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THE LATE WINDOW
ISSUE #6 · WEEK 3 · MON 28 SEP 2026
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Evening again, not morning: this one is late, and that is on us. Tonight's game hasn't kicked off yet, so it's in the alarm-clock section at the bottom.
The 30-second version
| 1 |
Seven seconds in Rio. Dallas tied it 31–31 at the Maracanã with seven seconds left. Lamar Jackson found Zay Flowers for 27 yards, and Tyler Loop kicked a 56-yard field goal as time ran out. Ravens 34–31, in front of 72,792. |
| 2 |
The champions lost. Washington, on their backup quarterback, ended Seattle's 12-game winning run 33–31. A backup linebacker's 50-yard interception return decided it. |
| 3 |
Five teams are 3–0. Bills, Chiefs, Raiders, Vikings and 49ers. The Raiders won three games in the whole of last season. The Eagles can make it six tonight. |
| 4 |
The Giants keep winning, and shopping. No Jaxson Dart (out for the season), no touchdowns, and a rookie kicker scored all 12 points against Tennessee. Today they traded for J.J. McCarthy. |
| 5 |
London is Sunday, and both teams won. Colts v Commanders, Tottenham, 4 October, 14:30 UK / 15:30 CET: 1–2 v 1–2. Free on Channel 5, also Sky Sports NFL. |
Scoreboard · every Week 3 result so far
| Monday night (Week 2) |
Rams 28 Giants 6 Dart's knee on snap 7; Adams 195 yards, 2 TDs
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| Thursday night |
Falcons 35 Packers 14 Robinson 194 yards rushing; Green Bay 17 on the ground
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| Sunday, 18:00 UK |
Browns 21 Panthers 18 Watson's winning TD at 1:48
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Steelers 30 Bengals 27 Burrow strip-sacked, 44 seconds left
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Colts 19 Texans 17 53-yard kick, 16 seconds left. Run of 9 over
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Chiefs 24 Dolphins 10 Mahomes 20 of 24. Achane: torn ACL
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Bills 24 Chargers 16 Five turnovers, still won
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Jaguars 35 Patriots 6 Maye: 6 INTs in 3 games
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Lions 31 Jets 24 Gibbs: 3 TDs. Strip-sack to finish
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Commanders 33 Seahawks 31 Champions' 12-game run ends
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Giants 12 Titans 7 Four field goals, no touchdowns
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| Sunday, 21:05 / 21:25 UK |
49ers 36 Cardinals 30 Purdy: 4 TDs, one hook-and-ladder
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Vikings 23 Buccaneers 16 86-yard punt return. Mayfield's thumb
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Ravens 34 Cowboys 31 Rio. 56-yard kick as time ran out
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Raiders 35 Saints 27 Cousins: 3 TDs. Las Vegas 3–0
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| Sunday night |
Broncos 30 Rams 26 From 16–0 down. Hufanga: 2 INTs
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| Still to come: Eagles @ Bears, tonight 01:15 UK. Winner in bold; every score checked against the AP report and a second source. |
This week · stay up for

| Game |
UK / CET |
UK TV |
Germany |
Tonight Eagles @ Bears |
Tue 01:15 02:15 CET |
Sky Sports NFL, Main Event |
RTL (free), Sky Sport |
Thursday night Steelers @ Browns |
Fri 01:15 02:15 CET |
Sky Sports NFL |
RTL (free) |
Sunday, London Colts v Commanders |
Sun 14:30 15:30 CET |
Channel 5 (free), Sky Sports NFL |
RTL (free) expected, see note |
Sunday early eight games |
Sun 18:00 19:00 CET |
one on 5Action (free), not yet named |
not yet announced |
Sunday late Broncos @ 49ers |
Sun 21:25 22:25 CET |
Channel 5 (free) |
not yet announced |
Sunday night Lions @ Panthers |
Mon 01:20 02:20 CET |
Sky Sports NFL, Main Event |
RTL (free) |
Monday night Falcons @ Saints |
Tue 01:15 02:15 CET |
Sky |
RTL (free) |
Sky had not published its Week 4 Sunday picks when this went out. Germany: RTL says it shows every European game free, but its Week 4 listing isn't out; the NITRO Sunday Konferenz is pay-only from this week. Full listings at the bottom.
From this side of the Atlantic
Rio. The first NFL regular-season game in Rio de Janeiro drew an announced 72,792 to the Maracanã, about 25,000 more than either of the league's São Paulo games. Dallas were the designated home side, but the crowd leaned Baltimore: "Let's go Ravens" in English, "Defense! Defense!" in the home of the beautiful game, and at half-time a stadium-wide sing-along of "Evidências", which SB Nation calls "kind of a Brazilian 'Sweet Caroline'". The pitch, which Flamengo's players had complained about, held up. Tyler Loop celebrated his winning kick with a Ronaldo "Siu", and Lamar Jackson's verdict was: "The fans were fantastic; the Brazil citizens was fantastic."
London is Sunday. Colts v Commanders, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Sunday 4 October, 14:30 UK / 15:30 CET. Both sides won yesterday, so it is 1–2 v 1–2. Indianapolis ended a nine-game losing run with a kick in the last 20 seconds. Washington won with their backup quarterback, and who plays in London is not decided: Dan Quinn expects Jayden Daniels (dislocated elbow) "more than likely" to travel on Tuesday, but not necessarily to play. Marcus Mariota, three touchdowns yesterday, was made a permanent team captain on Friday. General admission tickets are still on sale on the NFL's London page. Free Colts fan events run Thursday to Sunday at the Greenwood pub, 170 Victoria Street; the Commanders are at The Box, Piccadilly, until Friday.
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The full read · for the train
Three things that mattered
1. Almost everything came down to the last two minutes. Of Sunday's fourteen games, eight were settled by a play inside the final two minutes: Cleveland's touchdown at 1:48, the strip-sacks of Burrow (44 seconds) and Geno Smith (51 seconds), Indianapolis's kick with 16 seconds left, Holland's interception with 17, Kittle's touchdown at 1:31, Nix's with 47 seconds, and Loop's kick with none.
2. The champions are human; Smith-Njigba isn't, yet. Seattle's defeat in Washington was their first since November. But Jaxon Smith-Njigba now has 120-plus receiving yards and a touchdown in each of Seattle's first three games. AP: the only other player to do that was Jerry Rice, in 1989.
3. Quarterbacks, everywhere. The Giants traded a 2027 fifth-round pick to Minnesota today for J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings' third-choice quarterback (pending a medical); John Harbaugh says Jameis Winston still starts against Arizona on Sunday. New England's Drake Maye has six interceptions in three games. Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield has a dislocated thumb and an MRI today. And Chicago go into tonight's game on their third-choice quarterback (see below).
Injuries & fallout
Season over, or close to it. Jaxson Dart (Giants quarterback): knee surgery, out for the season; Jameis Winston starts. De'Von Achane (Dolphins running back): torn ACL, reported out for the season. Leo Chenal (Commanders linebacker): neck fracture, reported season-ending surgery. Jaycee Horn (Panthers cornerback): torn quadriceps, reported headed for injured reserve. ⚠️ Brian Burns (Giants edge rusher): hurt his right knee in the fourth quarter; the Giants reportedly fear a torn ACL, with tests still pending.
Out for weeks. Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers quarterback): dislocated thumb, no fracture; Todd Bowles says he misses at least the next three games. Jalen Thompson (Cowboys safety): hamstring, four weeks or more. Caleb Williams (Bears quarterback): now a grade 2 hamstring strain, ruled out of tonight's game.
Waiting on scans. Justin Jefferson (Vikings, ankle), and San Francisco's Mike Evans (ribs) and Trent Williams (stinger): no diagnosis as this went out.
Still no ruling on Josh Jacobs. The Packers running back remains on the Commissioner's Exempt list. The NFL has filed a public-records request for the video in his case and is waiting on it; no suspension has been announced.
The table, minus the noise
Five teams are 3–0: Buffalo, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Minnesota and San Francisco. Philadelphia (2–0) can make it six tonight. Five are 0–3: Miami, Tennessee, Houston, the Chargers and Tampa Bay. All four AFC North sides are level at 2–1, and nobody in the NFC South has a winning record.
- AFC East: Bills 3–0, Jets 1–2, Patriots 1–2, Dolphins 0–3
- AFC North: Steelers, Ravens, Browns, Bengals — all 2–1
- AFC South: Jaguars 2–1, Colts 1–2, Titans 0–3, Texans 0–3
- AFC West: Chiefs 3–0, Raiders 3–0, Broncos 2–1, Chargers 0–3
- NFC East: Eagles 2–0, Giants 2–1, Cowboys 1–2, Commanders 1–2
- NFC North: Vikings 3–0, Lions 2–1, Bears 1–1, Packers 1–2
- NFC South: Panthers 1–2, Saints 1–2, Falcons 1–2, Buccaneers 0–3
- NFC West: 49ers 3–0, Seahawks 2–1, Rams 1–2, Cardinals 1–2
Full standings.
Every result, with the story
Winner first. Every score read from the AP wire report and checked against a second, independent source (the clubs' own sites, NFL.com, Field Level Media or Sky Sports).
Last Monday night (Tuesday morning here), Week 2
Rams 28–6 Giants — Jaxson Dart went down on the Giants' seventh snap, his left knee caught as he threw, and he will not play again this season. Davante Adams caught eight passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns, Matthew Stafford threw four, and Aaron Donald played his first NFL game in 32 months after coming out of retirement. The Rams outgained New York 481 yards to 182.
Thursday night (Friday morning here)
Falcons 35–14 Packers — Green Bay led 7–0; Atlanta scored the next 27 points and outran the Packers 242 yards to 17 on the ground. Bijan Robinson ran for 194 yards, Drake London caught nine for 194, and Michael Penix Jr. won on his return from a torn ACL. Green Bay's first home-opener defeat since 2012.
Sunday, 18:00 UK
Browns 21–18 Panthers — Carolina led by five with four minutes left. Deshaun Watson was intercepted in the end zone, but a roughing-the-passer flag wiped it out, and on the same drive he threw the winning touchdown to Harold Fannin Jr. with 1:48 left, then the two-point conversion. Cleveland's second late comeback in a row. Watson: "I got a little teary-eyed feeling that energy."
Steelers 30–27 Bengals — Cincinnati's first defeat. Aaron Rodgers, 42, threw three touchdowns; Chris Boswell kicked Pittsburgh ahead late, and Derrick Harmon strip-sacked Joe Burrow with 44 seconds left. Two Bengals special-teams mistakes cost them ten points. Burrow: "We just can't shoot ourselves in the foot like that."
Colts 19–17 Texans — Indianapolis's nine-game losing run is over. Spencer Shrader, kicking with a groin injury from the warm-up, made all four field goals, the last from 53 yards with 16 seconds left. Houston are 0–3 for the second season running. Coach Shane Steichen: "now we've got to go to London and try to get that done over there, too."
Chiefs 24–10 Dolphins — Patrick Mahomes completed 20 of 24 passes for two touchdowns; the knee listed on the injury report never showed. Miami lost running back De'Von Achane to a knee injury on the opening drive, and his coach said early news did not "sound optimistic".
Bills 24–16 Chargers — Buffalo gave the ball away five times and still won, their first such win since 1997. James Cook ran for 154 yards and Josh Allen ran in a touchdown for the third game running. The Chargers settled for field goals six times inside Buffalo's 30 and are 0–3.
Jaguars 35–6 Patriots — Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdowns; Drake Maye threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and was taken off in the fourth quarter. Last season's AFC champions' quarterback now has one touchdown pass and six interceptions in three games.
Lions 31–24 Jets — Jahmyr Gibbs scored three touchdowns, the winner a catch with 2:25 left. The Jets reached Detroit's 28 with 51 seconds to go, and Chuck Clark came in untouched on a blitz and knocked the ball out of Geno Smith's hands.
Commanders 33–31 Seahawks — the champions' 12-game winning run is over. Marcus Mariota, starting for the injured Jayden Daniels, threw three touchdowns and no interceptions, and backup linebacker Kain Medrano — on the field only because Leo Chenal had been taken off with a neck injury — returned an interception 50 yards for the decisive touchdown. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught two more touchdowns in defeat; more below.
Giants 12–7 Titans — a game played in a nor'easter. Undrafted rookie kicker Dominic Zvada scored all 12 New York points, Jameis Winston won his first start of the season without a turnover, and Jevon Holland intercepted Cam Ward in the end zone with 17 seconds left. Tennessee managed one first down in the first half.
Sunday, 21:05 and 21:25 UK
49ers 36–30 Cardinals — Brock Purdy threw four touchdowns, the first an 82-yard hook-and-ladder on the third snap: Purdy to Mike Evans, Evans pitching to Deebo Samuel. Samuel: "we walked through that play like once this week." Arizona came back to within two before George Kittle's touchdown with 1:31 left, and Samuel recovered the onside kick. San Francisco lost Evans (ribs) and Trent Williams (stinger) during the game.
Vikings 23–16 Buccaneers — Myles Price returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown, Kyler Murray won his first full game as a Viking, and Minnesota sacked Baker Mayfield six times. Mayfield dislocated his right thumb late on; Justin Jefferson hurt an ankle in the first quarter. Tampa Bay are 0–3 for the first time since 2014.
Ravens 34–31 Cowboys (Rio de Janeiro) — the finish of the season so far. Dallas tied it 31–31 with a field goal with seven seconds left. From the kick-off, Lamar Jackson found Zay Flowers for 27 yards, called time-out with one second left, and Tyler Loop kicked a 56-yard field goal as the clock ran out. Derrick Henry scored twice and passed Eric Dickerson into ninth on the all-time rushing list. More on the night below.
Raiders 35–27 Saints — Kirk Cousins, 38, threw three more touchdowns and the Raiders came back from eleven down. The swing was a Tyler Shough fumble upheld on review that the Superdome booed ("I thought my arm was going forward," said Shough); New Orleans' last four drives ended fumble, interception, fumble, fumble. Las Vegas are 3–0 under a 39-year-old first-year head coach, Klint Kubiak.
Sunday night (Monday 01:20 UK)
Broncos 30–26 Rams — the Rams outgained Denver 273 yards to 67 in the first half and led only 16–0, because they kept kicking field goals. Bo Nix tied it with two touchdown passes, Talanoa Hufanga returned an interception 66 yards for the lead, Stafford hit back with a 48-yard touchdown, and Nix jumped over the pile for the winner with 47 seconds left. Then Hufanga intercepted Stafford again, in the end zone. Hufanga: "Matt Stafford is a lot faster than you think. I might be slow, but he's fast."
Monday night (Tuesday 01:15 UK)
Eagles @ Bears — not played yet. See the bottom of this email.
This week: the full TV listings
Tonight, Monday night: Eagles @ Bears — Tue 01:15 UK / 02:15 CET. Sky Sports NFL and Main Event; RTL (free) and Sky Sport in Germany. Unbeaten Philadelphia against a Chicago side on its third quarterback: Caleb Williams is ruled out, and Case Keenum, 38, is reported to be starting (the Bears had not named him when this went out).
Week 4 — every game, UK and CET. No byes this week; all 32 teams play.
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Thursday night: Steelers @ Browns — Fri 01:15 UK / 02:15 CET. Sky Sports NFL; RTL (free).
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Sunday, London: Colts v Commanders, Tottenham — 14:30 UK / 15:30 CET. Channel 5 (free) and Sky Sports NFL. Germany: RTL says it shows every European International Game free; ⚠️ its Week 4 listing isn't out yet.
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Sunday 18:00 UK / 19:00 CET: Cardinals @ Giants, Cowboys @ Texans, Packers @ Buccaneers, Jaguars @ Bengals, Rams @ Eagles, Patriots @ Bills, Jets @ Bears, Titans @ Ravens. 5Action (free) has one of them; it hasn't said which.
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Sunday 21:05 UK / 22:05 CET: Dolphins @ Vikings.
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Sunday 21:25 UK / 22:25 CET: Broncos @ 49ers (Channel 5, free), Chiefs @ Raiders, Chargers @ Seahawks.
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Sunday night: Lions @ Panthers — Mon 01:20 UK / 02:20 CET. Sky Sports NFL and Main Event; RTL (free).
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Monday night: Falcons @ Saints — Tue 01:15 UK / 02:15 CET. Sky; RTL (free).
Sky had not published its Week 4 Sunday picks when this went out; check skysports.com/nfl/fixtures later in the week. In Germany, the free NITRO Sunday Konferenz has ended: from this week it is pay-only (RTL+ and Sky), and RTL has not yet named its two free Sunday games.
Back at 07:00 next Monday. Confused by anything this week? Hit reply — we read every one.