The 2026 NFL season is off to a roaring start, and even though only three games have been played, there have already been a ton of surprises.
From teams coming out of nowhere to certain players emerging as possible MVP candidates, there have been developments early in the season that might impact division races and completely rewrite any projections of what the playoffs could look like.
Let's not waste any time. What are the top 3 biggest surprises from the AFC through the month of September in the 2026 season?
3 biggest surprises in the AFC in 2026 through the month of September
3. The Chargers and Texans being 0-3
It's always hard to win in the NFL, but nobody had both the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans being 0-3 to start the season.
The Chargers obviously have been one of the biggest disappointments in the entire league, dropping games against the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders to start the year before falling on the road against the Buffalo Bills.
And for the Chargers, it's not simply that they're losing games, but that they just look like a bad team. There's really no way to sugarcoat it at this point. The offensive operation under Mike McDaniel has been atrocious. The execution from the players has somehow been even worse.
Even forcing five turnovers on the road against the Bills, the Chargers weren't able to get a win in Week 3.
Then you have the Houston Texans, who were expected to be one of the NFL's best teams this season after their white-hot stretch in 2025. The only reason the Texans were eliminated in the playoffs last season is because they played a game that was drastically impacted by weather.
At least for Houston, this is familiar territory. They were 0-3 last season, and even 3-5 at the midway point before going on an insane run to end the season. Still, neither of these teams getting a win in the month of September is a major shock.
2. The Raiders being undefeated
The Las Vegas Raiders held the #1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. They came into the season with what appeared to be one of the worst wide receiver rooms on paper, an aging quarterback seemingly on borrowed time, a rookie head coach, and a patchwork defense full of "misfit toys".
On top of it all, it seemed like the best player on the team -- Maxx Crosby -- didn't want to be there.
Everything we thought about the Raiders this offseason has been the opposite of reality. Klint Kubiak has been a Coach of the Year candidate. Maxx Crosby is playing the best we've ever seen, which I suppose means the physical he took with the Ravens was somewhat flawed.
Kirk Cousins doesn't look like he's playing on borrowed time -- he looks like he found the fountain of youth.
It's not like the Raiders are skating by in low-scoring barn-burners, either. They look like an impressive operation offensively, and the defense is causing havoc while creating timely takeaways.
This team being 3-0 is one of the most shocking developments early this season.
1. Deshaun Watson
There is simply no bigger shocker than the play in September from Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
He's got the Browns in a 4-way tie for the best record in the AFC North at 2-1.
In the month of September, Watson completed 68.3 percent of his throws with 5 TDs and just 1 interception. The Browns got absolutely boatraced by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, but that's not a loss you're going to hold against them at this point. He added 105 rushing yards and showed really great poise in the pocket.
The Browns have a lot going for them right now, and Watson is doing all of this without much of a running game to speak of so far this season. They're getting contributions from rookie receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion, and we finally saw a little breakout game from Harold Fannin Jr. in Week 3.
Watson and the Browns will kick off the month of October with a divisional matchup on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it's nothing short of a stunner that he's entering October as one of the hottest QBs in the NFL.
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