NFL Week 3 top 10 performers
Hicks picks: Were these your favorites?
One thing we are learning early in the 2024 NFL season is that a number of reserve players are answering the door when opportunity knocks.
Another surprising weekend of NFL results was neon-lit by equally stunning, even stunning, individual performances. As it becomes clear quickly when looking at the. list, quarterbacks had quite a Week 3.
Here are your top 10 performances from Week 3 of the NFL:
QB Jayden Daniels, Commanders vs. Cincinnati
The No. 2 overall pick not only had by far the best game by a rookie QB this season, his performance in Washington’s road win over Cincinnati contends for one of best rookie QB games ever. Daniels completed a remarkable 21 of 23 on Monday night, setting an all-time rookie record for completion percentage in a game (91 percent). But unlike his first two games, in which he threw underneath passes with a religious conviction, Daniels worked all levels of the Bengals defense. And the rookie was at his best when he needed to be, converting three third downs on a crucial time-consuming fourth quarter drive, which culminated when a pressured Daniels hit Terry McLaurin on a spectacular 28-yard throw in the corner of the end zone. We may not see a better performance by QB — rookie or veteran — this season.
WR Jauan Jennings, 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams
If not for Daniels’ special game in a prime-time spotlight, Jennings would have received the nod, despite his team losing to the Rams. With Deebo Samuel and George Kittle sidelined, the big fifth-year reserve receiver stepped up and put on an awesome display: 11 receptions and three touchdowns, and a number of catches in traffic, including as good of a contested catch as we’ll see all season.
QB Andy Dalton, Panthers vs. Las Vegas
No one saw this coming. The more open-minded among us assumed the talent around Bryce Young partly explained his poor play. Then Andy Dalton happened in Week 3, becoming the first passer of the 2024 season to throw for 300+ yards (319) and three touchdowns. And he did it on the road against a Raiders team seemingly on the upswing. Unfortunately for Young, what Dalton did in Vegas doesn’t stay there; the Red Rifle’s success will only ramp up the questions about Young’s future in Carolina.
QB Sam Darnold, Vikings vs. Houston
How does the saying go? Success is when luck meets preparation? Darnold seems to embody that intersection of good fortune (at the expense of J.J. McCarthy) and the grounding he acquired backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco. Against a tough Houston defense, Darnold tossed four touchdown passes, played mistake-free football and looked like he intends to hold down the position for the next decade.
RB Saquon Barkley and TE Dallas Goedert, Eagles vs. New Orleans
Goedert caught 10 passes for a whopping 170 yards, becoming the first Philadelphia tight end to have 170 receiving yards or more in a game since Hall of Famer Pete Retzlaff (202 yards) in 1965. None of Goedert’s many key catches Sunday were bigger than the 61-yard catch and run on 3rd-and-16 to set up the game-winning score. Barkley makes the list not only for his superb numbers (147 yards, 8.6 YPC), but also in his big-time response to what had to have been a brutal week. His big-time 67-yard bolt in the fourth quarter gave the Eagles their initial points and first lead.
Josh Allen, QB, Bills vs. Jacksonville
With his play on Monday night, Allen put himself in the early stages of MVP talk. The big signal-caller completed 23 of 30 passes and threw four TDs as Buffalo destroyed the Jags, 47-10. Allen also ran for 44 yards to lead his team in rushing. When he protects the ball, the guy is as dynamic as any quarterback in the league.
DE Jonathan Greenard, Vikings vs. Houston
Much was made going into Week 3 about the former Pro Bowl Viking-turned-Texan Danielle Hunter returning to Minnesota. But it was the defender going in the opposite direction who had the big day. Greenhard, the former Texan, notched three sacks in the Vikes’ big win over his former team, as DC Brian Flores’ unit keeps impressing.
WR Terry McLaurin, Commanders vs. Bengals
In our Week 3 key-matchup preview, we predicted a 100-yard game receiving by McLaurin — and he got exactly that, hitting the century mark on four catches, the most clutch and brilliant being the game-clinching TD grab in the back corner of the end zone. McLaurin’s impact on Jayden Daniels’ epic game can not be overstated.
WR, Malik Nabers, New York Giants vs. Cleveland
The standout rookie followed up a 10-catch, 127-yard receiving game in Week 2 with eight more grabs in New York’s surprising win over Cleveland. Nabers came up big in the red zone, catching two first-half TDs, including an acrobatic, twisting catch in the corner of the end zone. Nabers is making an early-season case for offensive rookie of the year.
QB Malik Willis, Packers vs. Tennessee
In his second start in place of the injured Jordan Love, Willis came through with another efficient performance. The former Titan completed 13-of-19 for 202 yards (a 10.6 YPA) and played error-free football for the second straight week. They should have been reeling after losing Love and their season opener, but the Packers now look like one of the better teams in the NFC.
Honorable mentions
Had the 49ers defense and special teams not coughed up a late 10-point lead, San Francisco’s Brock Purdy would have made the list. Without many of his key weapons, Purdy played mostly brilliantly, completing 22 of 30 with three TDs. Six drops kept him from having a game challenging Daniels for the most efficient of the weekend and season.
Another quarterback, Daniel Jones, led his Giants team to a much-needed road win in Cleveland, helping his team’s cause by not turning the ball over and throwing two TDs to Nabers.
Colts’ RB Jonathan Taylor ran for 110 yards and two TDs in Indy’s win over the Bears, who were paced by Rome Odunze’s six catches and 115 yards receiving.
Another receiver with a 100-yard day was Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf, who hauled in four catches and a touchdown in the 3-0 Seahawks’ 24-3 win over Miami.
We predicted in our matchup article last week that Diontae Johnson could have a big day against the Raiders. He did just that, with eight catches for 122 yards and a score. We didn’t predict Carolina beating Vegas (36-22), but we’ll take our wins where we can get them.
On the defensive side of the ball, Seattle’s Derick Hall collected two sacks, as did New York’s Dexter Lawrence in the Giants’ 21-15 win in Cleveland.
The Denver Broncos stymied Baker Mayfield and the Bucs offense, with DT Dondrea Tillman sacking Mayfield twice, and Brandon Jones picking him off. Jones also returned a Cade Otton fumble 34 yards in the fourth quarter of Denver’s 26-7 win.