NFL Takeaways: Week 4

What a week of football. Undefeated teams go down except one surprising team. We have two major upsets for both the bad New York teams, and Tom Brady returns home to beat New England and break Brees’ record!

Jaguars 21 @ Bengals 24: Uh…. so the Jaguars absolutely choked this game and things are going from bad to worse. This team is a lot more talented than people think, but the coaching and players just aren’t seeing eye to eye. After that scandal Urban Meyer caused, things are bound to get even more out of hand. Cincinnati is surprisingly decent this year and Joe Burrow is really starting to get into a groove. If that defense can match the power their offense brings, they can be real sleepers. 

Titans 24 @ Jets 27: J-E-T-S! What a game and what a win for New York. Might be the spark they need to gain confidence even if this is their only win of the season. Wilson looked comfortable out there and made some nice plays. For Tennessee, you got to be feeling really bad for yourself. It was a tough loss but with your 2 star receivers out you can’t really blame the offense for not coming through. Got to regroup as a team and figure it out. People had high hopes for this Titans team but they just can’t seem to find their beat yet. 

Lions 14 @ Bears 24: Nice rebound win for Chicago after the spanking they received at the hands of Cleveland. Justin Fields looked ok but this was definitely a game David Montgomery excelled in, rushing for over 100 yards and two TDs. Detroit falls yet again but much like the Jags, this team has a lot of young talent. At least they have that much going for them. 

Colts 27 @ Dolphins 17: The Colts FINALLY played a game where they looked like themselves. Solid on offense and the defense plays decent as well. With how things are shaping within their division, the Colts still got a legit shot at making the playoffs if they can build on this. Miami, they just look like a different team. Defense is playing off, and that offense can’t really do much at all. Tough spot on a team that seemed to have one of the brightest futures. 

Browns 14 @ Vikings 7: Unless you are a big defense fan, this game was very underwhelming. The only takeaways for Cleveland is 1, their backfield duo is ELITE, and 2, that defense is really nice. Minnesota couldn’t do much rushing the ball and it was a pretty big loss to their game. Kirk isn’t the issue, again, despite throwing a pick. This team is pretty good on paper but just haven’t delivered and sit at 1-3.

Football Team 34 @ Falcons 30: The legend of Taylor Heinicke lives on as he leads his team to a gutsy road win. He and Matt Ryan put on a show, but ultimately Washington prevailed in the last minute of the game. McLaurin and Heinicke have established some really great chemistry and that may be something to keep an eye on. For Atlanta, much like the Minnesota situation, their issue isn’t the QB. The talent is there, but no way Cordarrelle Patterson is outshining all of it. Atlanta catches another L and things are steadily getting out of hand.

Texans 0 @ Bills 40: I mean… Do I really need to say anything? Mills played hot garbage and threw 4 picks en route to a whopping 0.8 total QBR. Yes, this man’s QBR was a decimal, not a whole number with a decimal, A DECIMAL. The Bills run game is looking LETHAL and Josh Allen is really starting to look comfortable out there. They got to bottle this win and not get ahead of themselves, because the AFC is pretty much up in the air right now. 

Giants 27 @ Saints 21: I’ll be the first to admit that making fun of the Giants, well NY football teams in general aside Buffalo, is second nature to me. But man, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been impressed with this team’s guts these last two weeks. Daniel Jones is playing for a job, and it is PAYING OFF. He threw for 400 yards and just looked really clean even in a tough road setting. The Saints are still the most confusing team in the league, winning games convincingly, but losing games they should win.

Chiefs 42 @ Eagles 30: Boy, the Chiefs are lucky their offense is good, because this defense is atrocious. Their defense is tied for last place in points allowed in the NFL, allowing 31 points a game average with the Falcons. They are a bottom 3 team in pass yards allowed and rush yards allowed. I mean, if this offense was as bad as the defense they’d be worse than the Jaguars right now. All that talent and their defense still can’t perform? It’s getting embarrassing. Mahomes is great and so is that offense, but no way they let Jalen Hurts look elite out there. These Eagles rank 17th in PPG and scored 30. If that defense isn’t addressed, KC is going to get STOMPED on. Philly, excellent game despite losing. After last week, this was a game that shows you are decent, just a few pieces away from being good. 

Panthers 28 @ Cowboys 36: Down go the undefeated Panthers! This game was very close and exciting to watch up until the 3rd quarter. Dak and company decided to turn it up a notch after half and scored 20 in the 3rd to cement a lead that they were just able to hang on to. Many people will write off Carolina after this loss, but I think they’re legit. Darnold played a tough game even with 2 picks. That offense showed it can get back into games but that defense just needs to be consistent and keep up. CJ Henderson should be a great addition when he fully integrates into the team. Dallas, you got everyone’s attention. That offense is scary, Zeke is finally playing like himself, and that defense has been surprisingly good. Can they build on this?

Seahawks 28 @ Niners 21: San Francisco fans got to be feeling sick. Another close home loss but there’s a lot to like. This team has been plagued with injuries and yet continues to compete consistently. Losing Jimmy for the second half sucked, but Trey Lance did ok filling him in. Seattle played far from a good game, but did enough to win. They aren’t looking like themselves yet, but at 2-2 and a big game against LA coming, Seattle has a chance to change the script. 

Cardinals 37 @ Rams 20: No one expected this. Wow. The Rams, at home in a battle of the undefeateds, lost. Their defense looked weak out there. Their offense played ok but this was just a shocking loss. It’s good, gets them off their high horse, but what a win for Arizona. They are looking legit on offense, with the run game and passing game complementing each other well. It’s gonna be a close one in the NFC West.

Steelers 17 @ Packers 27: Green Bay’s week one loss is looking more and more like a fluke as they snag 3-straight dubs. Just a really good game for Green Bay. Pittsburgh, it’s looking like your glory years are done. Ben isn’t himself anymore and this team just isn’t clicking.

Ravens 23 @ Broncos 7: Losing Teddy kind of ruined the mood for Denver. Just couldn’t connect well with Lock at QB, and that defense couldn’t really do much about Lamar either. Ravens continue to look good and are really looking like a deep playoff team. 

Buccaneers 19 @ Patriots 17: Love or hate Brady, this game was special. Not only did he break Brees’ all-time passing yards record, he won in the place he gave his all to for almost two decades. The game itself was really tough defensively, along with the harsh weather, but what a special game for Tom. Mac Jones needs some receivers to really do some damage, but he played good under the circumstances and pressure. 

Raiders 14 @ Chargers 28: Chargers end the Raiders unbeaten streak in what felt like a Raiders home game in LA. Herbert looks really good in these last two weeks and that defense for LA played Carr the way they wanted to play him. He looked so uncomfortable out there and just couldn’t establish any rhythm. Sure he had some good plays, but he had way more bad ones. Can they regroup? If not, these Chargers look like AFC West champs…