news

Andy Dalton’s game recap and the Rams’ late comeback highlight the biggest wins of Week 3

Vaseline September 23, 2024

Week 3 of the NFL season was full of impressive victories, with some amazing comebacks, teams getting their first win of the season, and more.

There were plenty of storylines to keep an eye on heading into Sunday. Could Sean McVay outperform his nemesis, Kyle Shanahan? Which Cowboys team would show up? What would happen in a battle of undefeated teams in Minnesota? And what would the Panthers look like without Bryce Young?

These are the teams that had the biggest wins of the week.

Panthers win with Andy Dalton

The Carolina Panthers justified their decision to trade former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young for the veteran Andy Dalton as the offense got going in a 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Dalton was terrific, completing 26 of 37 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Diontae Johnson had eight catches for 122 yards and a score. And Chuba Hubbard was a threat, rushing for 114 yards and catching 55 more.

It was a stunning home performance for the Raiders, a week after they stunned the Ravens. Las Vegas scored 15 in the fourth inning, making the game seem more exciting than it actually was.

Dalton’s performance not only saves Carolina’s season; it raises even more questions about how bad Young’s performance has been in the first two weeks. Is Young really that inept to lead an NFL offense? Or was Dalton’s performance a one-week incident?

Rams bounce back against 49ers

No Cooper Kupp, no Puka Nacua, no problem. The Los Angeles Rams came from behind to beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, kicking a late field goal and winning 27-24.

The Rams trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter before scoring the game’s final 13 points. Quarterback Matthew Stafford led two big drives late in the game — a touchdown on a missed field goal by Jake Moody and then a three-play, 50-yard drive for the game-winning kick.

Stafford finished with 221 yards passing, while running back Kyren Williams had 89 yards and two scores.

Niners signal-caller Brock Purdy had impressive numbers — 22 of 30 for 292 yards and three scores — but couldn’t decide the game in the final minutes.

Both teams are now 1-2.

Vikings remain undefeated

The Minnesota Vikings continue to deliver.

Sam Darnold threw for four touchdowns in a dominant 34-7 win over the Texans. The Vikings are 3-0 despite starting quarterback JJ McCarthy being injured for the season. Darnold threw for just 181 yards, but was helped by Aaron Jones and his 102 yards on the ground.

The story of the game was Minnesota’s defense, which stifled C.J. Stroud. The Texans quarterback threw for 215 yards, was intercepted twice and sacked four times. Houston was inefficient on third down and couldn’t run the ball at all.

The Vikings find a formula for success. Darnold uses the team’s weapons and plays relatively clean football, making nice throws at key moments. And the defense is a serious unit, shutting out the Texans a week after stunning the 49ers.

Ravens hold on for first win of the year

The Baltimore Ravens can breathe a sigh of relief after beating the Dallas Cowboys 28-25.

It looked like it was going to be a blowout for most of the game. The Ravens raced out to a 28-3 lead, largely because of a dominant rushing performance. Baltimore rushed for 276 yards on 45 carries, scoring three times on the ground.

But Dallas fought back in the second half, going on a 22-7 run to cut the game to 3 late in the fourth. The Cowboys offense finally came to life, and the special teams even recovered an onside kick. But the late push wasn’t enough to make up for a clumsy start on both sides of the ball. The defense was pushed around and the offense couldn’t sustain drives.

It was the second straight week that the Cowboys were beaten up defensively. One more time and it would be fair to start questioning one of the most feared units in football at the start of the season.

The Ravens were desperate for this win, now sitting at 1-2 after their first win of the year.