The 2026 – 2027 NFL season reaches its third week with a slate that mixes the exotic and the classic. Eight teams remain undefeated, and this round begins to separate the real contenders from the early-season illusions.
But the image of the week is more than 7,000 kilometers from any American stadium: the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens will play at Rio de Janeiro’s mythical Maracanã Stadium, one of the most famous soccer temples on the planet, with a capacity of 78,838 fans.
Overview before the start of NFL Week 3
In the American Conference, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Las Vegas Raiders remain undefeated. In the National Conference, the Minnesota Vikings, the Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles are keeping a perfect record. The Niners also boast the best point differential in the entire league after allowing just 20 points in two games.
At the other end, six franchises are saddled with a 0-2 record: Miami Dolphins,Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts in the AFC; Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders in the NFC. The Falcons are the worst team in the league by point differential and head to Green Bay with the urgency of getting their first win on the board.
All Week 3 games: Schedule, where to watch, and game venue
Thursday, September 24
Green Bay Packers vs Atlanta Falcons
- Time: 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time (7:15 p.m. CET and 5:15 p.m. PT)
- Venue: Lambeau Field
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Sunday, September 27
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals
- Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (12:00 p.m. CET and 10:00 a.m. PT)
- Venue: Highmark Stadium
- Where to watch: CBS
Kansas City Chiefs vs Miami Dolphins
- Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (12:00 p.m. CET and 10:00 a.m. PT)
- Venue: Hard Rock Stadium
- Where to watch: CBS
Cleveland Browns vs Carolina Panthers
- Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (12:00 p.m. CET and 10:00 a.m. PT)
- Venue: Huntington Bank Field
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. CET and 10:00 a.m. PT)
Detroit Lions vs New York Jets
- Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (12:00 p.m. CET and 10:00 a.m. PT)
- Venue: Ford Field
- Where to watch: FOX
Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans
- Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (12:00 p.m. CET and 10:00 a.m. PT)
- Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
- Where to watch: CBS
Jacksonville Jaguars vs New England Patriots
- Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (12:00 p.m. CET and 10:00 a.m. PT)
- Venue: EverBank Stadium
- Where to watch: CBS
New York Giants vs Tennessee Titans
- Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (12:00 p.m. CET and 10:00 a.m. PT)
- Venue: Levi”s Stadium
- Where to watch: CBS
Washington Commanders vs Seattle Seahawks
- Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (12:00 p.m. CET and 10:00 a.m. PT)
- Venue: Northwest Stadium
- Where to watch: FOX
San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals
- Time: 4:05 p.m. ET (3:05 p.m. CET and 1:05 p.m. PT)
- Venue: Levi”s Stadium
- Where to watch: FOX
Minnesota Vikings vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Time: 4:05 p.m. ET (3:05 p.m. CET and 1:05 p.m. PT)
- Venue: Raymond James Stadium
- Where to watch: FOX
New Orleans Saints vs Las Vegas Raiders
- Time: 4:25 p.m. Eastern Time (3:25 p.m. CET and 1:25 p.m. PT)
- Venue: Maracana Stadium, Brazil
- Where to watch: FOX
Dallas Cowboys vs Baltimore Ravens
- Time: 4:25 p.m. ET (3:25 p.m. CET and 1:25 p.m. PT)
- Venue: Caesars Superdome
- Where to watch: CBS
Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Rams
- Time: 8:20 p.m. Eastern Time (7:20 p.m. CET and 5:20 p.m. PT)
- Venue: Empower Field at Mile High
- Where to watch: NBC
Monday, September 28
Philadelphia Eagles vs Chicago Bears
- Time: 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time (7:15 p.m. CET and 5:15 p.m. PT)
- Venue: Soldier Field
- Where to watch: ESPN and ABC
The game of the week: Cowboys vs Ravens at the Maracanã
Not every day does the NFL land in the stadium where World Cup finals have been played. Dallas and Baltimore headline the international game of the week in Rio de Janeiro, and both come in with identical 1-1 records.
The Ravens are in second place in the AFC North with 58 points scored—the most productive offense in their conference so far—although they have also allowed 47. The Cowboys, fourth in the NFC East despite their 1-1 record, also know how to step on the gas: they have 57 points for with a +9 differential.
Betting houses see an evenly matched clash with slight favoritism for the visitors: Baltimore appears with a 59.1% implied probability compared to Dallas’s 40.9%, and the spread moves around 3 points in favor of the Ravens. The total sits around 52.5 points, a high figure that reflects the offensive potential of both teams. In a neutral setting and under Rio’s sky, home-field advantage fades away completely: it will, in practice, be an open-field showdown.
Implications in the fight for the top
Week 3 is the first opportunity to thin the group of unbeaten teams. In the AFC West, the Chiefs (2-0) and Raiders (2-0) set the pace; Kansas City hosts a Miami team that is last in the AFC East at 0-2 with a painful -36 point differential, while Las Vegas visits a 1-1 Saints team. The market is emphatic about the Chiefs: an 84.4% implied probability of winning, with a nearly double-digit spread (-11.5).
In the AFC North, the hottest divisional showdown is on: Cincinnati (2-0), the undefeated leader, visits Pittsburgh (1-1). The Bengals are favored (62.8%) despite being on the road, with a low total (42.5) very typical of this rivalry.
In the NFC, San Francisco wants to extend its defensive dominance against Arizona, and Seattle —leader of the NFC West with only 17 points allowed in two games, the league’s best defense— visits a Washington team mired at 0-2. Minnesota, the conference leader, hosts a Tampa Bay team that has yet to win.
Danger zone
It’s still early to talk about relegation—there is none in the NFL—but the race to avoid the basement already has its main protagonists. The Atlanta Falcons (0-2, -38) and the Miami Dolphins (0-2, -36) are the two hardest-hit teams in the league, and both face Week 3 either on the road or against undefeated opponents: Atlanta at Green Bay, Miami at Kansas City. A third loss would leave them in a very difficult situation.
The Indianapolis Colts (0-2), bottom of the AFC South and with the most vulnerable defense in the conference (74 points allowed), have an early final at home against Houston — also 0-2: one of the two will finally get off the mark. Something similar is happening with Tennessee (0-2), which visits the 1-1 Giants.
Predictions for the top games of NFL Week 3
- Cowboys vs Ravens: a close, high-scoring matchup. Baltimore, a slight favorite, gets the win by less than one possession.
- Chiefs vs Dolphins: Kansas City, a heavy favorite, keeps its perfect home record.
- Steelers vs Bengals: Cincinnati withstands Pittsburgh’s home-field advantage and remains undefeated in a low-scoring game.
- Seahawks at Washington: with the best defense in the league, Seattle should improve to 3-0.
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