2024 NFL season, Week 4: What We Learned from Sunday's games

New Orleans Saints

2024 · 2-2-0

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Atlanta Falcons

2024 · 2-2-0

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Eric Edholm’s takeaways:

1. Falcons defense, special teams make big plays in thrilling win. Younghoe Koo hit a 58-yard field goal with :02 remaining to complete a wild victory for the Falcons that they nearly coughed up. The Saints took a 24-23 lead with one minute remaining and Atlanta was out of timeouts. But Saints defensive back Paulson Adebo, who was picked on all game, committed a 30-yard pass interference penalty to set the Falcons up for the game-winning kick. The Falcons won a big divisional game without the benefit of an offensive touchdown, with Koo hitting four field goals, the Falcons’ KhaDarel Hodge recovering a muffed punt in the end zone and Troy Andersen running back a pick-six. Andersen left the game late with a knee injury but was all over the field before that, also making 16 tackles. The Saints scored on their first two drives and moved the ball well in the second half, but Atlanta made just enough stops — and got help from the mistake-prone Saints — to earn the win.
2. Saints’ mistakes pile up in frustrating loss. The Saints lost despite taking the lead in the final minute of the game and holding the Falcons offense out of the end zone. The self-inflicted mistakes started early, as Rashid Shaheed muffed a punt inside his own 5-yard line — a ball he never should have tried to catch — which was recovered for a freebie Falcons TD before New Orleans ever ran an offensive play. Then a promising drive was short-circuited when Derek Carr had a pass deflected at the line, which was run back for a pick-six. When the Saints got to the Atlanta 5-yard line, trailing 23-17 with fewer than five minutes remaining, there was some curious play-calling and poor execution that led to a fourth-down stop. Even so, the Saints got the ball back and took the lead, but Adebo’s 30-yard pass interference call set the Falcons up in field-goal range. That’s two straight frustrating losses for the Saints, who started out the season like gangbusters the first two weeks but have fallen back to earth since.
3. Falcons take an interesting offensive approach in victory. Is Bijan Robinson still the lead back for the Falcons? Early in the game, that looked to be the case, even as the Falcons took a pass-heavy approach, as Robinson had five carries and three first-half receptions. Meanwhile, Tyler Allgeier had only one touch in the first half. That approach was nearly flipped on its head at halftime, when the Falcons were protecting a tenuous 17-14 lead. That’s when Atlanta leaned on Allgeier, giving him the ball eight times to Robinson’s two second-half touches. Worth noting: Robinson did have two plays called back by penalty, including what would have been a 19-yard catch and run for a touchdown on a questionable holding call. But Robinson was more of a decoy after halftime than a weapon, despite it being a close game. Perhaps this was just a “hot hand” situation during which Allgeier was doing more with his touches, averaging 7.5 yards per carry and 10 yards per catch, but it also could be a development worth watching.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Saints-Falcons (via NFL Pro): The Falcons defense generated a season-high 28.9% pressure rate in Week 4 against the Saints, even with Derek Carr averaging 2.39 seconds to throw. Entering Sunday, the Falcons generated pressure on only 20.0% of dropbacks, the lowest rate in the NFL. Ten different Falcons pass rushers generated a pressure on the day, however, no pass rusher had more than two pressures.

NFL Research: This was the second victory in Falcons history where they scored zero offensive touchdowns and two or more defensive/special teams TDs. The last time was in Week 9 of the 1977 season in a win over the Detroit Lions. 

Cincinnati Bengals

2024 · 1-3-0

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Carolina Panthers

2024 · 1-3-0

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Nick Shook’s takeaways:

1. Bengals’ well-balanced offense powers them to win. The Bengals’ 0-3 record stood as a bit of a mirage to those who didn’t watch them closely in their first few weeks, because after an ugly debut in Week 1, they’ve played quality football on the offensive side. Finally, that reality produced a triumph. Joe Burrow put together another very solid day, completing 22 of 31 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns, and made just one dreadful mistake when he tried to find Ja’Marr Chase amid chaos and threw an interception. Otherwise, Burrow was good, and his team’s rushing attack carried over the positive momentum from Week 3 into another productive day in Week 4, with Chase Brown and Zack Moss combining for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 30 attempts. The total product — including a 7-for-13 mark on third down — made for a pleasant viewing experience for a Bengals team that clearly arrived in Charlotte on a mission and delivered.
2. Panthers are different team with Dalton. Last week, Andy Dalton entered the starting lineup and threw the Panthers to victory. He nearly repeated such a performance on Sunday, completing 25 of 40 passes for 220 yards, two touchdowns — including a beautiful pass to Diontae Johnson down the seam — and one interception caused by a defender hitting Dalton’s arm when he released the ball. Dalton brings a calming, confident presence to this offense that was sorely needed and has clearly injected a ton of life into a Panthers team that seemed to be headed nowhere quickly just a couple of weeks ago. Even while trailing, head coach Dave Canales could be seen cracking a slight smile while talking with Dalton on the sideline, as if he’d been provided a quarterback he can trust to get the job done. That can go a long way for a team that is fighting an uphill battle.
3. Cincinnati’s defense needs to figure it out. We’re now through a month of football, and the Bengals defense hasn’t provided much reason to suggest they’re going to round into form anytime soon. After surrendering 38 points to Washington in Week 3, the Bengals allowed Carolina to rack up 375 yards of offense, convert 50 percent of its 14 third-down attempts, rush for 155 yards and remain in the fight until the game’s final 75 seconds. To make matters worse, Trey Hendrickson — Cincinnati’s only semi-reliable source of a pass rush — exited with a neck injury. Cam Taylor-Britt got cooked on a route down the seam for a second straight week, and this time, it resulted in a touchdown. As a team, the Bengals recorded just nine pressures for a rate of 20.9%. This unit just isn’t playing consistently right now and is quickly proving to be the Bengals’ weakness, and after a 1-3 start, that’s only going to put more pressure on Burrow and Co.

Next Gen Stats Insight from Bengals-Panthers (via NFL Pro): Despite playing just 41.9% of offensive snaps Sunday, Chase Brown totaled a team-high 80 rushing yards across 15 carries (including +24 rushing yards over expected), averaging 5.4 yards per carry, and scored two touchdowns on the ground.

NFL Research: With his 63-yard pinballing catch and run for a receiving score, Ja’Marr Chase moved into a tie with Odell Beckham Jr. for the most 60-plus-yard receiving touchdowns before turning 25 years old (in the Super Bowl era) with nine.

Los Angeles Rams

2024 · 1-3-0

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Chicago Bears

2024 · 2-2-0

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Kevin Patra’s takeaways:

1. Bears find running game in home win over Rams. D’Andre Swift struck back in Week 4. The running back spent much of the week as the butt of social media jokes after last week’s struggles (20 yards on 13 carries). Swift more than doubled his production on Sunday. Displaying better decisiveness, he knifed through the Rams defense to the tune of 93 rushing yards on 16 totes with a 36-yard touchdown scamper. Swift also led the Bears with 72 receiving yards on seven catches. Swift generated more total yards (165) in Week 4 than in Weeks 1-3 combined (114). With the ground game finally finding life, the Bears’ attack was balanced in the second half, allowing Caleb Williams to manage the offense without shouldering the load. Swift generated first downs, keeping the offense on the field, churned the clock, and helped overcome numerous pre-snap penalties that threatened to stymy drives. It wasn’t always pretty for the Bears’ O, particularly in the first two quarters, but they punched it in twice in the second half to build a lead. If Chicago consistently gets production on the ground, Williams’ life will be much easier moving forward. 
2. Miscues sink Stafford, Rams. For stretches, Matthew Stafford slung the pigskin with aplomb, dicing up the Bears secondary despite missing his top two receivers. But the errors mounted. A second-quarter sack-fumble deep in his own zone lost the Rams an early lead. Stafford, as he is wont to do, took several sacks in scoring range that scuttled drives. L.A. went 1 of 4 in the red zone and 1 of 2 in goal-to-go situations. The inability to finish drives told the tale of Sunday’s loss for Sean McVay’s crew. Playing shorthanded, L.A. outgained Chicago (322-264) and had more first downs and fewer penalties than the home squad. However, a missed field goal and the turnovers from Stafford — who was picked off by Jaquan Brisker while getting hit in the face to end the game — sunk the Rams on this day. L.A. punted just once in a game that it scored 18 points. Falling to 1-3, L.A. will rue the missed opportunities in a winnable, sloppy game.  
3. Give the punter some love. It’s not often a punter makes a What We Learned nugget. Tory Taylor deserves the attention. The fourth-round rookie proved a weapon on Sunday. On five punts, Taylor pinned the Rams inside the 20 three times. The rook was at his best late. He boomed a 66-yard bomb deep in the fourth quarter to provide a long field in a six-point game. On his final boot, Taylor again pinned L.A. deep, sticking a punt at the 8-yard-line. With the game in doubt, forcing no returns and a long field played a factor in Chicago holding on to a one-score lead. 

Next Gen Stats Insight for Rams-Bears (via NFL Pro): The Rams’ pass rush pressured Caleb Williams on half of his dropbacks (13 pressures on 26 dropbacks), led by Byron Young and Jared Verse with five pressures apiece. Verse had four of his five pressures come in under 2.5 seconds, the quickest pressures in a game by a rookie this season.

NFL Research: DJ Moore has now caught a touchdown from three different No. 1 overall picks (Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield and Cam Newton).

Minnesota Vikings

2024 · 4-0-0

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Green Bay Packers

2024 · 2-2-0

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• READ: Battista: Vikings lead NFC pack through unpredictable first month
• READ: Vikings RB Jones is denied Lambeau Leap but earns win over Packers
• READ: Packers QB Love (knee) on return: ‘Gotta fight through’

Eric Edholm’s takeaways:

1. Vikings dominated early but had to hang on to win. The first 25 minutes of the Vikings’ victory could not have gone any better as Minnesota scored touchdowns on four of its first five drives with quarterback Sam Darnold throwing for three touchdowns. Minnesota averaged 8.0 yards per play on those drives and cut through Green Bay’s defense with ease, keeping Darnold’s pocket clean. Aaron Jones was a big part of the win in his old stomping grounds, totaling 139 yards from scrimmage to keep the Vikings consistently ahead of the chains. Defensively, the Vikings were helped by the Packers’ mistakes, including turnovers, missed field goals and a rash of penalties, but they also made life hard for quarterback Jordan Love, who looked uncomfortable most of the first half. But the Vikings seemed to let their feet off the gas down the stretch, improbably turning a four-score game into a 28-22 lead with more than 10 minutes left. On the one hand, the Vikings have the kind of talent to go on the road and pull out this win. On the other, it served as a reminder that they easily could have let this one slip through their fingers. 
2. Early mistakes were too much for Packers to overcome. Love returned from a Week 1 MCL injury and struggled early, throwing two costly first-half interceptions — it could have been more. He came up short on a few other passes, too. The Packers’ disastrous start put them in a 28-0 hole in the second quarter, as the Vikings scored 21 of those points after four empty possessions, with two picks and two missed field goals. It raised the question of whether Love was healthy enough to play. Love did rally the Packers with a touchdown drive before halftime and got hot in the fourth quarter, throwing for 202 yards and three TDs in the final 15 minutes. He set career highs in passing yards (389), TD passes (four) and completions (32) but also interceptions (three). The final one pretty much ended the comeback hopes. With six-plus minutes remaining, Love hung a deep shot up in the air that was picked by the Vikings’ Byron Murphy. The Packers were trailing 31-22 and were gaining on the Vikings, but they buried Green Bay deep and ran enough clock to seal the win. 
3. LaFleur had a tough game. In Weeks 2 and 3, Matt LaFleur deservedly earned gold stars for his coaching work, putting backup QB Malik Willis and the Packers in a terrific position to win with great game plans with Love out. But LaFleur’s early decisions against the Vikings seemed to backfire at every turn. Was starting Love the right call? He proved to be up for the challenge of rallying the Packers late, but the slow start — with several off-target throws — made it worth asking if Willis should have started a third straight game. One of Love’s misfires was a low throw to Dontayvion Wicks that Wicks couldn’t control; LaFleur challenged the ruling of a no-catch, but he lost that one. It appeared LaFleur wanted to challenge Romeo Doubs’ catch at the 1-yard line, but LaFleur ended up calling timeout and earned a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for arguing the call. Meanwhile, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell won both of his challenges. Credit LaFleur for getting his team to buy in and start chipping away at the lead, but nothing went the coach’s way early, digging the Packers in too big a hole to climb out of.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Vikings-Packers (via NFL Pro): Jordan Love struggled against the Vikings’ blitz throughout the day, completing 16 of 25 attempts (minus-5.3% CPOE) for 157 yards, including one touchdown and two of his three interceptions coming vs. extra rushers.

NFL Research: Sam Darnold is the first QB to win and have two or more passing TDs in each of his first four career starts for a team in the Super Bowl era.

Jacksonville Jaguars

2024 · 0-4-0

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Houston Texans

2024 · 3-1-0

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Kevin Patra’s takeaways:

1. Stroud leads second-career fourth quarter comeback. Good teams win games despite not playing their best. It was a roller-coaster afternoon for the home squad. C.J. Stroud led a clinical nine-play opening drive touchdown march, and Houston scored on three of its four first-half possessions. The second half, however, opened with back-to-back three-and-outs and five consecutive punts. When the Jaguars left the door ajar, Stroud strode through. The star quarterback made plays on the final possession, knifing through the Jacksonville defense with darts over the middle and capped it off with a 1-yard lob to Dare Ogunbowale for the victory. Stroud generated 345 yards and two passing TDs, his first 300-plus yard passing game since Week 12, 2023, versus Jacksonville. It wasn’t the crispest effort for DeMeco Ryans’ club. Offensive penalties, particularly on left tackle Laremy Tunsil, killed drive after drive in the second half. Seemingly, every big play was wiped out by a Texans penalty. But when they needed it late, Stroud and Co. made the plays to eke out a victory. Sometimes, that’s all that separates the good teams from the afterthoughts.
2. Jags collapse, fall to 0-4. Doug Pederson’s club has to be sick. It let a road win slip through its fingers. Overcoming a halftime deficit, the Jags ran their way to the lead thanks to a big Tank Bigsby run and 158 total ground yards on the afternoon. Yet, holding a three-point lead late with under four minutes to go, Jacksonville called two passes from Trevor Lawrence. Both landed incomplete, opening the door for a Texans comeback. The decision not to ride the ground game and drain the clock was odd from Jacksonville because Lawrence once again was scattershot all day. The starter completed 54.5% of his passes for 169 yards and two TDs. Lawrence’s accuracy continues to be a Jags bugaboo this season. Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. (six receptions for 86 yards and one touchdown) flashed big-play ability once again. As a whole, however, the Jags offense continues to be a herky-jerky proposition. Falling to 0-4, Pederson’s club is in a hole only one of 105 teams has climbed out of to earn a playoff spot.
3. Texans run the Collins offense. When in doubt, throw it to Nico Collins. That seemed like Houston’s game plan on Sunday. With zero consistency from a ground game that sorely misses Joe Mixon, the Texans offense struggled to sustain drives in the second half. But whenever Stroud needed a big play, he targeted No. 12. Collins put up a career-high 12 catches for 151 yards and one TD. No other Texans player generated 70 receiving yards. His production isn’t of the dink-and-dunk variety, either. Collins totaled 115 of his 151 receiving yards on 10 targets over 10-plus air yards. Collins is proving the offseason payday was a prescient move by Houston. He’s earned 80-plus receiving yards in each of his last six games, the longest streak in team history. Whenever Stroud gets into a bind, he looks Collins’ way. The wideout rarely lets him down.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Jaguars-Colts (via NFL Pro): C.J. Stroud was effective targeting in-breaking routes in Week 4, completing 13 of 19 attempts (+7.0% CPOE) for 213 yards and a touchdown, his most yards on in-breakers since Week 9, 2023.

NFL Research: Nico Collins is the first player in Texans history with 450+ receiving yards in the first four games of a season.

Pittsburgh Steelers

2024 · 3-1-0

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Indianapolis Colts

2024 · 2-2-0

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Nick Shook’s takeaways:

1. Flacco reprises the hero role. After ripping off an incredible run in Cleveland last season, Joe Flacco found himself being called into action in the first quarter after Anthony Richardson suffered a hip injury. While the veteran didn’t rack up a ton of passing yards like he did in 2023, he undoubtedly dealt all afternoon, completing 16 of 26 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Flacco looked much like he did with the Browns last season: confident, decisive and accurate with an arm that still has plenty of life in it. His insertion changed the Colts offense in terms of scheme, but the unit didn’t miss a beat, and Flacco made a few courageous throws needed to keep the Colts ahead of the Steelers in a game that became close in the final stages. If we learned anything, it’s that last year wasn’t a fluke. Flacco is still a plus backup who can handle this job if asked.
2. Fields delivers valiant effort in loss. Pittsburgh got off to a very rough start, allowing Justin Fields to get bludgeoned by an aggressive Colts defense and watching Indianapolis build a 17-0 lead. But Fields didn’t crumble, finding ways to execute behind an offensive line that was inconsistent at best at protecting him. He remained sharp as a passer even amid frequent pressure, connected with George Pickens for big gains down the sidelines on a couple of occasions, and used his legs to finish off two crucial touchdown drives. The only disappointing part of the entire day came in the final moments, when Pittsburgh nearly fumbled away possession and failed to give Fields time to find receivers downfield in the closing seconds. Sunday produced Pittsburgh’s first loss of 2024, but should stand as another encouraging sign for Fields’ growth with this team. For the first time, he nearly carried them to victory.
3. Taylor’s value is rising. Jonathan Taylor already posted two 100-plus-yard games entering Week 4, but once the Colts lost Richardson on Sunday, it became clear how important Taylor would be to balancing an offense that suddenly lost its mobile threat under center. Taylor fell short of the 100-yard mark — he finished with 88 yards and a rushing score on 21 carries — but that didn’t diminish his importance, especially in a second half in which the Colts were repeatedly asked to respond to the Steelers’ comeback attempt and came through, a fact even more impressive considering the defense they did it against. Taylor paced a balanced offensive attack that prevented the Steelers from pinning their ears back in an effort to hunt Flacco, allowing the Colts to keep up with the Steelers’ scoring and prevent them from completing the comeback. If Richardson has to miss more time, Taylor will be even more valuable.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Steelers-Colts (via NFL Pro): Joe Flacco finished a perfect 12-for-12 on short passes (0-9 air yards) for 109 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s win.

NFL Research: Justin Fields is the third quarterback in Steelers franchise history to have 300-plus passing yards and 50-plus rushing yards in a single game, joining Hall of Famer Bobby Layne and Kordell Stewart.

Denver Broncos

2024 · 2-2-0

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New York Jets

2024 · 2-2-0

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Bobby Kownack’s takeaways:

1. Denver survives slopfest. A first-half Gotham downpour made things nearly impossible for both offenses early. It took until the 11th drive of the game, more than 17 minutes in, for either team to move the sticks without the benefit of a penalty. Quarterback Bo Nix struggled mightily again in this one. At halftime, he had thrown for a whooping negative-7 yards on 7-of-15 passing, with more than a couple of those throws resembling shotput heaves due to a wet ball. He was marginally better when the rain lessened to begin the third quarter, at which point he finally completed his first pass beyond the line of scrimmage. And to his credit, he later led the longest drive by either squad, a 73-yarder, which he finished with his first career touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton. The silver lining here, beside the win, might be Javonte Williams showing some life down the stretch. He had gains of 9, 9, 1 and 16 on the fourth-quarter drive that set up the winning field goal.
2. Jets are wildly inconsistent through four games. Robert Saleh might want to take the game tape and burn it. The Jets did almost nothing well offensively after seeming to turn a corner last week. When they did manage to move the ball, they would eventually stall, such as they did on goal-to-go from the 1 for three straight plays before a fourth-down false start convinced them to settle for a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter. Aaron Rodgers threw a few ducks and couldn’t connect with Mike Williams, Allen Lazard or Garrett Wilson consistently, while Breece Hall contributed just 18 total yards. New York officially committed 13 penalties (for 90 yards) and had a few more declined. The defense can’t be blamed after limiting Denver to 186 total net yards and 10 points, but today told the same type of narrative New York has missed the playoffs with the past couple of years.
3. Broncos defense continues to legitimize itself. Last year at this time, Denver was coming off allowing a 70-burger heading into Week 4. This time around, the defense came into New York having held a solid Buccaneers offense to seven. For an encore, the Broncos kept Aaron Rodgers and Co. out of the end zone, surrendering just nine points on the way to victory. The unit locked New York’s running game down, allowing Hall an alarming 0.4 yards per carry on 10 totes. Braelon Allen and Rodgers combined for the Jets’ other 60 rushing yards. Holding on to just a 1-point lead during the Jets’ final three drives, Denver forced a punt, a turnover on downs thanks to a timely P.J. Locke sack and a missed 50-yard field goal. The final stand was especially impressive after a defensive pass interference on Riley Moss moved the ball to the Broncos’ 36-yard line. Denver’s D allowed just four more yards on the next three plays to keep it difficult for kicker Greg Zuerlein. Zuerlein’s miss came after the Jets’ 13th failed third down conversion of the day. It was a gutsy, stingy performance by Vance Joseph’s group, one that puts the Broncos back at .500 after two straight wins.

Next Gen Stats Insight from Broncos-Jets (via NFL Pro): Garrett Wilson lined up against Patrick Surtain II on 28 of his 46 routes (60.9%) and hauled in two of his three targets with Surtain in coverage for 22 yards. Wilson had five targets, three receptions and 19 yards against all other defenders.

NFL Research: Bo Nix is the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win a game in which he averaged fewer than 2.5 yards per pass attempt (minimum 25 attempts). He threw it 25 times for 60 yards in Sunday’s win against the Jets.

Philadelphia Eagles

2024 · 2-2-0

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2024 · 3-1-0

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Michael Baca’s takeaways:

1. Buccaneers get back on track with dominant win. Baker Mayfield‘s efficient quarterback play powered an offense that was seemingly unstoppable against the Eagles in the early going. The Bucs’ passing attack was the catalyst to Tampa Bay’s hot start, which included two consecutive touchdown drives to begin the game. Following a muffed punt by the Eagles at the end of the first quarter, Mayfield ensured an early onslaught by scoring on a sly run-option play from the 1-yard line on fourth down. The veteran carved up his opponent with quick, accurate throws that offered Philly’s defensive backs little room for error and its powerful defensive front little time to create pressure. Mayfield, who finished 30-of-47 passing for a season-high 347 yards with two touchdowns (zero interceptions) plus the rushing score, kept defenders on their heels by spreading the ball around to eight different receivers. Meanwhile, Rachaad White and Bucky Irving produced identical stat lines (10 rushes, 49 yards each) to keep the Eagles D honest in what was an impressive offensive showing. Following a Week 3 dud in which Tampa Bay mustered just seven points against a then-winless Broncos squad, the Buccaneers got back on track with a big win against one of the NFC’s perennial contenders. 
2. Rough start dooms Eagles. Philadelphia stared at 24-0 deficit midway through the second quarter before even converting a first down in the game. Three consecutive three-and-outs and surrendering scores on four of Tampa Bay’s first five possessions put the Eagles in a peculiar position that wasn’t ideal considering their top two receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith didn’t suit up. While the Eagles weren’t equipped for a shootout, Saquon Barkley did his best to make it a one-man show, leading the team in scrimmage yards (116 yards; 84 rushing, 32 receiving) and breathing life into a potential comeback to begin the second half with a 59-yard TD gallop. But the Eagles gave up a TD drive on the Bucs’ next possession, and despite the special teams unit scoring a two-pointer off a blocked extra point to make it a 14-point game midway through the third, Jalen Hurts‘s struggles (18 of 30 for 158 yards; passing TD, rushing TD) persisted in the second half as the Buccaneers pinned their ears back. The Eagles’ passing attack wasn’t at full strength and the defense was quickly spent thanks to the Bucs’ proficient day — not to mention the Florida humidity — but Philadelphia enters a much-needed bye week following a disappointing performance overall. 
3. Eldest Buc leads impressive defensive effort. Lavonte David, the oldest player on Tampa Bay’s roster, was an absolute menace who guided a dominant Buccaneers defense. The 34-year-old veteran led the team with eight tackles and produced two of the team’s six sacks, one of which a back-breaking strip-sack of Hurts in the third quarter that dashed any sliver of comeback hope. That play was the 30th forced fumble of David’s 13-year career, a stat that leads all active players, and his energy permeated through a Bucs defense that allowed a season-low 227 yards of total offense. David is trending toward having his name forever glorified in the Buccaneers’ Ring of Honor, and Sunday he proved there is plenty more where that came from. 

Next Gen Stats Insight for Eagles-Buccaneers (via NFL Pro): The Buccaneers generated their highest pressure rate (48.6%) in a game since Week 6, 2021, which was also against the Eagles. The Buccaneers were effective on blitzes, recording eight pressures and four sacks on 15 blitzes. Lavonte David had two sacks and four pressures on eight pass rushes. On the season, David has nine pressures, second-most on the Buccaneers and most among off-ball linebackers in the NFL through the early slate of Week 4.

NFL Research: Following a touchdown catch in the first quarter, Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (596) passed kicker Martin Gramatica (592) to become the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.

Washington Commanders

2024 · 3-1-0

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Arizona Cardinals

2024 · 1-3-0

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Kevin Patra’s takeaways:

1. The Jayden Daniels Show rolls on in the desert. The rookie quarterback continues to shine, improving by the week and completing nearly all of his passes. Daniels rarely makes a bad decision. His increased ability to keep plays alive to throw instead of scamper has made the Commanders offense a dangerous operation. Through four games, Daniels is completing a ridiculous 82.1 percent of his passes — the highest percent by any player in any four-game span since at least 1950 (min. 100 pass attempts). On Sunday, Daniels flashed anticipatory throws, layered darts to every level, and diced up an overmatched Cardinals D. He went 26-of-30 passing for 233 yards with a touchdown and one INT. On Sunday, Daniels threw his first interception of the season and punted for the first time since Week 1, and the offense STILL rolled over Arizona with ease. Credit coordinator (and former Arizona HC) Kliff Kingsbury for mixing up his calls, keeping the defense off balance and giving easy reads for his rookie quarterback. With 216 rushing yards and four ground scores, Washington generated 449 total yards of offense while gobbling up 29 first downs. It’s wild to see an offense this efficient led by a player four games into his pro career. Daniels’ impressive play has the Commanders alone atop the NFC East after a month of games.
2. Cardinals offense spins its wheels for second consecutive week. When James Conner is slowed, the Arizona offense goes in the tank. On the game’s opening drive, Conner generated 31 rushing yards on a 55-yard TD march. Then the RB was quieted until a third-quarter possession in which he earned 45 rushing yards on a 74-yard TD drive. On six other non-garbage-time drives, the Cardinals gained just five first downs. Murray generated a good completion rate (72.7 percent), but most were short throws. He attempted just four passes of 10-plus air yards on the day, per Next Gen Stats. Last week against Detroit, Murray was similarly discombobulated. It’s a concerning trend that Murray isn’t able to raise the play of his receiving corps. For long stretches, Marvin Harrison Jr. disappears. Arizona needs to get more out of the passing game when defenses slow Conner.
3. Dan Quinn’s defense begins to surge. The defense isn’t the strongest unit in D.C., but Quinn’s squad played complementary football on Sunday. The defensive front generated four sacks, including 1.5 from Dorance Armstrong. Quinn’s D did a good job hemming in Murray and not allowing the slippery QB to escape for big plays. Murray ran just once for three yards. The Commanders stuffed the run during the second quarter, which allowed the offense to extend its lead. Even after a quick change of possession following Daniels’ first interception, Washington forced a three-and-out. There were no communication breakdowns on the back end like we’ve seen earlier in the season. Washington held the Cards to 4-of-11 on third down and 5.1 yards per play. With an explosive offense, Quinn just needs a defense that plays sound. Sunday, they showed that they could do that for stretches.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Commanders-Cardinals (via NFL Pro): In the third quarter, Jayden Daniels threw his first incompletion on a pass under 15 air yards since the 1:12 mark in the fourth quarter of Week 2. Daniels had completed 35 straight passes of 15 air yards or less between incompletions (100 minutes and 5 seconds of game clock). The odds of Daniels completing every one of his 35 pass attempts under 15 air yards based on the completion probability of each pass was 1 in 4,545 (0.02%).

NFL Research: Daniels has had a 70+ completion percentage and 35-plus rush yards in each of his first four NFL games. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (four-game streak in 2019 MVP season) is the only other player in NFL history with such a streak at any point in their career.

New England Patriots

2024 · 1-3-0

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San Francisco 49ers

2024 · 2-2-0

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Bobby Kownack’s takeaways:

1. Purdy and Co. still good despite a few snags. San Francisco’s offense began its day with a 90-yard possession that stalled for a field goal, then received the gift of a fumble in Patriots territory and settled for another three points. If New England fans thought defensive stands would become the norm, though, they’d be sadly mistaken. The 49ers’ next two scoring drives found the end zone after marches of 80 and 70 yards, with an acrobatic touchdown catch by George Kittle and wide-open run by Jordan Mason capping off the respective statements. Deebo Samuel, back from injury like Kittle, proved he wasn’t just a decoy with a 53-yard catch and run in the third quarter. Brock Purdy wasn’t terribly accurate (14 of 26) and he threw a pick on one of the several plays when he gave into hero-ball tendencies, but he made the most of his connections, averaging 19.2 yards per completion. Although there will be plays the Niners want back, there was plenty of good in a somewhat ho-hum win.
2. Jacoby Brissett lacks pop. After scoring a surprise season-opening win over the Bengals and pushing the Seahawks to overtime, the Patriots have fallen closer to expectations the past two weeks. Brissett’s play has been representative of that downswing — despite his pedestrian 168 passing yards on Sunday being a season high. He connected on some short passes and found tight end Austin Hooper on a touchdown thanks to special teams providing him a short field, but he was otherwise unspectacular, unable to solve San Francisco’s defensive riddle. He finished 19 of 32 with the aforementioned TD and an interception. The slog would have likely been similar had Drake Maye seen considerable action, and it was wise to avoid throwing the rookie in the deep end. However, Brissett had multiple chances to make it a game in the second half and couldn’t. The schedule softens a bit defensively soon for the 1-3 Pats, so perhaps Maye’s starting debut is at least visible on the horizon.
3. 49ers defense doesn’t let up. San Francisco was characteristically swarming. Nick Bosa was everywhere, leading the unit with nine quarterback pressures and finally forcing a strip sack on his final one. His teammates Kevin Givens (2.5), Maliek Collins (1.5) and Evan Anderson (1.0) also got home a combined five times. Those pass rushers kept Brissett off balance whenever the game threatened to get close again, while the secondary clamped down on pass catchers to allow just one — Antonio Gibson — to go over 30 yards receiving. Fred Warner was as spectacular as ever, too. He collected his second interception of the season, a leaping snag at midfield, after which he showed the wherewithal to jump up untouched and run 45 yards for a score. He left with an ankle injury near halftime, which will bear watching after he was seen roaming the sidelines thereafter without returning. Regardless, the Niners D contributed plenty and more to the 17-point win. Most importantly, it snuffed out multiple comeback chances, a huge improvement from last week against the Rams.

Next Gen Stats Insight from Patriots-49ers (via NFL Pro): Brock Purdy averaged a career-high 14.5 air yards per attempt against the Patriots, completing 15 of 27 passes for 288 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

NFL Research: Jordan Mason’s 447 rushing yards are the second-most over the 49ers’ first four games of a season in franchise history, trailing only Christian McCaffrey (459 in 2023).

Kansas City Chiefs

2024 · 4-0-0

AT

Los Angeles Chargers

2024 · 2-2-0

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• RE-WATCH: Chiefs-Chargers on NFL+
• READ: Chiefs WR Rice feared to have suffered season-ending knee injury
• READ: Kelce shakes off slow start, leads Chiefs in receiving

Eric Edholm’s takeaways:

1. Chiefs leaned on Travis Kelce early, Kareem Hunt late. With the Chiefs shorthanded offensively, they turned to a few old friends for help. Kelce emerged from his three-game slump to turn in his best offensive showing of the 2024 season, with seven catches for 89 yards — 20 more than he had coming into the game on the whole season. It was crucial that Patrick Mahomes and Kelce rediscovered their mojo, especially after Rashee Rice‘s first-quarter knee injury. Kelce did most of his work in the first half, and the Chiefs leaned on their run game after halftime. After Carson Steele lost his second fumble in the past three games, the Chiefs seemed to lose faith in him. Instead, they turned to Hunt in his first game back with the Chiefs since 2018. Hunt touched the ball 11 times after halftime and consistently moved the ball forward. He only had a long run of 10 yards, but it didn’t matter. Hunt and Samaje Perine, who scored the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter, stepped up when the Chiefs needed them most. Throw in two big plays by rookie wideout Xavier Worthy — a second-quarter TD that got the Chiefs on the board and a late crossing route that ended the game — and it was enough for a hard-fought divisional win.
2. Justin Herbert played, but Chargers offense stalled badly. Herbert started Sunday in spite of an ankle injury that put his availability in question, and he opened the game hitting nine of his first 10 passes, including 7-for-7 with a TD in the first quarter. But he really started to feel the pressure in the second quarter, nearly being taken down for a safety on one drive and almost throwing a pick-six on the next drive. The entire Chargers operation seemed to fall apart on these two drives as the protection broke down. They were missing starting tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, and Herbert was playing hurt, but the Chargers offense was painful to watch for long stretches, gaining only 20 yards and two first downs from the six-minute mark of the first quarter until the early fourth. When they finally got going on the first drive of the fourth quarter, they failed on fourth down from the Kansas City 3-yard line, passing up points in a 10-10 game. Herbert was 9-of-20 passing for 110 yards in the final three quarters, taking two sacks and facing constant pressure against the Chiefs’ blitz-heavy approach. But the Chargers also got nothing from the run game (24 rushes, 55 yards) and looked to be multiple playmakers short of being an explosive unit.
3. Can the Chiefs take any more hits to their offense? Sunday was a win, but the Chiefs are losing offensive weapons at a frightening rate. First there was Marquise Brown going down in the preseason, followed by Isiah Pacheco in Week 2. On Sunday, the latest blow was losing Rashee Rice, who was inadvertently hurt by Patrick Mahomes following an interception. The early word on Rice’s injury doesn’t appear to be too good. Can the Chiefs keep taking these kinds of hits? Travis Kelce looked like his old self, Worthy made the most of his chances and the Chiefs do still have Mahomes and Andy Reid. But it took some heavy reliance on their defense and run game to eke out a win over a banged-up, offensively limited Chargers team. The Chiefs have one more game before the bye week, which might help, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire is eligible to return now. But the questions about Mahomes’ weapons appears to be a thing again.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Chiefs-Chargers (via NFL Pro): Patrick Mahomes’ 54-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy traveled 62.2 yards in the air, which was Mahomes’ longest completion by air distance in his NFL career. Worthy reached a top speed of 21.46 mph, the third-fastest play by a ball carrier this season.

NFL Research: Mahomes is 13-12 in games the Chiefs have trailed by 10 or more points, the only QB with a winning record in such situations since at least 1950 (minimum 10 starts). For context, Tom Brady was 36-61 in games his team trailed 10-plus points.

Cleveland Browns

2024 · 1-3-0

AT

Las Vegas Raiders

2024 · 2-2-0

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• RE-WATCH: Browns-Raiders on NFL+

Nick Shook’s takeaways:

1. Las Vegas earns gritty win without top two players. The Raiders had a couple of legitimate built-in excuses for losing Sunday: They were forced to play without both Maxx Crosby (ankle) and Davante Adams (hamstring). That didn’t matter to Antonio Pierce’s team, though, which got creative offensively to attempt to replace Adams’ production, and dialed up well-timed blitzes with the hope the numbers game would steamroll Cleveland’s patchwork offensive line. The combined efforts worked, helping the Raiders overcome an early 10-0 deficit and hang on for the win even when it seemed as if they might have their hearts broken in the game’s final minute. Just go Google the name of the player who sacked Deshaun Watson on the decisive fourth down. His name is Charles Snowden, an undrafted free agent who has made stops in Chicago and Tampa Bay and had five games worth of experience entering Sunday. He delivered in the biggest spot, helping the Raiders secure a win in a moment in which Crosby would have normally been the hero. It was a testament to the job Pierce has done to this point, and could end up being a significant win for the now 2-2 Raiders.
2. Undisciplined Browns waste another opportunity. Cleveland dropped to 1-3 by losing yet another winnable game. The most penalized team in the NFL committed just five fouls (that were accepted), but two of them were devastating: A third-down roughing the passer call bought the Raiders a fresh set of downs and led to a Las Vegas touchdown, and a holding call on Nick Harris wiped out what would have been a game-altering 82-yard touchdown pass from Watson to Amari Cooper. Speaking of Cooper, he dropped a perfect pass from Watson over the middle, allowing the ball to bounce off his chest directly into the air for an interception — another game-changing play. Cooper is off to an incredibly rough start in 2024, which mirrors much of what plagues the Browns. They don’t tackle well, their banged-up offensive line struggles to get the job done on the ground and in protecting Watson, and they make an incredible amount of mental errors (see: Harris’ premature snap in a crucial spot late in a one-score game). They don’t do the little things well, which snowballs into an ugly display of football fitting for a team headed for a top-five pick in the draft, not one trying to make consecutive playoff appearances. In fact, Watson played well Sunday, but because the Browns can’t get out of their own way, it didn’t matter.
3. Raiders’ run game surfaces. After falling short of 75 yards as a team in each of their first three games, Las Vegas’ ground game made an overdue appearance in resounding fashion Sunday, ripping through Cleveland’s defense to the tune of 152 yards and two scores. Their approach was relatively novel: Six players accounted for at least one carry for a positive gain, but only two of those six were running backs. Alexander Mattison and Zamir White combined for 110 yards on 22 carries, while offensive coordinator Luke Getsy involved the likes of receivers DJ Turner, Tre Tucker and Tyreik McAllister, plus tight end Brock Bowers. This creativity kept the Browns defense on its heels and helped the Raiders score 20 unanswered points after falling behind 10-0 late in the first. The new wrinkles in the ground game also took some pressure off quarterback Gardner Minshew, who was inconsistent in the passing game but avoided major mistakes. In total, for perhaps the first time since Las Vegas’ second-half comeback win over Baltimore, the Raiders produced an offense with consistent life. That’s a good sign for this team, which usually relies heavily on the defense, and was needed in a game played without Davante Adams.

Next Gen Stats Insight from Browns-Raiders (via NFL Pro): The Browns allowed 99 rushing yards on 20 missed tackles, tied for the most of any defense in a game this season (Jets, Week 1).

NFL Research: Raiders receivers Tre Tucker and DJ Turner each scored a rushing touchdown Sunday, making for the first game in Raiders history in which multiple receivers scored a rushing touchdown, and just the sixth game in the Super Bowl era in which a team had multiple receivers score rushing touchdowns in the same game. It was the first since the Jets’ Jerricho Cotchery and Brad Smith did so in Week 17 of the 2009 season.

Buffalo Bills

2024 · 3-1-0

AT

Baltimore Ravens

2024 · 2-2-0

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• RE-WATCH: Bills-Ravens on NFL+
• READ: Lamar: Henry’s 199-yard day shows he’s ‘not just a powerful back’

Grant Gordon’s takeaways:

1. Henry sets winning tone for Ravens with TD sprint. This wasn’t Derrick Henry the freight train, this was a bullet train. Henry busted out of the gates, hitting a max speed of 21.29 mph for an 87-yard touchdown run on the Ravens’ first play from scrimmage. This wasn’t Henry mowing down the competition, it was him speeding by the Bills untouched for a tone-setting sprint to six. The highlight-reel romp ignited the Ravens’ rout and began a stellar evening for Henry, who finished with two total touchdowns, rushing for 199 yards on 24 carries. He ran for more yards himself than any of Buffalo’s previous three opponents had as a team. Though he fumbled near the goal line in the fourth quarter, it was recovered by fullback Patrick Ricard for a touchdown. Thusly, once Henry got going, everything was rolling his and the Ravens’ way. This is Henry’s second 100-yard outing in as many weeks, and perhaps not coincidentally, the Ravens have won two straight and reemerged as an AFC heavyweight.
2. No reason for panic in Buffalo. The Bills were rolling right along with a perfect record and Josh Allen receiving MVP chants. Then they stopped in Baltimore and got stomped. In a prime-time battle against another Super Bowl contender, Buffalo struggled on both sides of the ball and Baltimore was impressive in all facets. Still, it’s not time to panic as fanbases, media and teams are wont to do after a high-profile loss. Evidence to that comes from the Ravens, who were 0-2 to start the season and have now bounded back into the best-in-the-league conversation. Buffalo was playing on a short week after a lopsided victory Monday over a still-winless Jaguars team. The Bills came out fast in that one, but had the tables turned in this one with Baltimore scoring on its first three drives while the Ravens defense stymied the Bills’ No. 1-ranked scoring offense. Perhaps most importantly was that Allen and the Bills didn’t go gentle into the Ravens’ night. A microcosm of Allen’s never-say-die mindset was seen in a jaw-dropping 52-yard completion to Khalil Shakir in the second half. Allen scrambled and scrambled, pump-faked and pump-faked and was 0.9 yards away from the sideline, per Next Gen Stats, when he heaved a ball to a wide-open Shakir. It briefly ignited the Bills offense after a stagnant first half. Then a stellar Ravens defense rose up once more. This just wasn’t the Bills’ night and that doesn’t disqualify an impressive previous three weeks or handicap them for the next 13.
3. Shhh, Lamar had a quietly outstanding game. Reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson wasn’t perfect. He lost a fumble and should have been picked off had it not been for a phenomenal pass breakup by wideout Nelson Agholor. The biggest highlights belonged to Henry, but Jackson was still sterling in prime time. He turned in three touchdowns, rushing for one along with 54 yards on six carries, and threw for two more, completing 13 of 18 passes for 156 yards. In a much-ballyhooed matchup featuring Jackson and Allen, the former surely held up his end of the bargain.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Bills-Ravens (via NFL Pro): Josh Allen was pressured 15 times by the Ravens for a pressure percentage of 44.1%, easily a season high. The previous high was 30% by the Dolphins in Week 2.

NFL Research: Derrick Henry’s 87-yard touchdown run was the longest TD run in Ravens history and the second-longest scrimmage TD (a Joe Flacco 95-yard TD pass to Mike Wallace; Week 9, 2016). It was, however, just the third-longest TD run in Henry’s career after rushing scores of 99 and 94 yards with the Titans.