Buffalo coughed up five turnovers and still left California with a win. Atlanta ran Green Bay off Lambeau Field like the Packers had never hosted a home opener. Baltimore beat Dallas in Rio on a 56-yard kick with one second left. Indianapolis finally won a game. Tampa Bay fell to 0-3. And then Washington — 0-2, Jayden Daniels in street clothes, Marcus Mariota under center — hosted the reigning champions and ended the reigning champions' 12-game win streak.
That last sentence is the weekend's spine.
Seattle had not lost since November. Sam Darnold returned and threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns. It still wasn't enough. Mariota stacked three touchdown passes, Kain Medrano ripped a 50-yard interception return for a score, and the Commanders hung on 33-31. One night after the league's cleanest early storyline (Seattle as the clear NFC favorite) got rewritten by a backup and a linebacker with a gift for timing. The power vacuum is real: San Francisco, Kansas City, Minnesota, Las Vegas, and Buffalo are all 3-0, Philadelphia can join them Monday night in Chicago, and the team that looked like No. 1 for two weeks is suddenly chasing.
What follows is the rest of the notebook — the Rio finish, the Lambeau demolition, the ugly Buffalo escape — and a full 1–32 that has to pretend Monday Night hasn't happened yet.
Commanders crack the champions. Daniels' elbow sidelined him; Mariota didn't play like a bridge. Three touchdown throws, enough poise in a back-and-forth, and Medrano's pick-six flipped a game Darnold nearly stole with volume. Seattle's first loss since November snaps a 12-game streak and drops the Super Bowl champs out of the early No. 1 conversation. Washington is still 1-2. The win is louder than the record.
Rio drama. First NFL regular-season game in Brazil, Maracanã as the backdrop, Derrick Henry with two early rushing scores, Dallas storming back, Lamar Jackson hitting Zay Flowers for 26 with a timeout and one second left. Tyler Loop from 56. Ravens 34, Cowboys 31. International novelty games usually flatten into forgettable boxes. This one didn't. Baltimore is 2-1 with a signature road win; Dallas is 1-2 and still searching for a closing kit.
Lambeau statement. Bijan Robinson: 194 rush yards, two touchdowns. Michael Penix Jr., first start since last November's ACL tear: 18-of-25, 256 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Drake London piled up a huge receiving day. Final rush margin: Falcons 242, Packers 17. Atlanta 35, Green Bay 14 — Packers' first home-opener loss since 2012, ending a 13-straight home-opener win streak. Both teams sit 1-2. Only one looked like a team with a plan for October.
Buffalo's five-turnover win. Josh Allen: two interceptions and a fumble. James Cook and Dalton Kincaid also put the ball on the ground. Five giveaways, and the Bills still beat the Chargers 24-16 — first Buffalo win with five-plus turnovers since 1997. Cook ran for 154 on 24 carries; Chauncey Gardner-Johnson's goal-line interception set up Allen's one-yard plunge for the first lead with 7:35 left. 3-0 never looked this messy. It still counts.
Purdy keeps dealing. San Francisco never trailed in Arizona. Brock Purdy threw four touchdown passes; George Kittle caught two in the end zone. 49ers 36, Cardinals 30. SF is 3-0 and still the cleanest tape in the league. Arizona drops to 1-2 with another late collapse pattern that won't heal on vibes alone.
Chiefs grind Miami. Patrick Mahomes went 20-of-24 for 246 yards and two scores; Travis Kelce found the end zone late. Kansas City 24, Miami 10. Chiefs 3-0, Dolphins 0-3. Miami's early-season floor is no longer a soft landing — it's a trapdoor.
Rodgers edges Burrow. Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns; a late strip-sack of Joe Burrow sealed Pittsburgh's 30-27 win. Steelers and Bengals both 2-1. Cincinnati's first loss of the year came against a quarterback who still looks like he can steal a division if the defense keeps finishing drives.
Watson's home debut. Deshaun Watson's first home start of the year: two touchdown passes, including a go-ahead 14-yarder to Harold Fannin Jr. under two minutes. Browns 21, Panthers 18. Cleveland 2-1; Carolina 1-2 and suddenly quiet after last week's Atlanta thrashing.
Colts finally win. Spencer Shrader kicked four field goals, including the game-winning kick in the final 20 seconds, and Indianapolis beat Houston 19-17 for its first win since November. Daniel Jones put three fumbles on the ground and still left with a W. Colts 1-2, Texans 0-3 — one of those outcomes that settles nothing about either roster's ceiling.
MNF thoughts (not played). Eagles (2-0) at Bears (1-1), 8:15 p.m. ET, Soldier Field. Caleb Williams is out (hamstring). Chicago is choosing between Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent (cleared concussion protocol; game-time), with Miller Moss as the emergency. Jalen Hurts is at roughly 64.5% through two games, 467 yards, five touchdowns, two interceptions — efficient enough to make this a road statement if Philadelphia's defense travels. Rankings for both clubs below are provisional until the final whistle.
Buffalo coughed up five turnovers and still left California with a win. Atlanta ran Green Bay off Lambeau Field like the Packers had never hosted a home opener. Baltimore beat Dallas in Rio on a 56-yard kick with one second left. Indianapolis finally won a game. Tampa Bay fell to 0-3. And then Washington — 0-2, Jayden Daniels in street clothes, Marcus Mariota under center — hosted the reigning champions and ended the reigning champions' 12-game win streak.
That last sentence is the weekend's spine.