NFL Week 3's most underrated games: Why you should watch these three under-the-radar contests

A look at some of the less talked-about games you should be tuning into

Sep 25, 2026 at 10:38 am ET • 3 min read

I know it's only Week 3 of the NFL regular season, but does anyone else already feel like it's flying by? We've already seen so many highs and lows this year, and there are sure to be more of each this week.

There have been numerous significant injuries so far, with backup quarterbacks in all corners of the league needing to step in and step up. One of those quarterbacks will be highlighted in this week's edition of underrated games. 

Every week I look at some of the under-the-radar games I think are worth tuning into and why. Let's not waste any time and dive into this week's selections:

Raiders vs. Saints

Sunday, Sept. 27 at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount+

Are the Las Vegas Raiders this year's New England Patriots, going from one of the worst to one of the best? It's too early to tell, but just three weeks in, the Raiders have the chance to make history. Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins can join Kurt Warner as the only quarterback since 1950 with three-plus passing touchdowns in each of his first three starts.

If the Raiders defeat the New Orleans Saints, they would become just the third team in the past 20 years to start 3-0 after a season with three or fewer wins. The other two teams to do so were the 2006 Saints and 2013 Kansas City Chiefs, both with a new head coach and quarterback.

The Saints won't make it easy, however. They are coming off a 24-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens, consistently one of the top AFC teams in recent history. They narrowly lost to the Detroit Lions in Week 1 after coming back from three touchdowns down. It was an overtime battle that came down to a failed two-point conversion.

The Raiders haven't made the playoffs since 2021 and haven't advanced past one round since 2002. The Saints last made the playoffs in 2020. This could be the year one of these teams snaps that streak.

I think this game will be a big one in seeing whether these teams can keep improving their stock.

Titans vs. Giants

Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount+

The New York Giants suffered a significant loss to their offense last week, when quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending injury. The Giants started the season on a high, defeating the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, but came back down after the injury. 

The optimism around the Giants has diminished, but playing a team that is still ironing out issues could work in New York's favor. The Titans come in 0-2, losing to the New York Jets in Week 1 and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. A win this week would be a big morale booster in the Giants locker room and a confidence boost for Jameis Winston, who is now at the helm. 

Winston is famously a very up-and-down QB who struggles with turnovers. He has 156 touchdowns and 114 interceptions in his 12-year career, including one pick in last week's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. I am interested to see whether the Giants can take an easier opponent than their last two and use it for momentum, or if the Titans can get their first check in the win column.

Another thing that makes this matchup interesting is that former Giants head coach Brian Daboll is now with the Titans as the offensive coordinator.

Panthers vs. Browns

Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. ET on Fox Sports (Stream: Fubo, try for free)

The Cleveland Browns won last week, and for a team that historically doesn't do a lot of winning, you'd think that would be a good thing. However... the Browns winning last week could actually be the worst thing to happen to them, and if you want to read more on that, click here. 

The team was set to evaluate the quarterback position after two weeks, and much of Cleveland's fanbase is ready for the Deshaun Watson experiment to be over. The win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield pushed back the end of that experiment. 

The Carolina Panthers are also coming off a win, a 34-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Quarterback Bryce Young is tied for the league lead in touchdowns with six and is second in passing yards with 648.

I want to see where the Browns quarterback situation goes, as a bad game for Watson will have the fans calling even louder for a change. It will be a storyline to closely watch. I'm also curious to see how Young continues his touchdown streak. The Browns defense has allowed the third-most touchdowns this year (five) and could be one the former first-rounder could take advantage of.