Like leaves falling off trees, the NFL's undefeated teams are quickly withering away. Only eight teams managed to avoid their first loss after the season's first two weeks. That number shrank to five teams in Week 3 after the Seahawks, Bengals, and Eagles suffered their first setbacks of the 2026 season.
The Bills, Chiefs, Raiders, Vikings and 49ers still have a chance to match the 1972 Dolphins and 2007 Patriots as the only teams to win every regular-season game. Based on their first three games and what lies ahead, we've identified which 3-0 teams are contenders and which will struggle to continue at their current pace. In some ways, the Bills' win over the Chargers this past Sunday was just as impressive as their first two wins.
Buffalo managed to beat a desperate Chargers team (still in search of their first win) despite coughing up the ball 5 times. Buffalo's defense played well while holding Los Angeles to just 16 points. The Bills have an early MVP candidate in Josh Allen and an early front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year in Greg Rousseau, who joined Mark Gastineau (in 1984) and Hall of Famer Kevin Greene (in 1998) as the only players to have three straight games with two or more sacks to open a season.
The Bills also have one of the NFL's best running backs in James Cook III, who is averaging a league-best 6.0 yards per carry. If there are possible concerns for Buffalo, it would be their five turnovers against Los Angeles and the fact that their defense has yet to play exceptionally well against a top-tier offense. They'll get that chance against the Rams in Week 5 in what could be a Super Bowl preview.
Unfortunately for the current Raiders, it's going to take a while to erase the stigma surrounding what has been a largely losing franchise since their last Super Bowl appearance (at the end of the 2002 season). History aside, there is still reason for pause. The Raiders' three wins are against teams that have a combined 1-8 record.
Las Vegas will be put to the test over the next eight weeks as it faces the NFL's toughest strength of schedule. Their next four games will be against the Chiefs, the reigning AFC champion Patriots, the Bills and the Rams. Fortunately for Las Vegas, the Patriots game will be the only road game over that stretch.
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