Flawless Five Bring Mixed Bag to Field Through NFL’s First Three Weeks

Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills hands the ball off to Curtis Samuel #1 during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Sept. 23, 2024. Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images

The Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs are walking the walk, while the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks are on a trip through Fantasyland three weeks into the NFL season.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen is thriving, Steelers signal caller Justin Fields is growing—if not throwing—himself into his starting role, and the “flawless five” teams have the kind of defense that can sustain a strong playoff run.

Here’s how the best and worst records look after Week 3:

Buffalo Bills

Allen, whose nickname should be “QuarterBeast” because of the way he punishes would-be tacklers at 6-foot-5, 237 pounds, has repeatedly delivered subtle shots at departed wideout Stefon Diggs. The dynamic receiver is now with the Houston Texans but Allen’s numbers look better since Diggs’s departure, perhaps because Diggs isn’t around to squawk about his lack of targets.

Allen has pointed to a collective selflessness among pass catchers as the reason for his success.

“It’s paying dividends of what we’ve worked on throughout the entire offseason and through training camp—‘the everybody eats mentality,’” Allen said during his media availability after Monday’s 47-10 demolition of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“And again, it could be your play this play—you never know when it’s going to happen, and that’s the beauty of it. When guys buy into this and really understand, ‘I may not get the ball four or five times thrown to me in a game, but the one or two times I do, I’m going to have opportunities to be in the end zone.’

“It’s a fun and wonderful thing when you have a bunch of guys who don’t care about the stats, they don’t care about the touchdowns.”

QuarterBeast is moving to the front of the early MVP line, leading the NFL in ESPN’s adjusted total quarterback rating (QBR) at 92.6 out of 100, while the Bills defense is ranked eighth, according to FOX Sports.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The two-touchdown Steelers are a defensive team that Fields, a castoff from the Chicago Bears, is managing well. Fields has passed for two touchdowns and the defense has allowed just two touchdowns through Week 3.

Fields doesn’t have great numbers, down at 21 among the 31 QBs listed in QBR. But while his stats aren’t dropping jaws, he’s dropping dimes when he needs to make plays. Fields is sixth in the league in completion percentage at 73.3 and has tossed just one interception.

On the other side of the ball, edge rusher T.J. Watt is anchoring a defense that might be reminding Pittsburgh fans of the “Steel Curtain” of the 1970s. The current version of the defense resembles a “Steel Wall.” It is ranked No. 1 in the NFL, allowing an average of just 229.7 yards per game, suffocating opponents along the way.

Minnesota Vikings

Surprising QB Sam Darnold is either a late bloomer or a peg finally placed in the appropriate hole. The New York Jets 2018 first-round pick is making the Vikings look like a playoff contender. He’s fifth in QBR at 73.5 and has eight TD passes. But the biggest area of growth for him is the fact that he’s no longer treating the ball like a stalker—trying to get rid of it—and has just two picks.

Darnold is a player who entered the season with 63 career TD passes and 56 interceptions in 66 games.

The Vikes are in the middle of the pack on defense and that might cost them eventually. But Darnold is showing the potential that so many saw in him when he was at USC. Too bad he’s on his fourth team in as many years.

Kansas City Chiefs

The two-time defending champions have stumbled through the first three weeks looking more like a boxer with an iron chin. They’re handling everyone’s best shots.

The Chiefs are the poster team for the saying, “There are no ugly wins in the NFL.” They’ve taken some punches from all three of their opponents and managed to wriggle away from the loss column each time. That luck will probably end when we least expect it.

Seattle Seahawks

Quarterback Geno Smith is still proving doubters wrong, and it doesn’t matter that the latest win came against the rudderless Miami Dolphins, whose top QB Tua Tagovailoa is out indefinitely with another concussion.

But the Seahawks are a defensive team and have beaten the Denver Broncos (struggling rookie quarterback), the New England Patriots (replacement-level QB) and the above-mentioned Dolphins. Their 3-0 record is like Swiss cheese—enough holes to see what’s on the other side of the room.

Worse Than Winless

Meanwhile, the three winless losers have more problems than just a pile of Ls.

The Jaguars seem more like the oft-malfunctioning automobile than the ferocious feline found in the wild. QB Trevor Lawrence looks like his QBR ranking of 16 is too high. The defense is ranked 26th and the team’s point differential is minus-45. Another loss this week could trigger change in the organization.

The Tennessee Titans have been almost as bad as Jacksonville. QB Will Levis has been more meme-worthy than game manager—because of some bumbling decisions—and has five picks to go with 15 sacks taken.

The winless Cincinnati Bengals, who appear to have the best roster and coach among the winless, are having trouble stopping teams. But their point differential is just minus-12, and QB Joe Burrow is seventh in QBR. They are proof that it’s challenging to play past offseason turmoil and injuries that just might keep the Bengals toothless for a while.