Like leaves falling off trees, the NFL's undefeated teams are quickly withering away.
Only eight teams managed to avoid their first loss after the season's first two weeks. That number shrank to five teams in Week 3 after the Seahawks, Bengals, and Eagles suffered their first setbacks of the 2026 season.
The Bills, Chiefs, Raiders, Vikings and 49ers still have a chance to match the 1972 Dolphins and 2007 Patriots as the only teams to win every regular-season game. Based on their first three games and what lies ahead, we've identified which 3-0 teams are contenders and which will struggle to continue at their current pace.
Buying
In some ways, the Bills' win over the Chargers this past Sunday was just as impressive as their first two wins. Buffalo managed to beat a desperate Chargers team (still in search of their first win) despite coughing up the ball 5 times. Buffalo's defense played well while holding Los Angeles to just 16 points.
The Bills have an early MVP candidate in Josh Allen and an early front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year in Greg Rousseau, who joined Mark Gastineau (in 1984) and Hall of Famer Kevin Greene (in 1998) as the only players to have three straight games with two or more sacks to open a season. The Bills also have one of the NFL's best running backs in James Cook III, who is averaging a league-best 6.0 yards per carry.
If there are possible concerns for Buffalo, it would be their five turnovers against Los Angeles and the fact that their defense has yet to play exceptionally well against a top-tier offense. They'll get that chance against the Rams in Week 5 in what could be a Super Bowl preview.
Selling
Unfortunately for the current Raiders, it's going to take a while to erase the stigma surrounding what has been a largely losing franchise since their last Super Bowl appearance (at the end of the 2002 season).
History aside, there is still reason for pause. The Raiders' three wins are against teams that have a combined 1-8 record. Las Vegas will be put to the test over the next eight weeks as it faces the NFL's toughest strength of schedule. Their next four games will be against the Chiefs, the reigning AFC champion Patriots, the Bills and the Rams. Fortunately for Las Vegas, the Patriots game will be the only road game over that stretch.
The current Raiders do have some good history worth noting. The Raiders' start this season under new coach Klint Kubiak is strikingly similar to Bill Cowher's first season in Pittsburgh (1992). Both teams started 3-0 and didn't allow a fourth-quarter point during their first three games. The '92 Steelers forced eight turnovers over that span; the Raiders have forced seven turnovers thus far.
Cowher's Steelers went 11-5 that season and won a division title. If Kubiak's team is going to mimic that success, they'll need to improve on what is currently the league's 31st-ranked rushing attack in terms of yards-per-carry average (3.2). Las Vegas' red zone defense (currently 27th in the NFL) will need to improve, too.
Buying
Chiefs Kingdown was not happy when Kansas City was tabbed as a pretender last week when being compared to the other 2-0 teams. For several reasons, the Chiefs' prospects are looking up this week.
Let's start with the fact that the Chiefs did what they were supposed to do in Miami: handle your business against a struggling team. In their 24-10 win, the Chiefs' defense forced two turnovers (they've forced five turnovers so far, which includes at least one in each game) and the offense received an incredibly efficient game from Patrick Mahomes, who completed a whopping 83.3% of his passes.
The Chiefs won despite the Dolphins' intent on slowing down Kenneth Walker III, who ran for a whopping 290 yards in Kansas City's first two games. Walker's stat line was less impressive on Sunday, but he still managed to run for 70 yards and a score on 18 carries. He also caught his second touchdown pass of the season.
The other results from this past weekend also brightened Kansas City's outlook. The defending AFC champion Patriots are 1-2, the Chargers and Texans are both 0-3 and the Bengals fell to 2-1 after stubbing their toe in Pittsburgh. It's insanely early, but the Chiefs would be the No. 1 seed if the AFC playoffs started today.
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Chiefs is their lack of depth at receiver and whether Walker will be able to stay healthy given his heavy workload so far. If healthy, though, the Chiefs are a team to be reckoned with.
Selling
It's safe to buy the Vikings as a potential playoff team. But until they have a long-term answer at quarterback, the Vikings can't be considered as a legitimate threat to come out of the NFC.
Through three games, Vikings quarterbacks have completed 56.2% of their passes with just four touchdowns and two interceptions. Kyler Murray, who returned to the starting lineup in Week 3 after being inactive in Week 2, has completed just 52.9% of his passes with one touchdown and two picks.
In addition to having the NFL's 32nd-ranked passing attack, the Vikings' offense ranks 31st in third-down efficiency and 27th in yards per carry (3.6). Minnesota's success so far has largely been the byproduct of its defense, which is currently second in the league in points allowed, fourth in rushing yards allowed, and first in third-down and red-zone efficiency. Brian Flores' unit has yet to allow a rushing touchdown.
Let's quickly revisit the Vikings' quarterback situation. At this time, it would be premature to give up on Murray, who is probably still getting acclimated to Kevin O'Connell's offense. But if he doesn't make the necessary strides in the coming weeks, O'Connell shouldn't hesitate to turn to Carson Wentz, who, if nothing else, can provide steady quarterback play for a team that is talented enough to make a deep playoff run.
Buying
The Shanahans are vastly underappreciated. Mike Shanahan isn't in the Hall of Fame despite leading the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl wins and serving as the offensive coordinator for one of the most prolific offenses the league has ever seen (the 1994 49ers). His son, Kyle, is rarely mentioned among the NFL's coaching elite despite winning two NFC titles and continuously winning games despite his team's mountain of injuries.
Through three games, Shanahan's team is second in the league in points scored and third in points allowed. The 49ers have been getting MVP-caliber play from Brock Purdy, whose nine touchdowns are tied for the most in the NFL. Purdy also has a league-high 133.1 quarterback rating.
The 49ers have also continued to get stellar play from the usual suspects, which include Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Trent Williams, and Fred Warner. The return of Deebo Samuel and the arrival of Mike Evans have given the 49ers' offense a boost as well.
Unlike the Raiders, the 49ers' run of success under Shanahan gives them the benefit of the doubt. But if you wanted to nitpick the 49ers' start, you could point out that they have forced just two turnovers (none since Week 1) and have faced opponents whose combined record is just 2-7.
Nitpicks and injuries aside, the 49ers look like the real deal once again. If they are able to get better luck from an injury standpoint, this could be the year that Shanahan joins his dad as a Super Bowl-winning head coach.
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