NFL Week 3 Results 2017: 5 Takeaways From Sunday's Schedule

September isn’t even over yet, but Week 3 of the 2017 NFL season was an important one. A few teams are all but out of playoff contention already, while others look like surefire Super Bowl contenders.

What did we learn from all of Sunday’s games? Here are five takeaways from Week 3:

Kansas City is the class of the AFC West

The Chiefs, Raiders and Broncos all hit the road in Week 3 with 2-0 records. Only Kansas City survived to remain perfect, and they should be the favorites to win the division until further notice.

Denver’s hot start was spearheaded by Trevor Siemian, but the quarterback came back to earth with two interceptions and no touchdowns in a 26-16 loss at Buffalo. The quarterback had been playing at an unsustainable pace, leading the NFL in touchdowns with a passer rating in the triple digits. Oakland’s 27-10 loss in Washington was more surprising, given that the team was held to just 128 yards of total offense. Allowing Kirk Cousins to post a nearly perfect passer rating, the Raiders gave credence to the idea that their defense could prevent them from being a true threat to the Patriots.

The Chiefs have been the most impressive team in football. One of two teams with a 3-0 record, they’ve got two road wins, including one against the defending champs, as well as a victory at home against a team with a winning record. Kareem Hunt is playing like the league’s best running back, giving Alex Smith three elite weapons on offense. Kansas City’s 24-10 win in L.A. gave them 12 straight wins in the division, putting them in a class above both Oakland and Denver.

The NFC North and NFC West are wide open

Seattle and Green Bay didn’t just start the season as the NFC favorites to reach the Super Bowl, but they were odds-on favorites to win their respective divisions. After three weeks, it’s pretty clear that neither one is going to cruise to a division title.

The Packers should reach the playoffs. That’s almost a guarantee with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, and their only loss came on the road against the defending NFC champs. Both of their victories were struggles, however, specifically Sunday’s win, in which they needed overtime to beat the winless Bengals. Most importantly, the NFC North appears to be one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. Not only are the Vikings 2-1, but the Lions seem to be for real after nearly upsetting the Falcons for a third straight win to start the season.

Things are looking worse for the Seahawks. Seattle’s only win came by three points over a still winless 49ers team. Their offense was atrocious in the first two games behind a bad offensive line, and Tennessee simply looked like the better team in Sunday’s 33-27 loss. The 2-1 Rams have more to prove before being considered the better team, but they could very well become the NFC West favorites if their offense continues to play well. The jury is still out on Arizona, though they could be in the mix with talent on both sides of the ball.

The season is over for the Giants, Chargers and Bengals

There’s no coming back from 0-3. The 1998 Buffalo Bills were the last team to reach the playoffs after starting the season with three straight losses. New York, Los Angeles and Cincinnati aren’t good enough to overcome a poor start and live up to preseason expectations.

The Giants are the biggest disappointment of the three teams. They were given the same odds to win the NFC East as the Cowboys when Ezekiel Elliott was suspended, and New York was considered to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Their offense hasn’t shown up behind a bad offensive line and a quarterback that’s past his prime. New York needs an elite defense to win games, and the Giants are winless with a unit that’s been good, but not good enough.

Expectations weren’t as high for the Chargers and Bengals, though they were both given a real chance to win wild-card spots. L.A. shot itself in the foot in each of the first two games in typical Chargers fashion, and they were overmatched against the Chiefs in a Week 3 home loss that sealed their fate. It became clear that the Bengals were in for a long year after they were shut out in the season opener, and the clock might finally be running out on Marvin Lewis’ tenure in Cincinnati.

Baltimore and Carolina will be in trouble against good teams

Starting the season 2-0 doesn’t guarantee anything, and that’s certainly true in the case of the Ravens and Panthers. The two teams were hit with a dose of reality Sunday, getting blown out because of offenses that might prevent them from contending for a playoff spot.

No one could’ve expected Baltimore to lose 44-7 to the Jaguars in London. Blake Bortles’ four-touchdown performance against what had been a dominant defense was shocking. Joe Flacco’s no touchdowns and two interceptions were not so surprising. The Ravens went to 2-0 on the strength of 10 forced turnovers, and they had no answers when their defense played poorly. Flacco has been one of the NFL’s worst starting quarterbacks ever since he won the Super Bowl in 2013. He ranks 31st in passer rating and 32nd in passing yards through three weeks. Baltimore will have a very hard time winning whenever they need to rely on their offense.

The same goes for the Panthers, who rank 29th with 15 points per game. Cam Newton played nothing like the quarterback that won the MVP award two years ago. He was intercepted three times and led Carolina to just 13 points against maybe the worst defense in the league Sunday. It's a troubling trend for Newton, who after ranking dead last in completion percentage a year ago hasn't been any better.

The NFL is still awesome

A lot has been made about the poor play in the NFL, dating back to last year. Following two weeks of largely noncompetitive games, Week 3 gave fans the excitement they had been missing.

It started with maybe the best “Thursday Night Football” game in history when the Rams and 49ers combined to score 80 points in a game that came down to the wire and featured some of the year’s best plays. Two of Sunday’s contests were decided in overtime, while the Eagles hit a 61-yard-field goal to beat the Giants as time expired. Tom Brady engineered a brilliant drive as the Patriots came from behind to beat the Texans in the final two minutes, and Matthew Stafford’s attempt at a game-winning drive ended less than a yard short in the final seconds of regulation.

Maybe each Sunday’s NFL games won’t always be as competitive as the college football games Saturday, but the quality of play is always much higher on the pro level, no matter the scores. With just seven teams sitting at either 3-0 or 0-3, blowouts shouldn't be the norm going forward.

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