that has already been to the top and knows what that journey looks like. Even when the offense isn’t lighting up the scoreboard, the Eagles have enough difference-makers to stay dangerous in the NFC.
That kind of experience matters most when the games tighten up in January. And if they can put together a strong showing on both sides of the ball, even against a team dealing with a backup quarterback, it would shape how people view them going forward.
- Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings may be the most surprising 3-0 team in the league right now.
Everything about their opener against the division-rival Green Bay Packers pointed toward disaster. New starting quarterback Kyler Murray threw an early interception and then left with a concussion, which felt like the worst possible start. But Minnesota’s defense settled in after halftime and turned the game around in a major way.
Not only did the Vikings win that game, they exposed the Packers in several spots.
They followed that up by beating the Chicago Bears in a low-scoring, rain-soaked divisional game, then came back in Week 3 and won another defensive battle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Minnesota keeps making plays, and Brian Flores’s defense keeps getting after the quarterback.
In back-to-back games, that pressure has gotten so intense that the opposing quarterback - Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield - has actually gotten hurt. That tells you plenty about the style Minnesota is playing with right now.
They’re fast, physical, and mean. The offense still isn’t passing the eye test, but the defense has been elite.
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The Vikings left Week 3 with a win, but the result carried a wider NFC ripple after Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield was knocked out late in the fourth quarter. He injured his right thumb while throwing and was replaced by rookie backup Jalon Daniels, a late-game shift that immediately added another layer to a game Minnesota had already controlled enough to close out.
Mayfield is expected to miss time and will get an MRI to determine just how serious the damage is, which matters far beyond Tampa Bays sideline. For a Vikings team trying to build momentum in a crowded conference race, the injury to a familiar NFC opponent is the kind of development fans notice right away, especially with the playoff picture never staying quiet for long. [Read more 🡒]
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For Minnesota, the move is another reminder of where McCarthy stands after arriving as a 2024 first-round pick. He remains under contract through 2027 with a fifth-year option for 2028, so the Vikings still have control for the long haul, but this kind of interest also underscores how other teams are still willing to invest in him as a quarterback worth developing. [Read more 🡒]
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What stands out is how quickly Dallas has taken to the Vikings offense and how familiar he already is with the organization and coaching staff. In a season where injuries have already started reshaping the running back room, that kind of comfort can matter just as much as raw ability, and it gives Minnesota a player who may need to be ready for a much larger role sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]