Week 3 NFL chaos: blocked kicks, walk-off field goals and a 336-pound hero

Week 3 delivered chaos on a wave of late-game drama, with four blocked field goals and four walk-off field goals across Sunday. The incidents underscored how pivotal special teams have become early in the 2025 season, with kickers and returners repeatedly flipping outcomes in the final moments.

The day’s defining moment came in Philadelphia, where 336-pound defensive tackle Jordan Davis blocked a 44-yard field-goal attempt by Rams kicker Joshua Karty on the final play of the game and then rumbled 61 yards for a touchdown to seal a 33-26 victory for the Eagles. Los Angeles had stormed back from a 19-point deficit in the second half, but the block-and-run finish preserved Philadelphia’s win in a playoff rematch atmosphere. Davis’s sprint reached 18.59 mph, a speed statistic that, per Next Gen Stats, is the fastest recorded by a player over 330 pounds since at least 2017. Davis also became the heaviest player in league history to return a blocked kick 50 or more yards for a touchdown. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Karty, who had never had a field-goal attempt blocked before, watched Jalen Carter block a 33-yard try, signaling an evening of standout special-teams moments. Three blocks occurred in the final two minutes, a rare NFL milestone dating to at least 1990, and the four blocks in the fourth quarter marked the most on a single day since at least 1978.

The chaos extended beyond Philadelphia. In Tampa Bay, the Jets’ Will McDonald leaped over the Buccaneers’ snapper to block a 43-yard try by Chase McLaughlin and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown to give New York a 27-26 lead with 1:49 remaining. Baker Mayfield then guided a late drive for the Buccaneers to set up McLaughlin’s 36-yard winner as time expired. Mayfield later reflected that the win carried extra meaning because Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks once cut him earlier in his career. In Cleveland, Shelby Harris blocked a 43-yard field-goal attempt by Green Bay’s Brandon McManus with 21 seconds left. Greg Newsome II recovered at the Browns’ 47, and Andre Szmyt drilled a 55-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Browns to a 13-10 upset of the Packers.

Within the same Sunday slate, Eddie Pineiro’s 35-yard field goal gave the San Francisco 49ers a 16-15 win over the Arizona Cardinals, and Cameron Dicker’s 43-yard boot capped the Los Angeles Chargers’ 23-20 comeback over the Denver Broncos, who lost on a final-second field goal in Week 2 as well. In both games, Denver did not trail in the fourth quarter yet still fell at the finish, leaving players and coaches to chase answers for late-game miscues.

The Broncos leave Week 3 at 1-2, having watched two straight losses hinge on late kicks despite never trailing in the fourth quarter in either game. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix framed the mood by stressing the need to move forward, noting that while the results sting, the focus must stay on preparation and execution in the next game rather than dwelling on what happened on Sundays. His comments reflected a broader theme from teams across the league that, through three weeks, special teams has become a decisive factor in a fast-starting 2025 season.

Week 3’s run of blocks, kicks and walk-offs underscored a growing trend: teams are leveraging special-teams units as momentum shifters in games that are increasingly decided by a few pivotal plays. As teams continue to adjust rosters and game plans, coaches may lean more on returners, snappers and kickers who can flip a game at the end of regulation or in the final seconds of a close contest. The season has only just begun, but Week 3 already stands as a reminder that football is often decided where the ball is least expected to be decisive: the kicking game and the coverage units that chase it.