The 2024 NFL season moves onto the quarter pole this week — at least it would if they didn’t play 17 regular season games — and five teams remain unbeaten, while three teams have still to taste victory. Since the divisions were realigned in 2002, only two seasons have seen more teams register a win in the first three weeks of a season.

Injuries continue to plague many of the top teams, however, with stars at running back, wide receiver and tight end being joined by quarterbacks by the end of Week 3. Although there is hope that they’ll be able to suit up this week and kickstart an offensive fightback, defenses seem to be dominating the opening weeks of the campaign.

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The game of the week is undoubtedly the NFC North clash between the 3-0 Minnesota Vikings and the 2-1 Green Bay Packers. The Vikings last started a season 4-0 back in 2016, and a win on Sunday would be their fifth 4-0 start to a season since the 2000 season. Minnesota’s defense has been one of the premier units across the entire league this season, with Brian Flores’ charges looking to become the first in NFL history with five or more sacks in each of their first four games. The Vikings have held their opponents to 10.0 points and 310.7 yards through their first three games. Jonathan Greenard, an offseason acquisition from the Houston Texans, has a sack in each game so far, with three against his old club a week ago. Patrick Jones has four sacks of his own, and he and Jonathan Bullard are the only pair of teammates across the NFL to have a tackle for loss in all three games of the 2024 season.

To th surprise of some, Sam Darnold is humming at quarterback after three near-flawless games for the Vikings, with two or more touchdown passes and a QB rating above 100 in every game. Meanwhile, RB Aaron Jones leads his new team with 228 rushing yards and a touchdown, while also catching 12 balls for another 97 yards and a further score. Jones spent the first seven seasons of his career as a member of the Packers, where he amassed 8,729 yards from scrimmage and 71 touchdowns, and this weekend will resemble something of a grudge match for the back, who felt he was dispensed with too soon. All-world wide receiver Justin Jefferson, meanwhile, has 14 grabs for 273 yards and three touchdowns in 2024 and has mostly enjoyed previous matches with the Packers, having garnered five or more receptions and 50+ receiving yards in four of his last five such outings.

For the Packers, QB Malik Willis has won both of his starts in the absence of Jordan Love, who many expect to return for this matchup. Willis has also registered a 120+ QB rating in each game, becoming the fifth player since 1970 to achieve that feat, but if Love plays, he’ll hope to build on the success he enjoyed against the Vikings in his last outing, where he tossed three touchdowns and ran for another on his way to a QB rating of 125.3.

This is a rivalry that has seen the Packers enjoy a slight edge over the years, with a 65-57-3 record, but it is noticeable that the road team has triumphed in the last two meetings. Hopefully, Love and Darnold can overcome their injury concerns and lead their sides in what promises to be a barnstorming affair.

Two AFC powerhouses clash in Week 4 as the Buffalo Bills look to move to 4-0 against a Baltimore Ravens side on the hunt for a victory that will take them to 2-2. The Bills have started a season with four wins twice since 1993, with the most recent instance in the 2020 season, while the Ravens only recorded their first win of the season in Week 3, in what turned out to be a close-than-necessary affair with the Dallas Cowboys. The Ravens have had the edge in matches between these sides, with a 6-4 record including wins in three of the past four meetings. But the Bills are on a heater at present, led by Josh Allen, the only quarterback in the league this season with zero interceptions and a QB rating above 100 in the first three weeks. Allen currently leads the league with a 133.7 rating while sitting second with seven passing scores and a 75% completion rate.

He may have his detractors, but Allen has been money whenever he has played on Sunday Night Football, with a 6-1 record from seven games played. No one is truly dominating the receiving work for the Bills, although wide receiver Khalil Shakir has 50+ receiving yards in three of his last four games going back to 2023. Running back James Cook has 188 rushing yards and is one of only four running backs this season with 85+ yards from scrimmage in every game, while also finding paydirt in his last two games. Week 3 was a memorable one for safety Damar Hamlin too, the defensive back having five tackles, two pass breakups and a first career interception against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Ravens offense looked a lot like its usual self in Dallas last week, with Lamar Jackson — who was drafted in the same class as Allen back in 2018 — passing for 182 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 87 yards and another score. Jackson leads all quarterbacks with 254 rushing yards this season and, like Allen, is 6-1 on Sunday Night Football, so something has to give this weekend. The Ravens, of course, upgraded their running back room over the offseason, landing former Titan Derrick Henry and saw a big return on their investment against the Cowboys, as he rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns, marking the 12th time in his career that he has had 150+ yards and two scores in a single game. Henry averages 102 rushing yards per game in his three career games against the Bills and will be central to an offense that, like the Bills, lacks a true alpha among its receivers group. Zay Flowers leads the team with 16 receptions for 148 yards this season, with 60+ receiving yards and a touchdown in each of his last three home games going back to last season. The Ravens also boast two of the best defensive players in the league in Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton, neither of whom can stop making tackles. Hamilton recorded 12 last week, while Smith has 11 or more in his last two games while also recording a pass breakup in every game this season.

If it’s primetime, it must mean the Cowboys and the New York Giants facing off. These two 1-2 sides, who play on Thursday Night Football, have met under the bright lights nine times in the last 12 seasons, with the Cowboys holding an 8-1 advantage in those contests. Quarterback Dak Prescott has traditionally enjoyed his Thursdays, with 10 wins, 4,031 passing yards and 27 touchdowns in games played that day. The Cowboys have won the last six meetings between these two sides too, while Prescott has won each of his last 12 games against the G Men.

However, coming into this game, Dallas are on a losing streak while the Giants secured their first win of the season in Week 3 against the listless Cleveland Browns. Daniel Jones passed for 236 yards and two touchdowns, hooking up with rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers eight times for 78 yards and both touchdowns. Nabers is the first player in NFL history with 20+ catches and three TDs in their first three career games, but the Giants are still averaging just 15.0 points per game in 2024 while allowing 21.3. For the Cowboys, the offense has averaged 25.7 points per game but allowed 29.7. Prescott put up the most passing yards of any quarterback in the league this season in their loss to the Ravens a week ago, amassing 379 yards and two touchdowns, and his connection with CeeDee Lamb should be the key to the Cowboys moving the ball against the Giants. Lamb, who was not content with his personal performance last weekend, has happier memories of playing Big Blue, with 11 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown in their last meeting alone.

The New Orleans Saints (2-1) go on the road to take on the Atlanta Falcons (1-2) on Sunday, having enjoyed contrasting fortunes in their recent games against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Falcons went into Philadelphia in Week 2 and won, while the Saints’ high-flying offense was brought crashing down by Vic Fangio’s defense in the Superdome last week. The Saints have won four of the past five meetings between the two sides, with the last coming in Week 18 of the 2023 season marking the end of the Arthur Smith era in Atlanta with a 48-17 Saints win. Alvin Kamara is one of two running backs with 110 yards from scrimmage in every game this season and has eclipsed 100 yards from scrimmage in four of his last five games against the Falcons. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, meanwhile, averages 313.8 passing yards per game against the Saints in his career, with two passing scores and a 100+ rating in four of his five games against them.

The Andy Dalton Bowl takes place in Carolina on Sunday, with Dalton leading the 1-2 Panthers against the 0-3 Cincinnati Bengals. Dalton, who ranks second in Bengals history with 31,594 passing yards and first with 204 touchdown passes, led the Panthers to their first win of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders last week, his first start since replacing Bryce Young as the starting quarterback. This series is tied at 3-3-1, with the home side winning the past two meetings, but the Bengals will need to buck that trend if they are to buck the wider trend of 0-3 teams not making the postseason. Since 1990, 162 teams have started the season 0-3 with only four going on to make the playoffs (just 2.5%). Cincy QB Joe Burrow is putting a brave face on the unfortunate start, but knows he needs to unlock the offense — and soon.

Chicago sees a clash between two 1-2 teams, with the Bears hosting the Los Angeles Rams. First-overall pick Caleb Williams had his first career 300-yard game in Week 3 and will look to continue this productive run against a Rams defense allowing 425.7 yards per game through the season’s opening three weeks. Rams quarterback Matt Stafford will be making his 22nd career start against the Bears and, in his previous 21, has averaged 274.3 yards per game, tossing 35 touchdown passes along the way.

The 2-1 Houston Texans will look to bounce back after being dismantled by the Vikings in Week 3 with a home game against the winless Jacksonville Jaguars. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has 200+ passing yards in all three games so far this season, and passed for 584 yards and four touchdowns in two meetings with the Jaguars in 2023. In six career games against the AFC South, Stroud has 11 passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. On the other side, Trevor Lawrence will hope to recreate the form he showed in the last meeting between the two sides, where he passed for 364 yards and claimed two touchdowns (one rushing, one passing). He has a 90+ rating in three of his last four AFC South games, while running back Travis Etienne averages 119.5 yards from scrimmage in four career meetings with the Texans.

The 3-0 Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to go 4-0 for the first time since 2020, and the fifth time in franchise history, against a 1-2 Indianapolis Colts side they have beaten in eight of their last nine games together. The Steelers are one of just five teams to start a season 3-0 and allow 10 or fewer points in each game, and the first to achieve this feat since the 2009 Denver Broncos. Outside linebacker T.J. Watt has a sack in every game this season and, if this streak continues, will become the second-fastest player to amass 100 career sacks (108 games), trailing only the legendary Reggie White (96 games). If the Colts want to keep Watt at bay, leaning on their ground game could be the way to do it. Running back Jonathan Taylor rushed for 110 yards last week and posted the ninth game of his career with two rushing touchdowns. Taylor has eclipsed 100 yards from scrimmage in four of his last five games.

The 2-1 New York Jets welcome the 1-2 Denver Broncos to MetLife Stadium hoping to win their third straight game against them. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers — who many thought would be a Bronco after he left the Packers — has a 95+ passer rating and two passing touchdowns in his last two games. In three career games against the Broncos, he has five passing touchdowns and one interception with a rating of 106. Jets running back Breece Hall has a touchdown in six straight games and has rushed for 70+ yards and a score in his last three games against the Broncos. Cornerback Sauce Gardner has 15 tackles and five pass breakups in two games against Denver, but Broncos’ rookie quarterback Bo Nix showed signs of improvement as he won his first career game last week, passing for 216 yards while rushing for 47 yards and a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nix has four interceptions this season, but has yet to throw a touchdown pass.

The banged-up Philadelphia Eagles take their 2-1 record on the road for a third successive match against NFC South opposition as they visit the 2-1 Buccaneers. The Eagles might be without wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, as well as offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Mekhi Becton, meaning a heavy workload for Dallas Goedert and Saquon Barkley. Barkley, however, seems to have found a new lease of life in green, and rushed for 147 yards and added another nine through the air in Week 3. By scoring two touchdowns, the former Giant became just the second player in the last 25 years with 125+ scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in two of his team’s first three games of a season. Goedert, meanwhile, set career highs with 10 catches for 170 yards against the Saints and caught a touchdown pass in the last meeting between these two sides in the 2023 Wild Card round. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was a gamewrecker against the Saints with two tackles for loss and two pass breakups, the first time a defensive lineman managed that in a single game since Week 9 of the 2023 season. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, however, has enjoyed the home comforts as a Buc, with 280+ passing yards and two or more touchdowns in three of his last four games at Raymond James Stadium. Wide receiver Chris Godwin leads the team with 21 catches for 253 yards and three touchdowns this season and has 50+ receiving yards in his last eight games.

The Kliff Kingsbury Bowl takes place in Glendale on Sunday, with the 2-1 Washington Commanders taking on the 1-2 Arizona Cardinals. Kingsbury, the Commanders’ offensive coordinator, was head coach of the Cardinals between 2019-2022, going 28-37-1 in that span. His latest quarterback Jayden Daniels went 21/23 for 254 yards and two touchdowns through the air in the Commanders’ Monday Night Football win over the Bengals, with his 91.3% completion rate the highest by a rookie in NFL history. Daniels has completed 80.3% of his passes this season, while also rushing for 171 yards and three touchdowns, the second-most rushing yards for a QB in his first three starts all time. Washington tight end Zach Ertz will be another face familiar to Cardinals fans after he caught 130 passes for 1,167 yards and eight touchdowns in 28 games for the Birds between 2021-23. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has 161 rushing yards this season with 45+ in each game. The next touchdown pass he throws will be his 100th, tying Kurt Warner for fifth all-time for the Cardinals. His backfield mate James Conner continues to be a workhorse, with 80+ yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in seven of his last eight games. Marvin Harrison Jr, the Cardinals’ rookie wide receiver, has 10 grabs for 198 yards and three touchdowns so far this season, tied with Malik Nabers for the most receiving touchdowns by a first-year player.

Both the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers are 1-2 heading into their Week 4 clash at Levi’s Stadium. This is just the 15th meeting between the two franchises, with the 49ers currently enjoying a 9-5 advantage, although the away side has won each of the last four meetings. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is coming off a 292-yard, three-touchdown outing against the Rams in Week 3 with a 137.1 rating, even though the game ended in a San Fran loss. Purdy has a 110+ rating in 15 of his first 24 career starts, tied for the most in a player’s first 25 games in NFL history. Jordan Mason has filled in admirably for the injured Christian McCaffrey and is second in the NFL with 324 rush yards, rushing for at least 75 yards in all three games this season. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings, meanwhile, has assumed a larger role in the offense with all the 49ers injuries, and last week became just the second player in franchise history to record 10 catches and 150 yards with three touchdowns in a single game, joining some guy called Jerry Rice in that particular club. Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett has been careful with the ball, with zero interceptions through three games, but has just single touchdown pass on 69 attempts so far this season. Rhamondre Stevenson has done the bulk of the offensive heavy lifting this season, with 224 rushing yards and two touchdowns, with 90+ yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in his last three games against NFC opposition. Patriots edge rusher Keion White is enjoying something of a breakout season, with 4.0 sacks and six or more tackles in his last two games.

The reigning Super Bowl Champions, and still undefeated, Kansas City Chiefs travel to L.A. to take on the 2-1 Chargers in Week 4. A win for the Chiefs would give them their sixth 4-0 start to a season under Andy Reid, albeit their first since 2020. Sunday should, barring anything unforeseen, mark Patrick Mahomes’ 100th career regular-season start. In his previous 99 games, he has 77 wins, 29,083 passing yards, and 224 touchdowns, the most of any player in their first 100 games. He’s been pretty good. His favourite weapon, Travis Kelce, is off to a slow start to the season, with just eight receptions for 69 yards in three games, but has enjoyed himself historically against the Chargers, with 40 catches and six touchdowns in his last five games against them. Rashee Rice, meanwhile, is emerging as the new face of the Chiefs passing attack and leads the NFL with 24 catches this season. He is also second with 288 receiving yards. Assuming Justin Herbert is good to go in this one, battling an ankle injury as he is, he would like to build on his 275+ passing yards in two of his last three games against the Chiefs, as well as his two touchdown passes in five of six. J.K. Dobbins, one of the comeback players of the season so far, is third in the NFL with 310 rushing yards. He has 130+ rushing yards and a touchdown in two of his three games in 2024, while wide receiver Quentin Johnson has gone over 40 receiving yards and logged a touchdown in his last two games.

The 1-2 Las Vegas Raiders welcome the 1-2 Cleveland Browns to Sin City on Sunday. Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has stood by quarterback Gardner Minshew after he struggled against the Panthers last week, ijn part because the journeyman is one of only four quarterbacks to amass 200 passing yards in all three games this season. Wide receiver Davante Adams has played the Browns twice in his career and, in both games, has had 10 catches, 80+ receiving yards and two touchdowns. Alexander Mattison, who arrived under a cloud after not living up to expectation in Minnesota last season, has a touchdown in every game as a Raider and is one of only six running backs who can boast that return league-wide this year. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, however, is struggling in 2024 and has completed less than 58% of his passes, with a rating of 71.4. He, and the Browns, would love it if he could recapture the form he showed in his only career clash with the Raiders back in 2019, when he passed for 279 yards and three touchdowns as a member of the Texans. Wide receiver Amari Cooper will be looking for a happy return to the team that drafted him, although they were the Oakland Raiders back then. Cooper caught 225 passes for 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns for the Raiders between 2015-2018.

The reeling Miami Dolphins, 1-2 after two straight losses and back-to-back QB injuries, will be looking to get back in the win column against the 0-3 Tennessee Titans. At the time of writing, it is unclear who will be under center for the Dolphins, with Mike McDaniel needing to choose between Skylar Thompson, who started against the Seahawks in Week 3, Tim Boyle, who finished the game, or Snoop Huntley, a Pro Bowler after nine career starts for the Ravens. Whoever gets the nod will look to lean on De’Von Achane, who has 100+ yards from scrimmage in two of three games this season and leads all NFL running backs with 17 catches and 173 receiving yards. Tyreek Hill has a touchdown grab in three of his last four appearances on Monday Night Football while also averaging 115 receiving yards over his last ten home games. Jaylen Waddle has also enjoyed his Monday night games, with six catches and 75+ yards in his two outings to end the NFL week. Titans quarterback Will Levis has four touchdown passes and five interceptions this season, with two of the scores coming in Week 3 in a game in which Levis completed 76.5% of his pass attempts. Tony Pollard joined the team this offseason after starting his career with the Dallas Cowboys, and has racked up 85+ yards from scrimmage and found the endzone in his last two games. DeAndre Hopkins has scored a touchdown in his last three games against the Dolphins, with seven catches for 124 yards in his last such outing.

Finally, the 3-0 Seattle Seahawks are looking for only their third-ever 4-0 start to a season — and first since 2020 — as they travel to the 2-1 Detroit Lions on Monday. Seahawks Mike McDonald can become just the second head coach under 40 to win his first four games since 1933, joining Josh McDaniels with Denver in 2009, and will look to his QB, Geno Smith, who has completed almost 75% of his pass attempts this season, dwarfing his previous career high of 69.8% in 2022. Smith has a good track record against the Lions, with 300+ passing yards, two touchdowns and 115+ rating his his last two games against them. Wideout D.K. Metcalf is the only player in the NFL with two games of 100+ receiving yards and a receiving touchdown this season, and averages 95.7 yards per game in his career against the Lions. Boye Mafe is tied for the team lead with 3.0 sacks and makes up a trio of NFC defenders with a sack in every game this season, alongside Andrew Van Ginkel and Aidan Hutchinson, the latter leading the NFL with 6.5 sacks to add to 7.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss in the seven primetime games he has played in his career. Lions quarterback Jared Goff, a regular opponent of the Seahawks during his time with the Rams, averages 282.5 passing yards per game in 11 regular season clashes with them and has 300+ yards in each of his last two. Both David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs went over 100 yards from scrimmage in Week 3, with both players finding the endzone, while WR Amon-Ra St Brown is quite the homebody, with six or more catches for at least 75 yards in eight of his last nine games at Ford Field.