NFL Week 4 roundup

Another dramatic week of NFL football is in the books, with 11 of the 16 games slated for week 4 decided by a margin of 10 points or less. The league is building tension early, as the Raiders loss on Monday night means that the Cardinals are the sole undefeated team.

The Ravens and Bills both came out with big wins as they improved to 3-1 to join the seven-way tie for first place in the AFC. The Kansas City Chiefs beat Philadelphia in order to even their record at 2-2 before heading into a massive Sunday Night game against Buffalo which could end up deciding the No. 1 playoff seed at the end of the season.

In the NFC, the Packers continue to look good after a week one bumble that had the league question the potency of the team. The Rams and Panthers were both handed their first loss of the season, but keep your eye on them as legitimate threats going forward.

In the MVP race, three expected early season front runners have been established in Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford and Tom Brady. However, Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs is making his name known in Defensive Player of the Year conversation as he has logged an interception in every game this season, with five total.

Winner – Arizona Cardinals (Final Score: Cardinals 37, Los Angeles Rams 20)

If before the season started, you said that by week four the Cardinals would be the lone undefeated team, please take a bow. Arizona has not only outlasted the other 31 franchises, but looks really good in doing so. There are some teams that stumble their way to early season success, but the desert birds have looked like the team to beat in the NFC.

The most notable key to their success has been the continued growth of former first overall pick Kyler Murray, who has looked better each season of his three year career. Murray’s dynamic ability to evade the rush while keeping his eyes downfield has made him a nightmare for defenses to stop. The Cardinals air-raid offense is the perfect place for the Oklahoma product as their use of spread formations gives their receivers favorable matchups on a consistent basis. The front office has also surrounded Murray with a wide array of weapons, including rookie wide receiver Rondale Moore. Moore, who played at Purdue, is known for his explosive after the catch ability and game breaking style of play. So far this season he has been deployed effectively as a gadget receiver, used often on screens and as a safety blanket when Murray is forced to scramble. Defensively, the Cardinals look capable but not intimidating. They boast a top 10 scoring defense, having allowed over 20 points in just one of their four games and have forced an impressive nine turnovers. A complimentary pass rusher to Chandler Jones would make this unit truly elite. Jones notched a ridiculous five sacks in the season opener, but has failed to bring down another quarterback since then. However, he continues to be the only Cardinals defender generating consistent pressure as he leads the team with 14 quarterback hits, while the next highest defenders have just three.

Winner – Sunday Night Game (Final Score: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19, New England Patriots 17)

What a game. The return of Tom Brady to Gillette Stadium was one of the most hyped up and anticipated regular season games in NFL history. The league advertised the matchup like it was the Super Bowl, releasing commercials set to Adele’s hit song “Hello.” It is rare that games with this much anticipation and pageantry live up to expectations, but this one did. It was back and forth all night, with the Buccaneers drawing first blood with an early field goal but giving up a touchdown and going into the half trailing. In all, there were seven lead changes, including the eventual game winning field goal with under two minutes remaining in regulation. But before Tampa Bay could rest on their victory, they first had to stop rookie quarterback Mac Jones. Jones, who looked composed all night, led a strong Patriots drive down to the Buccaneer 38 yard line before a third down pass deflection brought up a big decision for Bill Belichick. He could either test his kicker’s leg and hope that kicker Nick Folk would be able to make a 56-yard game-winner in the rain, or put his trust in the young quarterback to pick up a conversion on 4th and 3. Belichick elected to traverse the elements and kick the potential game winning field goal with 59 seconds on the clock. The stadium stood in a tense silence as Folk placed his back foot on the 50-yard line and waited for the snap. The exchange was clean and the kick went up. The ball traced its way through the night, angling left from its original spot on the right hash. It arced across the endzone, going further and further left until it rattled off the yellow upright with a deafening clang clang and fell to the ground. The Buccaneers bench leapt up in celebration, with Brady giving an enthusiastic, relief-filled first pump. But in all honesty, it didn’t feel like there was a real loser in that game. Both sides fought hard, played well and put their names on a game that will be replayed for decades to come.

Loser – Tennessee Titans (Final Score: Titans 24, New York Jets 27)

It feels wrong that losing to the Jets counts as just one loss. Surely the league could amend the rules and have teams forfeit a mid-round pick to further punish them. I mean this is a franchise who has been outscored 70-20 in the first three weeks! That means that their average score is 23-7! They lose by an average of over three times what they score, and that is humiliating. Their average drive lasts about five plays, goes just 23 yards, takes up under two and a half minutes of clock time, and I’m pretty sure the only thing they lead the league in is interceptions thrown. And yet, the mighty Titans, who came into this season with hopes of contending for a Super Bowl, let themselves get washed around and beat. The lone bright spot for Tennessee was running back Derrick Henry, who was force-fed production in yet another game with over 35 touches. This is obviously a tough loss for Tennessee, who now sit at 2-2 with a lot of uphill work to do if they want to win games when the playoffs come around.

Loser – Pittsburgh Steelers (Final Score: Steelers 17, Green Bay Packers 27)

Mike Tomlin has been the head coach of the Steelers for 14 years. In a job where most head-coach jobs don’t last more than five years, that’s impressive. Even more impressive is that in his time at the helm of the Steelers, he has not had a single losing season. That streak is in serious jeopardy after Pittsburgh’s 1-3 start to the 2021 campaign. The offense is in shambles with quarterback Ben Rothlisberger running on fumes, the line appears to be playing down a man, and there is just a general lack of production as they have scored just six touchdowns through the first four weeks. The lone bright spot is rookie running back Najee Harris, who is living up to his first round draft stock but is unable to single handedly carry his team to the endzone. The defensive situation is better, but still dreary. They rank towards the middle of the pack in terms of points allowed, but that is a skewed statistic given that their offense turns the ball over or punts over 75% of the time. Sadly, it looks to be a rebuilding year for one of the league’s most historic franchises, and it doesn’t help that they are stuck in one of the most competitive divisions in football.

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