Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season saw the Washington Commanders host the Seattle Seahawks, while the Dallas Cowboys headed south to Rio de Janeiro for an epic showdown against the Baltimore Ravens. The New York Giants hosted the Tennessee Titans, and the Philadelphia Eagles headed to Soldier Field to duke it out with the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.
NFC East Standings:
- Philadelphia Eagles (2-1; Point differential: -14)
- New York Giants (2-1; Point differential: -9)
- Dallas Cowboys (1-2; Point differential: +6)
- Washington Commanders (1-2; Point differential: -17)
Let's take a deeper look at what worked and what didn't for each team in the NFC East and how they look heading into their Week 4 matchups:
Washington Commanders
What worked: The defense played well enough against a tough Seattle offense to give Washington its first win, 33-31. After going two consecutive weeks without a turnover, the Commanders generated three takeaways (two interceptions, one fumble recovery) leading to 20 points. Both interceptions came from young players in second-year linebacker Kain Medrano and Sonny Styles, the latter of whom was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Amik Robertson also had a breakout game. The cornerback was targeted a team-high nine times in coverage against the Seahawks and allowed only three catches for 46 yards and a touchdown, all to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. No other Seahawks receiver had a catch against Robertson, per NextGenStats.
The offensive line also did a stellar job in protecting Marcus Mariota. Josh Conerly Jr. didn't give up a sack and allowed just nine pressures on 114 pass blocks. The protection allowed Mariota to connect with Terry McLaurin, whose six receptions for 77 receiving yards and a touchdown are the most he's had in a single game since Week 13 of the 2025 season.
Room for improvement: Washington's defense held Seattle to just 44 rushing yards -- their fewest allowed since Week 13 of the 2024 season against the Tennessee Titans. Despite beating the Seahawks in the turnover margin and on the ground, the Commanders trailed in total yards, passing yards and yards per play.
Looking ahead to the Indianapolis Colts in London: In his press conference Monday, head coach Dan Quinn revealed positive injury news regarding Jayden Daniels (elbow), Frankie Luvu (groin) and Chig Okonkwo (hamstring): all three traveled to London and will participate in practice "in some form and fashion." While it's unclear exactly what that means for Sunday, the takeaway is that all three players are making progress toward recovery.
The Commanders signed Austin Ekeler on Tuesday. The 31-year-old veteran played two games for Washington last season before rupturing his Achilles and had 77 carries for 367 yards and four touchdowns for Washington during the 2024 season. It's yet to be seen whether he'll play in London, but it's something to look out for, nonetheless.
Both the Commanders and Colts got their first wins in Week 3, in which Indianapolis held on to defeat the Houston Texans 19-17. The No. 3 rush defense will have to contend with Jonathan Taylor, however, who already has 258 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns through three weeks.
Take a look at the top photos from the Washington Commanders' 33-31 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Philadelphia Eagles
What worked: The Eagles suffered their first loss of the season, a staggering 27-7 Monday Night Football defeat. A bright spot, however, was Saquon Barkley's first half. Despite working through a lingering stinger, the running back had 11 carries for 73 yards ahead of halftime for an average of 6.5 yards per carry. His production sharply declined in the second half, though, dipping to an average of 2.9 yards per carry on four carries for nine yards after halftime. The Eagles' lack of consistency in the ground game is something they need to get a handle on if they want to continue to see success.
Room for improvement: Philadelphia was outplayed by Chicago in every aspect of the game. Jalen Hurts had an up-and-down night, finishing with a 64.3 passer rating. The Eagles were limited to a 22.2% success rate on third down and were smothered by the Bears in the second half, who allowed just 62 yards of offense. They also forced three straight three-and-outs to begin the third quarter.
The Eagles' defense also couldn't keep up with Case Keenum, who was quarterbacking in place of the injured Caleb Williams. Keenum was never sacked by Philadelphia and ran in a one-yard touchdown, his first since 2019. Missed tackles by the Eagles' secondary were a big reason why they had trouble stopping big plays. Zack Baun, highly regarded as one of the league's top linebackers, is just one example of this; he allowed five catches for 86 yards and a touchdown on six targets, per NextGen Stats.
Looking ahead to the Los Angeles Rams: The Rams might be the most surprising team to open the season 1-2 after falling to the Denver Broncos 30-26 on Sunday Night Football. Given how much the Eagles struggled against the Chicago Bears' No. 15-ranked defense, the Rams, who rank third, aren't going to get any easier. Despite Myles Garrett's absence, Los Angeles' secondary is stacked with the likes of Trent McDuffie and Quentin Lake, as well as Aaron Donald in the pass rush.
New York Giants
What worked: The defense won the game for the Giants. With 17 seconds remaining on the clock, Javon Holland intercepted Cam Ward in the end zone to secure a 12-7 win. New York improved to 2-1, and Holland notched his third interception in as many consecutive games. Even though the defensive stand ended there, it started when the Giants forced a three-and-out on the Titans' first five possessions. New York didn't allow Tennessee to record a first down until a little over a minute left in the first half and didn't allow a third-down conversion until the end of the third quarter.
Room for improvement: For the second straight week, the Giants failed to score a touchdown. Undrafted rookie kicker Dominic Zvada accounted for all 12 of the Giants' points, which is a clear issue. Jameis Winston seemed more prepared and comfortable at quarterback than he had in Week 2, but something isn't clicking between him and the offense. New York acquired J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings in a move that could either mean competition for Winston or another depth option given how early it is in the season. Given the health of top offensive threats in Cam Skattebo, Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely, there's no reason New York should be held without a touchdown in consecutive games.
Looking ahead to the Arizona Cardinals: The Giants have a good number of personnel changes heading into Week 4. On defense, New York will be without standout linebacker Brian Burns, who tore his ACL against the Titans. The team released veteran Odell Beckham Jr., and in corresponding moves, elevated both Charlie Jones and Braxton Berrios to the 53-man roster. The necessity for New York is the ability to finish drives with touchdowns in the red zone.
Even without Burns, the No. 19 Giants' defense stacks up well against the No. 15 Cardinals' offense. Their biggest threat is Trey McBride, who is currently No. 3 in the NFL in receptions. He's Arizona's main target and led the position in receptions (126), receiving yards (1,239), and touchdowns (11) in 2025.
Dallas Cowboys
What worked: The Cowboys put on a show in Rio de Janeiro, although their efforts fell just short in a nail-biting 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. As has been the norm through the first two weeks of the season, the Cowboys' offense shined. Dak Prescott found CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens early and often. The ground game broke 100 yards (148) for the first time this season, with Javonte Williams carrying that attack for the Cowboys.
Room for improvement: It feels like a broken record, but the Cowboys' rush defense still needs work. It's still ranked No. 31 in the league and allowed Baltimore 192 yards on the ground. Derrick Henry got into the end zone twice, and Lamar Jackson scrambled for 50 yards on six plays. Jackson, however, was held to just 186 yards passing and was unable to convert the third down on six of nine attempts.
Looking ahead to Houston Texans: The most glaring detriment to Dallas is that Houston has yet to win a game, and it lost by just two points at home last week. The Texans' sense of urgency is at an all-time high – history isn't usually kind to teams who start out 0-3, and only one team -- the 1992 San Diego Chargers -- has made the playoffs after an 0-4 start.
Houston's defense hasn't been as dominant as in past seasons, despite Will Anderson ranking No. 2 in the league in sacks. Overall, the Texans defense is dead center in the league at No. 16, which the Cowboys will likely aim to exploit with the trio of Prescott, Lamb and Pickens.
