Week 3 is officially in the books, which means it’s time to recognize the players who stood above the rest.
Welcome back to EST Excellence, where Ethical Sports Takes hands out gold, silver and bronze to some of the best individual performances of the week.
This week, we’re keeping it simple with quarterbacks and wide receivers.
Quarterbacks
🥇 Gold — Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders
19/31, 183 passing yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
With Jayden Daniels sidelined, Marcus Mariota stepped into the starting lineup against Seattle and delivered.
Mariota threw three touchdowns without an interception and helped Washington pull off a 33–31 upset over the team that entered the week No. 1 in EST Elite.
The box score wasn’t historic, but the circumstances and execution were outstanding. Washington needed its veteran backup to keep the offense functioning against one of the league’s best teams, and Mariota did much more than that.
He helped deliver one of Week 3’s biggest wins.
Marcus Mariota earns EST Excellence gold.
🥈 Silver — Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
15/27, 297 passing yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Brock Purdy continues to deliver for the undefeated 49ers.
Purdy threw four touchdown passes without an interception as San Francisco survived a serious challenge from Arizona, winning 36–30 to improve to 3–0.
Unlike San Francisco’s first two games, this wasn’t comfortable. Arizona kept applying pressure, and Purdy repeatedly answered.
Four touchdowns, zero interceptions and another victory earn Purdy EST Excellence silver.
🥉 Bronze — Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
19/34, 292 passing yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Aaron Rodgers takes bronze after helping Pittsburgh hand Cincinnati its first loss of the season.
Rodgers threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers escaped a back-and-forth AFC North battle with a 30–27 victory.
It wasn’t a flawless performance, with Rodgers throwing one interception, but he consistently created big plays and helped Pittsburgh answer whenever Cincinnati threatened to take control.
After a rough Week 2 performance, this was exactly the response Pittsburgh needed from its quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers earns EST Excellence bronze.
⭐ Honorable Mention — Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
22/33, 248 passing yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Kirk Cousins deserves recognition after another strong performance for undefeated Las Vegas.
The Raiders found themselves trailing New Orleans by 11 points in the second half, but Cousins helped lead the comeback. He finished with 248 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions as Las Vegas scored 19 unanswered points to win 35–27.
Three touchdowns, no interceptions and a comeback road victory to improve to 3–0.
Cousins narrowly misses the podium, but he absolutely deserves an EST Excellence honorable mention.
Wide Receivers
🥇 Gold — Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
10 receptions, 128 yards, 2 TD
Seattle lost the game, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba was phenomenal.
JSN caught 10 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns against Washington, consistently giving Seattle an answer as the Seahawks battled until the final possession.
Even in defeat, his impact was impossible to overlook.
Double-digit receptions, over 100 yards and two touchdowns make Jaxon Smith-Njigba the EST Excellence gold medalist for Week 3.
🥈 Silver — Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
9 receptions, 194 yards
Drake London absolutely torched Green Bay.
London finished with nine receptions for a ridiculous 194 yards as Atlanta dominated the Packers 35–14 on Thursday Night Football.
His biggest play came on a 68-yard catch-and-run, where London hauled in the pass and exploded upfield, turning it into one of the biggest gains of the night.
He didn’t score a touchdown, which keeps him just behind JSN, but London was arguably the most difficult receiver in football to contain this week.
Nearly 200 receiving yards, highlighted by a 68-yard catch-and-run in a statement victory, earns Drake London EST Excellence silver.
🥉 Bronze — CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
7 receptions, 112 yards, 2-point conversion
Dallas didn’t get the victory, but CeeDee Lamb did everything he could to help keep the Cowboys alive.
Lamb finished with seven receptions for 112 yards against Baltimore, including a massive 49-yard reception that completely flipped the field during a 96-yard Dallas touchdown drive.
He then hauled in the ensuing two-point conversion to pull Dallas within three at 24–21.
The Cowboys ultimately fell 34–31, but Lamb was one of the biggest reasons they had an opportunity to win late.
CeeDee Lamb earns EST Excellence bronze.
⭐ Honorable Mention — Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
5 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD
Jordan Addison had been quiet through Minnesota’s first two games.
He didn’t record a single catch in Week 1 and managed just 21 receiving yards in Week 2. But instead of disappearing, Addison stayed ready for his opportunity.
That opportunity arrived when Justin Jefferson went down with an ankle injury against Tampa Bay.
Addison stepped up immediately. After making a big 30-yard reception, he followed it just three plays later by hauling in a 41-yard touchdown to give Minnesota the lead.
He finished with five receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown as the Vikings remained undefeated with a 23–16 victory.
Two quiet weeks didn’t matter. When Minnesota suddenly needed Addison to become a bigger part of the offense, he was ready.
That earns him an EST Excellence honorable mention.
Week 3 EST Excellence Podium
Quarterbacks
🥇 Marcus Mariota — Commanders
🥈 Brock Purdy — 49ers
🥉 Aaron Rodgers — Steelers
⭐ Honorable Mention: Kirk Cousins — Raiders
Wide Receivers
🥇 Jaxon Smith-Njigba — Seahawks
🥈 Drake London — Falcons
🥉 CeeDee Lamb — Cowboys
⭐ Honorable Mention: Jordan Addison — Vikings
That’s a wrap on Week 3 of EST Excellence.
Who deserved a spot on the podium? Who did we miss?
Make sure to like and subscribe to Ethical Sports Takes for weekly NFL rankings, awards, recaps and analysis throughout the season.
We’ll see you next week for another edition of EST Excellence. 🏆
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