Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields: Even if Russell Wilson’s calf is fully healed, there’s no way the Steelers can make a move now, not with a 3-0 record and not with Fields improving each week. He was outstanding on Sunday, completing 25 of 32 passes for 245 yards, a touchdown, an interception and two sacks – plus a point on the ground – in his team’s 20-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Up until now, you could say Fields’ best trait was that he hadn’t made any mistakes in his first two games. But on Sunday, he threw a dart into a tight window that Calvin Austin III turned into a 55-yard touchdown. With a dominating defense, a solid running game and Fields blossoming, it’s hard to imagine Wilson reclaiming his supposed starting spot anytime soon.
Malik Willis, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers: He’s been with the Packers for less than a month, but on Sunday Willis had the best game of his career against the team that gave up on him. That’s a pretty nice redemption, with Willis running for a touchdown and catching another pass. Matt LaFleur, who limited Willis to just five pass attempts in the first half last week, called more early passes this week. Jordan Love seems ready to return for the big showdown with the Vikings next week, but Willis has shown they can win games with him.
Minnesota Vikings: All of it. Every part of this team is a winner right now. A week after beating one of the best teams in the NFC, they dominated one of the best teams in the AFC. Sam Darnold is earning MVP shouts after throwing four more touchdown passes (he has eight touchdowns and just two interceptions through three games), and the blitz-heavy defense overwhelmed the Texans’ offensive line, sacking CJ Stroud four times. If this continues, Kevin O’Connell will be a strong candidate for Coach of the Year because of his work with Darnold, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores will be looking long and hard for a head coaching job at the end of the season.
Baltimore Ravens Offensive Line: Their biggest concern early in the season and in this game finally came true as they led a 274-yard running attack that saved the Ravens’ season. The most important run of the year was the last one, when the Ravens, having almost completely blown a 28-6 lead, needed a first down to run down the clock. They faked the jet sweep and Lamar Jackson ran through a huge hole in the middle of the line virtually unchallenged to secure the win.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton: Two things can be true at once. The Carolina Panthers have let Bryce Young down in their efforts to develop the former first-round pick from last season. And Dalton was great on Sunday. He is the only quarterback in the league this season with 300 passing yards and three touchdowns in a game. That’s the real indictment against Young, that Dalton could come off the bench and get those results with the same offense and personnel (it’s also a real indictment against the Raiders, by the way). Dalton brought a level of calm and confidence to the Panthers, and that allowed everyone else to play better.
Los Angeles Rams: The Rams saved their season by scoring the game’s final 13 points, the final 10 of them in the final two minutes on Sunday. Both the 49ers and Rams were missing key offensive players, but the Rams finally got running back Kyren Williams going with 89 yards and two touchdowns. A 38-yard punt return by Xavier Smith with 42 seconds left set up the game-winning field goal that gave the Rams their first lead with 5 seconds left. Yes, the 49ers defense collapsed, but the Rams were shorthanded and about to go down 3-0. This was a win for never giving up.
