The stage was set for drama, and we definitely got plenty of that Sunday night when the Green Bay Packers visited the Dallas Cowboys in a matchup rich in storylines and offensive fireworks.
The return of Micah Parsons to his old home field exactly a month after being traded to the rival Green Bay Packers was the headliner to tee this one up, but it was the action on the field that ultimately brought all the drama.
This game had everything — an early lead for the rebounding Packers; blocked extra-point attempt that Dallas returned for two points and a jolt of momentum; a hat trick of touchdowns for Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs; a pair of clutch TDs by Jerry Jones’ other big off-season trade piece, George Pickens; the wildest toe-tapping catch you might ever see from Jalen Tolbert; seven lead changes; and, finally, overtime.
And it ended in a tie.
As much as the outcome is both fascinatingly funny and wildly frustrating, it’s also kind of fitting, isn’t it? The Parsons trade referendum will have to wait, and so will the bold declarations about who both of these NFC squads really are and what we should expect from them moving forward.
Whatever your feelings about the ending, the journey to get there was pretty fun. We’ll take more of whatever all that was, please.
Parsons quiet, then clutch, with game-saving sack
All eyes were on Micah Parsons as he made his return to Dallas as a Packer on Sunday night.
And for the most part, he was kept pretty quiet. The Cowboys’ offence clearly had a plan to manage the gigantic threat that is Parsons’ pass-rushing abilities, and it worked. Up until overtime, Parsons had just two assisted tackles. But then, with the game in extra time and the Cowboys in the red zone, Parsons reminded his former fans what he can do in the big moments as he ran down Dak Prescott to stop what would’ve been a certain rushing TD in overtime.
The clutch play forced the Cowboys to settle for an easy field goal, and opened up the Packers to win it with a touchdown…
(Spoiler alert: They didn’t.)
What were the Packers thinking?!
In addition to gifting us a wild, back-and-forth, offence-heavy contest, Sunday night’s showdown also gave us an extended look at the new overtime rules that state both teams get a possession in extra time. (After altering the rule for the playoffs after the infamous AFC showdown between the Chiefs and Bills saw Kansas City walk off with an OT win without Josh Allen’s offence ever setting foot on the field, the NFL implemented the same rule in the regular season.) It gave us plenty of food for thought, particularly in terms of the decision about whether it’s best to kick or receive to start OT — is it better to set the pace, or respond? — and how clock management very quickly comes into play… we’re looking at you, Matt LaFleur.
After the Cowboys ate up just over five minutes with their 10-play OT opening drive, which ended in a field goal, the Packers took their time making their way downfield in response. There was a clutch fourth-down connection with rookie Matthew Golden to keep the game alive, then a pair of runs before the two-minute warning that took more than a minute. That leisurely pace continued into the final minute, with Green Bay opting for short plays rather than taking some endzone shots to take the lead. The lone ball thrown to the endzone was a frantic incompletion after Love took the snap with six seconds left and saw the clock stop with just a single digit to go. It was almost one of the biggest clock-management blunders, and could’ve easily caused the Packers to lose the game had Love taken one more second-eating step in the pocket. That Brandon McManus made the game-tying field goal to avoid the loss was a huge relief for the Packers, but doesn’t really make up for the fact they got themselves into the situation in the first place. Green Bay looked like they were playing to tie, preferring to prevent Dallas from getting the ball back rather than going for the touchdown to take the lead. Surely, every coach will learn from LaFleur’s near-blunder.
Dart’s great start brings new energy to New York
After calls for a change at quarterback following an 0-3 start to the season with Russell Wilson at the helm, the New York Giants have a new leading man — and Jaxson Dart couldn’t have kicked off his career any better. Facing a 3-0 Chargers squad, the first-rounder wasted no time making a strong first impressive as he marched the Giants’ offence downfield 89 yards for a nine-play opening drive that ended with him running — ahem, darting, if you will — straight into the endzone for his first career NFL touchdown.
Dart’s Giants held the lead the entire game, despite being outplayed on multiple offensive fronts, with Dart’s first start clearly rallying the squad around him. While the win wasn’t always pretty — Dart was sacked six times, including four by Tuli Tuipulotu — and a suspected ACL tear suffered by star receiver Malik Nabors is a massive blow, but it was a win for a team that desperately needed something to cheer for. And a sign of some potentially fun moments to come as the club looks to emerge from its rebuild with a strong defence and, perhaps, a new long-term leader under centre.
Chargers’ O-line injuries spell trouble to come
In addition to suffering their first loss of the season, the Chargers also suffered a tough blow on the injury front when standout tackle Joe Alt limped off the field with an apparent ankle injury. It’s a major setback for a club already without its other star tackle in Rashawn Slater (out for the season) and Mekhi Becton. L.A. played most of the game with three backups protecting Justin Herbert against one of the NFL’s more powerful attacks, and it showed. Herbert was pressured heavily and limited in his air attack as he simply didn’t have time to make many long plays happen. The strong play of rookie running back Omarion Hampton helped drive the offence (128 yards and a TD), but if L.A. can’t patch up its offensive line, Herbert could be in for another rough campaign.
Texans’ offence shows signs of life
Winless through the first three weeks of the season, the Houston Texans’ sputtering offence was posting an average of 12.6 points per game heading into Week 4, in search of their first victory despite stellar defensive performances each week. And for the first three quarters of Sunday’s divisional matchup against the also-winless Tennessee Titans, with only two Ka’imi Fairbairn field goals to show for their scoring efforts, it looked like that production would dip even lower.
And then they woke up. After driving the club down the field and deep into Titans territory by the end of the third quarter, C.J. Stroud opened the fourth with a 12-yard completion to Woody Marks for the game’s first touchdown. It was also Houston’s first red-zone score of the season, and Marks’ first TD of what was a breakout game for the RB2 who’s looking like he just grabbed hold of the top job. The Texans followed up the act with a touchdown on each of their next two drives for a 20-point fourth quarter, their first win of the season, and a little hope that after a strong season start on the defensive side of the ball — including shutting out the Titans on Sunday — maybe Stroud & Co. are ready to contribute, too.
Eagles, Bills emerge as league’s lone undefeated teams
With four weeks of the 2025 season (mostly) in the books, parity is alive and well in the NFL. Six squads entered Sunday without a loss, and only two remain — the Buffalo Bills stand alone atop the AFC after defeating the New Orleans Saints, while the Philadelphia Eagles survived an ugly second half (read: Not a single completed pass in the third and fourth quarters!?) to hold off the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a wildly entertaining matchup between two perfect teams.
In addition to Tampa Bay, the Chargers, Colts and 49ers all suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday.
Mitchell’s miserable mistakes cost Colts a perfect September
In a sport with as many moving pieces as football has, it’s not really fair to blame a loss on one singular player. But it’s hard not to look at the pair of errors made by Colts receiver Adonai Mitchell as the most pivotal plays of the game for Indianapolis. Mitchell’s outstanding catch and run in the third quarter could’ve been one of the prettiest plays of the day, but when he (unnecessarily) stretched out his hand as he crossed the goal line for the score, and the ball slipped from his grip mere inches before crossing the line and bounced out of the endzone boundary, the would-be touchdown was ruled a touchback instead.
Then, with just over two minutes remaining in a tied game, Mitchell was called for holding on what should’ve been a thrilling TD run for Jonathan Taylor to take the lead. Mitchell’s misplays weren’t the only things that went wrong for Indianapolis — Daniel Jones threw his first pick of the season on his first drive of the game, and his second on his last — but had it not been for those costly errors, we’d probably be looking at a 4-0 Colts club right now.
Worthy’s return sparks much-needed offence for Chiefs
With an uncharacteristic 1-2 record and underwhelming offensive numbers to start the season, the Chiefs needed a spark heading into Sunday’s AFC showdown against the Baltimore Ravens. They got exactly that in second-year receiver Xavier Worthy, who made his return to the lineup after suffering a Week 1 shoulder injury and gave us all a game-long glimpse of what this offence could be. The Chiefs used Worthy early and often in the game, and in a variety of ways in both the passing and rushing attack. He led the team in both receiving (five catches for 83 yards) and rushing (38 yards on two carries), and even when he didn’t have the ball, he was instrumental in opening the field wide open.
"He's just so explosive," Mahomes said of Worthy during his post-game media availability. "When you get the ball in his hands, man, it just makes defences have to adjust. And when they adjust, because he gets so much attention on him, other guys can make plays happen.
Things go from bad to worse in Baltimore
Baltimore, too, faced a lot of pressure heading into Sunday’s matchup. But unfortunately for the Ravens, the game did nothing to ease anxieties about the club’s losing record in September. Injuries, particularly on defence, have played a big role in the team’s season so far and on Sunday, the club suffered more losses. Already without Nnamdi Madubuike and Kyle Van Noy for the game, the Ravens lost Tackle Ronnie Stanley, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and linebacker Roquan Smith in Sunday’s 37-20 loss.
And then it got even worse when, early in the third quarter, Lamar Jackson was sidelined by what is reportedly a hamstring issue. The severity is unknown, and the potential repercussions are massive: Lose Jackson for even just a few weeks, and the 1-3 Ravens could lose the season.
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