NFL Week 3 latest buzz, questions, news and fantasy tips

We’re on to Week 3 of the NFL season, and league insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano are breaking down the latest news and notable buzz.
There’s a lot to talk about following Week 2. What should the Bengals do in the aftermath of Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury, and what will they do? How are things going with the Aaron Rodgers-Steelers partnership through two weeks? Which quarterbacks in the league are most in danger of being benched?
Jeremy and Dan made some calls around the league to get the latest on those situations. They also identified preseason notions that they’re already adjusting after two weeks of play. It’s all here, as Dan and Jeremy answer big questions and empty their reporting notebooks heading into Week 3.
Jump to:
Bengals’ QB plans | Early Rodgers returns
Early-season surprises | QBs on the hot seat
More notes on Week 3
What’s next for the Bengals with Joe Burrow out? What are you hearing out of Cincinnati?
Graziano: The Bengals believe in Jake Browning’s ability to operate their offense and win games. They cite the work he did over the second half of the 2023 season when Burrow went down because of a wrist injury. They went 4-3 in games Browning started, and he’s now in his fifth season in their system, knows the offense well and has more experience than he had then.
If it goes badly for Browning and the Bengals are losing, then could I see them considering outside options. (They signed Mike White and Sean Clifford to their practice squad this week.) But they believe they have one of the best, if not the best, backup quarterback situations in the league. Nobody wants to have to test that out, but that’s where Cincinnati is right now. If it can win even just one of its next four games — at Minnesota, at Denver, home vs. Detroit, at Green Bay — it will come out of its toughest stretch of the season 3-3 and in position to contend for a division title and playoff spot with the strong group the Bengals have around Browning. If they can go 2-2 or better, they’ll feel fantastic.
Fowler: Browning has earned a lot of credibility inside the Bengals’ organization for his confidence, his ability to operate the offense and the relationships he has developed with Cincinnati’s offensive players. He’s known to prepare incredibly hard and completely understands the game plan and opposing defensive schemes.
Is that enough to offset the loss of Burrow? Of course not. But there is a feeling that if Browning and the Bengals can hold it down for a few months, maybe they can get Burrow back for a late-season push. Cincinnati sources reiterate hope of Burrow being back by mid-December. They know that isn’t a slam dunk, but it’s possible.
Also, the Bengals feel as if luck might be on their side more this season than last, when they lost games every way imaginable. The 31-27 win over Jacksonville on Sunday was a perfect example — getting a red zone stop and then driving 92 yards for a win wasn’t in the 2024 playbook very often. How are we feeling about the Bengals overall as a team, Dan?
Graziano: Yeah, they’re 2-0 and lucky to be there. But that’s a heck of a lot better than their usual September start, which is an unlucky 0-2. It gives them a chance. Let’s say Burrow sits out 12 games (this is an optimistic scenario, as I understand it) and Cincinnati goes 6-6 in those matchups. It’d be 8-6 and getting Burrow back for a playoff push. Then the Bengals win their last three, get to 11-6 and qualify for the postseason? Who’s going to want to play them?
This could all be fantasy, of course. Burrow might not be able to make it back before the end of the regular season, and even if he does, he’d probably be limited. This scenario also requires Browning to play well for almost twice as long as he did in 2023, and for Cincinnati’s defense to outplay expectations by a significant margin. If it doesn’t come to pass, or if Burrow is out for the rest of the season, then I think the conversation becomes one about a quarterback who has sustained a season-ending injury in three of his six seasons, and what — if anything — can be done about that pattern moving forward.
Fowler: How the Bengals have protected Burrow — or failed to do so — is a valid discussion point. That many in the media are comparing Burrow’s tenure to Andrew Luck’s in Indianapolis should alarm Cincinnati, which probably hasn’t invested enough in the offensive line. While quarterback injuries are a way of life in the NFL, teams that use free agent money and multiple high picks on the O-line typically don’t regret it. The Bengals’ two examples of that are left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (a marquee free agency signing in 2023) and right tackle Amarius Mims (a first-round pick in 2024). Both of those moves have worked. On the interior, Cincinnati relies on middle-rounds rookie Dylan Fairchild, 32-year-old center Ted Karras and journeyman free agent Dalton Risner. That’s not enough.
It’s worth noting that team’s contract structure — not guaranteeing money beyond the first season of a deal unless your name is Burrow or Ja’Marr Chase — might take it out of the running for top free agent linemen who want two- or three-year guarantees. And yes, part of this being a recurring issue is Burrow’s willingness to hang in the pocket and wait for routes to develop. He takes the hits — and the physical costs associated with them. But spending more resources on the blockers in front of him will never be a bad idea.
What are people around the league saying about Aaron Rodgers’ first two games in Pittsburgh?
Fowler: The early returns are pretty good. His arm strength — which has never been an issue — has held up well. He’s also moving around slightly better than he did a year ago with the Jets. He’s no longer a premier athlete, but he’s enough of one to escape the pocket and manage the game. But as many have pointed out, whether Rodgers’ body holds up over 17 games is the bigger question.