The NFL always surprises every season. Who would have thought the Indianapolis Colts, led by New York Giants castoff Daniel Jones, would be 2-0 and the first team in the Super Bowl era to not have a punt in their first two games of a season? It's doubtful that even Jones' own family could have predicted this glass half full of an outcome for the seven-year veteran. He unbelievably, per CBS Sports Research, has more starts with no team punts or turnovers (two) than Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (one). 

However, there are also a number of quarterbacks who entered the 2025 season with plenty of hype and have, by varying degrees, had bumpy starts to the year through two weeks. Here is a look at five of those quarterbacks and why they could bounce back in Week 3. The passers listed below range from former top picks, Super Bowl champions and the oldest player in the league, but they're ranked by the likelihood of having a bounce-back performance this week. 

5. Cam Ward vs. Indianapolis Colts

Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cameron Ward, the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, hasn't had a smooth start to his NFL career. Tennessee is 0-2, and his production hasn't been sparkling: Ward has been sacked 11 times this season, the most in the NFL, and he has registered fewer than 200 yards passing with just one touchdown pass in two games. 

It's not great that Ward is just 1 of 17 quarterbacks since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to be sacked five or more times in both of his first two career starts. He's one of two Titans/Oilers quarterbacks on that list along with Bucky Robinson. 

* 1 of 2 Titans/Oilers QBs since 1970 AFL/NFL merger sacked five or more times in each of first two starts (1994 Bucky Richardson)  

However, he could be primed for a bounce-back performance in Week 3 playing at home against the Indianapolis Colts. Through two weeks, the Colts' 17.6% quarterback pressure rate is the lowest in the entire NFL. Facing the league's least consistent pass rush could be exactly what the doctor ordered for Ward to have much cleaner performance in Week 3. 

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Pete Prisco

The Houston Texans are off to their second 0-2 start in the last three seasons in large part to quarterback C.J. Stroud and his offensive line's inability to play consistently high level football. Stroud has taken 58 sacks since the start of the 2024 season, the second-most in the NFL in that span ahead of only Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, more on him in a moment. 

* Top 10 in NFL

** Bottom 10 in NFL

However, Stroud is primed for a rebound in Week 3 as he prepares to face one of his favorite punching bags: the Jacksonville Jaguars. The third-year quarterback has won three of his four starts against Jacksonville, averaging nearly 300 passing yards per game (292.8) to go along with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Jacksonville failed to slow down the Jake Browning-led Bengals offense after Joe Burrow exited their Week 2 matchup with an injury, so it's likely Stroud will be able to find success against a Jaguars defense adjusting to its new coaching staff. 

The Chicago Bears have been losers in 12 of the past 13 games since starting the 2024 campaign 4-2. That's why Ben Johnson is now their coach and why his predecessor Matt Eberflus now works as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator. Speaking of Eberflus, he's set to make his Chicago homecoming in Week 3 against Johnson and Williams with Dallas coming to town. 

That's why Williams is high on this list of quarterbacks who could bounce back in Week 3. With Cowboys All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland sidelined with a foot injury, the Cowboys allowed New York Giants 36-year-old quarterback Russell Wilson to light them up in Week 2 during a 40-37 overtime win. 

Wilson completed 30 of his 41 passes on Sunday for 450 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Wilson amassed 264 of his 450 pass yards on throws of 20 or more air yards, which stands as the most passing yards on throws of 20 or more air yards by any player in a game since Ben Roethlisberger in 2015, per CBS Sports Research. 

Both Cowboys players and coaches have spoken out about "communication issues" with Eberflus' vision zone defense thanks to injuries that have forced new players into the lineup while the defense adjusts to a new defensive coordinator for the second year in a row. Sounds like an ideal chance for Williams to bounce back in Week 3. 

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the NFL's all-time leader in touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.31, 508 passing touchdowns to 118 interceptions) by a wide margin. That's why any game he throws multiple interceptions in, like he did when he threw two to just one touchdown pass in the Steelers' Week 2 loss against the Seattle Seahawks, means Rodgers is in need of a bounce back. Rodgers has never thrown multiple interceptions in consecutive games in his future Hall of Fame career. 

Fortunately for Rodgers, he's playing the New England Patriots in Week 3, one of the NFL's sloppiest defenses under new coach Mike Vrabel. The Patriots' 25 missed tackles this season are the second-most in the NFL, and their seven plays of 25 or more yards that they have allowed in 2024 are tied for the third-most in the league. That should be music to both Rodgers' and Pro Bowl Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf's ears. 

Kansas City Chiefs three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is struggling by his standard. He has experienced losing three consecutive games, including the postseason, for the first time as a starter in his NFL career. Mahomes has never lost four in a row in his collegiate career at Texas Tech in his college or NFL career.

However, that's exactly what's happened across the Chiefs' Super Bowl LIX defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles, their Week 1 defeat against the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil and in Week 2 at home against the Eagles. A huge issue for Kansas City in these losses has been its inability to move the chains on third down: the Chiefs 34.6% third-down conversion rate ranks as the seventh-worst in the NFL through two weeks. 

That's in large part to Mahomes averaging the fewest yards per pass attempt (3.4) by a starting quarterback on third down thus far in the 2025 NFL season. Fortunately for Mahomes, he's facing a New York Giants defense in Week 3 that got torched through the air and on the ground in their 40-37 overtime defeat in Week 2 at the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott completed 38 of his 52 passes for 361 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and Dallas running back Javonte Williams (97 yards, including a 30-yard rushing touchdown on 18 carries) led a Cowboys run game that produced 135 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 28 carries (4.8 yards per carry). 

Mahomes is primed for a bounce-back performance in Week 3.