With 16 games a week, it's easy to overlook crucial developments forming throughout the league. Even with the whip-around nature of RedZone or the luxury of watching every game at once with Sunday Ticket, there's simply too much content for the average football fan to digest every weekend.
In a Week 3 loaded with standout performances and electrifying finishes, plenty of key storylines seemingly fell through the cracks. Here are just a few notable events you likely missed.
Top storylines you might've missed in Week 3
The Jacory Croskey-Merritt hype takes another massive blow
In the wake of Bucky Irving having an incredible name and clear ascension to stardom as a rookie, the fantasy football community looked around the landscape and anointed Jacory Croskey-Merritt as the next first-year under drafted running back to make an instant impact. Unfortunately for all the "Bill" fans, the takeover has yet to come to fruition.
Even with starting rusher Austin Ekeler out of the lineup with a season-ending injury, Bill was splitting reps with Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols. Of the three men, Bill had the most snaps but the least amount of total yards—a worrying trend for potential future touch allocation.
The Arizona product was able to scamper in for a late touchdown to help his final line, but early return on investment is shaky at best. Perhaps having Jayden Daniels' arm back on the field will help Bill eventually fulfill his online prophecy.
T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons... Nik Bonitto?
Nik Bonitto is rapidly shooting up the list of most dominant players in the NFL. The Denver Broncos' OLB leads the league with 21 pressures, picking up six in his recent outing against the Los Angeles Chargers, leading to a pair of sacks.
The second-team All-Pro has an astonishing blend of speed and bend off the edge, which translates to creating instant heat on the outside. Justin Herbert activating MVP mode will negate just how much Bonitto alone wrecked LA's offensive approach.
Denver might've fallen short for the second consecutive week, but Bonitto is establishing himself as a premier force who can dramatically influence games. He's my early DPOY pick, and if Bo Nix and the offense can find some rhythm, Denver is a team the rest of the AFC should be begging to avoid in the postseason.
The curse of Matt Bryant continues
Lost in the Atlanta Falcons' horrific 30-0 drubbing at the hands of their divisional rival, the Carolina Panthers, is the club's inability to figure out their kicking situation. In the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, former starter Younghoe Koo shanked a 44-yarder to tie the game with time expiring.
Coming off a campaign converting just 74% of his attempts, it was understandable that Atlanta would desire a change. The Falcons elevated John Parker Romo from the practice squad, who last week made all five of his tries. The franchise promptly cut bait with Koo thereafter.
Romo followed up that stellar performance by missing both of his attempts Sunday, helping contribute to Atlanta's scoreless afternoon. If the Falcons want to get back on track and contend for a wild-card spot in the NFC, they are going to need consistent play from their special teams unit.