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Brianna Williams, ESPN
Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season offered a little bit of everything — the good, the bad and the ugly.
The New York Giants‘ performance in their 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks was more of the latter. They allowed 11 sacks, had three turnovers and failed to reach the end zone.
There was plenty to say about the “Monday Night Football” matchup and the rest of the NFL slate.
Here are the top quotes from around the NFL in Week 4:
Giants coach Brian Daboll
Daboll had a simple response when asked what he wanted Daniel Jones to do on the play he threw a 97-yard interception that was returned for a Seattle touchdown:
“Obviously, not throw an interception.”
An interception by Jets cornerback Michael Carter II was negated by a holding penalty on Gardner. Trailing by three points with four minutes to play, the pick would have allowed Zach Wilson an opportunity to lead New York downfield for a score to tie or win the game.
Instead, Patrick Mahomes & Co. ran the clock out to secure their second consecutive win with noted Travis Kelce fan Taylor Swift in attendance.
Gardner offered his thoughts in a since-deleted post on X about the questionable call:
“Maybe if I was a Swiftie, the ref wouldn’t [have] threw the flag.”
Cincinnati’s offense has left much to be desired this season, and Chase has been vocal about its struggles. He has yet to score a touchdown and expressed his frustration after the Bengals’ 27-3 loss to the Tennessee Titans:
“I’m open. I’m always f—ing open.”
The Patriots’ 35-point loss to the Dallas Cowboys was Belichick’s worst loss of his head-coaching career. He was brief on his explanation of why quarterback Mac Jones was taken out with 3:41 remaining in the third quarter:
“I didn’t think there was any point in leaving him in the game.”
The Steelers’ offense has struggled mightily. In their 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans, they were shut out in the first half for the first time since 2021. The team failed to score a touchdown and Tomlin was adamant about fixing their troubles:
“Hell yeah, we’ve got to make some changes. That was an ugly product we put out there today, and so we’re not going to do the same things and hope for a different outcome.”
Stroud has been a top quarterback not just among rookies, but the entire league. He has 1,212 passing yards, which is fourth in the NFL and the second most in NFL history through four starts.
Stroud still has his eyes set on the future:
“For me, it’s just the beginning.”
Christian McCaffrey leads the NFL in rushing yards with 459 and is tied with Raheem Mostert for most touchdowns with seven. Against the Arizona Cardinals, he broke Jerry Rice’s franchise record by scoring a touchdown in his 13th consecutive game, including the playoffs.
It’s tough to imagine what the 49ers would look like if they didn’t trade for McCaffrey — and Shanahan doesn’t want to:
“No, don’t ever say that.”
The Ravens cruised to a 28-3 victory against the Cleveland Browns — and their veteran kicker enjoyed the successful road trip:
“We walk in the trap, we take over the trap.”
