All teams are settling into the season as we roll into Week Four. We had some close calls and some upsets, and everything in between. This is also the last week before we get into some teams’ bye week (and boy do some of them need it). Let’s recap this week’s games.
SEAHAWKS 23 – CARDINALS 20
What should have been a blowout turned into a close call as the Seattle Seahawks nearly blew a 14-point lead to beat the Arizona Cardinals. It was a respectable game for Sam Darnold, completing 18 of 26 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown. I’ve seen some “experts” praise the performance of the Seahawks’ offense, but I’m still concerned about the blown lead to a team with as many problems as the Cardinals. Life isn’t going to turn into a rose garden for the Seahawks anytime soon as they face off against the Buccaneers next week. As for the Cardinals, there’s reason to be encouraged. Trey Benson looks great filling in for James Connor (at least he did before he landed on the IR list), but the Cardinals need to get more consistent, and Marvin Harrison Jr. needs to be the receiver we all thought he was when he was drafted. They have a chance to right the ship next week against the slumping Titans.
CHARGERS 18 – GIANTS 21
Wow, just wow. In a complete shocker, the Los Angeles Chargers were beaten by one of the worst teams in the league: the New York Giants. Rookie Jaxson Dart was okay in his debut, completing 13 of 20 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, the Giants’ first win of the season came at a terrible price. Star receiver Malik Nabers is done for the year with a torn ACL. The Giants will have to come up with ways to win without him starting next week against the first team they’ll face this season in their weight class: the Saints. As for the Chargers, This was an unacceptable performance. Their offensive line has been allowing too many hits and pressure on star quarterback Justin Herbert. They’re not doing their job, and they better get with the program before their game next week against the Commanders.
COLTS 20 – RAMS 27
HOLY MOLE HOLES! Just when it looked like a possible overtime scenario, Matthew Stafford heaved a perfect spiral to Tutu Atwell for 88 yards and the winning touchdown. The Los Angeles Rams bounced back from their heartbreaking loss to the Eagles last week, and put an end to the Indianapolis Colts’ unbeaten streak. What an amazing game from Matthew Stafford, completing 29 of 41 passes for 375 yards for three touchdowns. Now, the Rams need to convert more third downs, but at least this ended better for the Rams than last week. They now have a share of the division lead, and have a chance to get more than that as they take on the rival 49ers in the Thursday Night game. As for the Colts, their pass defense sure didn’t show up. As I said, Stafford led the Rams to 375 yards in the air, and that’s not something the Colts can afford to do again. This was definitely a “welcome back to the real world” moment for the Colts, who will focus on bouncing back next week against the flailing Raiders.
VIKINGS 21 – STEELERS 24
Well, the Pittsburg Steelers survived a late scare thanks to the luck of the Irish in Dublin, beating the Minnesota Vikings. It wasn’t a bad game for Carson Wentz. He completed 30 of 46 passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns, but his two interceptions left a lot to be desired. I personally don’t think it was Wentz’s fault. The Vikings are a bit of a mess right now with little to no help on the ground. Not even Justin Jefferson, the league’s top receiver, can help pull the Vikings out of this alone. This part of the schedule is brutal for the Vikings, as they have to recover in time for their game next week in nearby London against the Browns. You may have noticed I didn’t mention the Steelers first in spite of the fact they won, and I’ll tell you why. The Steelers are among the first teams to have a bye next week. So they have a chance to rest and recover (and in Aaron Rodgers’ case…take a long nap). The offense hasn’t always fired on all cylinders, but the defense looks great. After their bye, the Steelers’ next opponent, ironically, is the same one the Vikings face next week in London: the Browns.
COMMANDERS 27 – FALCONS 34
Here we go again: HOLY MOLE HOLES! The Atlanta Falcons, a team that looked to be going nowhere, managed to pull off the upset and stun the injury ravaged Washington Commanders. Michael Penix Jr. had an impressive day, completing 20 of 26 passes for 313 yards for two touchdowns, but he did throw an interception. This was definitely the offense the Falcons were hoping for at the beginning of the season. Now, one success is not a true sign that they have something, but two in a row would be encouraging. The Falcons have a bye next week to rest and recover in time for their next game: a date with the heavy Super Bowl favorite Bills. As for the Commanders, injuries sure have made minced meat of this team. Unfortunately, their defense did them no favors. The hope is that Jayden Daniels returns soon after being cleared medically to practice, but it won’t be easy: they’ll be facing a determined Chargers team looking to put their upset this week behind them.
PANTHERS 13 – PATRIOTS 42
Ouch! This one hurt the Carolina Panthers. A week after putting the beatdown on the Falcons, the Panthers end up on the business end of a blowout against the New England Patriots. That’s what happens when the Patriots execute an effective running attack with three rushing touchdowns from three different people…including quarterback Drake Maye (I half expected him to do a Daniel Jones and fall on his face)! Of course, the Patriots had another special teams score as well to get things rolling. Is this the beginning of wonderful things to come for the Patriots? Well, we’ll see because their opponents next week…are the Bills. As for the Panthers, well…it’s one step forward and two steps back. Everything that went right for them last week went wrong this week. This strange case of Jekyll and Hyde is not an encouraging sign for the Panthers, especially since Bryce Young’s chemistry with his receivers keeps fluctuating from week to week (hence the Jekyll and Hyde reference). Fortunately, there’s a chance to right the ship next week against the Dolphins.
TITANS 0 – TEXANS 26
Things don’t seem to be getting better for the Tennessee Titans. This blowout loss to the Houston Texans may mean this season is already over for the once promising Titans. CJ Stroud showed flashes of his old self, completing 22 of 28 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns. It was a relief for the Texans to finally get their first win of the season, but more is needed as they are still in a 1-3 hole. Their next game will be against a desperate Ravens team (and nothing is more dangerous than a desperate team). As for the Titans, I am desperately trying, I really am, to find any thing that can be considered a redeeming factor here. But here is what I got: the Titans may go down in history as the team to be eliminated from playoff contention the fastest. I’m sorry, but this team has been a disaster for four weeks now. I don’t know where they go from here, but they better figure it out before their next game against the Cardinals.
BROWNS 10 – LIONS 34
And now for another blowout, but this one was expected. The Detroit Lions easily dispatched the Cleveland Browns with brute force. Amon-Ra St. Brown put up Calvin Johnson numbers, catching 7 passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns. The Lions seem to have the rhythm now, and they look to continue that momentum against a Joe Burrow-less Bengals team next week. As for the Browns, it’s the end of the line for Joe Flacco. News on Wednesday says that Flacco is being benched in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel (which means Shedeur Sanders will remain the third string QB). Two interceptions and a fumble is really took its toll on Flacco’s QBR, despite the fact that it’s not all Flacco’s fault. The Browns and their new starting QB head across the pond to London next week to face an equally desperate Vikings team in a game that’s a must-win for both sides.
SAINTS 19 – BILLS 31
Whoa! Hold up and time out! What in the Silver Springs happened here? (Yes, here is my Stevie Nicks reference for the week.) The Buffalo Bills managed to win by only 12 points against a pretty listless New Orleans Saints team. At least James Cook looked good, carrying 22 times for 117 rushing yards for a touchdown. Should the Bills be concerned? Well, they had a lot of penalties, their defense is still lacking, and…I can’t emphasize this enough…THE BILLS SHOULD BURY TEAMS LIKE THIS! That being said, their next game is against a Patriots team with a lot of momentum. This could be another close one. As for the Saints, this was a big improvement from last week. They still don’t have a win, but this was a lot closer of a game than we all thought it was gonna be. They face the Giants next week who are riding high on their first win, but the Saints will have an easier time since Malik Nabers is done for the year.
EAGLES 31 – BUCCANEERS 25
The Philadelphia Eagles looked to be flying high. They beat their first real test last week against the Rams, and they were cruising in this game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Winning 24-3, the game looked over. But the Buccaneers made a massive comeback that forced the Eagles to step on the gas again, and hold on for the win. Baker Mayfield did his best for the Buccaneers despite throwing an interception, but his 289 passing yards and two touchdowns were not enough to complete the comeback. Now, I have some concerns about the Eagles. They had to come back last week against the Rams, and now they almost blew the lead against the Buccaneers. The defense seems to be the high flying Eagles’ Achilles heel, and they better fix those problems before their game next week against a stingy Broncos team. As for the Buccaneers, they certainly don’t quit when they’re down, but those early mistakes were too much to overcome. If they don’t cut down on costly mistakes early, they’ll always play from behind, and that’s not a constructive way to keep winning. It’s back to the drawing board before next week’s game against a tough Seahawks squad.
JAGUARS 26 – 49ERS 21
This is one of those times where I give you a peek at my private life. At my church, one of the people there said she was a 49ers fan, and she was confident they were going to win yesterday. I used my sports writing position to warn her that this may not go the way you think. I was right. The San Francisco 49ers was handed their first loss by the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars. This has been quite the bounce back year for Travis Etienne Jr., carrying the ball 19 times for 124 rushing yards and a touchdown. The good news is that the Jaguars’ defense has been a real revelation as they now have 13 takeaways. The bad news was they had a few injuries that may hurt them down the line. Their next game is a tough one against the Chiefs, but I think the Jaguars have a legitimate chance to win (not a good one, but at least it’s a chance). As for the 49ers, well, we knew the injuries would catch up to them sooner or later. Now they’ll have to figure out another way to win next week against their bitter rivals, the Rams.
RAVENS 20 – CHIEFS 37
Dear Kansas City Chiefs: much better performance, good job. The Chiefs finally looked like their old dominant selves as they took down a Baltimore Ravens team that suddenly lost star Lamar Jackson. Patrick Mahomes had a good game, but let’s talk about a man missing from the last few games for the Chiefs: Xavier Worthy. I can’t say enough good things about this young man: he had 38 rushing yards and 83 receiving yards (you just broke out your calculators to see how many yards he got altogether, didn’t you?). So, is this the beginning of the Chiefs’ return to glory? Well, it’s a good start. They still have some ground to make up on the Chargers (who hold the tiebreaker for now). They also have to deal with an up-and-coming Jaguars team. As for the Ravens, it’s time to hit the panic button. They’re 1-3, and that’s not good at all! We don’t know about Lamar Jackson’s status for their next game against the Texans. They already lost one of their defensive tackles for the year, and they can’t afford to lose another player or another game.
BEARS 25 – RAIDERS 24
This turned out to be one of the best games of the day. The Chicago Bears managed to pull off the comeback to keep their season alive against the Las Vegas Raiders. The young guns led the way for both teams. Ashton Jeanty had 138 rushing yards and a touchdown for DA RAIDERS, while Rome Odunze had 4 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown for Da Bears. I think it’s time for the Raiders to hit the panic button. I was never high on Geno Smith, and this is why. You know, there’s a reason the Jets gave up on him…the JETS. I think Pete Carroll is slipping in his old age thinking that Geno Smith was the answer to the Raiders’ problems (I still think Shedeur Sanders was a better pick). They better figure something out because their next game is against a stingy team in the Colts. As for the Bears, I mentioned them last despite their win because they have a bye next week. The Bears have improved a bit, but the run game is still a problem. A 2-2 record is not a bad start, but it’s not enough. Their next opponent after the bye is the Commanders.
PACKERS 40 – COWBOYS 40 (OT)
The marquee matchup of Sunday ended…in a draw. WHAT THE FLURKIN IS GOING ON HERE?! A TIE?! You know what’s great about a tie? Nothing!!! Oh, alright, let’s break this down for both the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. Both defenses let their team down, and neither offense could score a knockout punch. I’m looking for something redeeming about either team. The only thing I got is that the Packers have a bye next week. So what needs fixing for the Packers? A surprising amount of things need to be addressed for a team that started 2-0. First their loss against the Browns, now settling for a draw against the Cowboys. The defense failed to pressure Dak Prescott on a consistent basis, probably because the Cowboys were prepared for their old friend Micah Parsons. They have the bye to figure things out, and then they face the Bengals. As for the Cowboys, hope is fading fast with their defense getting chewed up again. They scored plenty of points against great teams like the Packers and Eagles, but what’s the point if their defense can’t hold a lead? Both teams blew this, it was like watching the TV show Loki where Loki fell in love with a variant of himself (except less cool and no Owen Wilson)! But the Cowboys don’t have a bye next week to figure things out, unlike the Packers. The Cowboys better think of something or risk an embarrassing loss next week against the Jets.
JETS 21 – DOLPHINS 27
Well, this result wasn’t exactly unexpected, but it was still entertaining to watch. The Miami Dolphins won the battle of the winless teams against the New York Jets. Despite losing, I liked Justin Fields’ performance, throwing for 226 yards and a touchdown. So, Miami finally has a win, but…of course it came at a cost. Tyreek Hill went down and it wasn’t pretty. The news from ESPN, which includes injury expert Stephania Bell, says that Tyreek Hill is done for the year. So, now what are the Dolphins going to do? The rest of the team will need to step up as they go on the road next week against the Panthers. As for the Jets, I tried to find something of redeeming value for this team…nothing. They’re getting worse, and they lost to an opponent they were on par with. Look, it’s not like coach Aaron Glenn has much to work with, but this is just sad. Yes, Fields is underwhelming, but you can’t blame it all on him with nothing to support him. We’ll see how it goes next week against the Cowboys, but things obviously isn’t getting easier for the Jets (if anyone can think of anything redeeming for the Jets, please, I’m all ears, because this is just sad to watch).
BENGALS 3 – BRONCOS 28
Ouch, this was brutal. We knew the Cincinnati Bengals wouldn’t be the same without Joe Burrow, but this is next level bad. Getting blown out by the Denver Broncos is not a fun way to go. It didn’t help the Bengals that Bo Nix had a big game throwing for 326 yards and two touchdowns (although he did have an interception). So, the Broncos are now tied for second with the Chiefs in the division, but both are on the business end of the tiebreaker with the Chargers for the moment. And the schedule doesn’t get easier for the Broncos…for their next opponent is the defending champion Eagles. As for the Bengals, they’re back in the hole they were in last year. This time, however, it’ll be a long time before Joe Burrow can help dig their way out of it. And for the looks of things…it’s definitely going to come up short. It doesn’t get better as the Bengals next take on the mighty Lions.
