Week 3 of the 2018 NFL Season already saw the Cleveland Browns, ignited by the debut of first overall pick Baker Mayfield, win their first game in 635 days, 21-17 over the New York Jets. The Buffalo Bills and rookie quarterback Josh Allen stunned Minnesota, 27-6, on the road, for their first victory of the season. Buffalo jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead on a Josh Allen 10-yard touchdown run and led 17-0 with 5:09 remaining in the first quarter when Allen found receiver Jason Croom for a 26-yard touchdown.
Early in the second quarter, the score was 24-0, when Allen's one-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, gave the visiting Bills an insurmountable lead.
Minnesota would avoid the shutout when tight end Kyle Rudolph was on the receiving end of a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins. Allen completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 196 yards and one touchdown, adding 39 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Here were some Week 3 game predictions.
Jimmy Garoppolo feared lost for the season
The San Francisco 49ers traveled to play the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs and second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes found receiver Sammy Watkins for a 12-yard touchdown with 34 seconds remaining in the first half, giving him 13 touchdown passes for the season. The game seemed out of reach with a first-half score of 35-7, but 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo led two touchdown drives in the third quarter, cutting Kansas City's lead to 35-24.
In the fourth quarter, with 5:55 remaining in the game, Garoppolo ran for a 13-yard gain, was injured on the play, and had to be carted off the field. San Francisco fears he tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. Mahomes was electric again, completing 63.1 percent of his passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns, while tight end Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 114 yards.
Carson Wentz returns from injury
The Philadelphia Eagles, 2-1 on the season, hosted the Indianapolis Colts. It featured Carson Wentz's return from a torn ACL suffered in Week 14 of the 2017 NFL Season. Here is an article analyzing the trade of Wentz to the Eagles.
The Eagles defeated the Colts, 20-16, as Wentz completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 255 yards with one touchdown and one interception in his first action since December 2017.
The Eagles sacked Colts quarterback Andrew Luck on fourth down from the Eagles four-yard line with 1:19 remaining in the game to preserve the 20-16 victory. Luck, also returning from injury in 2018, completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 164 yards and one touchdown against a stout Philadelphia defense.