NFL Week 3 Schedule

Week 2 of the NFL was not kind to Super Bowl contending teams as not only did it see the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens lose, but also saw the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys getting their doors blown off. However, there’s no need to press the panic button as of yet for those teams as there are still 16 weeks of football left in the calendar year. Going into week 3, teams would have a fairly better idea of what is working and what needs to improve with two full games already done and dusted.

As usual, the week 3 NFL schedule will provide us with some key games during the week. But we will also have two Monday Night Football (MNF) games for the first time this season. Let’s look at some of the most exciting games of the week below:

Game on Sunday, September 22

The NFL week 3 schedule gives us three late-afternoon games where top teams from both conferences will battle against each other.

• Houston Texans at Minnesota Vikings

This game might have not been on anyone’s radar before the season started. However, after starting the season 2-0 for the first time since 2016, the Vikings led by Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores on offense and defense respectively, will be facing another 2-0 team in Houston Texans. The Texans who entered the season as one of the contenders in the AFC have looked the part while 2023 Offensive ROTY C.J. Stroud has yet to throw an interception by the end of 2nd week. DeMeco Ryans’ defense will have his hands full while facing former 1st round pick Sam Darnold, who is having a resurgent year in Purple and Gold after playing on 3 different teams in his first six seasons before landing in Minnesota. This game has the potential to be an absolute banger as both divisional leaders meet in Minneapolis.

• Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals

The Lions offense which was ranked in the top 5 in the past two seasons, has suddenly come back crashing down to earth this year as Detroit has only averaged 21 points in their first two meetings. On the flip side, the Kyler Murray-led offense has helped Arizona average almost 35 points per game in their first two outings. While Detroit needed overtime in week 1 to clinch a victory against the Los Angeles Rams, the Cardinals steamrolled against their divisional opponent in week 2 en route to a 41-10 win. If the first two weeks are any indication, Detroit needs Ben Johnson and Jared Goff to be at the top of their game to match the high-powered Arizona Cardinals offense.

• San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams

The two teams contending for the top spot not only in NFC West but also in NFC, might not have gotten off to an ideal start, but a huge win against a divisional rival might be the perfect antidote they need to set up the tone for the rest of the season. After starting a 0-2 route to getting blown out by divisional rival in Arizona Cardinals, Sean McVay’s squad is in dire need to get their 1st W. A loss here would see them dug a deep hole of 0-3, which might be next to impossible to come out from in the suddenly tough NFC West, which has not only seen resurgence from Cardinals but also Seattle Seahawks, who are off to a hot 2-0 start under their new head coach. The box score might not suggest it but the Minnesota Vikings controlled the whole game against the 49ers and if not for Aaron Jones' fumble and Fred Warner’s amazing play on Sam Darnold’s interception, this might have been a blowout loss for Kyle Shanahan and boys. Since the start of this decade, Kyle Shanahan is 7-2 against Sean McVay, which gives Red and Gold an edge against LA.

• Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys

This week 3 NFL schedule matchup has two teams with an aspiration to come out on top of their respective conferences lining up against each other. Both teams have shown inconsistent play as of the first two weeks. After getting a win against the Cleveland Browns convincingly in week 1, Dallas got rag-dolled by the Derek Carr-led New Orleans Saints offense which put a 40 burger on them. On the other hand, Baltimore has started 0-2 for the first time since 2015 after losing both close games in the first two weeks and are sitting dead last in their division along with Cincinnati Bengals. The two-time MVP Lamar Jackson did get outplayed by Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew in back-to-back games while Dak Prescott has already thrown 2 picks in his first two games. It will be interesting to watch how Dallas’ defense responds after getting humbled by New Orleans.

• Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints

The Saints offense which was under a lot of scrutiny last season, has been one of the most surprising units in the whole of football as of the first two games. After hanging up back-to-back 40 points on both their opponents, it’s safe to say Saints new OC Klint Kubiak might have finally unlocked the true potential of Derek Carr, who is leading the league with 96.2 QBR (via ESPN) after the first two weeks. It will be fascinating to watch whether New Orleans can slay an NFC East team two weeks in a row or not, as the Eagles are entering this matchup after a loss against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night. This NFL week 3 schedule matchup has suddenly become very important for the Eagles if they have aspirations to reach the top of the NFC. The good news for them is that other NFC contenders in Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, and last year’s Super Bowl runner-ups San Francisco 49ers also lost in week 2.

Keep every NFL play in your sights. Check out our NFL Schedule page and get all the match-up details, score updates, and exciting news as it happens! and also read about Monday night football, Thursday night football, Sunday night football