This week in the NFL was no different than the other so far in 2021. Week 4 was filled with plenty of fireworks, exciting finishes, surprising outcomes, and just great football. I’m so happy that this season is continuing to deliver on all fronts, especially with the return to normalcy with fans back and all. It’s been great to see. Let’s recap what happened this week:
Bengals 24-21 Jaguars 
I told you this game had the potential to be good. And honestly, it was great. Who didn’t enjoy themselves watching this game? You must hate exciting football. These were two young teams with some of the best, most exciting young QBs in the NFL duking it out on primetime television. I wasn’t expecting the Jags to come out the way they did, jumping out to a 14-0 halftime lead, and I was honestly impressed. Trevor Lawrence was slinging the ball with confidence, and the running game looked very solid. I was also vastly disappointed in the Bengals offense, but they obviously picked it up in the second half. Coming out of the locker room, it was the Joe Burrow show, and I must say, I’ve never been more impressed with him at the pro level. From the methodical opening drive of the half, which included a gorgeous sideline throw to rookie WR Jamarr Chase, to the clutch factor and amazing leadership shown in the 4th quarter when they went down 7, Burrow was everything you could possibly want out of a franchise QB on Thursday night. He took all the hits, made all the right audibles at the line, and delivered every throw on the money to not only tie the game in the 4th, but also lead the game-winning drive, capped off by a 35-yard field goal as time expired. Lawrence looked solid with 204 yards on 71% completion, but it was Burrow’s night. He was sensational with 348 yards and 2 touchdowns on 78% completion, and he looked better than I believe he ever has. Now, Cincinnati is sitting atop the division at 3-1, and they might not be a fraudulent 3-1. I’ll get into that more tomorrow.
Washington 34-30 Falcons 
Good lord. I don’t even know where to begin with this one. You could write a book about this game and it would be thicker than a bowl of oatmeal. I suppose we can start at the top. Atlanta dominated this one early thanks to more dreadful incompetence from Washington’s vastly overrated defense. After an opening drive FG and a busted coverage deep shot to Cordarrelle Patterson, it was a quick 10-0 lead for the team in black. Washington responded very well, however, thanks to some really great play from QB Taylor Heinicke, which was the story of the game. He delivered a gorgeous 33-yard touchdown pass to WR Terry McLaurin: a perfectly placed ball in between 2 defenders in the endzone. Another TD drive later, and the WFT led. That would be short-lived sadly, as Patterson victimized the secondary once again for a touchdown with 14 seconds left before the break. The second half started with a bang as DeAndre Carter returned the opening kick 101 yards for a touchdown for yet another lead change. Something important to note is that on this touchdown and the previous one, K Dustin Hopkins missed both extra points. Keep that in mind. This would be yet another short Washington lead as Patterson caught yet another touchdown to go up 4. A WFT FG cut the deficit to 1 thanks to the aforementioned missed extra points. Then, the madness truly began. On the most ridiculous 4th down plays you’ll ever see, Matt Ryan threw an interception, but the referees missed his knee touching the ground, which would have gone down as a sack and gave Washington much better field position. What the refs did see apparently was an egregious “roughing the passer” call on DE Chase Young, who made slight contact with Ryan’s shoulder pads while he hadn’t even thrown the football yet. I don’t even want to talk about the call because of how bad it was, and I still cannot wrap my head around it. This made everything that happened on the play irrelevant as it resulted in a first down, and Atlanta drove the ball for another touchdown to go up 8. By this point, everything seemed to be out of reach. But Heinicke simply doesn’t say die. He connected with McLaurin once again on a ridiculous deep touchdown, but a failed 2-point try left the game at 30-28 with 4 minutes left. After a defensive stop, the ball was in #4’s hands with a chance to create magic once again. Only needing a field goal to take the lead, Washington got chunk play after play to get all the way down to the Atlanta 30-yard line. With 33 seconds left, Heinicke found himself with all day to throw, came back across the field to find RB J.D. McKissic who then maneuvered all the way down the sideline and made an incredible leap for the pylon for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown. It was an incredible play that was truly a microcosm of what this team is. Give them a chance, and they won’t waste it. Granted, this game wasn’t without its plethora of issues, but I’ll get into that more tomorrow. On the bright side, Heinicke was the star of the show with 290 yards and 3 touchdowns on 70% completion, and his favorite target McLaurin feasted with 123 yards and the 2 aforementioned scores on 6 catches. This is an offense that can do damage, but if the defense doesn’t tighten up, then problems will obviously persist. I pray to God that I never have to sit through a game like this again this season.
Bills 40-0 Texans 
What was uglier in Buffalo on Sunday, the weather or the Texans’ performance? I’d easily go with the latter. Which is saying something if you saw the conditions during this game. There really isn’t much to say here aside from the obvious. The Bills have continued to impress me in the weeks since their opening upset. This offense is still firing on all cylinders, and the defense is playing some great football as well. I’ll let the numbers speak on this one. Buffalo outgained Houston 450 yards to 109, had 26 first downs compared to 6, and held the ball for 17 more minutes, all while forcing 5 turnovers. Josh Allen continued to shine, WR Stefon Diggs had a classic Diggs game, and TE Dawson Knox put on another great performance with 2 TDs as he continues to emerge into a legit redzone weapon. The Texans were the Texans we expected to see all year long, thanks to the play of 3rd string QB Davis Mills, who had 4 INTs on the game. This was just ugly from start to finish, and everyone knew it would be.
Bears 24-14 Lions 
What a strange game. It feels like a lot but also not much happened in this one. There are some definitive takeaways, though. First of all, the Lions are still a trainwreck. I picked them to win this game because they certainly looked like the better team, but they simply could not get out of their way on Sunday. Two turnovers in huge moments derailed them greatly. Those turnovers let the Bears do exactly what they needed to get this win. They ran the ball right down the throat of Detroit’s defense all game long, and that was the key to victory. RB David Montgomery had a very solid showing with 106 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 carries, but unfortunately he seemed to have suffered a serious knee injury that could derail his season. It was also the first solid outing for rookie QB Justin Fields, who had 209 yards on just 11 completions thanks to some good-looking deep shots. The Lions didn’t play a poor game by any means, as they led time of possession and were only outgained by 25 yards, but again, they continued shooting themselves in the foot. Now, they sit at 0-4 with no real success in sight. Things are somehow sadder than expected.
Cowboys 36-28 Panthers 
This was easily the most eye-opening performance of the week. Maybe the biggest one of the season. The Dallas Cowboys are legit, ladies and gents. This is one of the best teams in football. I never thought I’d be saying that, but here we are. This was a compelling game for the first half, as both teams traded blows headlined by the balanced offensive attack of Dallas vs. the surprising brilliance on the ground from Panthers QB Sam Darnold, who had 2 rushing touchdowns in the first 2 quarters. From there on out, however, it was all Cowboys. A 20-0 3rd quarter with 3 passing touchdowns set the tone emphatically, as Dallas carved up Carolina’s #1 statistical defense on the ground and Dak Prescott made them pay through the air. The Panthers got some garbage time scores to make this game look close, but that wasn’t the story at all. The Cowboys dominated and left their mark. Prescott threw for 188 yards and 4 touchdowns on just 14 completions, while the ground game dominated for 245 rushing yards, with 145 coming from Ezekiel Elliott, who also added a score of his own. Dallas’ defense also did their thing, as they kept the dynamic Panthers offense in check for the entire game (outside of garbage time) and CB Trevon Diggs yoinked his 4th and 5th interceptions of the season. If this team can stay this balanced on offense and this aggressive defensively, they will make things very interesting in an already stacked NFC.
Colts 27-17 Dolphins 
What a mess of a game. From the play on the field to the fact that I couldn’t see what was happening half of the time because of the awful camera work, this game was just a headache. Simply put, this was another offensive disasterclass from the Dolphins. 203 total yards, 2 turnovers, and some very poor QB play held this team back for the entire game. Indy didn’t play lights out or anything close to it, but they were the better football team by default. They stayed relatively mistake-free, Carson Wentz wasn’t too erratic with the football, and RB Jonathan Taylor finally decided to show up with his best performance of the young season thus far. That was all that was necessary to win this game. Neither of these teams left anything on the field to inspire any confidence or change my opinions on them. It was just so uneventful.
Browns 14-7 Vikings 
Whatever I expected to happen in this game did not happen. At all. I never would have predicted this to be the slugfest that it was, but I’ve been wrong before. This was just ugly, run-centric, defensive football from start to finish. The passing attacks that I thought would thrive were remarkably limited, and this game came down to whoever’s defense would step up more. That was Cleveland’s, and it’s reflected on the scoreboard. This is a unit that has had a lot of questions, but was playing great ball coming into this game. In the clutch, it was their strength that allowed them to win. Cleveland’s offense didn’t play great by any means, although the ground game was its usual self. Baker Mayfield only threw for 155 yards on a lousy 15/33 passing. But the constant pressure of Kirk Cousins on the other side of the ball, alongside the surprisingly great play of the secondary is what made the difference. That really meant something to me. The Vikes had every opportunity late, but they refused to cash in, and now sit at an unfortunate 1-3. I still feel pretty bad for them, but a little less so after this one.
Giants 27-21 Saints 
I mean what the heck. I can’t remember the last team as confusing as this Saints team. I genuinely have no idea what’s going on down there. How do you blow an 11-point 4th quarter lead to the Giants? The Daniel Jones-led Giants! Explain it to me! The offense wasn’t anything flashy, but they still put together several nice scoring drives to go up 21-10 with 12 minutes left. Jameis Winston was efficient throwing the ball, and Alvin Kamara had a great day on the ground. But as soon as they got that lead, the defense forgot how to play football. With 7 minutes to play, they let Saquon Barkley get free on a wheel route down the sideline, and he proved that he can still be as explosive as anyone in football as he took it the distance to cut the lead to 3 after a 2-point conversion. The Giants then marched down the field once again to tie the game and send it to overtime. And fittingly, on the first drive of the extra period, Barkley punched in a 6-yard score to cap a 9 play, 75-yard drive to win the game and put the Giants in the win column for the first time this season. It was the cherry on top for an inexplicably bad defensive performance in which New Orleans gave up 485 total yards including 402 passing yards. I thought defense was this team’s strong suit? Nothing makes sense right now in the Big Easy.
Jets 27-24 Titans 
Pigs are flying. Mountains are crumbling. Oceans are drying up. Deserts are flooding. The impossible has happened. Against all odds, the New York Jets won a football game. I don’t even know how it happened. This was a very uneventful game through 3 quarters, but the 4th was anything but. These teams somehow traded blow after blow, and the Jets were able to take a 7 point lead thanks to an admittedly awesome touchdown throw from rookie Zach Wilson to WR Corey Davis. New York actually got the 4th down stop they needed to win the game, but a pass interference call allowed the Titans to stay alive, and they ended up tying the game on a touchdown with just 16 seconds left. Overtime was a war of attrition, as both teams went on 13 play drives that ate up almost the entire 10 minute period. The Jets were first and got a field goal to go up by 3, and the Titans were unable to match as Randy Bullock missed a 49-yarder that would have made this one end in a tie. I’m thankful that didn’t happen. Thus, the Jets earned their first win of the year, and they honestly deserved it. I couldn’t believe it, but they were the better team. Wilson had the best game of his young career with 297 yards and 2 touchdowns with just 1 interception. The Titans offense amassed 430 yards of offense with over 40 minutes of possession, but they simply refused to put enough points on the board, which is shocking considering they were playing the Jets of all teams. This game told me more about Tennessee than New York, but they have one thing in common. Both teams suck.
Chiefs 42-30 Eagles 
That was honestly really fun. What was there not to love about this game? The Eagles got destroyed all while Patrick Mahomes had a field day to pad his stats and help fantasy owners worldwide. America wins! Mahomes and the Chiefs offense were brilliant, as he threw for 5 touchdowns and the team amassed 471 total yards. Tyreek Hill returned to his explosive ways with 186 yards and 3 touchdowns on 11 catches. However, the defense was still extremely questionable. They gave up 461 yards of their own, and even before garbage time, they were playing fairly porous football. They allowed Jalen Hurts to throw for 387 yards on them, which isn’t very… ideal. Their secondary is just nonexistent right now, and they aren’t generating a consistent enough pass rush to make an impact. Week 5’s SNF contest against the Bills is another national TV exposé waiting to happen.
Cardinals 37-20 Rams 
What a statement. This was the most impressive win of the week, no doubt, but we might need to cool off a bit. I think the Rams were a bit high coming off of their win against the Buccaneers, and they needed this reality check. That being said, the Cardinals deserve their flowers. They were just awesome from start to finish. From the jump, you could tell that this was their game. Kyler Murray was dishing it out with ease to a plethora of offensive weapons, and Arizona surprisingly had whatever they wanted against a very stout Rams D. A couple of first half turnovers from LA didn’t help their cause, and it helped things get away from them early. After falling behind 10-7 in the 1st quarter, the Cards ripped off a 30-3 run to absolutely sledgehammer their way to victory and a 4-0 record, making them the lone unbeaten team in football. Murray continued his scorching hot MVP campaign with 268 yards and 2 touchdowns on 75% passing, spreading the ball all over the joint. Again, I think the Rams will be fine, and they honestly needed this wakeup call. Now, they’ll come back down to earth, and resemble the team we saw in the first 3 weeks.
Seahawks 28-21 49ers 
Kudos to Seattle for bouncing back like this, but I’m taking things with a massive grain of salt here. For one, they were drastically outplayed. They put up points when they were presented with opportunities to, especially after some untimely 49ers turnovers, but I look at 2 big things in this one. Firstly, Jimmy Garoppolo went down with an injury, meaning rookie QB Trey Lance had to come in. Lance didn’t necessarily struggle, but he was never going to do anything special in his first real game action. Secondly, Seattle allowed 457 yards of total offense and was outgained by 223 yards. They might have been efficient, but they didn’t look good as a whole. The defense still got carved up, and I just didn’t see enough to truly impress me. I think they got away with one here.
Ravens 23-7 Broncos 
I am so underwhelmed. But more than that, I feel really bad for the Broncos. They looked so good and Teddy Bridgewater was playing so well, and now it’s all falling down. It was rough sledding already for Denver in this game, as a monster 2nd quarter from the Ravens put them behind multiple possessions. But Teddy got walloped on a hit to the helmet and had to leave this game with a concussion, and he’s still in the protocol right now. Naturally, the Broncos stood no chance in this one with Drew Lock under center, but the Ravens still put up their stats against a great defense. Lamar Jackson had a prolific day through the air with 316 yards passing, and WR Hollywood Brown redeemed himself with 91 catches on 4 catches with an incredible diving touchdown. They were also able to continue their 100-yard rushing game streak, although it took them until the final play to do so. Thus, the Broncos are unbeaten no more, and as long as Teddy is out, I’m not very confident in them. I’m hoping for him to have a speedy recovery.
Packers 27-17 Steelers 
This game essentially went exactly how I predicted it would. None of Sunday’s events at Lambeau shocked me or moved me at all. I’d say the two things that moved me the most were Ben Roethlisberger actually connecting on a deep shot, a 45-yard touchdown to Diontae Johnson in the 1st quarter, and Packers WR Randall Cobb grabbing 2 touchdowns out of nowhere. I always felt Cobb coming back was more of a formality to please Aaron Rodgers, but if he can actually be productive for this offense, it will do wonders for the Packers. Rodgers was pretty good in this game, and his offensive line was a big reason why. He was only pressured on 18% of snaps against a ferocious front 7, and although he didn’t have his most accurate day at the office, he did more than enough to help his team win. The Steelers were their same old selves on the offensive side outside of the one aforementioned deep ball, and it’s still as ugly as ever. There’s nothing more I can say about that I haven’t been saying for almost a year now.
Buccaneers 19-17 Patriots 
What a game. Tom Brady’s return home did not disappoint on any emotional or game-related notes. This really could have gone either way, and if we’re being honest, the Patriots probably should have won this one. But, it doesn’t always roll that way. It felt like they were ahead for a large majority of this game, and that was in large part thanks to the very good play of Mac Jones. The rookie QB played perhaps his best game yet, at one point completing 19 consecutive passes, and I think he was the only reason this game was close. The Patriots’ run game was nonexistent, as you ran for more than they did on Sunday night. Yes, you did. New England finished with -1 rushing yard(s). Thus, it was all on Mac, and he delivered. He had 275 yards and 2 touchdowns on 78% completion, and he spread the ball around the offense nicely. But sometimes, Tom Brady is just too much to overcome. The GOAT didn’t have his best stuff on Sunday night, but when it came down to it, he did what it took to win, setting up 2 late field goal drives to take the lead. On the game’s final possession, the Patriots were moving the ball efficiently and looked as though they were in a position to win the game, but a crucial 3rd down stop left them faced with 4th and 3 on their 40-yard line. For some reason, despite the rainy conditions all night, Bill Belichick opted to kick a 56-yard FG, which Nick Folk pushed and doinked off the upright to seal a Bucs win. It was a questionable decision, and you’ve gotta wonder if the gravity of the moment got to the man in the hoodie, but even if Folk were to have made that kick, they would leave just under a minute for Brady to try and win it himself. It seemed as though no matter what, #12 was leaving Foxboro with a W.
Chargers 28-14 Raiders 
The Chargers keep on making statement after statement, and I’m loving every second of it. This team just keeps proving me right and then some, and they have now established themselves as one of the premier teams in football. This was all powder blue all game long, and it was an offensive firework show. The Chargers got it done all night long through the air and on the ground, as both QB Justin Herbert and RB Austin Ekeler had sensational outings. Herbert had 222 yards and 3 touchdowns, all of which coming in a 21-0 first half for LA, and Ekeler had 117 yards on just 15 carries as well as a rushing score and a receiving touchdown. Everyone on offense was getting involved, as Herbert completed passes to 8 different targets. LA’s defense also continued its stellar play, shutting down the NFL’s most prolific statistic passing offense, holding Derek Carr to just 196 yards and making every stop necessary to put a cork in any potential comeback efforts. The Raiders may have been undefeated, but I told you they weren’t flawless. This defense scared me, and it showed big time on Monday night. This is going to be the story of their season, especially against teams as solid and well-rounded as the Chargers are. Meanwhile, the Bolts look like one of the league’s best teams, and my inclination is that they’re only getting better. How much harder can lightning strike?
All stats taken from ESPN.
Raza Talks Sports 