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In The First Read, Jeffri Chadiha provides a snapshot of the hottest stories and trends heading into Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season, including:
But to kick things off, an examination of six teams off to undefeated starts …
The third week of this NFL season was about as crazy as it gets. We watched the white-hot Green Bay Packers go into Cleveland and leave with a loss to the winless Browns. An unheralded defensive back in Minnesota became holy terror in a blowout win over the Bengals. And how about all those blocked field goals? There were four in the fourth quarters of the early-window games on Sunday, including one that sealed a huge victory for Philadelphia over the Los Angeles Rams.
Those were all indications that there was going to be a lot to unpack after this weekend. That also means it’s going to be another fun time assembling The First Read. We’re quickly moving into the part of the season when it’s fair to start wondering if we should believe our eyes. That’s why this edition is going to focus on the teams that remain undefeated after three weeks and whether it’s a good idea to start believing in them.
Here’s who you should be buying after Week 3, along with those you should be selling (listed in alphabetical order).
The Bills are working from a script that we’re not accustomed to seeing during the Sean McDermott-Josh Allen era. Usually, the Bills have to wait until the postseason arrives to watch their defense turn unreliable. This year that unit has been problematic for most of the last three weeks – giving up 40 points to the Ravens and allowing 10-of-15 third-down conversions in a 31-21 win over Miami — but guess what? It hasn’t mattered. The Bills offense is so elite that offensive coordinator Joe Brady has only asked Allen to throw for 361 combined yards over the last two games. The Bills are quite comfortable gashing teams with one of the league’s best rushing attacks, with James Cook doing the bulk of the damage. When they have to turn to Allen, he can devastate defenses with his legs or his ability to utilize a variety of receivers. Of course, the schedule is a huge asset for the Bills as well. The combined record of their next four opponents (the Saints, Patriots, Falcons and Panthers) is 3-9 and then they host the struggling Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9. It’s going to be really hard to keep this team from locking up the one seed in the AFC. DECISION: BUY
The Colts are easily the biggest surprise in the NFL, and that has plenty do with how well quarterback Daniel Jones has been playing. He’s now the first player in the Super Bowl era to have at least three touchdown passes, three rushing touchdowns and no turnovers in the first three games of a season. What’s scary is that he just seems to be getting started. Jones is utilizing all the benefits that came with joining the Colts and beating out former first-round pick Anthony Richardson for the starting job in the process. Running back Jonathan Taylor has been excellent. Jones has a variety of playmakers in the passing game, including rookie tight end Tyler Warren and wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce. The Colts defense also has been vastly improved, as that unit has forced five turnovers this season. You can quibble with the opponents Indianapolis has beaten — nobody in that group has a winning a record and the most recent win, a 41-20 bashing on Tennessee, came against the team that picked first overall in last year’s draft — but the Colts don’t care. The AFC South is one of the softest divisions in football and the team that won it last year, the Texans, is currently sitting at 0-3. The Colts haven’t started this fast since 2009. They don’t look like a team that is about to melt down any time soon. DECISION: BUY
