Week 3 turned into a showcase for former Oregon quarterbacks, and each one found himself in a very different kind of NFL moment.
Marcus Mariota got the cleanest result of the bunch. In his first start without Jayden Daniels, who suffered a brutal elbow injury in the Commanders' Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Mariota steered Washington to its first win of the season. The Commanders knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, 33-31, and Mariota did his part with 183 passing yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-31 passing.
That win snapped Seattle’s 12-game winning streak. The Seahawks had not lost since Week 11 last season, when they fell to the Los Angeles Rams.
Mariota’s path to this point has been a long one. After winning the Heisman Trophy at Oregon and leading the Ducks to a national championship game appearance in the inaugural College Football Playoff, the Tennessee Titans made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
He spent five seasons in Tennessee, then moved on to the Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Commanders as a backup quarterback. Across his 12-year NFL career, Mariota has thrown for 17,990 yards, 108 touchdowns, and 62 interceptions.
Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, meanwhile, are still searching for answers. Their rough start continued with a 24-16 road loss to the Buffalo Bills, dropping them to 0-3. Herbert finished with 226 yards, one touchdown, and one interception on 20-of-34 passing.
The bigger issue is the trend. Herbert has now thrown an interception in all three games this season, and the Chargers have already suffered two double-digit losses, to the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders. The season began with Super Bowl contender expectations, but that picture has changed quickly.
Sunday night belonged to another Duck, though. Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos pulled off the comeback of the week, erasing a 16-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Rams 30-26 on Sunday Night Football.
Nix helped finish it off in dramatic fashion. Trailing by three in the final minutes, he led the Broncos on the game-winning drive and ended it with a rushing touchdown, leaping over the Rams’ defensive line to seal the win.
He completed 17 of 34 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. It was not his sharpest outing, but after a slow start, Nix settled in and delivered when the Broncos needed him most.
In Other News...
Oregon Suddenly Has A Bigger Quarterback Question After Beating USC
Dylan Raiolas primetime debut gave Oregon a timely burst of stability in a game that briefly tilted toward uncertainty. After starting quarterback Dante Moore left with an injury, Raiola stepped in and delivered a poised performance, completing 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions as the Ducks pulled away for a 41-27 win over USC.
Dan Lanning came away impressed with the way Raiola handled the moment, especially the confidence he showed in a spotlight game that could have unraveled quickly. Still, the bigger question for Oregon now is Moores health, and the Ducks will spend their bye week sorting out how serious the injury is and what it might mean for the stretch ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Just Sent Lincoln Rileys USC Problem Into Overdrive
USCs loss to Oregon did more than hand the Trojans a damaging defeat in the standings. It also reopened the conversation around Lincoln Rileys tenure, with Paul Finebaum using an ESPN First Take appearance to press on the bigger issue hanging over the program: whether Riley has actually moved USC forward in a meaningful way.
The critique landed because the game itself offered USC plenty of offense, but not enough balance to survive Oregons pressure. Defensive problems again loomed large, and Rileys overall record has started to draw uncomfortable comparisons to Clay Heltons time in charge. Add in the shifting College Football Playoff prediction market and the margin for error is shrinking fast, leaving USC with more questions than comfort after this one. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Mariota Just Gave Ducks Fans A Reason To Pay Attention
Marcus Mariota got another turn under center Sunday, and the former Oregon star made it matter. Starting for the Washington Commanders in place of injured quarterback Jayden Daniels, Mariota helped guide Washington to a 33-31 win over the Seattle Seahawks, delivering a steady performance in a game that stayed tight throughout.
Mariota completed 19 of 31 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns, a line that will resonate with Ducks fans who still keep one eye on his NFL stops. Seattle got big production from Sam Darnold in his return from injury, as he threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns, but also turned it over twice, leaving Mariota and Washington with the final edge in a high-scoring finish. [Read more 🡒]