Biggest Storylines, Top Highlights and Fantasy Stars to Watch from NFL Week 3

Week 2 of the NFL season continued a trend from Week 1: Offenses outshining defenses, with teams averaging 23.4 points per game. That is the highest average in the past 70 seasons and second overall in league history.

Fourteen-plus weeks of football still need to take place, but players are putting up gaudy numbers. Most notably, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for 400-plus yards and four touchdowns in two straight games, and 12 players averaged 100 or more receiving yards per contests through two weeks. For context, only Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown accomplished that feat last year.

Did offenses continue to dominate in Week 3? You can find out here as we cover the best plays, top storylines, biggest news and fantasy stars from Sunday's action.

Top Storylines

Late in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was carted off the field with a left knee injury.

The 49ers declared him out, and C.J. Beathard took over.

Adam Schefter of ESPN provided a postgame update:

That wasn't the only injury to a key player, as Los Angeles Rams cornerback Marcus Peters left with an ankle injury in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Omar Ruiz of NFL Network noted Peters was helped off the field by trainers and carted to the locker room. Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com tweeted that Peters did not put any weight on his leg and relayed that sideline reporter Evan Washburn said the team was testing his Achilles.

The Rams later ruled him out.

The winless Buffalo Bills were 16.5-point underdogs against the homestanding 1-0-1 Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, per OddsShark. Opponents had outscored Buffalo 78-23 through two games, and starting running back LeSean McCoy was out with a rib injury.

The Bills looked like the powerhouse, however, as they won 27-6. Per David Purdum of ESPN.com, it was the NFL's largest upset since 1995, when the 17.5-point underdog Washington Redskins beat the Dallas Cowboys, 24-17.

Rookie quarterback Josh Allen dominated, throwing for 196 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 39 yards and two more scores.

His running ability was a big asset, most notably when he hurdled Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr for a first down:

Allen later scored on a fourth-down quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line to give the Bills a 23-0 advantage.

Buffalo wasn't the only team to pull off an upset, as the Tennessee Titans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 9-6. No touchdowns were scored in the defensive battle, and Titans linebacker Wesley Woodyard was the star with 12 tackles and one sack.

Jacksonville played without running back Leonard Fournette, who is recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in Week 1.

Elsewhere, second-year Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers in a 38-27 win.

His third score—a 12-yard pass to wide receiver Sammy Watkins—gave him 13 touchdowns through three games, which broke a record set by Peyton Manning. The former Indianapolis Colt and Denver Bronco tossed 12 touchdowns in his first three contests and finished the 2013 campaign with a single-season record of 55.

One notable skill-position player was ejected, as Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay got tossed late in the first half against the Baltimore Ravens:

Lindsay is one of the NFL's pleasant surprises, as the undrafted rookie amassed 213 yards from scrimmage through two weeks. He had four carries for 20 yards Sunday before the ejection.

Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Josh Rosen made his debut after veteran signal-caller Sam Bradford was benched following three consecutive turnovers (two interceptions and one fumble).

The former UCLA star entered the game with 4:31 left and his team down 16-14. On his first drive, Rosen threw an interception on fourth down. Arizona then ran out of time on its next drive as Chicago's Sherrick McManis ended the matchup with a sack.

Rosen finished with four completions in seven attempts for 36 yards with the one interception.

Plays of the Day

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz wasted no time making an impact in his first game following a torn ACL suffered in December 2017.

The third-year pro led a 12-play, 79-yard touchdown drive against the Colts to give his team a 6-0 lead. A 13-yard pass to tight end Dallas Goedert capped the effort:

Wentz completed 25 of 37 passes for 255 yards and one touchdown with one interception in the 20-16 win.

Mahomes was only credited with a four-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Conley midway through the second quarter, but the former Texas Tech star ran 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage to evade the pass rush before throwing a dart to his teammate in the end zone's back corner:

Here's the play from a different viewpoint:

The Miami Dolphins fooled the Oakland Raiders with a reverse capped by a touchdown pass from wide receiver Albert Wilson to wideout Jakeem Grant:

The 52-yard score gave the Dolphins a 20-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter. They moved to 3-0 on the season with a 28-20 victory.

Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas picked off two passes by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. The second was an impressive grab, as the ball ricocheted off numerous players before Thomas reeled it in:

Top Individual Performances

Raiders wide receiver Jordy Nelson had 53 receiving yards through two games. He eclipsed that mark twice on two separate plays in the first quarter against the Dolphins.

On Oakland's first drive, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr found Nelson wide open for a 61-yard gain. After a two-yard Marshawn Lynch run, Carr and Nelson connected for a 12-yard score:

Nelson then caught a 66-yard pass on his team's second drive, but the Raiders turned the ball over on downs. The ex Green Bay Packer amassed three receptions for 139 yards and one touchdown through just six minutes and finished with six catches for 173 yards.

Atlanta Falcons rookie wide receiver Calvin Ridley torched the New Orleans Saints, catching seven passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns. His 75-yard touchdown catch tied the game at 13 late in the second quarter:

As one can assume given Ridley's performance, Atlanta signal-caller Matt Ryan was sensational, throwing for 374 yards and five touchdowns.

However, the Ryan-Ridley connection wasn't enough to top New Orleans, as quarterback Drew Brees (396 yards, three passing touchdowns, two rushing scores) and running back Alvin Kamara (190 yards from scrimmage) led their team to a 43-37 overtime win. Brees won the game by capping a 15-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak.

Redskins running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-17 win against the Green Bay Packers. His first touchdown gave Washington a 13-0 advantage:

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton accounted for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) against the Cincinnati Bengals in the game's first 40 minutes. His first pulled the Panthers within 7-6:

Newton's backfield mate (running back Christian McCaffrey) rushed for 184 yards on 28 carries in the 31-21 win.

Rams quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Robert Woods formed an unstoppable connection against the Chargers in a 35-23 win. Goff completed 29 of 36 passes (80.6 percent) for 354 yards and three touchdowns. Woods caught two of those scores and finished with 10 receptions for 104 yards.