NFL
Saints (1-2) vs. Dolphins (1-1)
TV: Sunday, 9:30 a.m., Wembley Stadium, London, England (Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis, Pam Oliver)
The matchup: New Orleans turned the tables on the previously unbeaten Carolina Panthers 34-13, then caught a team charter to play the Dolphins in England. The Saints much-maligned defense badly exposed Panthers QB Cam Newton (four sacks, three interceptions. ... Miami is coming off an inexplicable wire-to-wire 20-6 loss at the New York Jets, who had yielded the most points (66) coming in. Dolphins QB Jay Cutler hopes to feast on a patchwork Saints secondary that overcame the loss of CBs rookie Marshon Lattimore (concussion) and Sterling Moore (chest).
Titans (2-1) at Texans (1-2)
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS ( Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon)
The matchup: One of the big battles in this one will be along the front lines. Last season Texans DE Jadaveon Clowney had a sack in Houston’s 27-20 win over Tennessee. But dominating LT Taylor Lewan and the Titans’ offensive line has allowed only two sacks through three games. ... Houston was 23 seconds away from pulling off an upset at New England, but Tom Brady’s five TD passes handed the Texans a 36-33 loss. The Patriots loss won’t sting as much if the Texans can win an AFC South battle this week. They are 8-2 against the Titans in their last 10 meetings.
Jaguars (2-1) at Jets (1-2)
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Andrew Catalon, James Lofton)
The matchup: The Jaguars won in London for the third year in a row, torching the Ravens 44-7 as QB Blake Bortles played one of the best games of his career, throwing four TDs and no interceptions. The last time the Jaguars were 2-1 was in 2007, their last trip to the playoffs. ... If the Jets’ secondary doesn’t keep an extra eye on Jaguars’ 6-6 TE Marcedes Lewis (3 TD catches last week), expect Bortles to continue to exploit Lewis’ mismatches in the red zone.
Panthers (2-1) at Patriots (2-1)
Sunday, 1, Fox (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews)
The matchup: Newton continues to feel the rust from offseason surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right (throwing) shoulder. He has four picks and three fumbles and has been out of sync with his receivers. Through three games, the Panthers offense has three TDs and eight FGs. Newton might be without WR Kelvin Benjamin, who injured his knee last week and didn’t return. ... For a record eighth time, Pats QB Tom Brady threw a game-winning TD pass in the final minute as New England avoided a 1-2 start. But the Pats’ patched-up defense yielded 426 yards to the Texans.
Lions (2-1) at Vikings (2-1)
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman, Peter Schrager) The matchup: What appeared to be the 30th fourth- quarter/overtime comeback of QB Matthew Stafford’s career, a would-be TD pass to Golden Tate was overturned on replay, leaving the Lions and their fans in disbelief. The Lions have seven INTs so far, second in the NFL and three fewer than all last season. With Vikings lockdown CB Xavier Rhodes likely to stay with Tate outside, it could be a big week for WR Marvin Jones and TE Eric Ebron. ... Vikings backup QB Case Keenum threw for 369 yards and three TDs in win vs. Tampa Bay and will start again with Sam Bradford (knee) out for another week. It’s been nearly a year since the Vikings have won consecutive games.
Bills (2-1) at Falcons (3-0)
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Jamie Erdahl)
The matchup: After a week of listening to critics clamor for him to be replaced by rookie QB Nathan Peterman, Tyrod Taylor completed a career-best 76.9% of his passes for two TDs in a 26-16 upset of the Denver Broncos. RB LeShon McCoy has averaged 1.15 yards per carry the last two games (30 yards on 26 carries). ... The showdown in this one pits Falcons QB Matt Ryan vs. Bills DBs. Ryan’s’s nine-game streak without an INT ended with three picks by Lions. Bills CBs E.J. Gaines and Tre’Davious White and safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde have not allowed a TD pass this season. Something has to give.
Steelers (2-1) at Ravens (2-1)
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts, Evan Washburn)
The matchup: After sitting out training camp because of a contract dispute, Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell is running his way back into shape and the Steelers have been forcing him the ball. Two offensive linemen were injured during last week’s loss at Chicago, which complicated things for Bell and QB Ben Roethlisberger, but the offense needs to be better. ... The Ravens went to London last week and were flattened by Jacksonville. QB Joe Flacco threw for a careerlow 28 yards and had a passer rating of 12, also a career worst. Flacco needs some early completions and success down the field for the offense to get some confidence.
Bengals (0-3) at Browns (0-3)
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta)
The matchup: The Bengals finally scored their first TDs of the season last week, but ran out of gas and lost at Green Bay in OT. WR A.J. Green had a big game and should see the opportunity to do it again vs. a shaky Browns secondary. The Bengals turned in their best pass-rushing game of the season against Aaron Rodgers. ... After two solid defensive showings, the Browns gave up a bunch of big plays in a loss last week at Indianapolis. Rookie DeShone Kizer has been impressive enough to make the Browns think he eventually can be a franchise quarterback. The Browns expect No. 1 overall pick DE Myles Garrett to make his NFL debut three weeks after a high ankle sprain. Garrett was disruptive in the preseason and can boost pass rush vs. Cincinnati’s struggling new tackles.
Rams (2-1) at Cowboys (2-1)
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin)
The matchup: Los Angeles has scored more than 40 points in two of its three games. For a team that ranked last in the NFL in scoring last season at 14 points a game, that’s enormous progress. QB Jared Goff ’s maturation seems to be coming along nicely, and the Rams offense has been following his lead. ... The Cowboys’ secondary has been thinned by injuries to CBs Nolan Carroll and Chidobe Awuzie, which is a matter of concern as they face speedy Rams WRs Sammy Watkins and WR Robert Woods.
Eagles (2-1) at Chargers (0-3)
TV: Sunday, 4:05, Fox (Dick Stockton, Mark Schlereth, Shannon Spake)
The matchup: The challenge facing Eagles coach Doug Pederson is bringing his team back down to earth after its improbable 27-24 win vs. the New York Giants, thanks to a club-record
61-yard field goal by rookie K Jake Elliott as time expired. ... The Chargers find themselves 0-3 for the first time since 2003, and only three teams that started 0-3 have reached the postseason since the league went to 12 playoff teams in 1990, including the
1992 Chargers, who opened 0-4. ... Look for the matchup between Eagles LT Jason Peters and Chargers DE Melvin Ingram. Peters is a top blind-side tackle, while Ingram leads the NFL with 51⁄ 2 sacks.
Giants (0-3) at Buccaneers (1-1)
TV: Sunday, 4:05, Fox (Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber, Tiki Barber and Kristina Pink)
The matchup: It could be time for the Giants to panic after last week’s last-second loss at Philadelphia. The odds of a team making the playoffs after opening 0-3 are minuscule. The good news is the Giants offense finally showed its potential with a 24point fourth quarter, triggered by WR Odell Beckham Jr. ... The Bucs put little defensive pressure on Vikings backup QB Case Keenum and were torched repeatedly, while the list of injured defenders continues to grow. After their most recent loss, LB Lavonte David was on crutches, DT Gerald McCoy was in a walking boot and DEs Noah Spence and Robert Ayers, CBs Vernon Hargreaves, Ryan Smith and Brent Grimes, LB Kwon Alexander and DT Chris Baker all were affected.
49ers (0-3) at Cardinals (1-2)
TV: Sunday, 4:05, Fox (Sam Rosen, David Diehl, Jennifer Hale)
The matchup: There are signs the Kyle Shanahan era in San Francisco is headed in a different direction than its predecessors. The 49ers followed a defensive battle in Seattle with an offensive outburst last week. One common thread was RB Carlos Hyde, who shredded the Seahawks’ run defense with two long bursts and scored two TDs vs. the Rams. But the 49ers have allowed 122 points (30.5 per game) while losing their last four meetings with Arizona. ... Since RB David Johnson’s injury, the Cardinals have had myriad issues with an offense that used to be among the NFL’s best. RB Chris Johnson, 32, was re-signed to take over but was held to 17 yards on 12 carries by the Cowboys.
Raiders (2-1) at Broncos (2-1)
TV: Sunday, 4:25, CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
The matchup: This is a rebound game for both teams. On Monday, the Raiders were outclassed in a 27-10 loss at Washington. Their longest possession was 2:48, and they had five possessions of three plays and four of four plays. The Raiders had shown promise the first two weeks before the ground game was shut down by the Redskins. ... The combined passer rating of Raiders QB Derek Carr and Broncos QB Trevor Siemian last week was 111.1. They combined to get sacked seven times and intercepted four times. Broncos CBs Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. routinely shut down receivers, and will try to stop Raiders WRs Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree.
Colts (1-2) at Seahawks (1-2)
TV: Sunday, 8:30, NBC (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya)
The matchup: Having held off Cleveland to prove that they’re not the NFL’s worst team, the Colts may be reminded this week that they’re far from the best. This could be the Colts’ final start before QB Andrew Luck’s return. CB Vontae Davis (groin), however, is expected back back after missing the first three games. He’ll try to slow WR Doug Baldwin, Seattle’s best offensive weapon. The Seahawks are prime-time warriors. They have beaten their last three prime-time foes by a combined score of 90-16.
Redskins (2-1) at Chiefs (3-0)
TV: Monday, 8:30, ESPN (Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden)
The matchup: The big questions about the Redskins — QB Kirk Cousins playing his second season on a franchise tender, and the reformulated receiving corps — seem smaller after they dominated the Raiders Sunday night. The matchup to watch here is Redskins CB Josh Norman vs. Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill, who had five receptions for 77 yards and a 30-yard TD in Kansas City’s win vs. the Chargers.. The Chiefs have struggled offensively, but one bright spot is rookie RB Kareem Hunt, whose 538 yards is the second-highest total by a first-year player in league history through three games of an NFL career.