Jordan Davis and Will McDonald IV returned blocked field goals for touchdowns.
Cleveland Browns rallied from 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to stun Green Bay Packers on Andre Szmyt’s 55-yard game-winning field goal.
The Los Angeles Chargers improved to 3-0 on Cameron Dicker’s 32-yard field goal as time expired.

We’ve heard the declaration repeatedly for so many years: Special teams makes up one-third of the game.

Did you believe it?

Well, given drama across the NFL on Sunday, that axiom came to life as tried and so true.

Or maybe it’s something better explained by Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles. His squad squandered a 20-point lead and fell behind the New York Jets inside the final two minutes when Will McDonald IV went 50 yards on a scoop-and-score return of his blocked field goal.

Bowles, well, didn’t want to believe it.

“Excuse my language, but you’ve got to be (bleeping) be (bleeping) me,” Bowles said of his real-time reaction to the blocked kick. “Then, after that, you see how much time is on the clock and you calm down and you try to win the game.”

The Bucs (3-0) drove 48 yards to set up Chase McLaughlin’s 36-yard field goal as time expired. On the day, McLaughlin booted five field goals – including two from 50-plus yards – to help Tampa Bay escape another close call. The Bucs are the first team since the 1970 merger to win with a game-winning score in the final minute of regulation in each of their first three games. Whew.

And the tight margin at Tampa was just one reminder of the special teams mantra. Kickers: It’s like you can’t live with them and can’t win without them.

I mean, all of this also happened on Sunday:

➤ The Rams blew a 19-point second-half lead, then had a would-be, 44-yard game-winning field goal blocked by Eagles D-tackle Jordan Davis, who returned it 61 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the 33-26 thriller at the Linc.

➤ The Browns rallied from a 10-point deficit to spring a 13-10 upset of the Packers – aided by Shelby Harris’ blocked field goal, which set up Andre Szmyt’s 55-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

➤ The Broncos lost on a field goal as time expired for the second consecutive week as Cameron Dicker’s 32-yard kick kept a perfect record intact for the Chargers with a 23-20 nail-biter. A week earlier, Denver lost after being flagged for leverage on a missed field goal. Moving 15 yards closer for the re-kick, the Colts converted. This time, the Broncos were stung by a division rival. Tough losses.

➤ The 49ers beat a division rival, too, with a 35-yard field goal from Eddy Pineiro – his third of the game – as time expired to topple the Cardinals, 16-15.

Talk about close calls. Or angst among the gamblers.

None of this is automatic, even in an age where 50-yard field goals are increasingly (for some) becoming chip shots. Pineiro, after all, joined the 49ers in Week 2 as the replacement for Jake Moody, who had become too shaky to be trusted.

Szmyt, the Browns’ kicker, redeemed himself on Sunday after his 36-yard field goal attempt in crunch time sailed wide right in Week 1, thwarting the chance to upset the Bengals. He made up for it with the longest walk-off field goal in franchise history. Faith restored.

“He knows who he is,” Browns defensive end Myles Garrett said during his postgame news conference. “One moment doesn’t define you. He was just waiting for this opportunity to come again. We knew he was ready.”

The one-third-of-the-game axiom works both ways in another sense. Harris, Cleveland’s veteran defensive tackle, notched the seventh blocked kick of his 11-year career. That’s not coincidence.

“He always does it,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Like, he’s very aware of that football and he’s got great anticipation.”

One third of the game? In crunch time, the kicking game seems to be much larger than merely that. The Rams can vouch for it. Davis’ block of Joshua Karty’s 44-yard kick was Philadelphia’s second as it followed an earlier block of a 36-yard attempt by his fellow defensive tackle, Jalen Carter.

Apparently, both of the defensive tackles took advantage of a particular matchup.

“Yeah, Kevin Dotson was …” Rams coach Sean McVay said, referring to the sixth-year guard. “The reality is, is that we’ve got to execute better and credit to them, they made the plays. I’m not going to make any excuses.”

And he won’t dispute that special teams represents a third of the game – at least.

 Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell, on Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social.

The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Denver Broncos 23-20 with a last-second field goal.
The Chargers are 3-0 for the first time since 2002, with all three wins against AFC West opponents.
Coach Jim Harbaugh described the team’s turnaround by saying ‘the worm has turned.’

INGLEWOOD, CA – Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh is never short of catchphrases and analogies. But Harbaugh surprisingly didn’t have the words to describe the moment after the Chargers’ 23-20 comeback victory over the Denver Broncos.

“I don’t think I have the vocabulary to really express how great I feel with this win. Just the admiration for our team, for our players and coaches and just everybody,” Harbaugh said postgame. “Three wins in three games. It’s taken everybody.”

It took all three phases for the Chargers to beat Denver on Sunday.

The Broncos scored 17 unanswered points between the second and third quarters. Denver padded its lead to 20-13 advantage into the fourth quarter.

However, Justin Herbert led the Chargers on a game-tying seven-play, 76-yard drive that was capped off by a 20-yard touchdown strike to wideout Keenan Allen. The Chargers’ defense forced the Broncos to a three-and-out on their next possession.

The Chargers offense got the football back with under two minutes remaining. Herbert marched the squad down the field close enough for a game-winning 43-yard field goal by kicker Cameron Dicker that sliced between the uprights as time expired to improve the Chargers to 3-0.

“Not all games are going to be easy. I think we stuck through it and understood the situation of we’re losing at the current moment, but there’s time and downs and opportunity for us to get back out there. The offense took the field, and we knew we had one job. It’s to go move the ball and go score. And that’s exactly what we did,” Herbert said postgame. “Defense got the ball back. They came up with some huge stops all day, and special teams closed it out.”

The Chargers are 3-0 for first time since 2002. Perhaps most importantly, all three wins have come within the AFC West division. The Chargers are the third team since realignment in 2002 to beat division opponents in each of their first three games of a regular season.

Los Angeles sits alone on top of the AFC West.

“It means a lot. That’s like 23 years,” Chargers safety Derwin James said to USA TODAY Sports. “We are trying to become a different team. You can’t turn the worm and become a different team if you don’t take care of the games in front of you. We’re just trying to keep building on it. It’s an amazing team and we’re well coached.”

This year’s Chargers team looks different through three games. The Chargers never trailed against the Kansas City Chiefs. They shut down the Raiders in Las Vegas. In Week 3, they were faced with adversity after they gave up an early 10-point lead and trailed into the fourth quarter. But they were able to rally back in the final quarter and earned a hard-fought win.  

When USA TODAY Sports asked James what Harbaugh’s message was to the team following the win. James replied: “the worm has turned.”

It turns out Harbaugh did have an analogy to describe the 3-0 Chargers.

The Indiana Fever continued their somewhat surprising postseason run by stunning the Las Vegas Aces, 89-73, in Game 1 of their semifinal series on Sunday.

“I think what you guys see is just me trying to just be a kid in the playground,’ Mitchell said.

In the second game of the day, the top-seed Minnesota Lynx took care of business. They defeated the Phoenix Mercury, 82-69, in Minneapolis at the Target Center. Courtney Williams has 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the Lynx.

‘We never feel like we are down, we are resilient group,’ Williams said when asked about Minnesota being down 47-40 at halftime. ‘We never look up at the scoreboard. We just try and go get kills, which is stops.’

Winners

Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell

Mitchell may have finished fifth in the voting, but she looked like the MVP on the court in Game 1. Mitchell scored a career playoff best 34 points in the Fever’s victory over four-time MVP A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. Mitchell shot an efficient 12-of-23 from the field including 4-of-6 from the 3-point line. Mitchell is the first Fever player to score 30 or more points in a playoff game since Shavonte Zellous in the 2012 WNBA Finals. Aces coach Becky Hammon summed it up perfectly: “Clearly we had no answer for (Kelsey) Mitchell. Couldn’t even attempt to slow her down a little bit.”

Fever guard Odyssey Sims

Sims started the 2025 WNBA season with the Los Angeles Sparks. After being waived on July 2, the point guard signed an emergency hardship contract with the Fever on Aug. 10. Sims seamlessly stepped in for Indiana’s injured guards and has been a key part of the Fever’s postseason run. She stepped on the gas (literally) in the Fever’s Game 1 blowout win and finished with 17 points (13 in the second half), three assists, three steals and only one turnover. 

Lynx guard Courtney Williams

Williams was due for a breakout game and turned it in on Sunday. After averaging 8.8 points in the Lynx’s first-round series against the Golden State Valkyries, Williams exploded for a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals in Game 1 vs. Phoenix. Williams effortlessly controlled the game, creating her own shots, while simultaneously making the right passes. She becomes the fifth player in WNBA playoff history with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a playoff game, joining Breanna Stewart, Tamika Catchings, Sheryl Swoopes and Alyssa Thomas. ‘We needed aggression against these guys and Courtney (Williams) did it for us, even though she’s one of the smallest on the court,’ Lynx coach Cheryl Reeves said.

Courtney Williams’ dad

Donald Williams, the father of Lynx guard Courtney Williams, had plenty to cheer about in the Lynx’s Game 1 win. (See above.) He was seen cheering and dancing courtside at Target Center.

Lynx foward Maria Kliundikova

Maria Kliundikova added instant impact off the bench in the second half for the Lynx. Reeve opted to put in Kliundikova for Alanna Smith in the closing seconds of the third quarter and her presence was instantly felt. She got a clutch offensive rebound with 8:36 remaining in the game that led to a made 3-pointer from Kayla McBride to put the Lynx up 64-59. Kliundikova finished with four points, four rebounds, two steals, one assist and was plus-14 in eight minutes of work. ‘It was huge… we were all turnt for her because we know what she can do,’ Courtney Williams said. ‘She was a game changer for us. When you sit most of the game and have to come in and make that instant impact, you just have to be mentally strong and that’s what she is.’

Minnesota’s Big 3

Minnesota’s Big 3 of Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams won the first battle against Phoenix’s Big 3. McBride finished with 21 points (6-of-17, 4-of-9 3PT), six rebounds and two assists, while Collier scored 18 points (8-of-16 FG, 2-of-6 3PT), nine rebounds and two assists. Can’t forget about Williams, who Reeve called the ‘player of the game for us.’

Losers

Phoenix’s Big 3 

The Mercury’s Big 3 started red hot in Game 1, with forward Alyssa Thomas (16 points), guard Kahleah Copper (11) and forward Satou Sabally (8) combining for 35 of the Phoenix’s 47 points in the first half. But the Mercury’s trio appeared to hit a wall during the second half. Copper scored 11 points in the second half to bring her to 22 points total, but Thomas and Sabally scored two points each in the second half, finishing with 18 and 10 points respectively. Fatigue could be a factor as the Mercury are coming off a Game 3 win over the New York Liberty in the first round less than 48 hours before the semis tipped off on Sunday. Entering Sunday, the Mercury were 15-0 this season when their Big 3 score 10-plus points each.

Aces center A’ja Wilson

Aces center A’ja Wilson was awarded her record-setting fourth MVP trophy ahead of Game 1 vs. the Fever on Sunday, but her special night was spoiled by a blowout loss to the Fever. Indiana forced Wilson into tough shots all night long and held her to 27.2% from the field (6-of-22) and 0-of-1 from the 3-point line. (In comparison, Wilson averaged 50.5% from the field this season.) She was held to just one field goal the entire second half (1-of-6) and was limited with four fouls trouble by the third quarter. To add insult to injury, the loss snapped the Aces’ 12-game home win streak. Wilson didn’t look like herself and will need to bounce back to get even with the Fever.

Aces guard Jewell Loyd 

The Aces have the luxury of having a two-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA scoring leader and six-time WNBA All-Star coming off the bench, but Jewell Loyd was nearly nonexistent in Game 1 vs. the Fever. Loyd was held scoreless until midway through the fourth quarter when she knocked down a 3-point shot for her sole field goal of the game. Loyd finished with three points in 28 minutes, going 1-of-5 from the field and 1-of-4 from the 3-point line. Her stat sheet was rounded out by three steals, one rebound and one assist. Becky Hammon lamented her team’s depth afterward, adding, “God forbid A’ja (Wilson) doesn’t drop 40 for us.”

Phoenix’s 3-point shooting

The Mercury were held to 3-of-23 from the 3-point line in Sunday’s loss. Phoenix has a significant advantage when their 3-point shot is falling and was 12-1 this regular season when shooting 40% or better from the 3-point line. The Mercury, who recorded a league-leading four games with 15 or more 3-pointers, haven’t hit the 40% mark from 3 in all four of their playoff games so far.

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Field goal kicking seems like a simple operation.

Line up, swing the leg and live with the results – except it wasn’t that easy in Week 3. From blocked punts to blocked field goals and seemingly everything in between, special teams had some special moments.

In NFL RedZone’s famous ‘Witching Hour,’ chaos reigned supreme. The Philadelphia Eagles blocked multiple kicks from the Los Angeles Rams en route to a comeback victory. The New York Jets almost pulled off the improbable comeback before falling short.

At the same time, the Cleveland Browns had some insanity of their own before the unlikely upset.

Blocked field goals don’t happen often, except on this Sunday. Here are the best blocks and where they rank in Week 3.

Week 3 field goal blocks, ranked

4. Eagles block Rams’ FG to keep deficit at five

While there’s no doubt it had an impact on the result, this one is fairly boring compared to the others. The Rams maintained a five-point lead and the Eagles didn’t get off a big return on this block. Even if the kick weren’t blocked, this would’ve remained a one-score game. Philly did enjoy a nice momentum boost though.

3. Jets’ Will McDonald block, scoop and score

Trailing by 17 in the fourth quarter, the Jets looked down and out. No one in their right mind saw a comeback coming, but McDonald had other ideas. Showing off his athleticism, the second-year pro leapt over the line, blocked the field goal, scooped and scored to give ‘Gang Green’ the lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In typical Jets fashion, they quickly gave up the game-winning field goal to eliminate any good vibes associated with the play. Nice work by McDonald, but this one will ultimately be forgotten.

2. Browns block the go-ahead FG

The effort was there all day from the Browns’ defense, but it looked like they would ultimately fall short against a Super Bowl-contending Packers team. After driving into field goal range with less than a minute to go, Green Bay lined up for the 43-yard attempt with 27 seconds to go.

Denzel Ward had other ideas as he came flying in off the edge and soared into the path of Brandon McManus’ attempt. Cleveland would recover the kick and go on to kick a game-winner of its own, knocking off the Packers in shocking fashion.

1. Eagles block Rams’ game-winning FG attempt

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, well, shame on the Rams. Lining up for the game-winning field goal, Joshua Karty had a chance at redemption. Just 44 yards away with three seconds left, it appeared certain that the Rams would overcome all their mistakes and missed opportunities to leave Philadelphia with a win.

Then the ball was snapped. It was almost like Karty didn’t have any blockers on the play, with all of the Eagles right in his face. The kick had no chance and Jordan Davis added salt to the wound, returning it for a touchdown. Rams fans, sports bettors and fantasy football players can all unite in what will almost certainly become the biggest bad beat of the season. Yikes.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New England Patriots 21-14, improving their record to 2-1 for the 2025 season.
Despite the win, the Steelers’ offense, led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, struggled with consistency and rhythm.
Pittsburgh’s defense was crucial, forcing five turnovers, including four fumbles and a key interception.
While the Steelers are winning, questions remain about whether the offense can compete with top AFC teams.

FOXBOROUGH, MA — If the first three weeks of the season are any indication, Mike Tomlin’s experiment with Aaron Rodgers should end up just about where everybody predicted it would – no different than how the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season usually ends in the post-prime-Ben-Roethlisberger era.

Pittsburgh will finish with a record slightly above .500. They’ll sneak into the playoffs with an above-average defense and shaky offense. And then promptly exit in the wild-card round, as they’ve done four of the last five seasons. 

Because even as the defense finally starts playing like a Tomlin-led unit, the offense – despite the arrival of a 41-year-old all-time great – still lacks the basics, such as cohesion, rhythm and execution. 

Yes, the Steelers defeated the New England Patriots, 21-14, on Sunday to move to 2-1 in the still-young 2025 season. There aren’t many better alternatives. But Rodgers was brought here to give the Steelers the firepower to make these types of games blowouts and to challenge the elites of the AFC – Baltimore, Buffalo and Kansas City. January football may seem like the distant future, but nothing about September would give a Steelers’ supporter optimism that slaying those kings could be a possibility.

“I think it was one of those weird, disjointed games,” Rodgers said after the game, noting the Steelers scored on their first two drives before a three-and-out halfway through the second quarter. 

Rodgers gesticulated angrily while walking toward the sidelines after that drive. And on the third play of the second half, he didn’t see Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane in underneath coverage and hit Spillane right in his hands for an interception. 

“We just couldn’t get into a rhythm at all,” Rodgers said. “We came out (in) the second half and I made a terrible throw. (Our) defense just kind of stood on their head all day. I thought the first two drives were good rhythm-wise, and we couldn’t find that rhythm in the second half.”

Luckily for the Steelers, their defense forced five turnovers – four fumbles and a timely interception in the end zone by Brandin Echols with seven seconds remaining before halftime.  Rhamondre Stevenson’s second fumble of the day came on the goal line at the start of the third quarter. 

“We spend a lot of time on our ball search culture. But it’s just words, it’s an agenda,” Tomlin said after the game. “The efforts of the guys make it real, not only on Sunday but during the course of the week. It just felt like we were heading toward a good game in that area, just the way we worked this week.”

The takeaway margin might disguise the fact that Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, making his 15th career start, outplayed the four-time MVP for most of the game. The Steelers managed to win the 66 rushing yards (before Rodgers’ final two kneel-downs to ice the game). The defense entered with three sacks over the first two games but put Maye on the ground five times. 

Rodgers definitely dials it up when he needs to. The back-shoulder throw to Calvin Austin III for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:16 remaining looked like it was from 2015, let alone 202. His passing touchdown to DK Metcalf was equally impressive. A pass up the seam to tight end Jonnu Smith in the first half was a laser. 

Too many of the Steelers’ plays are quick passes to keep Rodgers clean; the Patriots recorded zero sacks. Rodgers said he tried to take accountability through the season’s opening weeks on sacks that were “probably my fault.” Against the Patriots, he was mobile enough. 

“There’s some things to clean up, but I have a lot of confidence in those guys and thought (offensive coordinator Arthur Smith) did a good job keeping them off balance with some different protection schemes and some moving the pocket stuff. I thought those guys played well. They were a little upset after last week. They played with a better attitude this week.”

In Smith’s quick-game scheme, Rodgers has found an ally in Steelers running back Jaylen Warren, who received a team-high six targets (five catches). 

“I just do what he tells me,” Warren told USA TODAY Sports about Rodgers. “That’s a pretty good guy to listen to.” 

Rodgers and the Steelers put up gaudy numbers against a listless New York Jets defense in a Week 1 victory that was a revenge game for Rodgers. But the unit was stifled by the Seahawks and Mike Macdonald, three years younger than Rodgers, in Week 2. On Sunday, Pittsburgh put up 203 yards of total offense – 67 of them coming on the game-winning drive – with the Patriots missing their top secondary player in cornerback Christian Gonzalez. 

Stacking wins against the teams on the schedule is all the Steelers, Tomlin and Rodgers can possibly do. But how they do it matters. Regardless of the small sample size, it’s worth questioning whether bringing in the acquisition of Rodgers this offseason will propel the Steelers to the upper echelons of the AFC. 

“Our goals and our expectations are to play until February,” Austin said. “We know as an offense we have to do better if we want to get there. It’s Week 3. We got a win. We got the right guys and stuff. Everybody is locked in, engaged, and happy for each other.”

February? Have to get through January first, something with which the Steelers are all-too familiar.  

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