Ben Arthur and 3 more
The Sunday of Week 4 began in Dublin, where the Steelers outlasted the Vikings. Stateside, the standout game featured the defending-champion Eagles edging the cardiac-kid Bucs in Tampa. In the afternoon window, the Chiefs served notice against the Ravens, and tonight, Micah Parsons returns to Dallas eager to show the Cowboys what they’re missing.
We’ve got you covered across the league. FOX Sports’ NFL experts provide the lessons we’re learning from every Sunday game and what they mean for each team going forward.
Vikings: The Minnesota quarterbacks don’t have much of a chance.
QB Carson Wentz showed on Sunday that he can still throw the ball, passing for 350 yards and two touchdowns and nearly mounting an incredible comeback against the Steelers in Dublin. But he was also pummeled by Pittsburgh’s defense behind a leaky Vikings offensive line that gave up six sacks. Through four games, Wentz and J.J. McCarthy, out with high right ankle sprain, have already been sacked 18 times — a total that will likely lead the league after this weekend.
And yes, things could get worse. The Vikings lost two offensive linemen during this game — right tackle Brian O’Neill to a knee injury and center Ryan Kelly with a concussion. Considering Wentz has barely played since 2022 and McCarthy is playing in the NFL for the first time, they can’t allow their quarterbacks to continue to take beatings like that. Both Wentz and McCarthy showed they have the ability to move the ball. They just need the time and a chance to do it.
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Steelers: DK Metcalf is still one of the best receivers in the league.
The biggest offseason move the Steelers made was, of course, signing QB Aaron Rodgers. But their smartest move might have been trading for receiver DK Metcalf. It was expensive — they basically traded a second-round pick and signed him to a four-year $132 million contract extension — but his arrival gave Rodgers the No. 1 receiver he desperately needs at this stage of his career.
And after a slow start in Pittsburgh, Metcalf reminded everyone on Sunday that he’s still No. 1, taking a quick slant pass from Rodgers, splitting the defenders and outrunning the rest of the Vikings secondary for an 80-yard touchdown. He finished the day with five catches for 126 yards. Rodgers famously had a lot of success with lesser receivers during his days in Green Bay. But at 41, he needs a big-play threat like Metcalf to make the offense work. They could be a dangerous duo all season long. — Ralph Vacchiano
Eagles: Jalen Hurts got it done with his legs when the Eagles needed it.
The Bucs had done such a good job against the Eagles and Jalen Hurts, but part of Philadelphia’s success Sunday was Hurts knowing when to take off scrambling. He had a game-high 62 yards on nine carries, moving the chains on a day when the Bucs kept Saquon Barkley pretty well in check. Hurts had a 29-yard run to set up Philadelphia’s first offensive touchdown.
Basically, any time the Bucs failed to contain him in the pocket, he took advantage and picked up yards. Two short touchdown passes Dallas Goedert were also key, but Hurts’ scrambling was something the Eagles haven’t had in recent losses to the Bucs in Tampa.
Buccaneers: Blocked kick for the third week in a row, somehow.
Special teams is a real problem for the Bucs, as they dealt with a blocked kick for the third game in a row. The Eagles got to a Riley Dixon punt for an early block, returning it 36 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Special-teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey hasn’t been able to solve persistent problems. The Bucs had a punt blocked late against the Texans and barely managed to win, and had a field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown by the Jets and survived that as well.
Sunday’s gaffe set the tone for the game, helping the Eagles to an early lead that would get to 21-3 before the Bucs started to rally back. If you can’t solve major problems like this, a special teams coordinator won’t last long. — Greg Auman
Panthers: Bryce Young benched again, but how much are Panthers to blame?
Ineffective for most of the game, Young was benched in favor of backup Andy Dalton late in a lopsided loss to the Patriots. Young finished with just 150 passing yards and a score, with no interceptions. While Young didn’t put up big numbers, how much can you fault him considering he has few legitimate playmakers at his disposal? Specifically, Young and first-round draft pick Tetairoa McMillan have not developed a good rapport. McMillan was targeted a team-high eight times but finished with only four receptions for 62 yards. For the season, McMillan has 14 receptions for 216 yards and has yet to get into the end zone.
For a team bereft of playmakers on the perimeter, head coach Dave Canales must do a better job of getting McMillan involved in the offense, along with developing better chemistry between Young and the big-bodied receiver. The Panthers have just one passing play of 40-plus yards this season.
Patriots: Returner Marcus Jones leads way as New England (finally) plays a clean game.
Jones returned a punt 87 yards for a score and took another one for 61 yards that set up a Drake May 5-yard scramble for a TD, part of 42 straight Patriots points in a runaway win over the visiting Panthers. Plagued by penalties, missed tackles and turnovers last week in a loss to the Steelers, the Patriots did not turn the ball over after five turnovers in Week 3. Maye, a Carolina native who grew up a Panthers fan, executed the Superman pose in a nod to Cam Newton when he scored on a touchdown run in the first half. – Eric D. Williams
Commanders: It’s never easy winning games with a backup QB.
Washington pulled it off last week, but winning games consistently with a backup quarterback is hard in the NFL, as the Commanders found out Sunday. Marcus Mariota wasn’t terrible – two touchdown passes against one interception – but it wasn’t anything you confused with Jayden Daniels, on a day when Atlanta’s offense played as well as it has all season after being shut out last week. The Commanders are also without their best receiver in Terry McLaurin, so this was an uphill battle offensively.
There’s a good chance they’ll have Daniels next week against the Chargers, and they’ll need him against a tougher opponent on the road.
Falcons: This is exactly what Atlanta needed after a shutout loss.
The Falcons’ offense woke up in Week 4 — Michael Penix Jr. threw an early touchdown pass to Drake London and a long one to Bijan Robinson. After looking flat in a 30-0 loss to the Panthers last week, the Falcons were impressive against the Commanders. That’s good news for OC Zac Robinson, head coach Raheem Morris and everyone involved. — Greg Auman
Saints: Has Kellen Moore found an offensive identity with Spencer Rattler at QB?
New Orleans rolled up 180 yards on the ground against the Bills, a Super Bowl contender, on the road. Quarterback Spencer Rattler finished with a career-high 49 rushing yards on his birthday. While the Saints didn’t get the victory, and Rattler remains 0-10 as an NFL starter, Moore may have created a solid blueprint to follow moving forward on offense. The plan would be to feature Alvin Kamara and Rattler’s running ability and take deep play-action shots to keep opposing defenses honest, while leaning on a solid New Orleans defense led by defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.
Bills: James Cook proves a productive wingman for Josh Allen.
Cook finished with 117 rushing yards on 22 carries and a score. He has rushed for more than 100 yards for three straight games, and he has 20 rushing touchdowns since the start of last season, the most by any player over that period. With opposing defenses trying to figure out how to slow down reigning MVP Josh Allen, Cook has done a nice job of creating balance in the offense for Buffalo with his ability to move the chains and get into the end zone. Allen was also effective in the running game, finishing with 48 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. – Eric D. Williams
Titans: Brian Callahan may not coach another game for Tennessee.
Titans coach Brian Callahan said this week that we’re going to see who the “more desperate” team is on Sunday, a battle of 0-3 squads. And clearly, Tennessee had no desperation. And it’s not just because it lost. It’s how it did so in the shutout loss — giving up three straight touchdown drives in the fourth quarter of a game that was within a score for 45 minutes.
It was kicked off by cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who was dismissive of Texans’ leading receiver Nico Collins in the lead up to the game, giving up an inexcusable 37-yard completion to him on a second-and-33, setting up Houston’s first score. Tennessee also never reached the red zone offensively and had two missed field goals.
For the Titans to somehow reach a new low in a terrible season is one thing. But to also do so against a division rival that owner Amy Adams Strunk can’t stand is another — one that could lead her to pulling the plug on Callahan.
Texans: The Texans found their RB1 of the future.
Houston’s offense clearly hasn’t been the same without Joe Mixon, but the team may have found its top running back for the future in Woody Marks. The fourth-round rookie had 21 touches for 119 scrimmage yards (69 rushing, 50 receiving) and two fourth-quarter touchdowns in Houston’s 26-0 shutout of the Titans. He also had a nasty blitz pick up, where he trucked a Tennessee defender.
Marks has been earning more and more trust from the Texans’ coaching staff over time, seeing an uptick in offensive snaps by the week. Sunday’s performance should solidify a starting role — and his future as a key part of the offense. The Texans will gladly welcome back a healthy Mixon, who’s on injured reserve and expected back this season. But Marks is carving out his place in the franchise’s long-term plans. — Ben Arthur
Browns: Deion Sanders was right to say that Shedeur will start for the Browns this season.
Joe Flacco had another turnover-heavy performance in Sunday’s loss to the Lions. He’s up to eight turnovers on the year (six interceptions, two lost fumbles), including three against Detroit. It’s inevitable that Dillon Gabriel will get a start, even as Browns coach Kevin Stefanski continues to say he’s not considering a quarterback change, because it’s becoming clear that Flacco can’t cut it.
At that point, Shedeur Sanders — who’s been running the scout team in practice — would be just a body away from getting a chance to be in the game. And I’d bet there would be a greater chance of that happening than not. The Browns are barreling toward drafting a quarterback in 2026, and they’ll have to get a look at everyone they have at the position before that.
Lions: This offense might be even better without Ben Johnson.
To hang 52 points on the Bears is one thing. Putting up 38 points on a struggling Ravens defense is another. But for Detroit to again score at least 30 points Sunday, against a Browns team that boasts arguably the best defense in football, is a testament to just how much of a juggernaut offensively the 2025 Lions are.
Cleveland has been virtually impossible to run on, and Detroit had 109 yards on the ground Sunday – nearly double what the Browns had been allowing through three weeks (57.3 yards/game). Turns out that Lions offensive coordinator John Morton was right (“I don’t think they’ve seen a run game like ours yet,” he said in the lead up to the game).
The Lions’ offense has the same confidence and aggressiveness that it had under Ben Johnson, but we’ve seen new wrinkles in the playbook. The chemistry of the dominant unit has somehow continued to grow into 2025. At this rate, it could eventually be looked at as even better than it was with Johnson, as great of a coordinator as he was. — Ben Arthur
Chargers: Justin Herbert doesn’t have enough reliable weapons.
There aren’t many quarterbacks in the NFL who are more talented than Herbert, but on Sunday it sure looked like he had a questionable cast around him. The amount of passes that went off the hands of his receivers —particularly Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey — was astonishing. They weren’t all drops, but they certainly were passes that NFL receivers are supposed to catch. McConkey, who was Herbert’s most reliable receiver a year ago, caught just one of six passes thrown his way. Johnston did catch eight passes for 98 yards and a touchdown, but there were five misses, too.
It’s why other than Johnston’s 36-yard touchdown catch and RB Omarion Hampton’s 54-yard touchdown run, the Chargers’ offense had no spark. A lot of that had to do with the Giants’ pass rush. But Herbert gave his team opportunities. He just didn’t get enough help.
Giants: The Jaxson Dart spark might be short-lived due to the loss of Malik Nabers.
The Giants were almost giddy about their biggest win in years on Sunday when they knocked off the undefeated Chargers, and they were thrilled by the “poised” performance of rookie QB Jaxson Dart. But it’s going to be a lot tougher the rest of the season for the 22-year-old after the Giants lost their No. 1 receiver, Malik Nabers, possibly for the rest of the season.
If Nabers indeed suffered a torn ACL as feared, Dart’s arsenal just won’t be the same. Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson are good receivers, but they’re just not in the WR1 class. Nabers had 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns last season when the Giants had mostly atrocious quarterback play. There was a lot of excitement about what he could do with a real QB this season. Instead, Dart — who was more impressive with his legs (10-54-1) than his arm (13 of 20, 111 yards, 1 TD) in his debut — will have to figure out how to get by without him.
Ravens: Ravens: A Lamar Jackson injury complicates a bad start.
Baltimore opening the year 1-3 is that much more difficult to overcome if the Ravens have any period without Lamar Jackson at quarterback. He left Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs with a hamstring injury, and while Cooper Rush isn’t a bad backup, it’s the kind of drop-off you have from an MVP candidate to a career understudy. Their upcoming games are the kind they really should win — against the Texans, Rams and Bears, with a bye mixed in — but even if they’re 2-1 in those games, they’re still 3-4 as they get into an easier stretch.
What it means is any real hopes of the Ravens hosting multiple playoff games is probably gone, and if they’re going to have a different playoff fate, they’re going to have to write a better ending while playing on the road in January. That’s still very possible, of course, but not nearly as easy as when the AFC seemed up for grabs and they were in the thick of it. Instead, it’s Week 5 and the only team they’ve beaten is the Browns.
Chiefs: Remember what Patrick Mahomes can be like?
We’d almost forgotten what a flawless, dominating game from Patrick Mahomes can look like. If you had your doubts about Mahomes and the Chiefs, Sunday’s win over the Ravens went a long way to reminding you they’re still dangerous. Mahomes threw for 270 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
He now has 11 games with at least four TDs and no INTs, but do you know when the last one was? October 2022, ending a drought of 48 games without one. For the people complaining that the Chiefs at 1-2 were getting ranked too high in NFL Power Rankings, this is a reminder of who they can be when they play as they’re capable. They may not be as dominant as during their peak, but they haven’t disappeared just yet either. — Greg Auman
Jaguars: Jacksonville’s defense is elite.
The Jags had four takeaways in the 26-21 victory, including one on the Niners’ final drive. They had opportunities for more, too. They’ve forced at least three turnovers in each of their four games this season, a first in franchise history. It speaks to the incredible job done by coordinator Anthony Campanile, who’s turned around what was arguably the worst defense in football last season. This year, the unit is well coached. They attack on every play. Ball disruption appears to be second nature for them. Players are punching at the ball without sacrificing the fundamentals of their tackling technique.
Jacksonville’s offense is clearly working through some kinks — it left several points on the board against San Francisco, making the game much closer than it needed to be — but the defense will give the team a chance in every game. At this rate, Campanile will be getting plenty of head coach interviews at the end of the season.
49ers: All the injuries are too much for the Niners to overcome.
While you have to admire the 49ers’ fight, you have to wonder if Sunday’s loss is the start of this reality — the depletion of talent making it difficult to win games. A week after losing star defensive end Nick Bosa, San Francisco didn’t register a sack on Trevor Lawrence. Star tight end George Kittle’s sure hands were missed, as the Niners had several dropped passes Sunday, particularly in the first half. Receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings, both of whom were already dealing with injuries, got shaken up further in the game too.
San Francisco gave itself a nice cushion by winning its first three games of the season, but the injuries could make the middle stretch of the year difficult. The Niners’ next two games are tough — against the division rival Rams on a short week, and then the Bucs. — Ben Arthur
Colts: Daniel Jones gets reality check in road loss to Rams.
“Indiana Jones” had entered the MVP conversation with his stellar play through the first three weeks. But in his first real test of the season with his new team, Jones had an uneven performance against a tough Los Angeles defense looking for redemption after a disappointing loss to the Eagles last week. Jones finished 24-of-33 for 262 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions for a 80.6 passer rating. The 20 points scored by the Colts was their lowest output this season.
An active runner through three weeks, Jones finished with minus-1 yards rushing. The Colts turned it over three times on offense, including a head-scratching play by Adonai Mitchell, who fumbled though the end zone on a play that should have been a 76-yard reception for a score. Instead, the Colts lost a touchdown that would have given them a lead. Mitchell was also called for holding on another touchdown, a 53-yard run for a score by Jonathan Taylor.
Rams: L.A. rides Puka Nacua train to another victory.
The Rams go as Puka Nacua goes. And the BYU product was virtually unstoppable in the team’s late-game victory over the previously undefeated Colts. Nacua finished with 13 receptions for a career-high 170 yards and a score on 15 targets. Per Next Gen Stats, Nacua caught all 10 of his targets under 10 air yards for 99 yards and a touchdown.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was rolling, finishing with 375 passing yards and three touchdowns. That’s a good thing for the Rams, as they host the 49ers, who also sit at 3-1, in a Thursday Night Football contest on a short week. – Eric D. Williams
Bears: Chicago shows resiliency under first-year head coach Ben Johnson.
Same old Bears, right? Maybe not. Under Johnson, Chicago has proved resilient enough to overcome mistakes in late-game situations. An aggressive Las Vegas defense led by Maxx Crosby gave Caleb Williams & Co. trouble all game long, but the Bears made enough plays to keep the game close. Defensively, Chicago intercepted Geno Smith three times.
And in the fourth quarter when the game mattered most, the Bears came through. Running back D’Andre Swift found the end zone on a 2-yard run with 1:33 left in the game. Chicago then preserved the victory with Josh Blackwell blocking Daniel Carlson’s 54-yard field goal. Still, the Bears can use the bye week to improve an offense that rushed for only 69 yards and needs more consistent performances from Williams, who finished with 212 passing yards, a touchdown pass and an interception for a 73.3 passer rating.
Raiders: Late-game blocked FG ruins Ashton Jeanty‘s breakout game.
Las Vegas had a chance to scratch back to .500, but Daniel Carlson’s 54-yard field goal attempt to win the game was blocked by Chicago cornerback Josh Blackwell. The late-game heroics by Blackwell spoiled Jeanty’s best game as a pro. The Boise State product finished with 138 rushing yards and three total touchdowns, as the Raiders finally created space for the explosive, first-round pick and Heisman Trophy runner-up. It’s an impressive performance that should serve as a springboard for Jeanty to build on for the rest of the season. – Eric D. Williams
Packers: Green Bay needs to ride Josh Jacobs more.
The Packers actually leaned on Jacobs more in this game (86 rushing yards, 71 receiving yards) than they have all season long, but it was a reminder that they need to do this more often. They also shouldn’t forget about him for long periods, which they seemed to do for stretches against the Cowboys (even before he banged up his knee).
Jacobs might be the most underrated running back in the NFL and can be really tough to stop when he gets a head of steam. Also, when he really gets going it keeps defenses off balance, which keeps the pressure off QB Jordan Love.
As good as Love was against the Cowboys (31-of-43, 337 yards, three touchdowns) there were just too many times he was pressured into throwing the ball away or off his back foot. A strong and consistent running game will help with that.
Cowboys: Life without CeeDee Lamb provides Dallas a lesson.
There’s no doubt that Lamb is the Cowboys’ most potent offensive weapon and surviving without him for a few weeks won’t be easy, but they did it on Sunday night against a good Packers defense by doing something they don’t often do – they spread the ball around. Instead of leaning heavily into one player (Lamb), the Cowboys embraced diversity.
Dak Prescott spread the ball around to nine different receivers. He really leaned on wide receiver George Pickens (eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns) and tight end Jake Ferguson (seven receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown). Dallas also got 117 rushing yards, including 85 from RB Javonte Williams.
The Cowboys scored 40 points (in a game that ended in a tie) and their approach kept the Packers guessing and off balance. That’s the way Dallas’ offense should always look, even when Lamb comes back. There is strength in numbers, and they’ll be better if their offense isn’t just a one-man show. – Ralph Vacchiano
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