Week 3 Six-Pack: Six Teams I'm Most Intrigued By Going Into October

Week 3 will wind up contending for week of the year in the NFL. 12 of the 14 games played on Sunday (86%!) were one score games. The witching hour for both the 1pm and 4pm games had my heart rate at 140 bpm pacing my living room, and somehow both windows were topped by the possible game of the year in Denver Sunday night.

Through three weeks there's still very little we can confidently say we know. The Chiefs and Bills are good. The Titans and Dolphins are bad. We're all good there. But there's still so much to be determined in between. Which teams are real, which ones aren't. Which side of the coin do teams that've shown both ends of the spectrum belong on. These are the six teams I'm most excited to learn more about in the coming weeks.

No 1. Las Vegas Raiders (3-0)

Anyone outside of Oakland (cause that's where all Raiders fans really are) who claims they saw this start from the Raiders coming is full of shit. Honestly even if they are from Oakland they're still probably full of it.

They already matched their win total from last year. They're one win shy of my 2026 season projection, and most surprisingly, it doesn't seem like a fluke.

Kirko Chainz has been balling. He's the only QB in the league with 3 TD passes in each game so far, and is tied with Purdy (who's arguably playing the highest level of any QB in the league) for most in the NFL.

The defense leads the league in turnover differential at +5, and has been the catalyst for this team so far. Maxx Crosby has been great per usual, but the addition of Nakobe Dean has transformed this unit over night, as he leads the team in tackles and has caused three fumbles in as many games.

We don't have to wait long to get the answer of "is this team real?" as the Chiefs roll into town on Sunday. But if they keep this game close, or god forbid win, the Raiders will soon become America's sweetheart.

No. 2: Indianapolis Colts (1-2)

This may be an off-the-map choice, but I'm very intrigued by this team.

There were so many questions coming into this year. Was the 8-2 start last year really all because of Danny Dimes? If healthy, is that level of success replicable? Or was the 0-7 finish inevitable regardless of who was under center?

So far through three games, I still don't know the answers to those questions. But I'm more interested than ever to find out.

Indy had one of the toughest week 1-3 schedules in the league, and I think any Colts fan would take 1-2 after playing Baltimore, KC, and Houston.

But it's how they've played them that intrigues me.

After laying an egg in week 1, the Colts had a great shot to beat Kansas City in Arrowhead seven days later. Then, without their number 1 WR this week, thoroughly outplayed Houston at home, in what would've been a convincing win if not for the -3 turnover margin.

So...is this team good?

KC's defense has looked great in the two games they didn't play the Colts, but Indy moved the ball on them pretty consistently. Did the Colts defense get right this past week after looking like swiss cheese week 1/2, or did they just play the Texans?

The schedule eases up significantly in the coming weeks, so we should get some answers to these questions. If they rip off a couple convincing wins, it may be time to start looking at them differently. But I can just as easily see a world where we don't mention them again by the end of October.

No. 3: Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)

Sunday was a head scratcher for Bengals fans.

It's not the fact that they lost to Pittsburgh - divisional road games are always tough - but how they lost, that shifted the Bengals from my "no concern" category to "most intriguing".

Through two weeks, the defense was the story. 4 turnovers in week 1, 6 points allowed in week 2, and 8 sacks collectively in those games. The offense was the unit that wasn't clicking, which is exactly where Cincinnati wanted to be.

But just three weeks in, both of those defensive performances may not be all they were cracked up to be. Tampa Bay is a shell of itself offensively, ranking 27th in the league and looking completely hopeless. Houston is just as bad, as CJ Stroud and the offense continue to be the reason the Texans and their incredible defense underperform.

So impressive outings against unimpressive offenses might not be so impressive after all.

Then this week in Pittsburgh, the defense let Aaron Rodgers and the similarly impotent Steelers offense flash back to 2015, throwing for nearly 300 yards and 3 TDs, while Jaylen Warren went for 127 on the ground averaging 7.5 yards a carry.

Joe Burrow was very good, the offense scored 27 points, yet the Bengals lost. That's the same story as the last few years.

If this was a 20-17 loss, that'd be a lot more forgiveable. But now the question of whether this team has actually changed bears fruit.

Wins over Tampa and Houston don't look so good right now. A huge matchup, specifically for the defense, looms this Sunday as the Jaguars come to town. Bengals fans gotta be holding their breath that this past Sunday was an aberration.

No. 4: Baltimore Ravens (2-1)

As unbelievable as this game was, the ending of it has everything to do with the Cowboys’ ineptitude. Sorry Ravens, I just can't give you credit for playing against balloon heads.

Despite the win, my takeaway from the South American Stunner was how Baltimore should've blown yet another double digit 4th quarter lead.

Already the league leaders in blown leads since Lamar was drafted (and by a mile), the Ravens picked up where they left off - which was the reason Harbaugh was let go this offseason - in week 2 blowing an 11-point lead at home to the Saints.

Up 24-13 in Rio, they were a botched sequence from the Dallas Birdbrains away from having their second in a row.

To their credit, they at least tried to run the ball with Derrick Henry in the 4th quarter - they just couldn't. Which I guess is improvement?

This team is so loaded, and when the pressure is off and they don't get in their own heads they're as good as anyone in the league. But we're going on year seven of not being able to finish teams off and the offense fluttering down the stretch, and that would have me on serious edge if I was part of the flock.

There's no opponent and no situation you can feel comfortable in. And so far under the new regime they look the same as the old one. This is a "don't take seriously until I'm shown otherwise" team.

They can't blow leads forever though, right?

No 5: San Francisco 49ers (3-0)

A less surprising 3-0 start than the Raiders, but I don't think many had the Niners atop the division this year.

Brock Purdy as I hinted at earlier is playing nearly perfect football. He leads the league in QBR and passer rating, is 2nd in yards per attempt (aka efficiency), tied for 1st in touchdowns, and hasn't been sacked a single time (the only QB who hasn't).

George Kittle is defying science by looking like his old self a mere 10 months after achilles surgery. And the defense has had two out of three very solid performances.

The problem with this team, as usual, is injuries. We're three weeks into the season and the 49ers are so injured they don't have anymore IR spots available. Literally. I didn't even know that’s possible lol. They have to be the first team this has happened to, or at least the quickest to ever get there.

You hate to laugh but this is comical, and only because it's the 49ers. This team sends more guys to the IR than Stan sends letters to Eminem. I have to imagine a new scientific study on the substation is on its way to the masses (if not already).

The Niners got the sleepwalking Rams in Australia, then the Dolphins and Cardinals at home. The next two weeks they play Denver and Seattle, and we'll learn a lot more about the legitimacy of this team after those two.

I love watching this team when everyone's healthy and on the field. It just seems like an impossibility that they can do that for a whole season.

No. 6: Chicago Bears (2-1)

Another team I can swing my own opinion about every time I think about them.

Da Bears came out guns blazing in Carolina, but seven days later were victims of the Brian Flores blitzkrieg, albeit in a monsoon, and scored a mere field goal.

Caleb goes down, and suddenly week 1 felt like a daydream.

A third string QB and a subpar defense wasn't going to get this team far, and without a definitive timetable for Caleb's return, the only hope was to tread water and beat the teams that were beatable.

I don't think many thought the Eagles would fall into that category, but the Bears shit pumped them on Monday night. From start to finish they were the better team, the more aggressive team. They zigged (throwing the ball all over the yard with Case Keenum) when everyone thought they would zag (play to their strength in the run game), and had Philly's defense on their toes all night.

But almost equally as surprising was their defense, who held Philly to under 250 yards and caused three turnovers. A team that needed a bump from that side of the ball got it, and it got me wondering.

If this defense plays like this, they could be dangerous once they get their QB back.

The Bears next four games are against the Jets, Packers, Falcons, and Patriots. Let's assume Caleb is out for all of them - who says they can’t go 2-2 in that stretch?

None of those teams look very competent right now, especially offensively. So I'm interested to see how this defense holds up. Were the last two weeks a fluke, or are they a formidable bunch?

I have enough confidence in the guy calling plays on offense to hold up that end of the bargain.

Monday night may have changed the whole outlook of this season in Chicago.