NFL Week 3 schedule rankings: Top 5 desperation games, from 0-2 Chiefs to Cowboys-Bears

Pressure in the NFL often involves a permutation of hot seats, cold weather, scoreboard watching and playoff implications. The middle of September feels a bit early for all of that — no one is eliminated after a Week 3 loss, of course — but several teams are beginning to back up toward the wall and into a corner. With another loss or two, some seasons would be unofficially tossed into the trash compactor.

Three different Super Bowl winners dug themselves out of an 0-2 hole. The 2007 New York Giants did it in truly improbable fashion. The 2001 New England Patriots used it to install the Tom Brady dynasty. And the 1993 Dallas Cowboys were only in that spot because of Emmitt Smith’s contract holdout. No team has won it all after an 0-3 start, though. Only four such teams have come back to reach the playoffs since 1990, and zero since the playoffs expanded in 2020, per TruMedia.

There is definitely a trace of urgency in this Sunday’s slate. Our recurring rankings piece will continue to sort the NFL weekend offerings by different criteria. Now, time for Week 3: Us Against the World, or, the matchups best defined by desperation.

Week 3 viewing guide

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In-market CBS and Fox games are available for free over the air. Out-of-market viewers can stream games with NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube TV. “Sunday Night Football” is free over the air on NBC and streams on Peacock.

A quick caveat before we jump in. We’re giving a break to the 0-2 teams that weren’t expected to compete this year, like the New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns. Nor are we putting too much pressure on those with injury replacements under center, like the Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets. No excuses for the following matchups, though:

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at New England Patriots (1-1)

Aaron Rodgers was vintage in his black-and-yellow opener. He finished that Meadowlands revenge lap at 22-of-30 passing, with 244 yards and four touchdowns against the Jets. Better yet, the Steelers put up 34 points and won the game. Last weekend’s home debut versus the Seattle Seahawks looked decidedly different — 18-for-33, plus two interceptions and an afternoon full of stalled-out drives. Rodgers has earned the benefit of the doubt as a four-time MVP; it’s also hard to avoid some skepticism given his age (41) and his last few years (awkward, if not bad).

There’s more to sort out beyond Rodgers. Pittsburgh has allowed seven sacks in its first two outings, and Mike Tomlin’s defense has been gashed for 30+ points each time … by Justin Fields and Sam Darnold. The Steelers need a get-right game to establish rhythm before the schedule gets tougher.

Mike Vrabel scored his first win as Pats head coach last weekend, outlasting the struggling Miami Dolphins in a strange South Beach marathon. Vrabel has been all about grinding it out since his playing days as a linebacker, and New England’s front office went big with a slew of defensive free-agent signings. Yet the team comes in ranked 28th in yards allowed per drive. The Patriots have been largely directionless since 2020, and they at least need to forge a culture and an identity this fall.

4. Atlanta Falcons (1-1) at Carolina Panthers (0-2)

The Falcons have won either seven or eight games in six of the last seven seasons, squandering a couple recent campaigns due to nonexistent pass rush and a shoddy secondary. But through two weeks this season, Atlanta has put out a strong defense (second in points allowed, third in takeaways, top 10 in rushing and passing yardage). Could this be the iteration that gets it together?

This time, however, the offense isn’t holding up. It’s early, but 21st in scoring won’t cut it, particularly given the top-10 draft capital spent at QB, RB, WR and TE since 2021. Now would be the right time to run up the scoreboard and accelerate the groove.

Atlanta’s host is under far more pressure, though. Bryce Young was the No. 1 pick in 2023, and he was infamously riding the pine less than a year ago. He did show promise in the second half of the season, and he finally has some coaching continuity with Dave Canales. Young still has time to build off that (especially with new No. 1 wideout Tetairoa McMillan in tow), but the window for leniency continues to narrow. Carolina hasn’t had a winning season since 2017, and it has already turned the ball over five times in its 0-2 start. Forget boos … the Panthers will be playing to empty Carolina blue seats if they can’t put together something that’s at least fun-adjacent.

3. Houston Texans (0-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1)

The Texans were completely stifled in their Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. There’s not a ton of shame in that — it was a road game, the Rams have a good defense and it was close until the end. The second L, however, was harder to swallow. Houston’s fans watched Baker Mayfield and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers stroll down the field and steal a win on “Monday Night Football,” to the shock of a national audience and the dismay of their usually jovial mascot.

Zoom out and it’s two losses to 2024 division winners, by a combined six points. That’s not exactly unforgivable. The issue is that the Texans just look flat. The offense still lacks imaginative play calling and any semblance of pass protection. Long drives end up with three (or zero) points, and the defense folds at inopportune times, like allowing Mayfield to scramble for a pivotal first down on fourth-and-10 in the final minute of MNF.

At least Houston has back-to-back AFC South titles. Since 2018, the Jags have one division championship (2022) compared to four last-place finishes. Liam Coen’s crew beat up on a meager Panthers team after an hour-long weather delay, then they blew a lead to the Joe Burrow-less Bengals as Coen and Trevor Lawrence briefly appeared frustrated with each other. Lawrence is 2-6 lifetime against the rival Texans, with more picks (nine) than total TDs (seven passing and one rushing). Coen, a first-time head coach, can’t install his quick-read offense without more from Lawrence, who’s still seeking consistency in his fifth pro season.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at New York Giants (0-2)

In the grand scheme of things, the Chiefs can’t feel too desperate. They’ve dropped one-score games to the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles, two very good teams.

Bigger picture, Patrick Mahomes has captained a dynastic, league-changing force, and Kansas City has won three of the last six Super Bowls. Wilder still, it has a decade-long streak of double-digit wins, which sounds fake. Andy Reid has secured his legacy as an all-time strategist, while Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones are bound for Canton. All that keeps them away from the No. 1 desperation spot this week.

But imagine the fervor if the reigning AFC champs start 0-3, with a prime-time loss to the Giants. The G-Men have been something of the anti-Chiefs across these past 10 years, with just one season of 10+ wins and one total playoff victory. New York was not expected to compete this year, but there is still a thicket of desperation around the franchise, especially coming off a gut-churning overtime loss in Dallas. Individually, Russell Wilson is fighting to author his NFL ending (he was magnificent last weekend), and the Brian Daboll-Joe Schoen duo is staving off a front office reckoning. It should be a tense “Sunday Night Football.”

1. Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears

Dallas is perpetually under pressure given its larger-than-life imagery. The waves are particularly strong in 2025, given the recent mediocrity and the headache that came with this month’s Micah Parsons trade. First-time NFL head coach Brian Schottenheimer needed a 64-yard miracle to help beat the Giants at home; otherwise he’d be facing an 0-2 start as well. The Cowboys have to keep pace with the Eagles and Washington Commanders, last year’s two NFC finalists, and they have a date with Parsons and the formidable Green Bay Packers next Sunday. A 1-3 start would be a lot of fodder for the haters.

And yet, that feels overshadowed by the Bears facing a potential 0-3 opening. New head coach Ben Johnson was heavily booed before his current team was rocked by his former one, the Detroit Lions. Second-year quarterback and recent No. 1 pick Caleb Williams has yet to satisfy one of the sport’s most intense fan bases. Williams is 5-14 as an NFL QB, and each successive loss will jell together into something quite discomfiting. Back-to-back divisional defeats is a deeply un-fun way to start 2025.

So, two rookie coaches tasked with leading ultra-popular franchises to quick turnarounds, facing off on the “America’s Game of the Week” slot. We hope everyone involved gets some breathwork in.

Updated Week 3 odds

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(Photo of Caleb Williams: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)