At this point, we should be conditioned to expect the unexpected when it comes to the NFL. Teams that you don't expect to win in a certain situation absolutely can emerge victorious, at least a couple games will always come down to the wire and contests can be paused due to unidentified flying objects. It's true, it happened on Sunday.
We saw plenty of wild moments in Week 3. The Miami Dolphins are now under investigation because of how they handled Tua Tagovailoa's concussion check, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey had an epic meltdown in the press box, the Jacksonville Jaguars blew out the Los Angeles Chargers and head coach Brandon Staley made the bone-headed decision to keep his injured star quarterback in said blowout for zero reason at all. It was surprising, but not all of these moments made our list of top five wildest things to happen in Week 3. Let's take a look at what did:
5. Drone pauses Seahawks game
The Falcons-Seahawks game on Sunday afternoon was paused in the second half due to a UFO. No, aliens were not getting a better look at their fantasy football players or tracking their live bets from above; it was a drone. Per Pro Football Talk, the league guidelines call for games to be stopped until any unlicensed drones are out of the airspace. The referees are told to clear the field, but the delay did not last long.
DRONE DELAY in the Falcons/Seahawks game…#DirtyBirds #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/eyEDCmC6Vc
— SportsGridTV (@SportsGridTV) September 25, 2022
Interestingly enough, the Washington college football game was also delayed due to a drone on Saturday night.
The Washington-Stanford was briefly delayed for an unidentified drone over the field. pic.twitter.com/WdsYEKNycW
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 25, 2022
4. Chiefs shocking loss
"Any given Sunday" isn't just a phrase, it's a reality. The Chiefs looked like a top two or three team coming into Week 3, as they were undefeated and set to play probably the worst team they had faced yet this season in the winless Indianapolis Colts. Frank Reich and Matt Ryan tied with the Houston Texans in Week 1, and then were completely blown out by the Jaguars in Week 2. This was going to be an easy win for Kansas City. Right?
No, the Colts escaped with a 20-17 victory. Ryan led a 16-play, 76-yard game-winning drive that lasted over eight minutes. It was capped by a Jelani Woods touchdown catch with just 24 seconds remaining -- the rookie's second touchdown catch of the game. As for why the Chiefs lost, there were multiple reasons. The offense didn't look explosive, the rushing attack went nowhere and there were untimely penalties and turnovers. One series that stood out was when the Chiefs, up by four points, attempted a fake field-goal pass on fourth down at the Colts' 24-yard line early in the fourth quarter. They didn't convert the first down, and ultimately lost by three. That's tough.
Expect the unexpected in this league.
3. Butt-Punt
Thomas Morstead is one of the best in the business, and has been for a long time. However, he ended up on the blooper reel Sunday, as he punted the ball right into the rear end of personal protector Trent Sherfield.
SAFETY ALERT!!!
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 25, 2022
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/GITcTSkf58
WE HAVE THE FIRST EVER ‘BUTT PUNT’ pic.twitter.com/1183HbEqpt
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) September 25, 2022
This was a huge play, as it gave Buffalo the ball and two points with under two minutes remaining. It appears Sherfield forgot he was operating in limited space. At least he took it in stride.
My cheeks have a big W tatted on them 😁
— Trent Sherfield (@Channel__10) September 25, 2022
It was a play that brought to mind Mark Sanchez's "Butt Fumble" from 2012, when he famously ran into the backside of his own Jets lineman and lost the ball. Sanchez took notice.
Woah… stay out of my lane bro @thomasmorstead 🤪 #NFL https://t.co/O5ZKUgmSNl
— Mark Sanchez (@Mark_Sanchez) September 25, 2022
2. Tom Brady being not clutch
Aaron Rodgers vs. Tom Brady was not about two legends going at each other this time, as this matchup was about defense and banged-up wide receiving corps. The Green Bay Packers' only points were scored on their first two drives of the game, but it was enough to win, 14-12.
Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 89 yards down the field late in the fourth quarter to score Tampa Bay's first touchdown of the game and pull within two points. It felt like we were about to go to overtime, but then, for some reason, Brady and the offense drew a delay-of-game penalty in the one situation where you can't afford it.
No way! The Bucs don't get the snap off and get called for delay of game! #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/BJ5dJVefq5
— Pro Football Culture (@proftblculture) September 25, 2022
After the ball was moved back to the 7-yard line, it felt like all the momentum swung in the Packers' favor again. Sure enough, Brady wasn't able to convert, and that was that.
.@Came_Along_Way says "NO!"#GBvsTB | #GoPackGo
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 25, 2022
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/gRFMbD5mIH
Rodgers may be the reason the refs threw the flag for delay of game, because it appears the Buccaneers should have been flagged for the same penalty on their touchdown, and Rodgers let them know about it.
1. Jimmy Garoppolo pulls a Dan Orlovsky
This was the wildest thing to happen in Week 3. ESPN commentator and former Detroit Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky is known for his backpedaling out of his own end zone during his playing days, and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo did the same thing on Sunday night against the Denver Broncos!
While it's both embarrassing and entertaining, this play had major ramifications, as the 49ers could have used those two points they gifted the Broncos. They lost by just one.
SAFETY! Jimmy G steps out of the back of the end zone. #FTTB #SFvsDEN on NBC and @peacock. pic.twitter.com/dMFD89e6zH
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 26, 2022
Jimmy G just pulled an Orlovsky pic.twitter.com/dqLNdrZWAq
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 26, 2022
IVE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) September 26, 2022
FFFFREEEEEDDDOOOMMMM