Overreactions in Week 3 of the NFL: Cowboys player Mike McCarthy in trouble? Sam Darnold best quarterback? Saquon Barkley best new signing?

Week 3 in the NFL was certainly one of the most unpredictable of the young season. The Seattle Seahawks lead the NFC West by two games and the Minnesota Vikings are one of the few 3-0 teams in the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers also lead the grueling AFC North by two games.

The New York Giants and Carolina Panthers won one game ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals. The New Orleans Saints offense could only score 12 points against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys suddenly can't win any home games anymore.

This week's overreactions to Sunday afternoon games are tough. Which of them are actually overreactions and which are reality?

Malik Nabers is the best WR in the 2024 draft

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

Nabers is pretty good, that's all. The Giants' rookie wide receiver had another great daycaught eight passes for 78 yards and scored two touchdowns in the win over the Browns, showing that he is already a No. 1 wide receiver and breathing new life into one of the weakest offenses in football.

Through three games, Nabers has 23 catches for 271 yards and three touchdowns. His 37.8% target share is the fourth-highest of any player through three games in the last decade, and his 271 yards are the second-most by a rookie through three games in franchise history.

Nabers has a good chance of being the best wideout in this class, but Marvin Harrison Jr. has 10 catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns in three games. This race for NFL Rookie of the Year could come down to Nabers and Harrison. They're both very good.

Sam Darnold is the best quarterback in the NFL after three weeks

Overreaction or reality: reality

Not only are the Vikings up 3-0 after Sunday's clear win over the Texans, but Darnold is also one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Darnold is at the top of all important quarterback statistics.

Darnold leads the NFL in passing touchdowns (8), ranks second in passer rating (117.3) and is fourth in yards per attempt (8.4). Darnold is the fifth quarterback in the last 25 years to start his first three games with a 3-0 team and throw more than eight passing touchdowns, and he is the first quarterback in Vikings history to win his first three games of the season and throw multiple passing touchdowns in each of them.

The Vikings get excellent quarterback play from Darnold, who sets up their defense to dominate games in the final stages. Without Darnold, Minnesota is not 3-0.

Saquon Barkley is the best new signing of the NFL offseason

Overreaction or reality: reality

Want to try and figure out who the NFL's best runner is after three weeks? That would be Barkley, who scored the Eagles' only two touchdowns in a win at New Orleans. Barkley finished the season with 17 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns for Philadelphia, bringing his totals this season to 351 yards and four rushing touchdowns. He is the league leader in rushing yards and is tied for the NFL leader in rushing touchdowns.

Responsible for two of the Eagles' three wins and rushing for over 100 yards from the scrimmage in each game, Barkley has been as good as promised and is the reason the Eagles' offense stays afloat despite all the injuries.

Who knows where the Eagles would be without Barkley?

Matt LaFleur should be NFL Coach of the Year

Overreaction or reality: reality

How can LaFleur have so much success with Malik Willis, who seemed to be out of the NFL after two seasons with the Titans? The Packers have won both of Willis' starts, as the quarterback is completing 73.5% of his passes this season with 9.5 yards per attempt, two touchdowns and a 122.6 passer rating – in addition to his 114 rushing yards and one touchdown.

In Willis' two appearances, he has completed 75.8% of his passes for a 126.3 rating. Willis is the fourth different Packers player with 200+ passing yards, 50+ rushing yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in a game. A month ago, he wasn't even with the Packers, but a discarded quarterback for the team he beat on Sunday.

What LaFleur did with Willis cannot be ignored. This is the best coaching job in 2024, even better than Kevin O'Connell with Sam Darnold.

Andy Dalton will be the Panthers' quarterback for the rest of the year

Overreaction or reality: reality

This could be the slam dunk of the NFL season. Dalton is the first quarterback this season with over 300 passing yards and over 3 passing touchdowns in a game, and he has more 300-yard passing games in two starts (2) than Bryce Young has in 18 starts (1) over the past two seasons.

Dalton threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers won their first game of the year, finishing with a 123.6 passer rating. Carolina scored 36 points after scoring a total of 13 points in the first two weeks.

The Panthers have to go with Dalton in the future, whether he is the first pick in the draft or not. Carolina is learning that there may be talent on this team after all.

Mike McCarthy will not last the season in Dallas

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

The Cowboys have looked very weak in their last two home games, getting off to a slow start in each of them. The Cowboys have been beaten 56-22 in their last two home games and looked like they would suffer a tough loss in Sunday's game against the Ravens.

Here's why McCarthy should stick it out for the season: Dallas is still playing for McCarthy, as evidenced by the 22 straight second-half points that turned what seemed like a winning game into a game. Garbage time or not, the Cowboys were one stop away from tying the game.

McCarthy is under fire for his 1-2 start, especially since both losses came at home, but the Cowboys aren't in trouble yet. Let's see what happens on Thursday against the Giants.

CJ Gardner-Johnson is right that the Saints are hypocrites

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

Gardner-Johnson was elated after Sunday's win, saying in the locker room that the Saints were “hypocrites” after scoring 12 points and gaining 4.0 yards per play. The Saints entered Sunday averaging 45.5 points and 6.9 yards per play, a storming start that would not last.

One game shouldn't be a sign that the Saints aren't as good as their offense has shown in the first two games. The Saints still need to reach a three-game average of 34.3 points (first in the NFL) and 6.0 yards per play (sixth in the NFL). They have a tough stretch ahead of them as the Falcons, Chiefs and Buccaneers come at them.

It's far too early to call the Saints hypocrites after a loss that could have been a win, given that the Saints were leading for the final two minutes.