Winners, losers from Bills-Jaguars, Commanders-Bengals doubleheader
One Monday Night Football game delivered, the other...not at all.
Week 3 concluded with a doubleheader , starting with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills demolishing Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars at home 47-10. Buffalo led 34-3 at the half and never looked back as Jacksonville remained winless on the season.
In the second game, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals looked to avoid a 0-3 start at home, but were stunned by rookie Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders , who won 38-33 in a thriller.
Let's analyze the two games further with winners and losers:
WINNER: Damar Hamlin, Bills
After suffering a cardiac arrest and collapsing on the field in a Monday night game in January 2023, Bills safety Hamlin had a full-circle moment as he recorded his first career interception on the same platform.
In the second quarter with Buffalo up 20-3, Lawrence's play-action fake ended up in an overthrow, which fell right into Hamlin's hands.
Hamlin has been a starter at safety since Week 1 for Buffalo, and he's gradually paying back that faith.
LOSER: Bengals' defenseWhile Burrow and Co. will get the headlines for the loss, there wasn't much more they could do with the defense getting enough stops. Ditto for Washington, but its offense took advantage early on and didn't let Cincinnati grab the lead.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor will be more under pressure now to potentially make changes on that side of the ball.
Burrow finished the game with 29 of 38 completions for 324 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. Chase Brown (62) and Zach Moss (58) combined for 120 rushing yards, while Ja'Marr Chase had his best game of the season with six catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
It all went to waste, but the schedule lightens up a bit. Cincinnati's next four games are away to Carolina, home to Baltimore , away to the New York Giants then at Cleveland. A potential 3-1 stretch would put the Bengals back in the conversation, but the Ravens game will loom large to test their mettle.
WINNER: Jayden Daniels, Commanders announce arrivalDaniels has arrived. Washington's No. 2 overall pick broke out on the big stage and led his side to a commanding win, not on the scoreboard but impact wise.
He threw for 254 yards on 21 of 23 completions, two touchdowns and no picks while adding 39 rushing yards on 12 tries and a touchdown. The Heisman winner oozed confidence and composure in his first NFL primetime game, which also came on the road.
The Commanders made intriguing moves all throughout the offseason, but it wouldn't have mattered if the QB play didn't follow suit. At 2-1 through the first three games, things look bright for Daniels and Co. under head coach Dan Quinn, but they'll have to prove their legitimacy during this next stretch.
Washington's next four games are at Arizona, home to Cleveland, at Baltimore and back home versus Carolina. The Commanders entered the season with unknown expectations, but that'll change depending on how their record looks in a few weeks time.
