Week 4 in Review

Another week, another slate of games filled with offense and storylines. Let’s get into it.

Broncos 37-28 Jets

This game was much more entertaining than I ever could have imagined. Maybe I should’ve expected this from 2 teams playing for absolutely nothing. The game got off to a very exciting start with Jets QB Sam Darnold ripping off an incredible 46 yard TD run that probably should never have happened, but the Broncos were watching Trevor Lawrence highlights in the locker room and didn’t want to play defense. Broncos QB Brett Rypien got the call for his first career start, and was playing fairly well for most of the game. He found rookie WR Jerry Jeudy for a long TD and spread the ball out all over the field to a completely depleted offense. He did throw a pick 6 to get the Jets back into it late; New York even took the lead with 6 minutes left. But, a late field goal and dagger TD gave Denver their first win of 2020. This was an ugly game for the Jets defense, who committed so many personal fouls that Broncos HC refused to let his players shake hands with any New York players. Nothing says “a Gregg Williams defense” like no discipline and dirty play. The Jets have strengthened their grip on the Trevor Lawerence Sweepstakes™.

Bengals 33-25 Jaguars

Just as I predicted, QB Joe Burrow got his first win on Sunday. The Bengals rookie signal caller looked great once again, becoming the first rookie QB to throw for 300 yards in 3 consecutive games. He got a ton of help offensively (for once), especially from RB Joe Mixon, who ran for over 150 yards and accounted for 3 total touchdowns. The Jags didn’t play a poor game by any means. QB Gardner Minshew II threw for 351 yards and 2 scores, both to WR DJ Chark. But they could not keep up with the Cincinnati offense, which played its best game of the year with over 500 total yards. If the Bengals attack can play this well consistently, then there are plenty of games to be won.

Browns 49-38 Cowboys

Oh my, where to begin with this one. The Browns came out of the gate firing, scoring first on a trick play that saw WR Jarvis Landry launch a touchdown to WR Odell Beckham Jr. Dallas retaliated to gain a 14-7 lead, including a long touchdown to an emerging star, rookie WR CeeDee Lamb. Cleveland then ripped off an unimaginable 34 unanswered points. The Browns had a whopping 24 point second quarter en route to a 17 point halftime lead, and they didn’t look back (for a time). QB Baker Mayfield was dotting the Cowboys defense and the Browns running game was relentless. Unfortunately, star RB Nick Chubb was rolled up on and injured. Chubb will likely miss up to 6 weeks, but luckily, Cleveland still has Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson, who was somehow the Browns leading rusher on Sunday. After going up 41-14, the Browns defense kinda gave up, allowing QB Dak Prescott and the Cowboys to do that thing they always do in the 4th quarter where they score a bunch of points and try to come back and make the loss look much less embarrassing than it is. Dallas scored 24 unanswered points to cut the lead to just 3. Then, the Browns put the game away in spectacular fashion. Odell got his number called on a reverse play on which he broke tackles and left Dallas defenders in the dust en route to a 50 yard touchdown to finally put the game away for Cleveland. The Browns are now 3-1 and the offense looks fantastic. HC Kevin Stefanski has finally realized the potential of this team. The Cowboys are now 1-3, and should 100% be 0-4 if the Falcons weren’t, you know, the Falcons. This team is very talented offensively, as Dak Prescott is on pace to break records and has put up great numbers so far this year, but why do they only play well offensively once they’re down by a huge margin? They start super slow, the defense (which is absolutely dreadful) get them in a major hole, and then Dak statpads to an impressive statline and they make the loss look “respectable”. This team needs to make some changes if they want to improve. I personally hope it doesn’t happen.

Saints 35-29 Lions

We need to start giving the Lions more crap for not being able to hold on leads. With their blown 14 point lead on Sunday, they made some incredible NFL history. The Detroit Lions are the only team to blow six (6) straight double digit leads and lose. They are 0-6 in their last 6 games in which they were up by 10+ points. How is that even possible? Maybe it’s because Matt Patricia is a horrible head coach. He is now 10-25-1 in Detroit with several blown games and awful performances. The Saints scored 35 straight points after the Lions started the game up 14-0. For being a “defensive” head coach, his defenses have been atrocious. Yes, the Lions made it a game in the end, but they didn’t really. Even up 14-0, it never felt like the Lions had a grip on this game. Saints QB Drew Brees shook off an early interception and played a good game, leading his team to victory in what was likely their last game without star WR Michael Thomas. The Saints need every win and weapon they can get this season, as their schedule doesn’t get much easier. The Lions need to hit the reset button if they want to have a chance to win more than 5 games a year. Patricia needs to go.

Seahawks 31-23 Dolphins

This game went along fairly predictably. Seattle was in control from wire to wire, but Miami stuck around due to the Seahawks nonexistent pass rush, allowing QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to rack up over 300 yards passing. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson continued to put up big numbers as well, tossing for 360 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 16 TDs through 4 games tied the NFL record, equaling Peyton Manning’s total through 4 weeks in 2013. There’s not much to be said about this game, but I can think of 2 major takeaways. First, it’s time to start preparing rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa to play in Miami. Fitz gets the job done to an extent, but Tua will give this team the hope and “pizzazz”, if you will, that this team needs. It’s a talented group that needs that spark. And second, how does Tyler Lockett only have 2 catches Russ? My fantasy team did not appreciate that.

Buccaneers 38-31 Chargers

This was quite the game down in Florida. LA jumped out to a 24-7 lead behind some incredible throws by rookie QB Justin Herbert and a long pick 6 of Bucs QB Tom Brady. Herbert continued looking like the quarterback of the future in Los Angeles, as he found WR Tyron Johnson for a long TD on a drop dead gorgeous throw. The Bucs slowly worked their way back into the game, as Brady became the living embodiment of the going from leaning back to leaning forward in your chair meme. Brady tossed 5 touchdowns to 5 different receivers and threw for 369 yards to bring his team back and lead them to victory. The Chargers did regain the lead late in the 3rd quarter behind another beautiful deep touchdown throw from Herbert, but Tampa controlled the game the rest of the way. It was the 222nd regular season win in Tom Brady’s career, giving him the most wins of any player at any position in NFL history. It was a great QB battle between two players born 21 years apart from each other. The Bucs continued to look like one of the best teams in the NFL, and the Chargers have to be excited about their future with Herbert at the helm.

Ravens 31-17 Washington

The Washington Football Team put up a good fight on Sunday against one of the best teams in the league. It may have looked like Washington got off to a slow start, but the offense was actually moving along nicely. A fumble on a great play by Ravens DB Marlon Humphrey and a missed field goal spotted the Ravens 2 short fields and resulted in 2 touchdowns. Yes, the Ravens offense looked very surgical from start to finish, but they finished with only 7 more total yards than Washington. QB Dwayne Haskins played one of the better games of his career, statistically, completing 71% of his passes and racking up 314 passing yards. Haskins hit WR Terry McLaurin on a beautiful deep ball and ran for a score late, showing flashes of good play, and hopefully boosting his confidence after a rough outing last week in Cleveland. Another bright spot for Washington was rookie RB Antonio Gibson, who accounted for 128 total yards and scored a touchdown. This team did not play too poorly in a game that I thought they would look lifeless in. They’re slowly improving, and rallying behind HC Ron Rivera is helping bring this team together. They get Chase Young back next week, which will greatly help the defense. I wouldn’t count Washington out yet.

Panthers 31-21 Cardinals

It’s official. The Cardinals were tricking us. In back-to-back weeks they have lost to two teams who really had no business winning. I do think the Panthers are better than many people, myself included, were giving them credit for, but without RB Christian McCaffrey, the fact that they won this game is shocking. After 2 very convincing wins to start 2020, the Cardinals have not looked like the same team in the last 2 weeks. The offense has not been able to get going as QB Kyler Murray threw for just 133 yards on Sunday. RB Kenyan Drake also got knocked out of the game, hurting the run game for Arizona. For the Panthers, QB Teddy Bridgewater looked great, throwing for 276 yards and 2 TDs, as well as running in his first touchdown since his awful knee injury 4 years ago. The Panthers don’t look like a bad team at all, and I think they’ll win many more games this year, especially once McCaffrey returns. Arizona, on the other hand, needs to return to form if they want to keep up in the NFC.

Vikings 31-23 Texans

The Winless Bowl had some pretty big ramifications. The game itself was controlled by Minnesota from wire to wire, although the Texans almost mounted a comeback late. Kirk Cousins had another nice game, throwing for 260 yards and a touchdown with no picks. Houston played a good game offensively and almost tied the game, but the referees ruled a would-be touchdown incomplete to end things. The Vikings left NRG Stadium with their first win of 2020, and the Texans decided to fire HC/GM Bill O’Brien after an 0-4 start. It was a move that was seemingly a long time coming, as the trades that gave away WR DeAndre Hopkins and multiple first and second round picks made zero sense and have set this team back drastically. The fans and players seem very pleased about it on social media, and I think that is completely justified. Yes, under BOB this team was winning and in the playoffs, but they never had that signature win to cement them as an elite team. They could have had it last year in Kansas City, but Patrick Mahomes said no. This is the right move for Houston, and I hope it pays off.

Rams 17-9 Giants

This is one I did not see coming. Yes I picked the Rams to win, but I predicted a 35 point win, not an 8 point one. Both offenses struggled mightily all game long on Sunday, outside of the Rams’ opening drive. I’m not sure how an the offense, which has looked so good through the first 3 games of the year, played so poorly against a Giants defense which couldn’t even stop Nick Mullens last week. But, they still got the job done thanks to a late, long catch-and-run touchdown from WR Cooper Kupp. I, for one, hope the Rams struggle just as much if not more than they did against the Giants when they roll into the nation’s capital next Sunday. But, I don’t think Sean McVay will let that happen.

Colts 19-11 Bears

Perhaps Mitch Trubisky wasn’t the problem. Or maybe the Colts defense is just that good. New Bears starting QB Nick Foles struggled quite a bit against Indianapolis, who has proven to have one of the best defenses in football. They statistically lead the league in yards allowed per game and points allowed per game. They held Chicago to just 3 points for over 58 minutes on Sunday. The offense did what it needed to do as well, scoring a touchdown and netting 4 field goals to control the game from start to finish. This is not a flashy team by any means, but the Colts are very solid all around. They have the roster to compete with many top teams in the AFC. Don’t be surprised if Indy is the team to play spoiler against some AFC favorites later in the year en route to a playoff appearance.

Bills 30-23 Raiders

Josh Allen is still doing Josh Allen things. The Bills QB continued putting up huge numbers on Sunday in Vegas. He threw for 288 yards, 115 of which going to WR Stefon Diggs, who is now the leading receiver in the NFL. The Raiders stuck around for the whole game, but the Bills led the whole way and stomped on Vegas’ throats in the 4th quarter. The Raiders defense continues to be a massive problem for them. They have the talent on both sides of the ball to be competitive, but it needs to translate to more wins against great teams. The Bills are not just a great team, but an elite team. They can beat anyone on any given Sunday. Their next 2 games will tell us a lot more about how much of a contender they are, as they take on the currently unbeaten Titans and Chiefs.

Eagles 25-20 49ers

This was… hard to watch. I really don’t know how Eagles QB Carson Wentz willed his team to victory on Sunday, considering he was playing with Walmart grocery baggers at WR. It seemed like the 49ers were in control for most of this game, despite pretty bad QB play from Nick Mullens. But it turns out that Mullens would truly be San Francisco’s downfall, as he threw an AWFUL pick that was returned for a touchdown to all but ice the game for Philadelphia. Yes, CJ Beathard came in for the Niners and almost led the incredible comeback, but it was far too little too late. The Niners lost a game they had no excuse losing, and now the Eagles sit on top of the NFC (L)East at 1-2-1. I will give credit to Wentz for winning a game with what he was given, but I’m still very bitter about Washington being knocked out of first. Hopefully the Eagles go back to losing, which is more likely than not.

Chiefs 26-10 Patriots

This was interesting. Patriots QB Cam Newton unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19, pushing this game back to Monday evening, and forcing New England to start QB Brian Hoyer. Even with the significant downgrade at QB, the Patriots hung around for a while on Monday. Their defense played a terrific game against the Chiefs offense and QB Patrick Mahomes. New England was in this game for a while, even after having to bench Hoyer for Jarrett Stidham. It wasn’t until Stidham threw a pick 6 thanks to WR Julian Edelman dropping a pass that I could have caught that the Patriots were out of it. I truly think that, had Cam Newton played in this game, the Patriots would have won. I’d keep an eye out for these two teams meeting again in January, because I wouldn’t be so sure that the Patriots wouldn’t come out on top.

Packers 30-16 Falcons

Update: Aaron Rodgers is still a bad man. Missing his 2 best WRs, all ARod did was throw for a measly 327 yards and 4 TDs on 82% completion. Packers TE Robert Tonyan, who you would not know about if he played on any other team, had 98 yards and 3 touchdowns. Green Bay didn’t even need RB Aaron Jones to carry a big load, as Jamaal Williams got plenty of snaps in the backfield and did his thing both running and catch the ball. I tweeted earlier today that Rodgers could take 52 lawn chairs to the playoffs, and it might not be too much of an exaggeration. Rodgers put on a masterclass, and he’s getting his best weapon back next week. Even the defense looked spectacular with star LB Za’Darius Smith and CB Jaire Alexander putting on shows. Alexander held star Falcons WR Calvin Ridley to a shocking goose egg in the receiving column. The Green Bay Packers are the best team in the NFC and they are a force to be reckoned with. The Falcons offense struggled all night against the Green Bay defense, and Atlanta is now 0-4. They probably should be 2-2, but we don’t hand out moral victories here. Sooner or later, coaching changes need to be made. I think they will be made much sooner than later.

All stats taken from ESPN.