Chiefs, Bills and Bengals headline packed NFL Week 3 early slate

Nine NFL games kicked off together on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, with four unbeaten teams in action and four winless teams trying to avoid an 0-3 hole. The early window started at 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT and 6 p.m. BST) and featured Kansas City at Miami, the Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo and New England at Jacksonville, according to live updates The Guardian. It was the kind of Sunday that sorts September fast.

The headliner on paper was the 2-0 Chiefs visiting the 0-2 Dolphins in Miami. Kickoff was set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS Yahoo Sports. ESPN listed Kansas City as a 9.5-point favorite, with an over/under total of 45.5 points (the expected combined score) ESPN.

Buffalo also carried a 2-0 record into its home game against the 0-2 Chargers. That matchup was listed for 1 p.m. ET on FOX NFL.com. The 1-1 Patriots visited the 1-1 Jaguars in Jacksonville in the same window.

Cincinnati arrived in Pittsburgh at 2-0 after wins over Tampa Bay and Houston. The Bengals added defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, a power player in the middle of the defensive line, from the New York Giants in the offseason for the No. 10 overall pick. Pittsburgh entered at 1-1, having scored a league-low 23 points through two games.

Seattle brought its own 2-0 mark to Washington to face the 0-2 Commanders. Cleveland hosted Carolina with both teams at 1-1, and Detroit hosted the New York Jets with both teams also at 1-1. The other two early games were Houston, at 0-2, visiting Indianapolis, also at 0-2, and Tennessee, at 0-2, visiting the 1-1 Giants in New York.

What makes this stand out is how much record pressure was packed into one window. Unbeaten starts build breathing room before October. No one wants 0-3.

There was more after the afternoon rush. The league's Sunday night game was scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. For fans, that meant scoreboard watching through the afternoon, then settling in for the nightcap.