After the unexpected drama provided by the NFL’s Week 2 slate, there is no shortage of upset potential entering Week 3, with only two matchups between teams with unblemished records.

Both games will take place in Sunday’s early window, with the Houston Texans travelling to U.S. Bank Stadium to take on the Minnesota Vikings, while the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers face off at Acrisure Stadium on the banks of the three rivers.

In all, nine teams remain unbeaten through the opening two weeks of the 2024 campaign, including both the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and erstwhile AFC conference rival Buffalo, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints help carry the flag for the NFC.

Regardless of a team’s record at this stage of the season, however, there is still reason to believe. While more than 60 percent of teams beginning the season 2-0 have qualified for the postseason since 1990, 42 percent of clubs starting 1-1 have also advanced to the playoffs — and a not insignificant 32 teams have also progressed after going 0-2 in their opening fixtures, including nine teams over the past 10 seasons.

Just last season, the Texans rallied from an 0-2 start to win the AFC South, becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to win a division title with a rookie head coach and rookie quarterback, in DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud respectively. Houston’s achievement mirrors that of the 2022 Cincinnati Bengals, who began 0-2 but won their final eight games to earn the AFC North division title.

Ignoring the big name allure of Dallas (1-1) hosting Baltimore (0-2, yes really!), Houston and Minnesota provide the most eye-catching matchup of the week, with one team destined to lose their 100 percent record by tea-time on Sunday. The Texans (2-0) can advance to 3-0 for only the second time in franchise history, while the Vikings (2-0) can begin the season with three consecutive wins for the first time in eight years. Both come into Week 3 off the back of six-point wins, although the Vikings’ home success against presumed favourite San Francisco stands out a little more than Houston’s struggle to see off Chicago. Minnesota also holds the all-time upper hand with a 5-0 series record against their opponent.

The game provides several interesting statistical storylines, but none to match the ‘what comes around’ showdown between two of the leading wide receivers of recent years. Prior to the 2020 NFL Draft, Minnesota traded Stefon Diggs to Buffalo in exchange for a package that included the #22 overall pick in that year’s selection process — a pick they subsequently used to select Diggs’ successor, Justin Jefferson. Over the past five seasons, Diggs — who joined the Texans this past offseason via another trade — is tied for first place in receptions (455) and fourth in receiving yards (5,442), while Jefferson ranks second in receiving yards (6,091) and sixth in receptions (400). Just last week, the Vikings new darling, at 25 years and 91 days old, became the youngest player to reach 6,000 receiving yards and the third-youngest all-time to haul in 400 receptions. Now the pair go head-to-head for the first time in their current colours although, where Jefferson is the undoubted number one in Minnesota, Diggs — despite two touchdowns on debut — is just part of a potent aerial threat for a Texans team that also features Nico Collins (the only wideout with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games this season) and Tank Dell as targets for the equally-impressive Stroud.

Theirs is not the only ‘return to sender’ theme, however, as two players who set career highs with Houston in 2023 — linebackers Blake Cashman and Jonathan Greenard — joined Minnesota this offseason. Cashman, coming off a 13-tackle, three-pass defense and one-sack performance in Week 2, had 104 tackles and nine tackles for loss with the Texans last season, while Greenard, who had his first sack of the season last week, totalled 12.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss in his final campaign with Houston. The pair have gone some way to make up for the Vikings losing Danielle Hunter from their defensive rotation, the DE having headed in the opposite direction, and Minnesota can become just the third team since 1990 with at least five sacks in each of their first three games of a season if they manage to get to Stroud on a regular basis. Hunter leaves a impressive resumé in purple, having racked up 87.5 sacks and 108 tackles for loss in 119 games across nine seasons as a Viking, and now forms a formidable Texans assault alongside Will Anderson Jr, Mario Edwards and Henry To’oTo’o.

The game also pits Stroud’s rising star against that of Vikings counterpart Sam Darnold, who has struggled for traction in the years since being drafted third overall by the New York Jets in 2018. This season, however, Darnold — thrust into the Vikings’ starting role by preseason injury to rookie QB J.J. McCarthy — has responded by throwing for two touchdowns in each game, while posting a QB rating in excess of 100. As QB of the Carolina Panthers, he threw for 304 yards and ran in a couple of scores on his last meeting with Houston. Stroud, meanwhile, will face Minnesota for the first time, but brings a stat line of 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions from his past nine outings, including last year’s playoff run.

Both teams have injury concerns ahead of Sunday, with Jefferson and Texans RB Joe Mixon both day-to-day after picking up knocks last weekend.

Like Minnesota, the Chargers (2-0) look to begin the season 3-0 for the first time in quite a while, while their opponents can improve to 3-0 for the fourth time under head coach Mike Tomlin, albeit for the first time since 2020. Viewers should not expect a ton of points, however, as, with just 6.5 and 8.0 points per game allowed respectively, the teams rank first and second in scoring defense this season. The last time two teams met in Week 3 or later with both conceding 10-or-fewer points per game was in Week 4 of the 2006 season (Baltimore vs. San Diego), and either side could become the first since the 2009 Denver Broncos to allow 10-or-fewer points in each of their first three games of a season.

As expected, defense provides the stars on both teams so far this season, with Steelers (2-0) linebacker T.J. Watt taking his sack total to 98.5 in just 106 career appearances. Given his prolific record, Watt should surpass DeMarcus Ware (113 games) as the second-fastest player to reach 100 career sacks since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. Only Reggie White (96) reached the milestone in fewer games. Watt is backed up by linebackers Alex Highsmith and Patrick Queen, while corner Cory Trice and safety Damontae Kazee both picked up interceptions in Week 2.

On the opposite sideline, Chargers linebackers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa lead the sack race, the former looking for his third in four games and Bosa his third in a row this season. Former Texan Denzel Perryman also got amongst the sacks last week and, like safety Derwin James, picked off the Steelers pass game in his last game against Pittsburgh.

Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins may have something to say about the defensive proliferation ahead of the game, however, having racked up 131 yards on the ground last weekend, and is one of only two backs with 100+ yards and a rushing score across two games this campaign. Dobbins can become the first player since Tampa’s Cadillac Williams (2005) to post in excess of 125 rush yards in the first three games of a season. The league’s leading rusher through two games, Dobbins averages over 100 yards and one score in three previous meetings with the Steelers.

Teams involved in Week 2 upsets meet in New Orleans, as the Saints (0-2), who trampled the Cowboys in Dallas, and Philadelphia, who capitulated against Atlanta at home, come face to face. Like the four teams already previewed, the Saints can improve to 3-0 — for the first time since 2013 — should they maintain their prolific offensive output. NOLA leads the NFL with 91 points across two games — the most by a team in its first two games of a season in 15 years — and are on a three-game streak of games in which they have scored at least 44 points. Only three teams in NFL history have scored 40-or-more points in four consecutive games, and none since the 2004 Indianapolis Colts. Saints quarterback Derek Carr can also become the fifth quarterback in NFL history to record at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100-or-higher in seven consecutive games, joining an illustrious group comprising Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes, should he continue to link up with wideouts Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Alvin Kamara, meanwhile, will look to add to the four-touchdown performance he put on in Dallas.

Eagles (1-1) quarterback Jalen Hurts has excelled in Kamara’s domain since joining the league, posting 42 career regular-season rushing touchdowns, and needs just one more to tie Steve Young (43) for the third-most by a quarterback in NFL history. Hurts is facing a team against which he has excelled on the ground in past encounters, racking up no fewer than three rushing touchdowns against the Saints in their 2021 meeting. The Eagles have also added Saquon Barkley to their rushing attack this season and, although the former Giant admitted to a game-conceding mistake in Week 2, that has taken some of the pressure off Hurts, who faced Atlanta without veteran WR A.J. Brown on Monday night.

Tampa Bay can begin a season 3-0 for the fifth time in franchise history, and the first since 2005, if they can beat a hapless Denver squad in Florida this weekend. Led by QB Baker Mayfield (36/49 for 474 yards and five touchdowns), the Buccaneers (2-0) are keeping company with New Orleans at the head of the NFC South standings, with receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans already in good form. Mayfield enjoyed his last outing against the Broncos (0-2), during his brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, going for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Denver counterpart Bo Nix, meanwhile, has endured a baptism of fire since being thrust into the starting role by HC Sean Payton, but posted improved numbers in his second outing and leads this year’s rookie QB crop with 46 completions to date.

Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald can become the fifth head coach under the age of 40 since 2000 to win each of his first three career games — joining Mike McDaniel (2022), Matt LaFleur (2019), Josh McDaniels (2009) and Mike Tomlin (2007) — and the first to do so in charge of the Seahawks (2-0). Although far from convincing in either of their wins so far this season, Seattle showed greater signs of life in overcoming New England in overtime last weekend, with WRs D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba both hauling in at least ten catches and going for 100+ yards as QB Geno Smith completed a career-high 33 ot 44 attempts for 327 yards and a touchdown. Smith will be relishing the matchup with Miami too, having produced 358 yards and three scores while under center with the New York Jets in 2014. Quarterback is at the heart of the storylines in Miami too, following the head injury sustained by Tua Tagovailoa against Buffalo in Week 2. With no imminent return in sight — should he return at all — Skylar Thompson will fill in for Tagovailoa this week. The Kansas State alum has three previous starts in the NFL, compiling stats of 461 yards and a single score in that time. While Thompson’s installation may have the effect of dampening down the Dolphins (1-1) aerial attack, it could mean more action for RBs De’Von Achane (165 scrimmage yards and a TD in Week 2) and Raheem Mostert, who looks for a fifth touchdown in his past six outings.

Buffalo, who play Jacksonville as part of a Monday Night Football double-header, can advance to 3-0 for the fifth time since 2000, albeit the first time since 2020. The last time the two teams met was as part of last season’s London Games, with the Jaguars (0-2) pulling off the upset 25-20 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but fortunes have diverged since then, with Jacksonville crumbling down the stretch to miss the playoffs and starting this term without a credible performance, let alone a win, through two games. Bills (2-0) QB Josh Allen (now differentiated from his Jaguars namesake by the latter’s addition of Hines and a hyphen to his surname) enjoyed that last appearance against the Jags, going for 373 total yards and three touchdowns a year ago, and has started 2024 afire with back-to-back games with a QB rating in excess of 100. Running back James Cook also appears on top form, having navigated his way to 95 scrimmage yards and a hat-trick of touchdowns against Miami last Thursday. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, meanwhile, will look to bounce back under the national spotlight after a woeful performance against Cleveland last Sunday. RB Travis Etienne will look to continue his run of touchdowns to open the season, and three in as many primetime games.

Finally, Kansas City can, somewhat remarkably given their overall success, win each of their first three games of a season for the first time since 2020, although such an achievement will be the sixth under head coach Andy Reid. The Atlanta Falcons (1-1) might be a tougher opponent that at first anticipated, particularly given their come-from-behind win over Philadelphia on MNF this week. The Chiefs (2-0) squeaked home against Cincinnati last weekend, winning by a single point on a last-gasp field goal from Harrison Butker, and QB Patrick Mahomes looked a little off his usual game as he threw two INTs to cancel out the two scoring tosses in a 151-yard game against a familiar foe. TE Travis Kelce has also been quiet by his usual standards, but could use the national stage for a breakout performance against an opponent he has taken for an average of 119 yards and a touchdown in previous matchups. For the Falcons, Kirk Cousins went a long way to underlining why the franchise shelled out for him in free agency by guiding the victory over Philadelphia and bouncing back from a lacklustre debut in Week 1. Having largely shed the belief that he could not cope with the bright lights, ‘Captain Kirk’ will be aiming for a fourth consecutive appearance against Kansas City with at least two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Week 3 marks the first of four this season to feature multiple Monday night games, with Weeks 4, 7 and 15 doing likewise. The second game this time around features the Washington Commanders (1-1) and Cincinnati Bengals (0-2), with the latter looking to kickstart their season in the hope of reprising that 2022 turnaround that resulted in a divisional title. QB Joe Burrow insists there is no hangover from the wrist injury that ended his 2023 campaign, and showed flashes of old form in the defeat to Kansas City. Over in Washington, meanwhile, rookie signalcaller Jayden Daniels claimed his first career win with the late triumph over divisional rival New York Giants.

Also looking to dig themselves out of an 0-2 hole in the AFC North are the Baltimore Ravens (0-2) who travel to Arlington hoping that the Saints have provided a blueprint (itself purloined from the 2023 Green Bay Packers) as to how to beat the Dallas Cowboys (1-1) at home. RB Derrick Henry will get to face the team many expected him to join in free agency, coming off the back of a 96 scrimmage yard performance in the loss to Las Vegas and will look to add to a 100 percent scoring record as a Raven. Quarterback Lamar Jackson racked up 292 total yards in the Raiders game and was equally prolific the last time these two teams met, with 201 yards and three total touchdowns. Opposite number Dak Prescott put up similarly good numbers in Week 2’s humbling by the Saints (293 yards, 1 touchdown), but also threw up a couple of interceptions on a day when Dallas appeared to have no answer to their opponent’s relentless assault. CeeDee Lamb finally got on the scoreboard against NOLA, and now has 87-for-1238 and 12 TDs in his last 10 home games.

The week begins, once again, with an all AFC East clash, this time between the New England Patriots (1-1) and New York Jets (1-1). The Pats were close to starting 2-0 — something few would have predicted — but ended going down to Seattle, on the road, in overtime. Once again, defense was the key for Jerod Mayo’s team, with Keion White and Kyle Dugger notching multiple sacks between them. On offense, RB Rhamondre Stevenson will look to continue his touchdown run into a third game, having average nearly 100 yards a game in previous outings against Gang Green. The Jets, meanwhile, will look to add a second win with Aaron Rodgers under center, having overcome Tennessee last Sunday. As Rodgers continued his return from injury with a two-touchdown performance, the stars of the show were rookie RB Braelon Allen, who racked up two scores of his own alongside running mate Breece Hall, and DE Will McDonald IV, who claimed a career-high three sacks against the Titans to add to the one he notched against the Pats last time they met.

New York rivals, the Giants (0-2), will look to lift themselves off the bottom of the NFC East after two soulless defeats, but face a tough task going up against a Cleveland Browns (1-1) side that bounced back from defeat to Dallas by bludgeoning the Jaguars on the road. DE Myles Garrett set the tone with another sack and forced fumble, and can become the first player since Khalil Mack in 2018 to achieve that three weeks in a row to open a season. For the Giants, rookie WR Malik Nabers caught his first career touchdown as QB Daniel Jones threw two scoring passes and no interceptions but, again, it was defense that showed out, with Dexter Lawrence, Bobby Okereke, Micah McFadden, Jason Pinnock and rookie Dru Phillips all claiming sacks of Commanders QB Jayden Daniels.

Chicago and Indianapolis meet at Lucas Oil Field in another matchup between relatively green quarterbacks. This time, number one overall pick Caleb Williams will pit his wits against Indy’s Anthony Richardson, who missed most of his rookie season with injury, but has performed well on his return, in particular forming a productive link with WR Alec Pierce. Richardson also has four rushing TDs of his own in the past six games, while the Colts’ (0-2) established star, RB Jonathan Taylor, has seven in his past eight. The Bears (1-1), meanwhile, will look to provide better protection for Williams, who struggled again against the Texans on MNF.

The hapless Titans (0-2) play host to a Green Bay Packers (1-1) side coming off an 800^th all-time victory, achieved with backup QB Malik Willis at the helm in place of the injured Jordan Love. There is still a question mark over who gets the start this weekend, but Willis went 12/14 for 163 yards and a first career TD toss against the Colts. Although the QB, in only his fourth career start, put up 41 yards on the ground, the legwork was done by veteran RB Josh Jacobs, who amassed 151 rush yards. WR Jayden Reed, the star of Green Bay’s defeat in Brazil, will be looking for a seventh successive road TD as the Pack descends on Nashville. For the Titans, Tony Pollard again led the way, albeit without a repeat of his TD from Week 1, but has 213 all-purpose yards and a couple of touchdowns in his last two appearances against the Packers.

The easiest prediction — and therefore the biggest surprise candidate — of the weekend would be to proclaim a Raiders (1-1) victory over Carolina, but the Panthers (0-2) now have veteran Andy Dalton calling the shots, following the benching of sophomore QB Bryce Young, and the former Bengals draft pick has 38,511 career yards and 269 total TDs under his belt. He still has the same dearth of weapons that beset his young colleague, however. In Vegas, Gardner Minshew will continue to lead the Raiders, having claimed his first victory for the team in shock fashion over the Ravens who, at one stage, led by ten. WR Davante Adams caught the winning touchdown, and RB Alexander Mattison added his second touchdown as a Raider, but it was TE Brock Bowers who again proved to be an integral part of the silver-and-black offense. The rookie has already compiled 158 receiving yards on 15 receptions from Minshew and will continue to provide an outlet alongside Adams and Jakobi Meyers.

A meeting of teams perhaps not expected to be at 1-1 occurs in Glendale, as the Arizona Cardinals (1-1) host the Detroit Lions (1-1). The Cards pulled off a surprise win over the Los Angeles Rams last weekend, more in the manner of the success than the victory itself. Rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr enjoyed a breakout first quarter (well, first four minutes to be more precise) as he hauled in two touchdown passes from QB Kyler Murray, who put up a perfect passer rating alongside 266 air yards. While Harrison stole the show, James Conner quietly added his usual touchdown, making it nine trips to paydirt in the pat seven games. Lions QB Jared Goff went for 307 yards last week, but not before throwing a pick straight out of the gate, making it three on the year against a solitary scoring pass. Defeat, at home, to Buccaneers came despite DE Aidan Hutchinson claiming 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

The 16^th game on the slate is the NFC West clash between the San Francisco 49ers (1-1) and Los Angeles Rams (0-2) at SoFi Stadium. The home team were never in the running against an inspired Cardinals performance, and will look to QB Matt Stafford to get the season back on track. The veteran passer, however, will have to perform something akin to a miracle with WRs Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, placing more emphasis on the run game led by Kyren Williams. The 49ers are hardly the picture of health either, with Christian McCaffrey already on IR and both Deebo Samuel and George Kittle carrying knocks that could keep them out for a couple of games. While that opens the door for RB Jordan Mason, who has a touchdown in each week so far, and WR Jauan Jennings, it will also put more pressure on WR Brandon Aiyuk to live up to his new contract. The defense, at least, looks sound, with Nick Bosa and Fred Warner leading the charge.