Greg Cosell's 2026 NFL Week 3 Preview: Part Two + Falcons - Packers reaction

This episode pairs Ross Tucker's second day of Week 3 preview with Greg Cosell, NFL Films' longtime film analyst, going game-by-game through the back half of the Sunday/Monday slate, plus a quick reaction to Thursday night's Falcons-Packers blowout. The through-line is Cosell's film-based read on personnel usage, offensive line play, and quarterback traits — with several threads carrying direct fantasy weight on receiver roles, running back deployment, and quarterback situations.

The arguments

Zay Flowers' absence is gutting the Ravens' offense, not just cosmetically. Cosell called Flowers an "overlooked" top-five-in-yards receiver last year and noted he's the one player who can get behind the second level on play-action crossers out of Lamar Jackson's under-center package. Tucker agreed the Ravens "feel like a different team" without him, especially with the offense leaning on Derrick Henry in I-formation looks that don't create the same explosive-play opportunities.

Brock Purdy's traits are being underrated because he doesn't have prototypical arm strength. Cosell said scouting-combine quarterback coaches consistently emphasize two things — seeing the field within structure and ball location — and argued Purdy is elite at both, arm strength notwithstanding. Both hosts noted the 49ers haven't needed to overwork McCaffrey (nowhere near his 2024 pace of 400+ touches), a point Tucker flagged as intentional load management given the aging skill-position group (Kittle, McCaffrey, Evans-era vets).

Tyler Shough is trending toward legitimate starter, built on a specific skill Cosell prizes. Cosell praised Shough's willingness to "turn loose" tough intermediate and vertical throws that aren't wide open but are viable — a trait he says has no statistical marker and separates quarterbacks who take chunk shots from those who check down. He's doing a full piece on Shough for his matchup show this week after a strong final six quarters against Detroit and Baltimore.

The Rams' 13-personnel scheme creates two distinct run games worth tracking for touches. Cosell explained Kyren Williams is the downhill, shoulders-square runner for duo/inside zone while Corum brings outside-zone juice — meaning touch distribution isn't arbitrary but scheme-driven. He also flagged Jalen Waddle's usage in Denver: heavy pre-snap motion to get him off the line clean, which produced a game-deciding stutter-go touchdown against man coverage.

Saquon Barkley may be miscast in Philadelphia's current zone-heavy run scheme. Cosell floated — carefully, calling it speculative — that Barkley's game is downhill and decisive rather than the patient, gap-reading instincts outside zone demands, and Tucker agreed vision has never been Barkley's calling card. Both hosts noted the Eagles' passing game (Hurts) has outperformed expectations while the run game has lagged, inverting their preseason expectation.

The Buccaneers' passing game is out of sync for reasons the hosts can't fully diagnose, but the personnel shift matters. Cosell pointed to rookie Tez Johnson-type usage questions and specifically named Jalen McMillan as the offseason answer to replace Mike Evans as the boundary X receiver, someone who should see rising snap share as continuity develops.

Yosef Yosivas's IR stint reshapes Bengals personnel groupings more than raw target share suggests. Cosell noted Cincinnati already ran the second-highest rate of 12 personnel in the league even with Yosivas active, because Gesicki functions almost like a receiver; his loss likely pushes more 12-personnel and could open snaps for Andrei Iosivas's replacements — rookies Colby Young or another rookie — behind Gesicki as the primary beneficiary.

What it means for your roster

• Fade or bench Ravens skill players until Zay Flowers returns — both hosts view him as irreplaceable in this scheme's explosive-play equation, not just a name on the depth chart.
• Stay in on Brock Purdy as a stable, low-variance QB1 — Cosell's trait-based argument (not arm strength, but field vision and location) supports continued confidence despite modest counting stats; don't expect a huge workload spike for McCaffrey given deliberate snap management.
• Speculative add/stash: Tyler Shough — Cosell is bullish enough to build a standalone film segment around him; worth rostering in Superflex or as a streaming QB against weaker defenses.
• Monitor Kyren Williams vs. Corum touch splits by opponent — outside-zone-funnel defenses likely mean more Corum work; downhill/duo matchups favor Williams.
• Jaylen Waddle remains a legitimate WR1 in shootout-type scripts — the motion-heavy usage is designed to exploit exactly the matchup he got against Denver, and Cosell expects continuation of that deployment.
• Track Jalen McMillan snap share in Tampa — flagged by name as the intended full-time X receiver replacing Evans; buy-low candidate if his role expands as the passing game stabilizes.
• Be cautious drafting/starting Saquon Barkley in explosive-play formats — Cosell's scheme-fit concern, echoed by Tucker on Barkley's vision, suggests touches may not translate to efficiency in this specific run scheme.