It sure was an interesting week in the NFL, especially if you were winning in the fourth quarter or you were a previously thought-washed quarterback with the last name Jones. The overall narrative of many games this week was that if you were a team starting to face roadblocks, then time finally ran out and failure truly set in. On top of that is a continued stack-up of injuries across the league, making it clear which rosters can survive the brutal sport and possibly be contenders by the season’s end.
Week 4 ended with two of the more boring games of the season so far. The Cincinnati Bengals, though still retaining their elite receivers in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, are laughably weak without quarterback Joe Burrow, who is still recovering from turf toe. This left back-up Jake Browning to face a fairly even Denver Broncos team, who, though led by a young and still adapting quarterback in Bo Nix, nearly shut out the Bengals 28-3. The second half of this double header was the languishing Miami Dolphins versus the—at this point sad—New York Jets. Though ending as a one-possession game, it was really all Miami most of the way until receiver Tyreek Hill obliterated his entire knee and was taken off the field. Now out for the season, Hill’s time as a Dolphin is all but over, and this team continues to spiral just like quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s sanity after all the concussions.
Thursday Night Football had the first of a few upsets and close games this week, with the San Francisco 49ers and their truly cursed injury luck having to face the Los Angeles Rams. This game saw former New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones start due to Brock Purdy also still recovering from turf toe, and he had to face the elite duo of elderly but still deadly accurate quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Puka Nacua. But, despite missing their starting quarterback and a bevy of other pieces, the 49ers did it. Christian McCaffrey proved he is still an elite running back, and Jones continued to step up, with a huge 342 passing yards. This was a super close game, though—do not get that twisted. And the Rams, led by a monstrous 389 passing yard game from Stafford, would have won if it were not for a late 4th quarter fumble right on the goal line by the Rams.
Moving on to Sunday, there is a lot to cover. The Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns faced off in London, where a close game ensued largely due to both teams still having no clue who their starting quarterbacks should be. A clunky game overall ending in a 21-17 Viking win, along with a Viking field goal possibly blocked by a recording drone. Then, in one of the bigger upsets we have seen so far this season, Nix and the Broncos went on the offensive. Reigning Super Bowl Champions should be a moniker that brings stability, but the Philadelphia Eagles have been under scrutiny lately because of their continued lack of passing ability and frustration among top receivers over their limited role in this play system. One of the biggest complainers, wide receiver A.J. Brown, found himself laying on the ground in the endzone at the end of the fourth quarter, looking up at an 18-0 run by the Broncos that clinched the game for Denver for a final score of 21-17.
Less interestingly, the Dallas Cowboys stomped on the Jets 37-22, and the New Orleans Saints took down an equally mediocre team in the New York Giants. Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart still showed promise for the organization, which they are in desperate need of following the season-ending injury to elite receiver Malik Nabers. The current most beloved comeback story of the season so far is quarterback Daniel Jones absolutely annihilating the Las Vegas Raiders 40-6 with his new team in the Indianapolis Colts. Raiders quarterback Geno Smith threw two interceptions and zero touchdowns.
The now Tyreek Hill-less Dolphins fell to the pretty bad Carolina Panthers… yeah, not too interesting. What is interesting is how sad the trajectory of this Baltimore Ravens team is, who lost 10-44 versus the Houston Texans and now sits at an abysmal 1-4 record to begin their season. Already underperforming before his injury, they now lack quarterback Lamar Jackson and their pre-season predictions of being Super Bowl-bound continue to crumble. Back-up Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush threw for three interceptions and zero touchdowns, while Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud finally got himself together after a 1-3 start, throwing four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Sunday afternoon kept rolling as Cam Ward, the #1 overall pick and quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, finally delivered a victory with an unreal 16-0 run in the fourth quarter to beat the Arizona Cardinals 22-21, including a crazed fumble turned touchdown. The Washington Commanders are very happy to have quarterback Jayden Daniels back, who had a respectable 231 passing yards and oversaw a confident 27-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Jared Goff and his bevy of weapons in the Detroit Lions offense had a clean 37-24 win over the still-reeling Bengals, with Browning throwing three interceptions but at least had three touchdowns as well and a better performance from star receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who had two touchdowns himself.
One of the most electric games of the season occurred between the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This was an elite quarterback battle, as Baker Mayfield threw 29/33 for 379 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Sam Darnold—still impressing after his breakout last season in Minnesota—threw 28/34 for 341 passing yards and four touchdowns. This game looked like a possible sure-fire win for the Seahawks, going down the field tied at 35 with a minute left, looking for a field goal… until Sam Darnold threw his first and only interception of the game within their side of the field, handing the Buccaneers a fresh drive and a walk-off field goal to win the game 38-35. Mayfield is likely to enter serious MVP talks soon if these performances continue, along with his Buccaneers sitting at 4-1 despite various injuries.
The final game of the day was the Patriots against the Buffalo Bills. To a New Englander like me, this game was a beautiful event. Quarterback Drake Maye outperformed the reigning MVP, Josh Allen, throwing 273 yards while former Bills player Stefon Diggs went off with 146 yards, more yardage than any Bills receiver in the game. It was a tough, gritty game that was won off a majestic 52-yard field goal that saw the Patriots beat out the Bills 23-20, leaving the last undefeated team (Eagles were undefeated too until today) reeling and the league in shock.