Week 3 brings a packed broadcast slate, and the afternoon windows are loaded with enough variety to keep fans bouncing from game to game.
CBS gets things started with a busy early window that stretches across both conferences. Cincinnati heads to Pittsburgh with Ian Eagle and Ross Tucker on the call.
Kansas City is in Miami with Kevin Harlan and Trent Green handling the broadcast. Tennessee takes on the New York Giants with Andrew Catalon and Logan Ryan.
New England travels to Jacksonville with Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta. Houston closes out the early CBS group at Indianapolis with Tom McCarthy and Robert Turbin.
There’s also a market change to keep in mind: Philadelphia and Dallas shift from Tennessee-New York to Cincinnati-Pittsburgh for Thursday coverage.
The late CBS window has the week’s international spotlight. Baltimore faces Dallas in Rio de Janeiro, with Jim Nantz and J.J.
Watt on the call. Las Vegas also appears in the late slot, visiting New Orleans with Chris Lewis and Luke Kuechly.
Alaska and Hawaii will get the Baltimore-Dallas international broadcast.
FOX is running a single-header slate that still manages to feel crowded. The Los Angeles Chargers visit Buffalo with Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady.
The New York Jets go to Detroit with Adam Amin and Drew Brees. Seattle travels to Washington with Joe Davis and Greg Olsen.
Carolina meets Cleveland with Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth.
The late FOX window features Minnesota at Tampa Bay with Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma, plus Arizona at San Francisco with Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston. Nashville’s market also changes, shifting from Chargers-Bills to Minnesota-Tampa Bay on Friday.
506 Sports notes those regional adjustments heading into the weekend, with Philadelphia and Dallas moving to Cincinnati-Pittsburgh for Thursday night coverage and Nashville switching to Minnesota-Tampa Bay for FOX’s late window.
Week 3 gives fans a little bit of everything: divisional games, marquee matchups, and the NFL’s international showcase in Rio. CBS and FOX both bring strong crews across the board, setting up a full day of football from the early kickoffs into the late-afternoon stretch.
In Other News...
Todd Bowles Just Put The Spotlight On One Bucs Rookie
Ted Hursts first two NFL games have been a steady, if modest, introduction, with the Buccaneers rookie receiver putting together five catches for 63 yards. Even so, Todd Bowles sounded upbeat about where Hurst is headed, pointing to the kind of route running, explosiveness and catch radius that can make a young wideout more than just a depth piece if the ball starts coming his way more often.
The timing could help. Tampa Bay may be without other rookies Rueben Bain Jr. and Josiah Trotter, which could open the door for Hurst to see a larger role against the Minnesota Vikings. For a player who already has the coaching staffs attention, this feels like the kind of week where a quiet start can quickly turn into a much bigger part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Need One Offensive Change Fast To Avoid An 0-3 Hole
Tampa Bays slow start has already put some real pressure on the early part of the schedule, with the Buccaneers opening 0-2 for the first time since 2014 before a pivotal meeting with the Minnesota Vikings. The bigger issue, though, is less about the record than the way the offense has looked getting there, with the ground game failing to give the unit the balance it needs as the season starts to tighten.
Minnesota brings a defense that will make Tampa Bay earn every yard, which is why the Buccaneers need a cleaner plan on the ground if they want to avoid slipping into an 0-3 hole. The passing game can only carry so much of the load in a matchup like this, and the next step for Tampa Bay has to be finding a way to make its rushing attack useful enough to change the shape of the game. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers May Need To Reconsider How Theyre Using Rueben Bain Jr
Rueben Bain Jr. has been on the field enough to matter, but not enough to look fully like himself yet. Through 76 defensive snaps, the Buccaneers rookie edge rusher has managed only one tackle and no sacks, and his PFF grade has landed near the bottom of the edge-defender group. For a player Tampa Bay had reason to lean on, the early returns have been muted, and the underlying issue has been hard to ignore.
Bains summer began with an AC joint injury in training camp, and he was later bothered by a groin injury during a recent game. Todd Bowles acknowledged Bain is not fully healthy even if he can still play, which has created a practical question for the Bucs as they sort through their edge rotation. With other pass rushers available, Tampa Bay may have to decide whether keeping Bain active helps more in the short term than giving him time off to get right. [Read more 🡒]