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The winners (Miami Dolphins!) and losers (Carson Wentz!) of Week 3 of the NFL season

Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown celebrate a touchdown against the Washington Commanders.
Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown celebrate a touchdown against the Washington Commanders.AP Photo/Alex Brandon
  • Week 3 of the NFL season was a wild one.

  • Three teams — the Colts, Jaguars, and Titans — pulled out season-saving wins against better opponents.

  • Meanwhile, Carson Wentz's attempt to enact revenge on his old team went horribly wrong.

WINNER: Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa walks off the field after a win against the Buffalo Bills.
Tua Tagovailoa walks off the field after a win against the Buffalo Bills.AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

The Miami Dolphins have officially arrived.

Facing a Bills team that has looked indestructible, the Dolphins fought their way to a gritty 21-19 win. Despite Josh Allen throwing for 400 yards and the Bills offense rushing for 115 more, the Miami defense was able to hold Buffalo to just two touchdowns, and seal their biggest victory of the season.

Most impressively, the Dolphins got the win without a monster game from superstar receiver Tyreek Hill, who was held to just two catches for 33 yards. Miami wasn't at their best, and they were still able to take down the best team in football.

Rookie head coach Mike McDaniel is off to a red hot 3-0 start, and could take this team quite far.

LOSER: Spiking

The Buffalo Bills nearly were able to pull off an epic comeback against the Dolphins, pushing their way into Dolphins territory in the final seconds.

Out of timeouts, wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie caught a crossing route with just over 10 seconds left. McKenzie made a move for the sideline, but was kept in bounds by the Dolphins defense.

The Bills rushed to the line to spike the ball, but the clock had already run out before they could get the snap off. The moment was reminiscent of the Cowboys shocking exit from the playoffs last year.

WINNER: Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence celebrates with Zay Jones after a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Trevor Lawrence celebrates with Zay Jones after a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers.AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

The Jaguars are now 2-1, having outscored their opponents 62-10 over the past two weeks.

Free from the terrible reign of Urban Meyer, Trevor Lawrence is developing nicely, completing 72% of his passes against the Chargers on Sunday as he threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns.

Jacksonville still has plenty of room to get better, but as things stand, they're already contenders and maybe even favorites to win the AFC South.

 

LOSER: Carson Wentz

Carson Wentz is sacked by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Carson Wentz is sacked by the Philadelphia Eagles.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The stage was set for Carson Wentz to get his revenge on the Philadelphia Eagles, who decided to move on from his monster contract two years ago in favor of Jalen Hurts.

Instead of revenge, Wentz got pummeled.

The Eagles defense sacked him nine times on the day, and Washington failed to score an offensive point through the first 58 minutes of play.

 

WINNER: Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown celebrate a touchdown against the Washington Commanders.
Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown celebrate a touchdown against the Washington Commanders.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

On the other side of the ball, Jalen Hurts once again had a huge day, throwing for 340 yards and three touchdowns, and rushing for 20 more yards on the ground.

With the receiving triumvirate of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert, and a 3-0 start to the year, Hurts is beginning to make a case for MVP; don't be surprised to see his name creeping up the odds boards.

 

LOSER: Justin Fields

Justin Fields looks up during a game against the Houston Texans.
Justin Fields looks up during a game against the Houston Texans.AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Heading into Sunday's game against the Texans, Justin Fields had attempted just 28 passes on the season. Against Houston, he threw 17 more, completing eight throws to his own team and two to the opposition.

Fields' limited use came despite an injury to starting running back David Montgomery. If Chicago doesn't trust Fields to throw the ball a bit when their top running back is out of the game, it's tough to imagine when they ever will.

The Bears were able to squeak out a 23-20 win over the Texans, and are now 2-1 on the year, but it's tough to feel good about their prospects moving forward if they don't believe in their own quarterback.

WINNER: Indianapolis Colts

Rodney McLeod celebrates a game-sealing interception against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rodney McLeod celebrates a game-sealing interception against the Kansas City Chiefs.AP Photo/AJ Mast

Things change fast in the NFL.

One week ago, the Colts were licking their wounds after a shutout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cut to this Sunday, when Matt Ryan and company beat the high-octane offense of the Kansas City Chiefs.

It was far from pretty, but after holding Kansas City to a turnover on downs, a missed field goal, and an interception on its final three drives of the day, the Colts secured a huge win at home to save the start of their season.

 

LOSER: Matt Ammendola

Matt Ammendola watches a field goal against the Indianapolis Colts.
Matt Ammendola watches a field goal against the Indianapolis Colts.AP Photo/AJ Mast

There were plenty of problems for the Chiefs on Sunday, but chief among them was kicker Matt Ammendola, who was playing in support of starting kicker Harrison Butker, who is still working his way back from injury.

In a game the Chiefs lost by three points, Ammendola dropped four, with a missed extra point and a missed 34-yard field goal.

Kansas City is undoubtedly eager for Butker to return.

WINNER: Rihanna fans

After a false alarm last week suggesting that Taylor Swift might be playing the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, the NFL put all the rumors to rest, announcing that Rihanna would be the headline act this February in Arizona.

It should be one heck of a show.

WINNER: Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders both made the playoffs last year.

Heading into Sunday, both were 0-2, and on the verge of losing their seasons before they could really begin.

In the end, the Titans survived, holding on for a 24-22 win despite a late comeback effort from the Raiders.

With the win, the Titans are now just a game out of first place in the AFC South. Meanwhile, the Raiders are now the only team in the NFL without a win.

LOSER: Taking a delay-of-game penalty with the game on the line

Tom Brady reacts after a penalty against the Green Bay Packers.
Tom Brady reacts after a penalty against the Green Bay Packers.AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

The Buccaneers were trailing the Packers 14-6 heading into the final seconds on Sunday.

Tom Brady, as he is wont to do, rallied his team, marching the Tampa Bay offense downfield and connecting with Russell Gage in the end zone with just 14 seconds remaining.

The touchdown made it 14-12, putting overtime within reach with a successful two-point conversion.

Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, Brady didn't get the play off in time, resulting in a delay-of-game penalty that pushed their conversion attempt back five yards. Adding insult to injury, Leonard Fournette looked like he was going to easily reach the end zone on the original attempt had Brady called for the snap in time.

Buccaneers' head coach Todd Bowles' face said it all.

The Buccaneers failed to convert from seven yards out, losing by two points.

WINNER: Dan Orlovsky

Over a decade ago, Dan Orlovsky took a safety after running out the back of his own end zone while quarterbacking the Detroit Lions.

Now a successful broadcaster, Orlovsky has still never lived one infamous play down.

Until Sunday night, when Jimmy Garoppolo did the exact same thing.

No one was happier about Garoppolo's mistake than Orlovsky.

Congrats Dan.

LOSER: Me, and anyone else who stayed up watching Sunday Night Football.

That game was a mess.

We could have watched the new "House of the Dragon" episode.

Now we're all tired — for nothing.

Anyway, see you back here again next week.

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