Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season delivered dramatic finishes, historic performances and milestones across the league as Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Jahmyr Gibbs, Aaron Rodgers, Ja’Marr Chase and Jaxon Smith-Njigba added their names to the record books.
Through Sunday’s afternoon action, 12 of 14 games were within one score during the fourth quarter, while 11 were ultimately decided by eight points or fewer.
Five teams — Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh — scored the winning points in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter, while Baltimore, Buffalo and Las Vegas each overcame deficits of at least 10 points.
Buffalo, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Minnesota and San Francisco all improved to 3-0.
Derrick Henry Makes History in NFL’s First Game in Rio
Baltimore defeated Dallas, 34-31, in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as Tyler Loop connected on a 56-yard field goal as time expired.
Ravens running back Derrick Henry added two rushing touchdowns, giving him 135 for his career when including the postseason. Henry moved past Hall of Famer Marcus Allen’s 134 for third place in NFL history.
Only Emmitt Smith (183) and LaDainian Tomlinson (151) have more.
Aaron Rodgers Adds Another Career Milestone
Aaron Rodgers threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns as Pittsburgh defeated Cincinnati, 30-27.
The victory was the 165th of Rodgers’ regular-season career, tying former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for fifth place in NFL history.
Rodgers also registered his 81st career game with at least three touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100 or higher, moving past Drew Brees for second all-time. Tom Brady holds the record with 91.
Patrick Mahomes Ties Tom Brady
Patrick Mahomes made his 150th career start, including the postseason, a historic one.
Mahomes threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns with a 119.8 passer rating as Kansas City defeated Miami, 24-10.
The win was No. 115 for Mahomes, tying Tom Brady for the most victories by a quarterback through his first 150 career starts, including postseason games.
Mahomes also recorded his 97th career game with multiple touchdown passes, surpassing Peyton Manning for the second-most such performances during a player’s first 10 seasons when including the postseason.
Kenneth Walker also continued his impressive start in Kansas City with a rushing and receiving touchdown. Walker became the first player in NFL history to accomplish both in two of his first three games with a team.
Josh Allen Sets Another NFL Record
Josh Allen continued his historic start as Buffalo defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, 24-16.
Allen rushed for two touchdowns and became the first quarterback in NFL history to record multiple rushing touchdowns in three consecutive games.
With six rushing touchdowns through three weeks, Allen also became just the fourth player ever to record at least six rushing touchdowns in nine consecutive seasons, joining Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson and Jim Brown.
Jahmyr Gibbs Powers Detroit With Historic Performance
Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs produced one of Sunday’s biggest individual performances, totaling 164 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in the Lions’ 31-24 victory over the New York Jets.
Gibbs finished with 99 rushing yards and 65 receiving yards while scoring twice on the ground and once through the air.
Through three games, Gibbs has 463 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns. He became the first player in NFL history to record at least 300 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 150 receiving yards and multiple touchdown receptions over the first three games of a season.
Gibbs also recorded his 13th career game with at least two rushing touchdowns, tying Jim Brown, Todd Gurley and Clinton Portis for the most such games by a player under age 25.
Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown also continued making history as a tandem. Both scored against the Jets, marking the 23rd game in which the running back and wide receiver have each scored a touchdown.
Ja’Marr Chase Reaches 7,000 Receiving Yards
Cincinnati wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase reached another major career milestone against Pittsburgh.
Chase now has 7,022 receiving yards through 81 career games, surpassing Torry Holt as the fourth-fastest player in NFL history to reach 7,000 yards.
Only Lance Alworth, Julio Jones and Justin Jefferson reached the milestone in fewer games.
Chase also caught his 57th career touchdown, moving past Dez Bryant for the fourth-most touchdown receptions by a player under age 27.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s Historic Start Continues
Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 10 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns against Washington, continuing an extraordinary opening three weeks.
Smith-Njigba became just the second player in NFL history with at least 25 receptions, 400 receiving yards and six touchdown catches over the first three games of a season, joining Marvin Harrison.
He also joined Jerry Rice as the only players in NFL history to record at least 120 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in each of their team’s first three games.
Smith-Njigba’s six touchdown receptions also made him the fourth player of the Super Bowl era to record six receiving touchdowns through the opening three games.
Week 3 Delivers More NFL History
Among Sunday’s other notable accomplishments, New Orleans tight ends Noah Fant and Juwan Johnson each caught two touchdown passes.
They became just the second pair of tight end teammates in NFL history to record multiple touchdown receptions in the same game.
With records falling, five teams moving to 3-0 and games going down to the final minutes, Week 3 continued a dramatic opening stretch to the 2026 NFL season.
Source: NFL
