This is the USA TODAY Sports NFL newsletter, 4th and Monday. If this newsletter isn’t already getting conveniently delivered to your inbox, click here to subscribe. USA TODAY Sports is now on Bluesky! Give us a follow for more of our NFL content.
Welcome to Week 3, which features two matchups between 2-0 teams …
➤ On tap for Thursday night: Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills — Hoo boy, this one could get ugly. Josh Allen and the Bills have scored 71 points through their first two games. The Dolphins’ milquetoast defense is allowing 33 points a game, and 13 of 15 offensive drives by opponents have resulted in points. The Bills have won 12 consecutive regular-season home games, the longest such streak in the NFL. Allen, meanwhile, is undefeated (7-0) in Thursday games.
➤ Game of the week: Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles — The Rams and Eagles are among 10 teams that have opened the season 2-0. In a legitimacy power rankings, the Eagles and Rams rank No. 3 and 5, respectively. Perhaps more notably, this is a rematch of last season’s NFC divisional playoff. And one might recall it was the Rams who gave the Eagles the tightest game in last season’s playoffs, with Philly hanging on for a 28-22 win en route to Super Bowl glory. Sean McVay will be coaching hurt in this one after suffering a torn plantar fascia during the Rams’ Week 2 win.
➤ Sneaky-good game of the week: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers — There’s a chance that Brock Purdy could be back for this matchup of 2-0 teams. Even so, the 49ers – who are without George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk – aren’t quite at full strength. That, however, does not diminish the importance of this early-season NFC West clash. With the Rams also at 2-0 entering Week 3, these are the type of divisional games that could have big ramifications down the line.
➤ Survivor Pool Game of the Week: Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns — The ‘pick whoever is playing the Browns’ strategy worked great last week, so we’re sticking to it. Vibes currently are great for the Packers, whose first two wins came against 2024 playoff teams. The Browns, meanwhile, already seemingly are steamrolling toward a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. (Previous survivor pool picks — Week 1: Broncos ; Week 2: Ravens .)
If you’re still alive in USA TODAY Sports’ survivor pool, make sure to make your Week 3 pick!
TNF BETTING LOCK
Josh Allen +340 to score 2+ touchdowns*. The reigning NFL MVP already has one game with two rushing touchdowns this season, so why not another in what is expected to be a blowout against the Dolphins? (The Bills are 12.5-point favorites*.) With two offensive touchdowns (passing, rushing and receiving combined) on ‘Thursday Night Football,’ Allen can become the fastest player to reach 300 career offensive touchdowns (including the postseason), surpassing Patrick Mahomes (126 to Mahomes’ 128 games).
*Odds per BetMGM (as of publication)
ONE BOLD PREDICTION
➤ Mike McDaniel is the first head coach to get fired. And it could happen after the Dolphins’ ‘Thursday Night Football’ game. It might seem a bit early for a head coach dismissal (Robert Salah was the first head coach fired in 2024, and it happened after Week 5), but the Dolphins’ 0-2 start has been brutal. No AFC team has allowed more points or has a worse point differential than Miami, which is less than ideal when you consider the eccentric McDaniel already was on the hot seat entering the season. A blowout defeat in front of a prime-time audience could be the final straw in Miami.
HOT READS
The best NFL reads from USA TODAY and our Sports Network:
While the top five of our updated NFL power rankings remained the same, one 2-0 team made a 15-spot advance.
There are 10 NFL teams off to a 2-0 start, but not all look like contenders. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz ranks those teams from most to least legitimate.
There are 10 NFL teams off to the dreaded 0-2 start, and nearly 88% of teams that have started that way since 1990 have missed postseason. (So, you’re telling me there’s a chance!) Nate Davis ranks the winless teams based on playoff viability.
The booming noise around the Dolphins’ abysmal start will only get louder with nationally televised matchups in the next two weeks, Safid Deen writes.
Patrick Mahomes leads all NFL quarterbacks in rushing yards. Jarrett Bell writes that this is not a good thing.
With injuries hitting key NFL quarterbacks, how’s your backup situation? Nate Davis ranked them all.
Tom Brady made some waves Monday night when ESPN cameras showed the former NFL QB and current FOX analyst in the Raiders’ coaches’ box. Chris Bumbaca breaks down what we know about Brady’s involvement with the Raiders and how that affects his broadcasting, while Nancy Armour writes how Brady continues to cause the NFL headaches even a decade after Deflategate.
FANTASY ESSENTIALS
We’re just two weeks into the 2025 NFL season, but injuries already are starting to take a toll … especially at quarterback. As always, we’re here to help you navigate through the ups and downs of the fantasy football season.
Week 3 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | Kickers | Defense/special teams
NFL DRAFT PROSPECT TO WATCH
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (vs. Illinois, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock) — This is not your older brother’s Illinois-Indiana matchup between Big Ten cellar-dwellers. This is a No. 8 (Fighting Illini) vs. No. 17 (Hoosiers) showdown on national television with possible College Football Playoff ramifications. We’re going to keep close tabs on Indiana’s quarterback. Mendoza currently is one of four quarterbacks projected to be selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, per Draft Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports Network.
ON THIS DAY IN NFL HISTORY
On Sept. 18, 2016, an NFL game was played in Los Angeles for the first time since 1994. The game itself wasn’t all that memorable (a 9-3 win for the Rams over the Seattle Seahawks), and the Rams were embarking on a forgettable 4-12 campaign in which head coach Jeff Fisher would get fired.
Before returning to L.A. for the 2016 season, the Rams played 21 seasons in St. Louis (appearing in two Super Bowls and winning one) after 49 seasons in Los Angeles (counting the 15 years in Anaheim). The Rams – who have appeared in two more Super Bowls, winning one since returning to Los Angeles – played four seasons in the historic L.A. Memorial Coliseum before moving into SoFi Stadium in 2020.
If you enjoy reading 4th and Monday , encourage your football fan friends to subscribe . Follow the writer of this newsletter on social media @jimreineking and drop a line if you want to talk some football .