So that was a weird, but great, week in the NFL. The finishes were incredible, and the surprises never stopped. Week 3 is a reminder that the only thing for sure in the NFL is that nothing is for sure. Don’t believe me? Just check out this little nugget. In Week 2, the favorites in Las Vegas were 11-5 straight up (no spread) and the books got crushed Sunday afternoon against the spread. This week it was all about the underdogs where ten of the 13 Sunday afternoon underdogs covered the spread with many of them winning outright. In total, the underdogs went 9-7 straight up.

In a bubble, it is weeks like this that remind us why the NFL is the golden goose of professional sports. You just never know what will happen on a week-to-week basis. Another example of that uncertainty is the state of the undefeated teams this season. After three weeks a year ago there were five teams without a blemish on their record. This year, only two teams have made it through the first three weeks without a loss.

Now you are probably saying to yourself, “Moon, you are trying to tell me that we didn’t really learn anything this week.” In truth, while we had some thoughts and theories challenged, there is still plenty to glean coming out of Week 3. Let’s take a look at some of the things we learned.

1) The Chiefs Have Staying Power

It wasn’t pretty, but the Chiefs picked up a nice road win against the Chargers this week. Kansas City played to more of the style we have come accustomed to seeing during the Alex Smith-era. Use a good defense and the running game to control the pace. Then mix in some calculated shots in the passing game, and walk away with a W.

We all kind of figured that the Chiefs weren’t going to try and light people up every week. That just isn’t who this team is, especially one that is coached by Andy Reid. However, through three weeks we have seen the Chiefs play three very different games and they found a way to win them all.

Week 1, they found themselves in a shootout on the road against the defending champs. Kansas City won in a rout. Week 2, the Chiefs overcame an early deficit against a tough opponent at home. Eventually, they wore down the Eagles and capitalized on key opportunities to get the win. This week, control the game from the get-go on the road in a divisional game and win somewhat comfortably.

Kansas City is clearly one of the league’s best teams right now and seeing them win in different ways is a good sign for the tougher games later this season. This is an early mark of a championship contender. Plus, we have seen them get punched in the mouth early in games, recover and overcome. Yes, it is still September, but these are performances that give you the feeling that this is a team that can do this in January as well.

2) Houston May Finally Have a Quarterback

There are no moral victories in the NFL, but in a losing effort against the Patriots, the Texans may have found out something very important about themselves. DeShaun Watson is the right quarterback for this team.

At 1-2, this is very important for a team that should be in contention for a playoff spot. They have dug themselves in an early hole. But the performance of Watson on Sunday has to make Houston feel a little better about their chances to right the ship. A rookie quarterback has never won against Bill Belichick in Foxboro, but Watson had the Texans mere seconds away from securing a massive upset.

Now there is still a lot of room to improve. Watson has to keep progressing, but clearly he gives them a better chance to win than most of us thought. His ability to make plays on the moves is crucial with the issues on the offensive line. While Watson still needs to learn how to read defenses and get past his first read, there is a solid base to build off so far.

Houston’s defense will need to play more to the level we know that they can play at to help the rookie. They will also need to figure out this running game as well. Lamar Miller hasn’t been great, and rookie D’Onta Foreman is emerging as a player in this offense.

There is a long climb to get back into the hunt, but Houston is in a good position right now with their rookie quarterback flashing some serious potential.

3) Isn’t Parity Fun?

We come full circle with today’s “What We Learned” column. The biggest reason for the huge shift from Week 2 to Week 3 is the parity across the league. More than the past couple of seasons, the gap between the teams at the top, the teams in the middle, and the teams at the bottom of the league isn’t all that big.

The Jets dominated the Dolphins, Tennessee impressed against Seattle, and Washington bullied Oakland. Those are just a few examples from this weekend, but it illustrated the original point here. Teams like New England, Kansas City, and Green Bay are great teams but the teams at the top aren’t immune to the occasional upset or random test.

This is an “Any Given Sunday” league, folks. If anything, Week 3 was a big reminder of that.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with my NFL power rankings heading into Week 4. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.