NFL Notebook Dump: Bills, Chiefs Go Down, Jags Officially on the Rise + More News and Notes from Week 3

It's been a wild and unpredictable start to the NFL season, and Week 3 was no exception. With both the Chiefs and Bills going down as road favorites, we're now left with only two undefeated teams after three weeks: the Eagles and the Dolphins.

Parity certainly seems to be the early theme this season, as every team except the Las Vegas Raiders has at least a tie to its name. The Raiders' offense sputtered yet again in Tennessee, managing just 22 points and failing to convert a do-or-die two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter. The loss added to what's been a disastrous – and unbelievably frustrating – start to the Josh McDaniels era in Las Vegas.

Elsewhere, the Jaguars built on last week's shutout of the Colts, taking down Justin Herbert and the Chargers 38-10 in Las Angeles. Through three weeks, the Jags have piled up 84 points – 33 more than any other team in the AFC South. Sunday's blowout sets up a more-intriguing-than-we-ever-could've-imagined showdown with the Eagles in Philadelphia in Week 4.

Once again, we'll take a game-by-game approach to breaking down all of the relevant fantasy news and notes from the week that was. Let's dive in.

Bears 23 – Texans 20

The good:

• This was a predictably ugly game for both offenses, but the Bears were once again able to run the ball – just as they did last week at Green Bay.
• David Montgomery departed the game early with an ankle/knee injury, clearing the way for Khalil Herbert to run wild. Herbert finished with 20 carries for 157 yards and two scores. He also tacked on two catches for 12 yards.
  • Herbert is rostered in only 25% of ESPN leagues, so if Montgomery misses time he'll be a hot commodity on the waiver wire. The Bears play at the New York Giants in Week 4.
• Dameon Pierce: 20 carries, 80 yards, TD
  • Pierce out-snapped Rex Burkhead 35 to 20, but Burkhead was still in on all third down plays.
  • Burkhead: three carries, nine yards; four catches, 21 yards

The bad:

• Rough, rough day for both quarterbacks. Davis Mills ended up with 245 yards on 32 attempts, but he threw two costly picks – one in the end zone and one late in the fourth quarter that all but handed the Bears the victory. 

• Justin Fields: 8-17, 106 yards, 2 INT
  • Fields: eight carries, 47 yards
  • Fields took five sacks on the afternoon
• Brandin Cooks: 2-22 on seven targets
• Darnell Mooney: 2-23 on six targets
  • Through three games, Mooney has 6.7 total fantasy points in PPR formats. At this stage, Mooney is clearly among the biggest busts in all of fantasy football.

Titans 24 – Raiders 22

The good:

• The Titans were finally able to get Derrick Henry going after ranking among the NFL's worst offenses through the first two weeks of the season.
• Henry: 20 carries, 85 yards, TD (long of 24)
  • Five catches, 58 yards on six targets

• Robert Woods: four catches, 85 yards on nine targets
• Mack Hollins was essentially the only bright spot for the Raiders, who have lost three disastrous games to begin the year.
  • Hollins bailed out Derek Carr with multiple big catches late in the game, including a 48-yarder on a 4th-and-15 with just over two minutes to play.
  • Hollins caught a touchdown on a jump ball with 1:14 to play, but the Raiders predictably missed the two-point try on a play that had no chance to succeed.
  • Hollins: 8-158-1 on 10 targets

The bad:

• For the third straight week, the Raiders controlled much of the game but simply failed to execute in key situations. Vegas finished the afternoon just 1-of-12 on third downs.
• Derek Carr: 26-44, 303 yards, 2 TD, INT
  • Davante Adams: 5-36, TD on 10 targets
  • Darren Waller: 3-22 on five targets
    • Waller was on the field for 51 of the Raiders' 70 offensive snaps.
• Josh Jacobs battled an illness all week but was able to play. He finished with 66 yards on 13 carries.
  • Jacobs out-snapped Brandon Bolden 45 to 25
• Treylon Burks: one catch, 13 yards
• The Raiders host the Broncos in Week 4 in what's beginning to feel like a must-win game. The following week, they'll travel to Kansas City for Monday Night Football.

Colts 20 – Chiefs 17

The good:

• The Colts are on the board after a pair of nightmare showings against Houston and Jacksonville to begin the year.
• Matt Ryan: 27-37, 222 yards, 2 TD
  • Ryan did lose a costly fumble deep in his own territory that led to a Chiefs' touchdown in the second quarter
• Jonathan Taylor: 21 carries, 71 yards; three catches, 20 yards
• Michael Pittman: 8-72
• Rookie tight end Jelani Woods (2-13-2) caught both touchdowns from Matt Ryan
• It was basically a redux of O.J. Howard's Week 1. Woods was only on the field for 16 snaps but reached the endzone on two of his three targets.
  • Mo Alie-Cox (42 snaps) and Kylen Granson (30) both appear to be ahead of Woods on the depth chart
• JuJu Smith-Schuster: five catches, 89 yards on eight targets
  • He ranks as the WR45 in PPR formats thus far
• Travis Kelce: 4-58-1 with a couple of uncharacteristic drops

The bad:

• Save for some nice plays by the defense, which sacked Matt Ryan five times, this was a classic playing down the competition showing from Kansas City.
• Rookie Skyy Moore muffed a punt inside the Chiefs' 5-yard-line on the first series of the game to gift the Colts an early touchdown

• Kansas City's play calling was unnecessarily complicated all afternoon, leading to stalled drives and lack of execution in the red zone.
  • KC had a 15-play drive end in a field goal, a 10-play drive end on downs and a seven-play drive end in a missed field goal to begin the second half
• With a chance to go up seven in the fourth quarter, Kansas City tried a horrendous fake field goal. Not even close.

• Patrick Mahomes: 20-35, 262 yards, TD, INT
• Mahomes and offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy got into it at the end of the first half after the Chiefs opted to run out the clock rather than attempt to move the ball and score before halftime.

• Clyde Edwards-Helaire: seven carries, 0 yards, TD
  • Five catches, 39 yards
• Late in the fourth quarter, Chris Jones was flagged for a questionable unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following a third-down sack of Matt Ryan. The penalty gave the Colts a first down, and they went on to march down for the game-winning touchdown with 24 seconds remaining

Dolphins 21 – Bills 19

The good:

• For the second straight week, the Dolphins found a way to win a game they had no business winning. Nonetheless, Miami joins Philadelphia as the league's only 3-0 teams. The Dolphins have a short week to prepare to face the Bengals in Cincinnati on Thursday night.

• Miami ran only 39 offensive plays and lost virtually every metric possible.
  • Buffalo had 16 more first downs, converted 11-of-18 third downs, ran 51 more plays, had 285 more yards of offense, rushed for 74 more yards, and won the time of possession battle 40:40 to 19:20
• Josh Allen: 42-63, 400 yards, 2 TD
  • Eight carries, 47 yards
• Tua Tagovailoa: 13-18, 186 yards, TD
  • Tua left the game with what initially looked to be a head injury, but he was cleared of a concussion and returned to the game. 

• The NFLPA is said to be investigating the Dolphins' handling of the situation

• Teddy Bridgewater came on in relief for three snaps
• Chase Edmonds: six carries, 21 yards, 2 TD
  • Edmonds and Raheem Mostert split carries relatively evenly on the day, but neither player found much success
  • Mostert actually out-snapped Edmonds 24 to 19
• Jaylen Waddle: 4-102
• Stefon Diggs: 7-74
• Devin Singletary: nine carries, 13 yards
  • Nine receptions, 78 yards, TD
• Isaiah McKenzie: 7-76-1

The bad:

• Gabe Davis returned to action for Buffalo but was held to three catches for 37 yards on six targets
• Tyreek Hill: 2-33 on four targets
• Like Kansas City, Buffalo dealt with some sloppiness and mostly struggled to move the ball against a well-prepared Dolphins defense.
  • In the second half, the Bills had a 20-play drive end in a field goal and a 17-play drive end on a goal line stand by Miami.
  • After the stop, Miami attempted one of the most dangerous punts of all time, which ended in a comical safety. 

• The safety may have ultimately bailed the Dolphins out, however, as the ensuing punt set Buffalo up at its own 23-yard-line – likely much worse field position than a successful punt from the back of the end zone.
  • Buffalo's final drive began with 1:25 on the clock. Allen was able to maneuver the Bills up to the Miami 41, but they were not able to spike the ball to stop the clock in time for a long field goal try.

• Suffice it to say Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was not thrilled with how the game concluded.

Vikings 28 – Lions 24

The good:

• While Detroit suffered its first loss of the season at home, this was a game it controlled throughout. The Lions jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter before conceding two touchdowns to go into halftime tied at 14.
• Amon-Ra St. Brown: 6-73 on nine targets
  • St. Brown departed the game with an ankle injury in the second quarter. He returned to action but did not appear quite as explosive.
  • St. Brown's streak of six straight games with at least eight catches and a touchdown was snapped.
• Josh Reynolds: 6-96 on 10 targets
• Kirk Cousins: 24-41, 260 yards, 2TD
• Jared Goff: 25-41, 277 yards, TD, INT
• T.J. Hockenson: 3-18-1
• With D'Andre Swift limited again, Jamaal Williams was the alpha in the Detroit backfield
  • Williams: 20 carriers, 87 yards, 2 TD; two catches, 20 yards
  • Swift: seven carries, 31 yards; three catches, 15 yards
  • Williams out-snapped Swift 35 to 32 on the day
• Williams is currently the RB8 in PPR formats through Week 3
  • On Monday, it was announced that Swift is also battling a shoulder sprain and could miss time. Detroit has a favorable matchup against Seattle in Week 4.

The bad:

• Dalvin Cook had a strong day on the ground (17 carries, 96 yards, TD) before exiting with a dislocated shoulder in the third quarter. Cook fumbled on the play and was replaced by Alexander Mattison for the rest of the afternoon.
  • Cook has a history of dislocating the shoulder, so the hope is that he'll wear a protective harness and be able to play in Week 4 against the Saints in London.

• The Lions made some questionable decisions in the fourth quarter. Up 24-21 with 3:35 to play, Detroit bypassed a field goal opportunity to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the Minnesota 30. The attempt failed, and while Detroit was able to stifle Minnesota on its ensuing possession, Dan Campbell was faced with a similar conundrum just a few minutes later. 
  • Facing a 4th-and-4 from the Minnesota 36 with 1:14 left, Campbell brought out the field goal unit and Austin Seibert missed a 54-yarder, setting Minnesota up with excellent field position.
  • Kirk Cousins hit K.J. Osborn for back-to-back gains of 28 yards – the second of which proved to be the game-winning touchdown

• To his credit, Campbell frickin' owned the frickin' decision in his postgame presser:

Ravens 37 – Patriots 26

The good:

• The final score implies a comfortable victory for Baltimore, but that was not necessarily the case. The Ravens led by only five points late in the fourth quarter before a Nelson Agholor fumble completely changed the course of the game.

• On its ensuing drive, Baltimore went 73 yards and finished with a Lamar Jackson rushing touchdown to ice the game.

• Jackson continues to put up monster numbers for a Ravens team that can't trust its defense week-to-week.
  • Jackson: 18-29, 218 yards, 4 TD, INT
    • 11 carries, 107 yards, TD (long of 38)
• Through three weeks, Jackson leads all quarterbacks in fantasy points by a comfortable margin
  • 1. Lamar Jackson: 104.3
  • 2. Josh Allen: 89.9
  • 3. Jalen Hurts: 86.3
  • 4. Patrick Mahomes: 70.3
  • 5. Carson Wentz: 67.1
• Updated NFL MVP odds via the DraftKings Sportsbook (as of Wednesday morning)

• Mark Andrews: 8-89-2
• Devin Duvernay: 2-25-1

• 26 points counts as an offensive eruption for the Patriots, who had Rhamondre Stevenson, Damien Harris and Mac Jones all cash in rushing TDs

• Rhamondre Stevenson: 12-73-1
• Damien Harris: 11-41-1
• DeVante Parker: five catches, 156 yards on 10 targets

The bad:

• Despite the return of J.K. Dobbins, the Ravens still can't run the ball with players not named Lamar Jackson.
  • Dobbins: 7-23; two receptions, 17 yards
  • Justice Hill: 6-60 (long of 34)
• Kendrick Bourne was only on the field for 18 snaps, compared to 50 for Agholor and 54 for Lil'Jordan Humphrey
  • The Pats were without top receiver Jakobi Meyers 
• Mac Jones completed 22-of-32 passes for 321 yards, but he threw three picks and took three sacks.
  • Jones appeared to injure his ankle on his final throw of the game – an interception by Marcus Peters

• Jones has since been diagnosed with a "pretty severe" high ankle sprain which will likely keep him out for at least next week's game at Green Bay

• Hunter Henry (one target on 29 routes run) continues to be completely invisible for the Pats
  • Jonnu Smith: 4-25

Bengals 27 – Jets 12

The good:

• It may not have been quite as convincing as they would've liked, but the Bengals are officially on the board. Cincinnati was my survivor pick this week, so luckily there wasn't much sweating to be done.
• Joe Burrow: 23-36, 275 yards, 3 TD
  • Burrow was sacked twice after taking 13 sacks through the first two weeks of the season
• Tyler Boyd: 4-105-1 (56-yard TD)

• Tee Higgins: 5-93
  • Higgins, who suffered a concussion in Week 1 against Pittsburgh, took another scary hit to the head but was able to remain in the game

• Higgins had an impressive touchdown catch waived off in the back of the end zone

• Ja'Marr Chase salvaged an otherwise pedestrian day with a touchdown (6-29-1)
• The Jets' struggles once again led to high volume in the Joe Flacco Raid passing attack. Flacco threw 52 times, completing 28 passes for 285 yards and two picks
• Tyler Conklin: 8-84 (eight targets)
• Garrett Wilson: 6-60
  • Wilson took a hit to the back/ribs after securing a catch and exited the game, but he was able to return

• Breece Hall: eight carries, 39 yards; six catches, 53 yards
  • Through three games, Hall has been targeted 21 times, catching 13 for 101 yards and a TD
  • Hall out-snapped Michael Carter 42 to 36, but Carter had more carries (11)
  • Hall was in the game on 12 of the Jets' 14 third-down plays; he was also the primary short-yardage back Sunday

The bad:

• The slow start for Elijah Moore continues. He caught four of 10 targets for 49 yards. 
• The Bengals' rushing attack was once again wildly inefficient
  • Joe Mixon: 12 carries, 24 yards
  • Samaje Perine: nine carries, 47 yards
  • As a team, the Bengals are averaging just 3.3 yards per carry on the season – ahead of only the Dolphins the Chargers
  • In PPR formats, Mixon ranks as the RB16 through three weeks
  • The Bengals are averaging an NFL-worst 4.5 yards per play
• Honestly not sure if this qualifies as good or bad news, but there's a good chance Zach Wilson is back in the lineup at quarterback for the Jets in Week 4 against Pittsburgh

Eagles 24 – Commanders 8

The good:

• Coming in on a short week after playing on Monday, the Eagles did not miss a beat. Jalen Hurts had another fantastic day, hitting 22-of-35 attempts for 340 yards and three scores
  • Hurts added 20 rushing yards and is now averaging 28.8 FP/G in wins over Detroit, Minnesota and Washington
• DeVonta Smith: eight catches, 169 yards, TD
• A.J. Brown: five catches, 85 yards, TD
• Dallas Goedert: three catches, 26 yards, TD
• Terry McLaurin: 6-102
• Curtis Samuel: 7-48; three carries, 13 yards

The bad:

• It was not a banner day for Carson Wentz, who was sacked nine times for nearly 60 lost yards
• Commanders drives before tackling Boston Scott in the endzone for a safety early in the fourth quarter: punt, punt, punt, fumble, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, downs
• Antonio Gibson was responsible for Washington's only touchdown
  • Gibson: 12-38-1
• J.D. McKissic: three carries, eight yards; six catches, 32 yards
• Jahan Dotson: two catches, 10 yards on eight targets

Panthers 22 – Saints 14

The good:

• The Panthers earned their first win of the season, but it wasn't pretty. Carolina returned a fumble for a touchdown in the first quarter and blocked a Will Lutz field goal attempt just before halftime preserve a 13-0 lead
  • Carolina had only 12 first downs and was out-gained 426 to 293 in total yards
• Christian McCaffrey: 25 carries, 108 yards
  • Two catches, even yards
  • He has only one TD on the season, but it's encouraging that McCaffrey's volume has not been an issue.
• Alvin Kamara returned to action and rushed for 61 yards on 15 carries
  • Two catches, 12 yards
• Chris Olave: 9-147

• Tre'Quan Smith: 4-105
• Laviska Shenault ripped off a 67-yard catch and run for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Carolina had just allowed a touchdown, so this was a huge, momentum-shifting play. Following the Shenault TD, the Winston threw an interception that led to a Panthers field goal.

The bad:

• Jameis Winston threw for 353 yards, but he tossed two more picks to only one touchdown (Marquez Callaway)
  • New Orleans leads the NFL with nine turnovers through three weeks
• The Saints lost both Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry due to injuries, though neither is considered overly serious. Still, with a London game coming up, both players should be closely monitored this week.

Rams 20 – Cardinals 12

The good:

• Not much to see here. The Rams won another ugly game but were unable to step on the Cardinals' throats after jumping out to an early 13-0 lead.
• Cam Akers: 12 carries, 61 yards, TD
  • Akers did fumble the ball at the 1-yard-line midway through the fourth quarter, robbing fantasy managers of another potential touchdown

• Cooper Kupp: four catches, 44 yards; 20-yard rush TD
• Ben Skowronek: 4-66
• Marquise Brown: 14 catches, 140 yards on 17 targets
• Greg Dortch: nine catches, 80 yards

The bad:

• Particularly in the second half, the Cardinals were able to extend drives and move into Rams territory, but their 12 points came via four field goals
  • Arizona put together drives of 19, 17, 16 and 12 plays that resulted in nine total points
• Allen Robinson was targeted twice at the goal line but came up empty. He finished with only two catches for 23 yards.

• Darrell Henderson: four carries, 17 yards; no receptions on one target
• The Rams possessed the ball for only 26 minutes and ran 46 plays compared to 81 for Arizona.

Falcons 27 – Seahawks 23

The good:

• This was easily the most exciting game in the late window. Atlanta was in control late before an egregious Marcus Mariota fumble gave Seattle the ball back with just over five minutes to play. Needing a touchdown, Seattle marched into Atlanta territory, but Geno Smith was sacked on a third down before throwing a desperation pick with 1:29 to play.
• Geno Smith: 32-44, 325 yards, 2 TD, INT
• Tyler Lockett: 9-76
• DK Metcalf: 5-64-1
• Will Dissly: 3-34-1
• Kyle Pitts got back on track after two extremely quiet weeks to begin the season. Pitts caught five of eight targets for 87 yards.

• Drake London scored again: three catches, 54 yards, TD
• NFL Rookie of the Year odds, via the DraftKings Sportsbook, as of Wednesday morning:

• Cordarrelle Patterson: 17 carries, 141 yards, TD
  • Patterson out-snapped Tyler Allgeier 35 to 21 while the two split goalline snaps
  • Avery Williams played four snaps

The bad:

• While Smith threw for over 300 yards and hit a handful of big plays, it's hard to imagine Seattle having much success against the better defenses in the league. 
• Rashaad Penny carried 14 times for 66 yards
• Kenneth Walker: three carries, 19 yards; three catches, 14 yards
• DK Metcalf ranks as the WR39 in PPR leagues through three weeks. 

Jaguars 38 – Chargers 10

The good:

• We have a potential wagon situation developing in Jacksonville. After decimating the Colts last week, the Jaguars have outscored their last two opponents 62 to 10.
• Trevor Lawrence wasn't quite as sharp as last week, but he heated up as the game went along and finished 28-of-39 for 262 yards and three touchdowns

• James Robinson continues to roll as the Jags' undisputed RB1. he tallied 100 yards on 17 carries, including a 50-yard TD on a fourth-down play.
• Travis Etienne: 13 carries, 45 yards; three catches, 30 yards
  • Etienne continues to pass the eye test, but as long as Robinson is running this effectively, there's no reason to believe Jacksonville will move away from him.

• Zay Jones: 10 catches, 85 yards, TD
• Christian Kirk: six catches, 72 yards, TD
• Marvin Jones: 4-33-1
• Devin Lloyd: seven tackles, three passes defended, INT

• I suppose it's a positive that Justin Herbert was able to start this game and make it out without re-injuring his ribs, but other than that it was a tough afternoon for the Chargers.
  • Herbert: 25-45, 297 yards, TD, INT
  • Herbert was only sacked once but he took six QB hits – four from Josh Allen
• Mike Williams caught Herbert's lone touchdown, but it was his only reception of the game
• Josh Palmer: 6-99
• The Chargers were once again without Keenan Allen (hamstring)

The bad:

• Austin Ekeler's early-season struggles continued, as he finished with just four carries for five yards. Ekeler did manage eight catches for 48 yards, but thus far his receiving production is vastly out-pacing his rushing yardage.
  • In PPR leagues, Ekeler is holding top-15 value, but in standard leagues he's well outside of the top 30
• Not only did the Chargers lose by four touchdowns at home, but they also lost star left tackle Rashawn Slater for the season due to a torn biceps. Jalen Guyton also suffered a season-ending injury.

• On top of those injuries, Joey Bosa and Kenneth Murray are also banged up and considered day-to-day

Packers 14 – Buccaneers 12

The good:

• Aaron Rodgers and the Packers hit touchdowns on their first two drives, which went for 10 and 12 plays, respectively
  • Romeo Doubs (8-73-1) caught one TD, while Allen Lazard (4-45-1) caught the other
  • Robert Tonyan: 6-37
  • Randall Cobb: 2-57
• Tom Brady attempted 42 passes and racked up 271 yards on 31 competitions
  • Russell Gage: 12 catches, 87 yards, TD
• The Bucs were without Mike Evans (suspension), as well as Julio Jones and Chris Godwin due to injury
• Star left tackle David Bakhtiari returned to action for Green Bay. He split reps with Yosh Neiman for most of the afternoon but is expected to return to a full workload next week.

• Sitting at 2-1, the Packers now head into a favorable stretch in their schedule. They'll host the Patriots (likely without Mac Jones) in Week 4 before facing the Giants (in London), Jets and Commanders. 

The bad:

• The total in this game plummeted throughout last week, and it was about as ugly as most expected. Green Bay moved the ball well early on and looked to be rolling toward a third first-half touchdown before an Aaron Jones fumble near the goal line

• Following the fumble, Green Bay's remaining drive: punt, punt, punt, interception, punt, punt, punt, punt
• Just after the Jones turnover, Tampa Bay gifted the ball back to Green Bay on a fumble by Breshad Perriman

• Rodgers now has four interceptions in his last three meetings with Tampa Bay
• Leonard Fournette: 12 carries, 35 yards
• Aaron Jones: 12 carries, 36 yards; three catches, 11 yards
• AJ Dillon: 12 carries, 32 yards; two catches, six yards
• Green Bay's defense was outstanding, though it did allow a 13-play touchdown drive concluding with a Brady-to-Gage touchdown with 14 seconds remaining.
• The Buccaneers somehow managed to take a delay of game on the 2-point attempt, which ultimately failed thanks to a nice play by De'Vondre Campbell.

Broncos 11 – 49ers 10

The good:

• This was hands down the ugliest game of the season thus far. Neither team could get anything going offensively, but the Broncos were ever so slightly the more competent team.
• Deebo Samuel: five catches, 73 yards
• Brandon Aiyuk: three catches, 39 yards, TD

• Courtland Sutton: eight catches, 97 yards
• Melvin Gordon: 12 carries, 26 yards, TD; five catches, 29 yards

The bad:

• Gordon and Javonte Williams once again split snaps, despite two fumbles by Gordon (both recovered by Denver) and Williams looking like the more explosive option
  • Williams: 15 carries, 58 yards
  • Williams out-snapped Gordon 33 to 28
• Jerry Jeudy suited up but caught only two passes for 17 yards
• KJ Hamler made his season debut but was not targeted
• Russell Wilson: 20-33, 184 yards
• Jimmy Garoppolo: 18-29, 211 yards, TD, INT
  • Garoppolo was outright bad for most of the night, as the 49ers didn't convert a single third down until late in the fourth quarter (1-of-10 overall)
  • Garoppolo's interception came late in the fourth, just before the two-minute warning
• He also pulled off the Dan Orlovsky special, taking a horrendous safety that ended up being the difference-maker

• With one last chance to score, San Francisco had the ball at its own 15-yard-line with 1:42 to play. Garoppolo took a sack on first down, then Jeff Wilson fumbled away the Niners' chance to maneuver into field goal range.

Cowboys 23 – Giants 16

The good:

• Cooper Rush is now 3-0 as a starting quarterback in the NFL, but this was his first victory away from Dallas.
• The Cowboys' offensive line dominated the Giants' defense all night, as Rush was almost never under any pressure whatsoever. He finished 21-of-31 for 215 yards and a touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb.

• Lamb had an awful drop in the second quarter, but he bounced back to finish with eight catches for 87 yards and a score on 12 targets

• Noah Brown: 5-54 on seven targets
• The Cowboys opted to hold Michael Gallup out of action, but chances are he makes his debut in Week 4
• Tony Pollard (13 carries, 105 yards) and Ezekiel Elliott (15-73-1) split carries almost evenly, but Pollard once again looked like the significantly more explosive option
• Saquon Barkley: 14 carriers, 81 yards and a 36-yard touchdown run
  • Barkley also had four catches for 45 yards
• The Cowboys' pass rush completely overwhelmed the Giants from start to finish. Daniel Jones was sacked five times and was under pressure on virtually every dropback.
  • Led by Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence (three sacks), the Cowboys finished with a whopping 24 pressures on the night

The bad:

• Daniel Jones' stat line – 20-of-37, 196 yards, INT – was nothing to write home about, but he actually acquitted himself fairly well considering the circumstances. 
• Rookie right tackle Evan Neal was particularly awful for the Giants, surrendering multiple sacks and looking out of sorts for most of the night.
• Jones threw a game-losing interception late in the fourth quarter after receiver David Sills fell down while running his route

• Kenny Golladay had a key drop on a third down play that resulted in a cavalcade of boos from Giants fans

• Sterling Shepard had five catches for 49 yards but was carted off the field late in the fourth quarter after suffering a non-contact leg injury.

• It's tough say exactly what happened, but after an evaluation Tuesday morning, Shepard has been diagnosed with a torn ACL. 

• Neither Wan'Dale Robinson (knee) nor Kadarius Toney (hamstring) were active Monday night
• Rookie Jalen Tolbert made his NFL debut but had just one catch for four yards on two targets