Chairshot NFL News Report (9/28/2026): Ravens Win in Rio, Mariota Stuns Seattle & Mayfield Hurt

Baltimore wins a thriller in Rio, Marcus Mariota lifts Washington and Baker Mayfield suffers a dislocated thumb in a busy Week 3 Sunday.

Week 3 delivered close finishes, major injuries and another reminder that September records can change direction quickly.

Baltimore escaped Rio de Janeiro on a 56-yard field goal as time expired, Marcus Mariota delivered three touchdown passes while filling in for Jayden Daniels and Denver flipped Sunday Night Football with a fourth-quarter defensive touchdown. The injury list also grew considerably, with Baker Mayfield suffering a dislocated thumb and Justin Jefferson, Breece Hall and De’Von Achane all leaving their games.

It’s the Chairshot NFL News Report for September 28, 2026!

Ravens Escape Rio on 56-Yard Walk-Off Field Goal

Baltimore Ravens 34, Dallas Cowboys 31

Baltimore and Dallas gave the NFL exactly the kind of game it wanted for the league’s first regular-season visit to Rio de Janeiro. Tyler Loop kicked a 56-yard field goal as time expired to give the Ravens a 34-31 victory after Dallas had erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.

The Cowboys appeared to have forced overtime when Brandon Aubrey connected from 64 yards with six seconds remaining. A penalty on the ensuing kickoff gave Baltimore one final opportunity, however, and Lamar Jackson connected with Zay Flowers for 27 yards to move the Ravens into position for Loop’s winning kick.

Jackson finished 25-of-30 for 292 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 42 yards and another score. Dak Prescott threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns as Dallas produced a comeback that ultimately fell one play short.

The result moves Baltimore to 2-1 and drops Dallas to 1-2, but the larger takeaway is how narrow the difference was. Dallas entered Brazil without several defensive contributors and still pushed Baltimore to the final second, while the Ravens found enough offense late to avoid turning an international showcase into their second loss in three games.

Mariota Delivers While Daniels Watches

Washington Commanders 33, Seattle Seahawks 31

Washington needed Marcus Mariota to stabilize the quarterback position while Jayden Daniels recovers from his dislocated elbow. Mariota did considerably more than that Sunday, throwing three touchdown passes as the Commanders handed Seattle its first loss of the season.

The biggest defensive play came late in the fourth quarter when rookie linebacker Kain Medrano intercepted Sam Darnold and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. Seattle still had an opportunity to respond, but Washington survived the finish and improved to 1-2.

Mariota’s performance changes the immediate pressure surrounding Daniels’ recovery. Washington has already decided against placing its starting quarterback on injured reserve, and winning with Mariota means there is less reason to accelerate Daniels’ return simply because the standings demand it.

Darnold returned after missing Week 2 and immediately stepped back into a competitive game, but Seattle could not protect its 2-0 start. The Seahawks have now seen both sides of their quarterback depth in consecutive weeks: Drew Lock helped them win without Darnold, while Washington showed how valuable a veteran backup can be when the starter is unavailable.

Baker Mayfield Suffers Dislocated Thumb

Minnesota Vikings 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16

Tampa Bay’s 0-3 start became even more concerning late Sunday when Baker Mayfield suffered a dislocated right thumb during the Buccaneers’ loss to Minnesota. Mayfield was injured late in the fourth quarter and was replaced by Joe Milton III.

The initial diagnosis creates an obvious question about Mayfield’s availability moving forward, but Tampa Bay will need additional evaluation before establishing a timetable. The Buccaneers have already fallen three games below .500, making any extended absence particularly damaging.

Minnesota also lost one of its most important offensive players. Justin Jefferson suffered an ankle injury early in the game and did not return, forcing the Vikings to play most of the afternoon without their star receiver.

Minnesota still improved to 3-0, which gives the Vikings considerably more room to handle whatever Jefferson’s evaluation reveals. Tampa Bay does not have the same luxury with Mayfield after opening the season with three consecutive losses.

49ers Stay Perfect Without Nick Bosa

San Francisco 49ers 36, Arizona Cardinals 30

San Francisco’s first game without Nick Bosa became much more difficult than its first two games with him, but the result remained the same. Brock Purdy threw four touchdown passes as the 49ers survived Arizona 36-30 and moved to 3-0.

George Kittle caught two of Purdy’s touchdown passes as San Francisco generated enough offense to overcome an Arizona comeback attempt. The Cardinals fell to 1-2 after pushing the unbeaten 49ers into a four-quarter divisional game.

Bosa’s calf injury is expected to keep him out for multiple weeks, so Sunday represented the first look at how San Francisco will compensate for losing its best pass rusher. The defense was considerably less dominant than it had been through the opening two games, but Purdy and the offense gave the 49ers enough margin to survive.

That may become the formula temporarily. San Francisco does not need to replace Bosa with one player, but it may need the offense to carry a larger share of the weekly burden until the defensive front gets healthier.

Broncos Flip Sunday Night Football Late

Denver Broncos 30, Los Angeles Rams 26

The Rams appeared positioned to leave Denver with a road victory before the Broncos’ defense changed the game in the fourth quarter. Denver returned an interception for a touchdown to erase a 26-23 deficit, then intercepted Matthew Stafford again on the final play to preserve a 30-26 victory.

Los Angeles played without Puka Nacua for a second consecutive week, but the offense still generated enough production to carry a late lead. The difference was Denver’s ability to turn Stafford’s fourth-quarter mistakes directly into points and then finish the game with another takeaway.

Denver improves to 2-1 after winning for the second consecutive week, while Los Angeles falls to 1-2. The Rams have demonstrated that they can generate offense without Nacua, but Sunday showed the smaller margin for error that exists when one of the league’s best receivers is unavailable.

Nacua is expected to have a chance to return next week against Philadelphia. Getting him back becomes even more important after a game in which Los Angeles was close enough to win but could not overcome its late turnovers.

Jaguars Hammer Defending AFC Champions

Jacksonville Jaguars 35, New England Patriots 6

Jacksonville delivered one of Sunday’s most convincing performances by overwhelming New England 35-6. Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdown passes without an interception as the Jaguars improved to 2-1 and bounced back emphatically from their Week 2 loss in Denver.

The Jaguars forced three turnovers, including Travis Hunter’s first NFL interception and a Jarrian Jones interception that immediately set up a touchdown. Jacksonville converted all five of its red-zone possessions into touchdowns and controlled the game after taking a 14-3 halftime lead.

Drake Maye finished 14-of-25 for 199 yards with two interceptions and also lost a fumble. New England had entered Sunday following an impressive defensive performance against Pittsburgh, but Jacksonville forced the Patriots into the kind of offensive mistakes that erased any chance of staying competitive.

Lawrence also moved past Blake Bortles into second place on Jacksonville’s career touchdown-pass list. More importantly for the current season, the Jaguars are 2-1 and have won 10 of their last 11 regular-season games dating back to last year.

Chiefs Handle Miami, Achane Leaves Injured

Kansas City Chiefs 24, Miami Dolphins 10

Kansas City moved to 3-0 by controlling Miami 24-10, with Patrick Mahomes and Kenneth Walker III again providing the center of the Chiefs’ offense. Walker scored on both a 10-yard run and a five-yard shovel pass from Mahomes, while Kansas City’s defense kept Miami from finding any sustained rhythm.

The Dolphins also lost De’Von Achane to a knee injury during the game. Achane was ruled out for the remainder of the afternoon, adding another concern for a Miami team that dropped to 0-3.

Kansas City’s opening three weeks have not all looked the same, which may be the more important point. The Chiefs won a high-scoring overtime game against Indianapolis last week and followed it by holding Miami to 10 points on the road.

Three weeks into the season, Kansas City remains unbeaten without needing the same formula every Sunday.

Breece Hall Leaves Jets Loss With Thigh Injury

Detroit Lions 31, New York Jets 24

Detroit survived its depleted secondary and beat the Jets 31-24, but New York left with an additional concern after Breece Hall suffered a thigh injury on the opening drive and was unable to return.

The Jets entered Sunday already without Kene Nwangwu, leaving their running-back depth tested almost immediately. Hall’s status now becomes one of the more important injury situations to monitor early in the week.

Detroit improved to 2-1 despite entering the game with multiple safeties unavailable. The Lions did not solve every defensive problem created by those injuries, but they did enough to prevent a second consecutive loss after allowing 41 points to Buffalo in Week 2.

For New York, the issue is now both the 1-2 record and the possibility of losing one of its most important offensive players. Hall’s evaluation will determine how significant that problem becomes.

Case Keenum Gets Monday Night Football Start

Chicago’s quarterback question finally has an answer. Case Keenum is expected to start Monday night against Philadelphia even though Tyson Bagent has cleared the concussion protocol and will be available as the backup.

Caleb Williams was already ruled out because of the Grade 1 hamstring strain he suffered against Minnesota. Bagent’s clearance gave Chicago another option, but the Bears will instead turn to the 14-year veteran against the Eagles.

Philadelphia enters at 2-0 while Chicago is 1-1, making the quarterback disparity one of the defining elements of the final game of Week 3. The Bears do not need Keenum to become something he has never been, but they do need him to keep the offense functional against a Philadelphia team that has already shown it can win different kinds of games.

Monday Night Football

• Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears — 8:15 PM ET

Week 3 Sunday Scoreboard

• Kansas City Chiefs 24, Miami Dolphins 10
• Cleveland Browns 21, Carolina Panthers 18
• New York Giants 12, Tennessee Titans 7
• Jacksonville Jaguars 35, New England Patriots 6
• Buffalo Bills 24, Los Angeles Chargers 16
• Detroit Lions 31, New York Jets 24
• Indianapolis Colts 19, Houston Texans 17
• Washington Commanders 33, Seattle Seahawks 31
• Pittsburgh Steelers 30, Cincinnati Bengals 27
• San Francisco 49ers 36, Arizona Cardinals 30
• Minnesota Vikings 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16
• Las Vegas Raiders 35, New Orleans Saints 27
• Baltimore Ravens 34, Dallas Cowboys 31
• Denver Broncos 30, Los Angeles Rams 26

Week 3 produced enough results to begin separating early noise from actual problems. San Francisco, Kansas City and Minnesota are all 3-0, while Tampa Bay and Miami now sit at 0-3 with potentially significant injuries added to already difficult starts.

Washington discovered that Mariota can keep the offense moving while Daniels recovers, Baltimore survived one of the weekend’s most dramatic finishes and Jacksonville responded to its first loss by overwhelming the defending AFC champions.

The standings matter more now because the injuries are beginning to matter with them. Mayfield, Jefferson, Hall and Achane all enter Monday needing further evaluation, and what those tests reveal could shape Week 4 every bit as much as Sunday’s final scores did.

This report includes information from: NFL.com, Reuters.com, ESPN.com, BaltimoreRavens.com, DallasCowboys.com, Jaguars.com, 49ers.com, Rams.com, Broncos.com, Chiefs.com, Commanders.com, Seahawks.com, ChicagoBears.com, PhiladelphiaEagles.com and official NFL game and injury reports.