The 2026 NFL preseason ended with 16 Week 3 games from Thursday, August 27 through Saturday, August 29. Baltimore posted the weekend's largest margin in a 41-3 win over Washington, Jacksonville delivered the only shutout by beating Tampa Bay 19-0, and Seattle and Kansas City played the only tie, 9-9. Those finals are useful, but the more important story was what the last exhibition tape meant before initial 53-man rosters were set.
This recap collects every final score, reconstructs the three-day slate and separates a productive night from a confirmed roster outcome. It also identifies where a player's role, opponent level or special-teams work changed the meaning of his stat line. For the permanent matchup and game-status view, keep the 2026 NFL preseason Week 3 page open alongside this analysis.
Every 2026 NFL preseason Week 3 final score
Week 3 produced 15 winners and one tie. The table below follows the official league results and keeps the winning team first for quick scanning. It is a final-score reference, not a preseason power ranking: coaches distributed snaps differently, many established starters rested, and the games do not count in regular-season standings.
| Date | Matchup | Final score |
|---|---|---|
| Thu., Aug. 27 | Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | Bills 28, Steelers 27 |
| Thu., Aug. 27 | Cleveland Browns vs. New England Patriots | Browns 37, Patriots 13 |
| Thu., Aug. 27 | San Francisco 49ers vs. Las Vegas Raiders | 49ers 18, Raiders 12 |
| Thu., Aug. 27 | Los Angeles Rams vs. Los Angeles Chargers | Rams 20, Chargers 18 |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | Baltimore Ravens vs. Washington Commanders | Ravens 41, Commanders 3 |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | Carolina Panthers vs. Houston Texans | Panthers 16, Texans 13 |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | Atlanta Falcons vs. Miami Dolphins | Falcons 17, Dolphins 12 |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jaguars 19, Buccaneers 0 |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | New York Giants vs. New York Jets | Giants 23, Jets 6 |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys | Saints 27, Cowboys 24 |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | Seattle Seahawks vs. Kansas City Chiefs | Seahawks 9, Chiefs 9 |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | Cincinnati Bengals vs. Philadelphia Eagles | Bengals 30, Eagles 13 |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | Green Bay Packers vs. Arizona Cardinals | Packers 42, Cardinals 38 |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | Denver Broncos vs. Minnesota Vikings | Broncos 34, Vikings 6 |
| Sat., Aug. 29 | Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts | Lions 25, Colts 16 |
| Sat., Aug. 29 | Chicago Bears vs. Tennessee Titans | Bears 24, Titans 15 |
Three scoreboard extremes frame the weekend. Baltimore's 38-point victory was the largest margin. Jacksonville supplied the only shutout. Green Bay and Arizona combined for 80 points, the most in a Week 3 game, while Seattle-Kansas City was the only contest without a winner. Those markers identify games worth a closer look, but a blowout can reflect reserve-on-reserve mismatches as much as organizational strength.
Readers looking for the broader August picture—including all three weeks, the Hall of Fame Game and final preseason team records—can use the complete 2026 NFL preseason scores archive. The sections below stay narrower: what the final weekend revealed about readiness, role fit and the decisions that followed.
Thursday recap: Gabriel's audition and Herbert's needed answer
Bills-Steelers and Browns-Patriots
Buffalo's 28-27 win offered two very different rookie evaluations. Bills receiver Skyler Bell, finally healthy enough to make his preseason debut, caught seven of ten targets for 49 yards and scored on a 28-yard end-around. The varied touches mattered as much as the total: Buffalo used him on crossers, screens, hurry-up throws and a misdirection run. That is the kind of assignment range a reserve can use to show he is more than a one-route specialist.
Pittsburgh first-round tackle Max Iheanachor also made a delayed debut, but his night illustrated why one stat needs tape context. He allowed four pressures and a sack across 17 credited pass-blocking snaps. Some extended plays placed extra stress on the protection, yet the clean loss that produced the sack remained a correction point. His lead work on Eli Heidenreich's nine-yard touchdown showed the athletic upside on the other side of the ledger. For a high draft pick, the finale was developmental evidence rather than a binary roster test.
Cleveland's 37-13 win delivered Thursday's clearest quarterback line. Dillon Gabriel played the first half and completed 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, good for a 157.9 rating. Cleveland moved him outside the pocket and gave him defined, high-percentage opportunities; he executed them against New England's backups. That opponent label is essential, but it does not erase the quality of the audition. Gabriel placed functional NFL tape in front of Cleveland and the other 31 clubs at exactly the point when quarterback rooms were being sorted.
The distinction is important: a great final half can improve a player's file without guaranteeing a particular transaction. Team needs, contract terms, waiver priority and the rest of August's practice tape all exist beyond the box score. Week 3 results should therefore be read as the last public data point, not the entire case.
49ers-Raiders and Rams-Chargers
Las Vegas used its 18-12 loss to compare two different quarterback profiles. Kirk Cousins went 8 of 11 for 51 yards during two drives and led the Raiders into field-goal range twice. No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza followed with five possessions, completing 7 of 14 for 57 yards with an interception and a 31.0 rating. Mendoza flashed movement skills that Cousins cannot replicate, but the uneven passing line did not force a clean change at the top. Meanwhile, rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. added 49 yards on eight carries and closed the preseason with 168 yards on 23 attempts—7.3 per carry. Repeated production over three weeks is more persuasive than a single late burst.
The Los Angeles matchup separated starter readiness from long-term development. Justin Herbert and the Chargers fumbled an exchange on their second offensive snap. They returned for another series, and Herbert found Quentin Johnston for a 65-yard touchdown after the ball traveled 57.6 yards in the air. The first unit played only four offensive snaps, so this was not a complete offensive diagnostic. It was one corrected response: protection held, Johnston separated and Herbert converted the downfield opportunity.
Rams rookie Ty Simpson supplied the larger sample in a 20-18 win, going 18 of 23 for 119 yards, one touchdown and no interception. He finished the preseason 47 of 60 for 382 yards, three touchdowns and zero picks. That consistency is meaningful for a developmental quarterback, even if depth-chart timing and the caliber of opposing units limit any immediate projection. To follow what comes after these auditions, use the site's NFL team schedule directory and move from preseason evidence to each club's regular-season path.
Friday's decisive games: four statements that changed the cutdown conversation
Five Friday games ended by at least 17 points. That created long second-half samples for reserves, but the gaps themselves were less revealing than the assignments inside them. The useful questions were specific: Did a receiver separate against the coverage he faced? Did a pass rusher win in more than one way? Did a specialist execute the exact job he was competing to keep?
Baltimore's 41-3 depth showcase
Chris Moore needed only Baltimore's opening drive to make his case. He caught three Tyler Huntley passes for 54 yards, including a diving touchdown, and operated comfortably on the outside. His short appearance mattered because efficiency and role fit arrived together. LaJohntay Wester also added receiver and return value, reinforcing the point that the sixth wideout is often selected for what he can contribute beyond ordinary offensive snaps.
Tyler Loop's night supplied the opposite kind of job-specific evidence. He missed two field goals from beyond 50 yards, giving him three preseason misses from at least 49. Long attempts are difficult, and a kicker should not be reduced to two swings. Yet the position has unusually clear evaluation criteria: operation, distance and accuracy. A 38-point team win could not conceal the unresolved specialist question. That is why the final score is a poor substitute for reading individual assignments.
Jacksonville's shutout and Bryan Thomas Jr.'s closing case
Bryan Thomas Jr. produced the sharpest roster audition of Friday. The undrafted Jacksonville edge defender recorded four tackles, four credited pressures or quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks in the 19-0 shutout. He won around the outside, crossed the face of a blocker inside and shared a late effort sack. Variety made the line more persuasive. Thomas entered the finale with seven tackles, five pressures and one sack over the previous two games, so Week 3 completed a three-game progression rather than creating a story from nowhere.
Tampa Bay quarterback Jalon Daniels experienced the other side of final-week pressure. After productive work in the first two games, he completed 8 of 15 passes for 57 yards across seven drives. Drops around him contributed to stalled possessions, but a fumbled under-center snap also ended the only series that did not finish with a punt. Jacksonville's shutout was a team result; Daniels's operation and ball security were the more relevant evidence for a QB2 decision.
Giants, Bengals and Broncos win by 17-plus
Odell Beckham's three catches for 53 yards in the Giants' 23-6 win were a veteran's compact closing argument. He recovered from an early contested target that became a Jameis Winston interception and repeatedly moved the chains afterward. The Giants' running-back snaps were less cleanly resolved: Najee Harris gained 39 yards on 11 carries, while Tyrone Tracy Jr. scored and averaged 9.3 yards per attempt before leaving for a head evaluation. Tracy was cleared but did not return. Availability context belongs beside production, especially days before cuts.
Cincinnati's 30-13 win revealed both the value and limits of a final audition. Dohnte Meyers caught three passes, each for a first down, and closed the preseason with a team-high 11 receptions for 121 yards. That repeated chain-moving production fit a reserve receiver's job description. Eagles first-round receiver Makai Lemon, returning after a hamstring absence, played 17 offensive snaps and caught three of five targets for three yards. One pass went off his hands for an interception. The debut was uneven, but health, draft investment and future role made his 17 snaps fundamentally different from a bubble veteran's test.
Denver's 34-6 win delivered the other explosive reserve-QB line. Sam Ehlinger completed 15 of 20 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns with one interception; one score traveled 88 yards after a coverage breakdown. Running back Cody Schrader added 132 yards and a touchdown on 19 touches. Both gave evaluators useful tape, but even those totals require opponent and play context. The lesson across Friday's blowouts was consistent: volume created opportunities, while assignment quality determined how much those opportunities should count.
Friday's tight games: what the close scores did—and did not—show
Carolina 16, Houston 13 in heavy rain
The weather in Charlotte was not background detail. Heavy rain altered footing, ball security and passing conditions, and three of the four quarterbacks who took first-half snaps threw an interception. Carolina and Houston combined to convert only three of 15 third downs before halftime. A reader judging quarterbacks from the 16-13 final—or even from the interception column alone—would miss the most important variable.
That does not make every mistake excusable. It changes the weight assigned to it. Evaluators can still grade the center exchange, decision, placement and response to pressure while treating the wet ball as context. AJ Dillon's nine touches for 32 yards offered a modest piece of recent tape, but not enough to overwrite a full camp. The game is a useful reminder that “close” can mean competitive, sloppy or simply constrained by conditions.
New Orleans 27, Dallas 24 and Green Bay 42, Arizona 38
New Orleans created a more transferable takeaway through design. Rookie Barion Brown scored on a jet sweep, Spencer Rattler kept a read option for a touchdown, and Audric Estimé broke a 33-yard run that helped set up Rattler's score. The Saints used movement and different ball carriers to stress the edge. That does not promise the same play distribution in September, but it showed that several reserves could execute complementary jobs within the same offensive structure.
The 42-38 Packers-Cardinals game was the weekend's biggest points total and also its best warning against reading team quality from August fireworks. Both clubs rested starters. Green Bay trailed by 11 inside the final 3:19 before rallying, even though Arizona finished with 492 total yards. The useful individual work was easier to isolate: J. Michael Sturdivant caught six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, while Will Sheppard added three catches for 26 yards and a score plus an 81-yard punt-return touchdown. Sheppard's two-phase contribution answered a more relevant roster question than the comeback itself.
Seattle 9, Kansas City 9 and Atlanta 17, Miami 12
Seattle and Kansas City remained tied when Jason Myers missed a 52-yard field goal as time expired. Kansas City spread completions among 13 players, but Andrew Armstrong produced the clearest line with five catches for 54 yards. His receiving total, camp work and run-blocking effort formed a coherent case. The 9-9 score neither strengthened nor weakened that case; it simply describes an exhibition in which drives did not become touchdowns.
Atlanta's 17-12 win offered a similar separation between outcome and evaluation. Tua Tagovailoa completed 7 of 8 passes for 95 yards, with a short Kyle Pitts screen accounting for a 37-yard gain. He also fumbled a snap. The completion rate looked clean, but the low-risk design and operational error kept it from becoming a definitive quarterback answer. On Miami's side, rookie Chris Bell drew five targets over three possessions and caught two. Target priority can reveal an intended role even when raw receiving production is modest.
Across the five games, the best reading method is to pair the score with the condition that produced it: rain in Charlotte, schematic experimentation in Dallas, rested starters in Green Bay, distributed targets in Kansas City and controlled throws in Atlanta. The site's NFL preseason hub preserves the game-level context; this recap adds the layer that the margin alone cannot supply.
Saturday finale: Zavion Thomas turns one play into a two-phase argument
Detroit 25, Indianapolis 16
Indianapolis used Saturday to give several established players a controlled taste of contact. Keenan Allen, who had signed ten days earlier, caught a 24-yard Anthony Richardson pass and finished his day after four offensive snaps. Sauce Gardner also played four snaps; his last was an interception of Luke Altmyer. The tiny samples were intentional readiness checks. Neither veteran needed to win a roster place, so success meant executing one assignment, leaving healthy and carrying a useful game-speed rep toward September.
The longer evaluations were more complicated. The Colts forced four turnovers despite losing 25-16. Detroit corner Ennis Rakestraw Jr. made six tackles and intercepted a pressured throw, but he also allowed three catches for 44 yards on five targets. Across the preseason, the NFL's review credited him with 11 completions allowed on 15 targets for 151 yards. The interception demonstrated ball production; the coverage totals identified a repeatability problem. Both belong in the same evaluation.
That comparison explains why not every Week 3 “takeaway” should sound alike. For Allen and Gardner, four snaps were enough because the question was readiness. For Rakestraw, the team needed a longer body of work because the question was down-to-down coverage reliability. Detroit's nine-point win did not answer either question by itself.
Chicago 24, Tennessee 15
Chicago's first offensive play became the weekend's defining highlight. Backed up at its 3-yard line, Tyson Bagent found Zavion Thomas after a double move, and the rookie completed a 97-yard touchdown. Thomas's speed carried into the rest of his debut: he caught all five targets for 140 yards and added a 39-yard punt return. Bagent finished 16 of 17 for 208 yards, two touchdowns and a 156.9 passer rating.
For Thomas, the performance matched the role Chicago drafted in the third round. Vertical acceleration stretched coverage, while the punt return demonstrated a second route to game-day value. That combination is more actionable than the touchdown length alone because reserve receivers often have to justify an active spot through special teams. The night was not spotless—Thomas fumbled a later jet-sweep exchange—and the Bears' own postgame account stressed that detail work remains. An explosive debut can establish a ceiling while still leaving a weekly floor to build.
Tennessee quarterback Will Levis supplied a mixed counterexample. With Cam Ward and Mitchell Trubisky sitting, Levis completed 14 of 22 passes for 143 yards in one half. He moved the offense through a two-minute drill and showed the arm talent expected from an experienced quarterback, but Tennessee produced nine points over his five drives, converted one of six third downs and lost a receiver-handoff exchange. Dropped passes reduced the box-score ceiling, while near-interceptions and operation issues prevented the outing from becoming a decisive depth-chart statement.
Saturday therefore closed the preseason with three different lessons: established players can get exactly what they need from four snaps, an explosive rookie can demonstrate both offense and special teams in one night, and a veteran audition can remain unresolved despite acceptable yardage. The next useful reference is the 2026 NFL Week 1 schedule, where rotations tighten and the results begin to count.
Which Week 3 performances actually translated into roster outcomes?
Game-night analysis can say a player helped his case. Only a later transaction can establish what the club actually did. The four examples below connect Week 3 evidence to first-party roster announcements without pretending that one game caused the decision.
| Player | Week 3 evidence | Official post-cut outcome | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Thomas Jr., Jaguars | Four tackles, four quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks | Made Jacksonville's initial 53 as its lone undrafted rookie free agent | The finale reinforced repeated pass-rush production; it did not stand alone. |
| Dohnte Meyers, Bengals | Three first-down catches; finished August with 11 receptions for 121 yards | Made Cincinnati's initial 53 | Consistency and a defined reserve-receiver job carried more weight than one highlight. |
| Zavion Thomas, Bears | Five catches for 140 yards and a TD, plus a 39-yard punt return | Appeared on Chicago's initial active roster | Offensive speed and return ability provided two distinct paths to game-day value. |
| Andrew Armstrong, Chiefs | Five catches for 54 yards in the 9-9 tie | Waived Aug. 30; signed to Kansas City's practice squad Aug. 31 | Strong tape kept him in the organization, but it did not secure an active-roster place. |
“Initial 53” is a timestamp, not a season-long guarantee. Teams can make waiver claims, complete trades, shift eligible players to injured reserve and promote from practice squads. That is why the date and exact status matter. “Made the team,” “remained with the organization” and “joined the practice squad” are not interchangeable conclusions.
A practical Week 3 evaluation uses five checks:
- Opponent level: identify whether the play came against starters, backups or deep reserves.
- Repeatability: compare the finale with the player's first two games and training-camp work.
- Job relevance: value the assignment the roster spot requires, not merely total yards.
- Special teams: ask whether a reserve added return or coverage value.
- Transaction confirmation: verify the active roster, practice squad or waiver outcome with the team.
Thomas and Meyers paired Week 3 production with a larger body of work, while Zavion Thomas matched his explosive profile in two phases. Armstrong is the necessary counterexample: five useful catches were real evidence, but Kansas City's position math led through waivers to the practice squad. Readers tracking what these roles become can move from the recap to NFL schedules by team and judge regular-season usage instead of freezing the story at cutdown day.
2026 NFL preseason Week 3 FAQ
Who had the biggest Week 3 win?
Baltimore recorded the largest margin, beating Washington 41-3 on Friday. The 38-point difference was ten points larger than Denver's 34-6 win over Minnesota, the next-largest gap. It showed the Ravens' depth performing efficiently against the Commanders, but it does not add to Baltimore's regular-season record.
Was there a tie in Week 3?
Yes. Seattle and Kansas City finished 9-9, the only tie among the 16 games. Seattle kicker Jason Myers attempted a 52-yard field goal at the end of regulation, but the miss preserved the draw. Preseason games do not use the final score to establish playoff positioning, so there was no need to treat the result like a regular-season standings decision.
What was the highest-scoring Week 3 game?
Green Bay's 42-38 victory over Arizona produced 80 combined points. The Packers erased an 11-point deficit in the final 3:19, while the Cardinals accumulated 492 total yards. With both teams resting starters, it was a productive reserve showcase rather than a forecast that either regular-season offense will average anything close to 40 points.
Do Week 3 results count in regular-season standings?
No. The NFL defines preseason games as preparation and evaluation contests that do not count in official standings. Statistics, snaps and assignments can influence depth charts and personnel decisions, but every team begins the regular season at 0-0 regardless of its August record. The NFL Week 1 schedule is where the counting games begin.
Where should I check the next NFL games?
Use NFL games today for the current slate and status information. Use the Week 1 page to plan the regular-season opening week. If the question is historical—such as a Week 2 final, a team preseason record or one of the other 49 exhibition results—visit the complete 2026 preseason score archive. That division keeps current navigation separate from this final-week analysis.
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