If you checked an NFL score Sunday and figured a game was settled, there was a good chance you needed to check again. Twelve games finished within one score, tying the league record for a single week with Monday Night Football still to come.
The wildest finish unfolded in Rio de Janeiro, where the Ravens and Cowboys played the NFL’s first game in the city. Dallas pulled even with seven seconds remaining. Lamar Jackson answered with a 27-yard completion to Zay Flowers, giving Tyler Loop a shot from 56 yards. The second-year kicker drilled it as time expired, sending Baltimore home with a 34-31 win and giving the crowd one last jolt.
Sunday night kept the pattern going. Denver trailed the Rams 16-0 at halftime, then fought back to take a 30-26 lead. Los Angeles had a final chance to steal it, but Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga intercepted Matthew Stafford in the end zone as time ran out.
Elsewhere, Jahmyr Gibbs accounted for three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving, as Detroit held off the Jets 31-24. The performance moved him past Billy Sims for second on the Lions’ career rushing touchdown list. Washington delivered another surprise, with Marcus Mariota leading the Commanders past Seattle 33-31.
The close finishes stretched across the slate. Indianapolis beat Houston by two, Pittsburgh edged Cincinnati by three, and San Francisco survived Arizona by six. Even an eight-point margin counted toward Sunday’s one-score total. Fans spent the day watching leads shrink and final possessions carry the weight of entire games.
Week 3 closes Monday at Soldier Field. The unbeaten Eagles face a Bears team without Caleb Williams, who is sidelined by a hamstring injury. Veteran Case Keenum is expected to start for Chicago. After Sunday, nobody should assume the final game will be decided early.
