To quote the great Bill Parcells: You are what your record says you are.
asserted
you → quote → what
Who would’ve thought that would be the case when the season started?
asserted
season → think → ?
Three weeks is enough to stop acting like the results are flukes and wonder how the Raiders stack up against more familiar unbeatens like the Bills, 49ers and Chiefs.
asserted
Raiders → stop → Bills
… and wonder how the Texans — and, to a lesser degree, the Buccaneers and Chargers — share a record with the Dolphins and Titans.
asserted
Texans → wonder → Dolphins
Buffalo overcame a 10-point deficit and a sloppy performance (five turnovers) to beat the Chargers 24-16 when Josh Allen and James Cook III scored fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns.
asserted
Allen → overcome → touchdowns
C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s fourth-quarter interception at the goal line and a late fourth-down stop highlighted a defense-driven victory.
asserted
interception → highlight → victory
49ers 3-0 (2)
Brock Purdy threw four touchdown passes, including one on a hook-and-ladder with Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel Sr., to fuel a 36-30 victory against the Cardinals.
asserted
Purdy → throw → Cardinals
San Francisco led by as many as 17 but was ahead by just two before Purdy hit George Kittle for a 20-yard touchdown with 91 seconds to go.
asserted
Purdy → lead → seconds
Evans and left tackle Trent Williams were banged up.
asserted
Evans → bang → ?
Kenneth Walker III continued his fast start with his new team by scoring on the ground and through the air in a 24-10 victory against hapless Miami.
asserted
III → continue → Miami
Patrick Mahomes threw for 246 yards and a second touchdown — to Travis Kelce — to put the game out of reach with 2:55 remaining.
asserted
2:55 → throw → reach
Rashee Rice had seven catches for 88 yards.
asserted
Rice → have → yards
A 30-point, second-half outburst, including a pair of two-point conversions and a defensive touchdown, after getting blanked in the first half led to a stirring 30-26 win against the Rams.
asserted
outburst → include → Rams
Talanoa Hufanga had two interceptions — a pick-six and the game-ender — in the final five minutes, and Bo Nix’s third total touchdown was a quarterback sneak over the top of the pile at the goal line.
asserted
touchdown → have → line
Vikings 3-0 (10)
Kyler Murray threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison in his first full game of the season, a 23-16 victory over the Buccaneers.
asserted
Murray → throw → Buccaneers
Addison stepped up with Justin Jefferson sidelined after the first quarter.
asserted
Jefferson → step → quarter
The special teams were excellent: Miles Price had an 86-yard punt return touchdown and Will Reichard drilled three field goals, including kicks from 54 and 56 yards.
asserted
Reichard → have → yards
Third-stringer Case Keenum threw two touchdown passes — and had a third taken away by replay — and ran for a score to beat the Eagles 27-7 while making his first start in nearly three years.
asserted
third → throw → years
Dillon Thieneman’s end-zone interception of Andy Dalton as he took a few snaps for Jalen Hurts was a game-changer.
asserted
he → take → Hurts
T.J. Edwards added an interception and dropped a second.
7.
asserted
Edwards → add → 7
Sam Darnold’s pick-six with less than four minutes to play was the straw that broke a 12-game winning streak in a 33-31 loss to the Commanders.
asserted
that → play → Commanders
Darnold finished with four touchdown passes — two to Jaxon Smith-Njigba — and two interceptions in his return from missing seven quarters.
asserted
Darnold → finish → quarters
The vaunted defense allowed two late third-down conversions as the clock ran out.
asserted
clock → allow → conversions
The thriller in Brazil ended on a seven-second drive that saw Lamar Jackson hit Zay Flowers for a for a 27-yard completion and Tyler Loop connect on a walk-off 56-yard field goal in a 34-31 win over the Cowboys.
asserted
Loop → end → Cowboys
The defense held late on first-and-goal from the 2-yard line.
asserted
defense → hold → line
Derrick Henry ran for two touchdowns and moved into No. 9 all-time in rushing yards.
9.
asserted
Henry → run → 9
The Rams suffered their largest blown halftime lead (16) points since 2001 in the loss to the Broncos.
asserted
Rams → suffer → Broncos
Matthew Stafford’s 33rd career interception returned for a touchdown — an NFL record — was a fourth-quarter killer.
asserted
interception → return → touchdown
He threw for 390 yards — 137 of which went to Davante Adams.
asserted
137 → throw → Adams
Josh Wallace had an interception — and could’ve had two if not for a controversial pass interference penalty.
uncertain
Wallace → have → penalty
Las Vegas already has matched last season’s win total as the new head coach-quarterback combination of Klint Kubiak and Kirk Cousins (three touchdown passes) remained unbeaten by scoring the final 19 points of a 35-27 comeback win against the Saints.
asserted
combination → match → Saints
Brock Bowers (10 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown) made his season debut.
asserted
Bowers → make → debut
Giants 2-1 (16)
Undrafted rookie Dominic Zvada kicked four field goals through the rain and wind to provide all the scoring in a 12-7 victory against the Titans.
asserted
Zvada → kick → Titans
Jevón Holland’s third interception in as many games came in the end zone with 17 seconds remaining to seal the victory for a defense that allowed just one first down in the first half.
asserted
that → come → half
Jets 1-2 (25)
Geno Smith threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns — and completed 16-of-18 second-half passes — but the Jets had no answers for Jamyr Gibbs (three touchdowns) in a 31-24 loss to the Lions.
asserted
Jets → throw → Lions
Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq each topped 100 receiving yards, but the ground game averaged 3.1 yards per carry.
asserted
game → top → carry
Smith fumbled on his final snap.
asserted
Smith → fumble → snap
The Aporia
