It’s hard to believe we’re already past week three of the NFL season. Early-season surprises, breakout performances, and nail-biting finishes have already set the stage for what promises to be an unpredictable NFL season. These past couple of weeks have been quite eventful, with many teams, surprisingly and unsurprisingly, being undefeated so far. In this article, we will dive into some of the biggest surprises so far this season for the undefeated teams, what they could mean for the teams going forward, and analyze if they can keep up their performances.
First, let’s start with the 3-0 teams. Some were very predictable from the start, but others were nowhere near anyone’s predictions for being undefeated going into week 4. The Chiefs and the Bills both being 3-0 comes to nobody’s surprise. Partick Mahomes and the Chief’s offense continue to destroy defenses, something that they have been doing for almost six years now. Other players on the Chiefs, too, such as rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy and 2nd-year star Rashee Rice, continue to put up big numbers in every game. The odd thing about the Chief’s success is that Travis Kelce has not been involved in many of the offensive schemes this season, leaving many to question why he has only gotten 8 receptions for only 69 yards over a three-game span. Usually, for Kelce, that stat line is what he would be putting up per game, not over three games, but the Chiefs still somehow are able to find success against difficult teams such as the Ravens, Bengals, and Falcons. If the Chiefs can figure out how to incorporate Kelce again into their offense and improve a few aspects of their defense, they have a really good shot at continuing their success and going back to the Super Bowl in search of the “Three-peat”.
Another non-surprising 3-0 team is the Bills. It seems like every year, the Bills and the Chiefs are at the top of the AFC. Josh Allen continues to prove his haters wrong after star Wide Receiver Stefon Diggs left in the offseason for the Texans. After week three, Josh Allen is number one in MVP odds. On Monday night against the Jaguars, the Bills absolutely destroyed them on all sides of the ball, with Allen having 263 passing yards and 4 touchdowns in their lopsided 47-10 win. It’s not just Josh Allen who has been playing well, but the Bills defense has been proving why they are among the top in the league right now. Monday night, Damar Hamlin got his first-ever career interception and played a big role on Bill’s defense, 630 days after his scary CPR incident on the field during the 2022 season. The Bills have a very challenging next couple of weeks, facing the Ravens, Jets, and Texans, but if they continue to dominate how they have shown they can over the past three weeks, they could very well be 6-0 by week 6.
One of the most surprising 3-0 teams is the Pittsburgh Steelers. With a lot of questions surrounding the quarterback and the wide receiver positions, the Steelers seem to be defying all odds and winning all of their games so far. New Pittsburgh quarterback Justin Fields, who came over from Chicago in a trade during the offseason, has proved that he is a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL. Over the past three weeks, Fields has a passer rating of 95.3 and a completion percentage of about 73.3%. The Steeler’s defense, too, led by star Defensive End TJ Watt, has been the main reason why the Steelers have won all of their games so far. The Steelers have only allowed 26 points to their opponents through three weeks, the least in the NFL, and TJ Watt already, in three games, has 3 sacks and will continue to disrupt offenses. Personally, I don’t think that the Steelers will be able to keep their undefeated record for much longer, especially as the second half of their schedule is one of the hardest in the entire league. Next week, they may be able to beat the Colts, but when the Cowboys make the trip over to Pittsburgh, that could be where the Steelers get their first loss. The Steelers defense carrying the team is not sustainable the entire season and I think for them to be real contenders, their offense needs to step up.
Another surprising 3-0 team is the Minnesota Vikings. After their quarterback Kirk Cousins left in the offseason for Atlanta, the Vikings were faced with a quarterback issue. They ended up signing Sam Darnold, who has been in San Francisco for the past couple of years behind Brock Purdy, and nobody expected him to be playing as well as he is now. Darnold has thrown for 657 yards and 8 touchdowns over 3 weeks while having a quarterback rating (QBR) of 117.3 to start the season, number 5 out of all the NFL quarterbacks. The Viking’s defense also has been playing very well, holding some of the NFL’s best offenses, such as the Texans and the 49ers to fewer than 20 points. This past week, the Vikings held CJ Stroud and the Texans to only 7 points as Darnold and the Vikings offense scored 34. Can the Vikings keep it up? I think they can. They have proven that they can play well against tough teams early in the season, and they will only get better as the season goes on. The only problem that I can see is a mid-season slump with Sam Darnold as he starts off the season so hot, which could lose them a few games, but I do think right now that this is a top team in the NFC and will be for the rest of the season.
The last 3-0 team standing in the NFL is the Seahawks. In the first 2 games, the Seahawks didn’t blow anybody out of the water. They beat the Broncos by 6 and the Patriots by 3 in an overtime game. Over this past weekend, however, the Seahawks beat the Dolphins by 21 points, but it is worth mentioning that the Dolphins are still without star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The quarterback, Geno Smith, has been very impressive so far, throwing for 787 yards (number 3 NFL, only behind Prudy and Prescott) and having a QBR of 93.8, but he has only thrown for 3 touchdowns. I don’t think that the Seahawks will be that much of a threat during the season, but that does not mean that they are not good; they can still easily make the playoffs if they continue to play how they have been. I just can’t see them sustaining their performances against top teams over the next few weeks of the season, especially when they have to face teams such as the Lions, 49ers (twice), Bills, Jets, and Vikings.
