Most exciting football ahead as NFL enters week 3

Two games down. Fourteen more to go. 

Eight teams are off to strong starts at 2-0: Baltimore, Denver, Houston, Minnesota, New England, the New York Giants, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Among the 2-0 teams are the Ravens, Giants and Eagles, who each missed the playoffs last season and are candidates to be turnaround teams in 2016. Since the 12-team playoff format began in 1990, at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs in every season that were not in the postseason the year before. 

“We’re 2-0 and you can’t get any better than that,” says Giants wide receiver ODELL BECKHAM, JR. “It’s a lot of fun to be a part of. We’re going to keep taking it one step at a time. We’ve got a great opportunity to go to 3-0 and win another division game.” 

The chances of making the playoffs after a 2-0 start are good but far from a sure thing. Since 1990, when the current playoff format was adopted, 134 of the 212 teams (63.2 percent) to start 2-0 have qualified for the postseason. 

However, with 14 games remaining, there’s plenty of time to turn things around. Since realignment in 2002, nearly 60 percent of the playoff teams (59.5 percent, 100 of 169) started the season at either 1-1 or 0-2.   

And with games so close this season, the difference between a win and a loss is small. 

Twenty-seven games have been within one score in the fourth quarter, tied for the most ever through a season’s first two weeks (2013). And 21 games have been decided by seven points or fewer, the second-most through a season’s first two weeks in NFL history (22 in 2013). 

“That’s the NFL,” says Broncos cornerback AQIB TALIB – who had a key 46-yard interception-return touchdown last week – about the tightness of NFL games. “You look up at all the games and most of them are close where somebody needs to get a stop in the fourth quarter. That’s just the NFL and the nature of our league.” 

Week 3 gets underway on Thursday night (8:25 PM ET, CBS/NFLN/Twitter) when the Houston Texans visit the New England Patriots in a showdown between a pair of 2-0 teams. The week concludes on Monday night (8:30 PM ET, ESPN) when the New Orleans Saints host the Atlanta Falcons in an NFC South matchup. Here’s a look at some of the key contests in Week 3:   

HOUSTON TEXANS (2-0) at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-0) (Thursday, CBS/NFLN/Twitter, 8:25 PM ET)                 

• The Texans defeated Kansas City 19-12 last week to improve to 2-0. 
• Houston rookie wide receiver WILL FULLER had four catches for 104 yards last week and became the third player in NFL history to record at least 100 receiving yards in each of his first two career games (DON LOONEY, 1940 and DE SEAN JACKSON, 2008). 

• The Patriots moved to 2-0 with a 31-24 win over Miami in Week 2. 
• Last week, New England running back LE GARRETTE BLOUNT rushed for 123 yards with a touchdown and tight end MARTELLUS BENNETTadded five catches for 114 yards with a TD. 

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-0) at CAROLINA PANTHERS (1-1) (Sunday, FOX, 1:00 PM ET)                 

• The Vikings opened U.S. Bank Stadium last Sunday night with a 17-14 victory over the division-rival Green Bay Packers. 
• Making his first start with Minnesota, quarterback SAM BRADFORD passed for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Vikings wide receiver STEFON DIGGS had nine catches for 182 yards and a touchdown in the win against Green Bay. Diggs has 285 receiving yards this season, the most by a Vikings player in the team’s first two games since 1969. 

• The Panthers evened their record at 1-1 with a 46-27 win over San Francisco. Carolina has won 14 consecutive home games (including the postseason). 
• In the victory over San Francisco, Carolina quarterback CAM NEWTON threw four touchdown passes, running back FOZZY WHITTAKER rushed for 100 yards and two Panthers – wide receiver KELVIN BENJAMIN (108 yards, two touchdowns) and tight end GREG OLSEN (122 yards, one touchdown) – each had 100+ receiving yards and a TD. 

DENVER BRONCOS (2-0) at CINCINNATI BENGALS (1-1) (Sunday, CBS, 1:00 PM ET)

• The defending Super Bowl champion Broncos improved to 2-0 with a 34-20 win over Indianapolis. 
• Denver’s defense scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to close out the victory. Broncos cornerback AQIB TALIB had a 46-yard interception-return touchdown – the ninth of his career, tied for the fourth-most in NFL history – and linebacker SHANE RAY returned a fumble 15 yards for a TD after a sack and forced fumble by linebacker VON MILLER. 
  
   
• Cincinnati quarterback ANDY DALTON leads the NFL with 732 passing yards and aims for his third consecutive game with at least 350 passing yards. 
• Bengals running back GIOVANI BERNARD had nine catches for 100 yards and a touchdown last week at Pittsburgh. 

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (2-0) at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (2-0) (Sunday, CBS, 4:25 PM ET)

• The Steelers defeated the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals 24-16 in Week 2 to move to 2-0 on the season. 
• Pittsburgh running back DE ANGELO WILLIAMS leads the NFL with 237 rushing yards. Williams (33 years, 146 days old) is the oldest player in NFL history to rush for at least 200 yards in his team’s first two games.  

• The Eagles, led by first-year head coach DOUG PEDERSON and rookie quarterback CARSON WENTZ, improved to 2-0 with a 29-14 win at Chicago on Monday night. Pederson is only the second rookie head coach since 1970 to win his team’s first two games of a season by at least 15 points each. The other will be standing across the field from him on Sunday – Pittsburgh’s MIKE TOMLIN, who accomplished the feat in 2007. 
• Wentz is the first rookie quarterback since the 1970 merger to start and win his team’s first two games without throwing an interception. For the season, Wentz has completed 43 of 71 passes (60.6 percent) for 468 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 94.1 passer rating. 

CHICAGO BEARS (0-2) at DALLAS COWBOYS (1-1) (Sunday, NBC, 8:30 PM ET)

• Bears wide receiver ALSHON JEFFERY has nine catches for 201 yards (22.3 average) this season and is one of only two players in the NFL to have at least 200 receiving yards and average more than 20 yards per catch. 
• Chicago’s EDDIE ROYAL had a 65-yard punt-return touchdown in Week 2. Royal is one of only four active players with at least 25 receiving touchdowns (27), three punt-return TDs (3) and a kickoff-return score (1).

• Dallas earned its first win of 2016 with a 27-23 road victory at Washington. 
• In the win over the Redskins, rookies DAK PRESCOTT and EZEKIEL ELLIOTT each rushed for a touchdown. Prescott has 75 pass attempts and no interceptions, the most pass attempts without an interception in a player’s first two NFL games in league history.  

ATLANTA FALCONS (1-1) at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (0-2) (Monday, ESPN, 8:30 PM ET)                 

• The Saints will host the Falcons at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday night, September 26. The game will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the reopening of the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina when New Orleans – sparked by STEVE GLEASON’s blocked punt that resulted in a touchdown – defeated Atlanta 23-3 on Monday night, September 25, 2006. 

• Atlanta improved to 1-1 with a 35-28 victory at Oakland in Week 2. 
• Falcons quarterback MATT RYAN leads the NFL with a 121.4 passer rating, completing 53 of 73 passes (72.6 percent) for 730 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Ryan passed for 396 yards, three touchdowns and a 131.5 passer rating in the team’s Week 2 win. 

• New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES has 61,589 career passing yards and last week surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO(61,361) to move into third place in NFL history. This season, Brees has completed 57 of 68 (66.3 percent) for 686 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions for a 109.9 passer rating. 
• Saints wide receivers WILLIE SNEAD (226 yards, two touchdowns) and BRANDIN COOKS (211 yards, two touchdowns) are the only players in the NFL with at least 200 receiving yards and two touchdown catches. 

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​NFL CELEBRATES PLAY 60 IN WEEKS 3 & 4 

NFL coaches, players and executives will help members of their community get active as the NFL celebrates health and wellness with NFL PLAY 60-themed games and events during Weeks 3 and 4. From building fitness zones and playgrounds to hosting youth football clinics, NFL teams will help children of all abilities get active for 60 minutes a day as part of NFL PLAY 60, the league’s youth health and wellness campaign. 

Designed to increase physical activity levels amongst children, NFL PLAY 60 brings together the league’s long-standing commitment to health and wellness with partner organizations. PLAY 60 is also implemented locally, as part of the NFL's in-school, after-school and team-based programs. 

NFL WEEK 3 SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 25-26

(All times local)

Thursday, September 22	Sunday, September 25 (cont’d)
Houston at New England, 8:25 PM (CBS/NFLN/Twitter)	Oakland at Tennessee, 12:00 PM
	San Francisco at Seattle, 1:05 PM
Sunday, September 25	Los Angeles at Tampa Bay, 4:05 PM
Arizona at Buffalo, 1:00 PM	San Diego at Indianapolis, 4:25 PM
Minnesota at Carolina, 1:00 PM	New York Jets at Kansas City, 3:25 PM
Denver at Cincinnati, 1:00 PM	Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 4:25 PM
Detroit at Green Bay, 12:00 PM	Chicago at Dallas, 7:30 PM (NBC)
Baltimore at Jacksonville, 1:00 PM
Cleveland at Miami, 1:00 PM	Monday, September 26
Washington at New York Giants, 1:00 PM	Atlanta at New Orleans, 7:30 PM (ESPN)

- NFL Communications.