Welcome to the Week 4 grades!
If you're a fan of a team in the AFC North, you might want to stop reading because it's been an ugly day for that division. The four teams went a combined 1-3, and the only reason one even got a win is because two of the teams in the division played each other (Baltimore and Cleveland).
The only thing worse than being a fan of an AFC North team is being a fan of the Bears, who tied a franchise record for futility by blowing a 21-point lead in a loss to the Broncos.
Week 4 closed out with both New York teams losing at home. First, the Jets loss to the Chiefs at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night, and then, less than 24 hours later, the Giants followed them up with a home loss on Monday night. There were 16 games this week and we have grades for all of them below.
Seattle 24-3 over N.Y. Giants (Monday)
| A- |  |
| This game was a defensive masterpiece by Seattle. The Seahawks set the defensive tone early by making a fourth-down stop on New York's first possession, and then things only got better for them from there. The unit forced a fumble in the first half that set up a seven-yard TD drive, and then Devon Witherspoon followed that up in the second half with a 97-yard pick six. And if that's not enough, the Seahawks also sacked Daniel Jones 11 times with two of those coming from Witherspoon. The Seahawks actually had four different players with at least two sacks, which is the first time in franchise history that's ever happened. The Seahawks defense seems to be getting better every week, and if it keeps playing like this, there's no reason this team won't be battling for a wild-card spot in January. | |
| D- |  |
| Going into this game, Daniel Jones had a history of struggling in primetime, and he lived up to that reputation Monday night. Jones had two back-breaking turnovers, including a 97-yard pick-six in the third quarter that effectively put the game away. (He also had a third turnover in garbage time.) Although Jones was bad, it wasn't his completely his fault that the offense was sloppy. He got no help from his offensive line, which was completely overmatched by the Seahawks' pass-rush on a night where Jones was sacked 11 times. The Giants offense has a lot of problems right now, and the team is going to hope that the return of Saquon Barkley will help fix them. | |
Seahawks-Giants grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Kansas City 23-20 over N.Y. Jets
| B- |  |
| This was a rough game for Patrick Mahomes, but even when he's not playing his best, he's still better than almost every other QB in the NFL. Mahomes threw two picks, but he made up for that by engineering two longs drives in the fourth quarter that helped Kansas City put the game away. With Mahomes struggling in the passing game, Isiah Pacheco helped carry the Chiefs offense with 19 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown. The unfortunate takeaway from this game for other NFL teams is that the Chiefs can still win even when Mahomes is playing at a level that's nowhere near his best. | |
| B |  |
| The Jets played a nearly perfect game, but it still wasn't enough to beat the Chiefs. Zach Wilson had one of the best games of his career with 245 passing yards and two touchdowns, but also lost a key fumble in the fourth quarter on what turned out to be New York's final possession. The Jets defense also played well -- they had two interceptions of Mahomes while also holding the Chiefs to just three points in the second half -- but they couldn't come up with a big stop when they needed it most. The Chiefs ended the game with a 15-play drive that took 7:24 off the clock. This win could give the Jets some confidence going forward, knowing that they have the talent to keep up with the NFL's best teams. | |
Chiefs-Jets grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Jacksonville 23-7 over Atlanta (in London)
| D |  |
| After giving up several big plays in the first half, Atlanta's defense was largely solid for most the game. The unit came up with a big stop just before halftime when defensive tackle David Onymata stuffed Trevor Lawrence on a fourth-down run after Andre Cisco's pick of Desmond Ridder gave the Jaguars the ball deep in Falcons territory. As good as the Falcons' defense was, they couldn't make up for an offense that gave up a score and recorded just 287 total yards. The Falcons' offense also failed to capitalize on Bijan Robinson's 137 total yards that included 105 yards on just 14 carries. | |
| A |  |
| Led by Josh Allen, the Jaguars' defense dominated the game. The unit sacked Desmond Ridder four times while forcing him to commit three turnovers. Jacksonville's defense was especially good in the first quarter when they allowed the Falcons to gain just five yards on nine plays. The Jaguars also received a solid performance from Trevor Lawrence, who took care of the ball while completing 23 of 30 passes. He also made plays on the ground that included his 22-yard run on the Jaguars' first scoring drive. | |
Falcons-Jaguars grades by Bryan DeArdo (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Baltimore 28-3 over Cleveland
| A |  |
| John Harbaugh has a long history of destroying rookie quarterbacks, and that's what the Ravens did to Dorian Thompson-Robinson in this game. Brandon Stephens set the tone early for Baltimore's defense by picking off Thompson-Robinson in the first quarter, which set up an easy 10-yard TD drive for the Ravens. Baltimore's defense was so good that the Browns only had one drive all day that got inside of the Ravens' 20-yard line and that came in garbage time. The Ravens offense wasn't perfect, but it did manage to come up with some big plays against a Browns defense that had shut down nearly everyone this season. Most of those big plays came from Lamar Jackson, who totaled four touchdowns (Two passing and two rushing). It might only be Week 4, but it feels like the Ravens now have firm control of the AFC North. | |
| F |  |
| After Deshaun Watson was a last-minute scratch, the Browns were forced to start a rookie quarterback who was making his first career start, and that ended up being a disaster for the offense. With Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center, the Browns mustered just 166 yards of offense. DTR threw three interceptions, and two of those picks led to touchdowns for Baltimore. The Browns defense wasn't horrible, they just had their backs against the wall for most of the game and there's not much they could do. Despite the loss, no one in Cleveland should be panicking as long as Watson's shoulder injury is only minor. | |
Ravens-Browns grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Denver 31-28 Chicago
| B- |  |
| For the better part of three quarters, the Broncos were getting run off the field by the worst team in football, but then, Denver saved its season with a miraculous comeback from a 28-7 deficit. Russell Wilson helped spur the comeback with an impressive second half that included 135 passing yards and two touchdowns. The defense also did a much better job of slowing down Justin Fields, who struggled in the second half with two turnovers, including a fumble that Jonathon Cooper returned for a TD to tie the game at 28. This wasn't a pretty win by any means and Sean Payton would have likely had to fire his entire defensive coaching staff if Denver had lost, but the Broncos should feel somewhat good about themselves after picking up their first win of the season. | |
| B- |  |
| For one half, Justin Fields looked like the QB of the future in Chicago: He started the game completing 16 straight passes during a first half where he threw for 231 yards and three touchdowns. With a 28-7 lead in the third quarter, the Bears seemed to have this one wrapped up, but then the Bears went back to being the Bears. On their final four possessions of the game, they punted twice and they turned the ball over twice, including a fumble by Fields that Denver returned for a game-tying TD. It was a total meltdown by a team that seems to find a new way to lose every week. | |
Broncos-Bears grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tennessee 27-3 over Cincinnati
| F |  |
| With Joe Burrow hobbled, the Bengals offense just isn't as dangerous as it used to be. Of course, even if he was completely healthy, that might not have mattered, because the offensive line couldn't stop Tennessee's pass-rush. Things were almost as bad defensively with the Bengals getting diced up by Ryan Tannehill while simultaneously getting steamrolled by Derrick Henry. The Bengals have now turned into road kill this year. They've played two road games and they've now been outscored 51-6 while going 0-2 in those games. | |
| A+ |  |
| Mike Vrabel will probably be keeping the film from this game for a while because his team played a nearly perfect game. The Titans coach loves to beat you with defense, he loves to beat you with Derrick Henry and if Ryan Tannehill is playing well on top of that, then Tennessee is almost impossible to beat. The Titans got all three of those things. Their defense suffocated Joe Burrow. Derrick Henry rushed for 122 yards and a TD while also THROWING a TD pass and Tannehill had arguably his best game of the season. When the Titans are playing like this, they can beat anyone in the NFL. | |
Bengals-Titans grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
L.A. Rams 29-23 over Indianapolis (OT)
| B+ |  |
| The Rams offense was so good in this game that L.A. didn't punt for the first time until there was just under eight minutes left to play in the fourth quarter. That success had a lot to do with Puka Nacua, who caught nine passes for 163 yards while also adding the game-winning TD for the Rams in OT. The Rams offense was also good because they actually had a rushing attack (Kyren Williams carried the ball 25 times for 103 yards and two touchdowns). Of course, the Rams weren't perfect in this game: Their defense let a 23-0 lead slip away and Brett Maher missed two field goals that could have prevented this game from going to overtime. Despite that, this team still looks like it could be a dark horse wild-card contender later in the year. | |
| B- |  |
| After playing dead during a first half where they totaled just 110 yards, the Colts offense shot to life in the second half. Anthony Richardson threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns over the final two quarters as the Colts fought back from a 23-0 deficit to tie things up at 23 in the fourth quarter. The Colts offense appears to be in good hands with Richardson, but if this team is going to win games, the defense is going to have to play better. The Colts surrendered 467 yards of offense, which is the second most they've given up in a home game over the past four years. | |
Rams-Colts grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Minnesota 21-13 over Carolina
| C |  |
| On a day where the Vikings struggled to get anything going on offense, the defense decided to go out and win the game. Not only did the defense sack Bryce Young five times, but D.J. Wonnum also came up with the biggest play of the game when he returned a Young fumble for a touchdown in the third quarter. Offensively, Justin Jefferson helped overcome a rough game by Kirk Cousins with two touchdown catches. The Vikings needed this win in the worst kind of way and the defense made sure it happened. It was a huge step forward for a unit that has had a tendency to struggle. | |
| C- |  |
| You know your offense is having problems when it gets outscored by the defense, and that's exactly what happened to Carolina in this game. The Panthers got off to a hot start when Sam Franklin came up with a 99-yard pick-six off Kirk Cousins on Minnesota's opening possession, but that would end up being the ONLY touchdown that Carolina would score on the day. The offense couldn't really move the ball and to make things worse, Bryce Young fumbled away a ball in the third quarter that Minnesota ended up returning for a touchdown. If Young doesn't figure out things soon, this is going to be a long year for the currently winless Panthers. | |
Vikings-Panthers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Houston 30-6 over Pittsburgh
| F |  |
| Whatever Matt Canada is doing in Pittsburgh definitely doesn't seem to be working. The Steelers offensive coordinator called another underwhelming game on a day where his team only totaled 53 yards in the first half. One especially baffling call came in the fourth quarter when Canada called for a pass on fourth-and-1 when Najee Harris had been averaging 5.1 yards per carry up to that point. Pickett got sacked on the play and had to leave the game due to a knee injury. The Steelers defense also struggled and when that happens, this team just has no chance of winning. | |
| A+ |  |
| We're only four weeks into the season, but the Texans are starting to look like one of the biggest surprises in the early going, and a lot of that has to do with C.J. Stroud. The Texans rookie QB didn't look like a rookie on Sunday as he diced up the Steelers defense for 306 yards and two touchdowns in a game where the Texans topped 450 total yards. The Texans defense was equally impressive: Not only were the Steelers held to just 225 yards of offense, but Pittsburgh didn't run a single play in Houston territory in the first half. The Texans might just be good enough to compete for the AFC South title. | |
Steelers-Texans grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tampa Bay 26-9 over New Orleans
| A |  |
| The Buccaneers' decision to add Baker Mayfield is suddenly looking like one of the best acquisitions of the offseason. Not only did Mayfield beat the Saints with his arm (246 yards, three touchdowns), but he also had a few big runs in key situations. However, the story of this game was the Buccaneers defense, a unit that held the Saints to just 197 yards. The Bucs forced three turnovers, which led to 10 points. The Buccaneers offense has been surprisingly good this season and the defense has been better than advertised and because of that, Tampa Bay feels like a dangerous team in the NFC South. | |
| D |  |
| Derek Carr didn't practice all week and not surprisingly, the Saints offense sputtered for most of this game. Carr, who threw for just 137 yards, didn't seem to have any chemistry with his receivers. Not even the return of Alvin Kamara was able to spark the Saints offense. Defensively, the Saints just couldn't get off the field on a day where they let the Buccaneers convert 8 of 15 on third down. The preseason favorite to win the NFC South doesn't look like its even one of the top two teams in the division right now. | |
Buccaneers-Saints grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Buffalo 48-20 over Miami
| C |  |
| Miami started the day off hot, scoring touchdowns on its first two possessions. The only problem was the Dolphins were also letting the Bills score at will as well. Midway through the second quarter, the Dolphins started to feel the screws tightening from the Bills defense and started to stall out. Then, a key fumble by Raheem Mostert in the first half and an interception by Tua Tagovailoa in the second half both resulted in points being scored by the Bills, which helped extend the deficit. Miami's secondary had no answer for Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, who connected for three touchdowns on the day. The Dolphins secondary needs to find a way to disrupt Allen or else the Bills will have total control of this division going forward. | |
| A |  |
| It was a dominating day for the Bills essentially from top to bottom. Josh Allen only missed four throws on the afternoon and had FIVE total touchdowns (four throwing and one rushing). A majority of his work went to Stefon Diggs, who completed the hat trick with three receiving touchdowns to go along with 120 yards receiving. While those two were lighting up the Miami secondary on offense, Buffalo's defense stood tall as this game went along, specifically in the second half. Matt Milano had 10 tackles and Greg Rousseau was able to account for two of the team's four sacks on the day. Buffalo outscored the Dolphins 17-6 in the second half large in part to a couple key defensive stops. | |
Dolphins-Bills grades by Tyler Sullivan (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Philadelphia 34-31 over Washington (OT)
| B |  |
| An excellent performance by the Commanders ended up in a tough loss on the road. Sam Howell rebounded from last week with 290 yards, including a touchdown to Jahan Dotson with no time on the clock to force overtime. Howell led the Commanders back from a touchdown deficit in the final 1:43 of regulation, showcasing his decision making and big-time arm as Washington almost stole a game from the Eagles on the road again. Washington actually outrushed Philadelphia, had the ball on offense more and didn't turn the ball over. They just couldn't score in overtime. | |
| B+ |  |
| Another week of inconsistent football from the Eagles, yet they found a way to pull off a 34-31 victory over the Commanders in overtime. Jalen Hurts had a few questionable decisions in the game, but threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. A.J. Brown has 299 receiving yards since the sideline discussion with Hurts two games ago, including two go-ahead touchdowns in the second half. The Eagles' passing game looked its best all year, but the team committed 11 penalties and the defense couldn't get off the field on multiple occasions. Bottom line is the Eagles are 4-0, but they know they can be better. | |
Commanders-Eagles grades by Jeff Kerr (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Dallas 38-3 over New England
| F |  |
| The Patriots were roadkill for an unrelenting Cowboys team hellbent on bouncing back after a lackluster Week 3 performance in a stunning 28-16 loss at the Arizona Cardinals. Mac Jones didn't have any answers after the opening drive, committing three turnovers. The defense's best play involved simply forcing the Cowboys to kick red zone field goals instead of scoring red zone touchdowns. They couldn't provide much resistance as Dallas regularly marched up and down the field. This was the largest loss of Bill Belichick's head coaching career. Belichick may spend the rest of his Sunday watching Caleb Williams and Drake Maye film in order to get a head start on his 2024 NFL Draft prep. | |
| A |  |
| The Cowboys put together a near-perfect performance against the New England Patriots. Three takeaways (two interceptions and a forced fumble) turned into two defensive touchdowns, an 11-yard fumble return score by linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and a 54-yard interception return score by cornerback DaRon Bland, Trevon Diggs' replacement on the outside. The Patriots were held scoreless after their opening drive. Offensively, the Cowboys did finally end their streak of seven consecutive red zone trips without a touchdown on undrafted rookie fullback Hunter Luepke's 3-yard score when the game was well out of reach. Having to settle for chip-shot field goals on three of their four red zone drives is the only reason they don't get an A+. | |
Patriots-Cowboys grades by Garrett Podell (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
L.A. Chargers 24-17 over Las Vegas
| B- |  |
| The Raiders were forced to start a rookie quarterback, but despite that, they still almost pulled off the upset. They kept this game close thanks to a defense that slowed down the Chargers high-flying attack. In the second half alone, the defense force two three-and-outs, got an interception and made a fourth-down stop on the Chargers' first four possessions. Those big plays allowed the Raiders to stay alive until the bitter end. Aidan O'Connell played OK in his first start, but he made way too many mistakes. For one, he lost two fumbles, which both turned into Chargers touchdowns. O'Connell also held on to the ball too long on multiple plays, which led to him getting sacked seven times. Josh Jacobs (139 total yards) and Davante Adams (75 receiving yards) helped carry the offense, but it wasn't quite enough. | |
| B |  |
| When the Chargers are winning, it's usually because the offense comes up big, but on Sunday, it was the defense. In one of the most impressive defensive performances you'll ever see, Khalil Mack racked up six sacks on a day where the Chargers totaled seven as a team. Mack led a defense that forced three turnovers while also holding the Raiders to just 1 of 11 on third-down conversions. The big performance from the defense was huge, because Justin Herbert and the offense totaled just 85 yards and zero points in the second half. Herbert, who injured his left hand, looked off all day while throwing the ball, but he made up for that by rushing for two touchdowns. Every Chargers game seems to come down to the wire, but right now, this team seems to be embracing that with its second consecutive one-score win. | |
Raiders-Chargers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
San Francisco 35-16 over Arizona
| C- |  |
| The Cardinals continue to be one of the friskiest teams in the NFL. Although this game turned into a blowout, the Cards actually had it within one score (21-16) heading into the fourth quarter. Joshua Dobbs played surprisingly well against the 49ers defense, throwing for 265 yards and two touchdowns. The problem for the Cardinals, though, is that their defense just couldn't slow down the 49ers. The Cardinals only forced one punt and they only forced FIVE third downs in the entire game (The 49ers converted three of those). The Cards are still a long way away from beating the NFL's top teams, but they seem to be headed in the right direction. | |
| A |  |
| It's hard to play a perfect game on offense, but the 49ers might have done it on Sunday. Not counting any possession where they kneeled down, the 49ers had the ball six times in this game and five of those possessions ended with a touchdown. Brock Purdy was nearly perfect, completing 20 of 21 passes for 283 yards and one touchdown (He also rushed for one). Christian McCaffrey was nearly perfect (177 total yards, four touchdowns) and Brandon Aiyuk was nearly perfect (Six catches on six targets for 148 yards). The 49ers were already scary, and now, they're even scarier with the team running Kyle Shanahan's offense to perfection. | |
Cardinals-49ers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Detroit 34-20 over Green Bay (Thursday)
| A |  |
| This game got off to a rocky start for the Lions after Jared Goff threw an interception on Detroit's third play from scrimmage, but it turned into a blowout because the Lions played nearly perfect football after that. The Lions were especially good in the trenches where their offensive line beat up on the Packers defense, which helped pave the way for David Montgomery to rush for 121 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions' defensive line was equally good: The unit put constant pressure on Jordan Love, who was sacked five times with 1.5 of those coming from Aidan Hutchinson. It's only been four weeks, but right now, the 3-1 Lions look like one of the most well-rounded teams in the NFL. | |
| D- |  |
| If you only gain 21 yards in the first half of an NFL game, you're almost always going to lose, and that's what Green Bay did against Detroit. The Packers absolutely imploded in the first half. On their first five possessions, they went three-and-out four times, and the only drive that didn't end with a three-and-out ended with an interception. Jordan Love has struggled in the first half all season and Thursday was no different: He went just 6 of 13 for 50 yards during the game's first two quarters. Love got no help from his offensive line (he was sacked five times) and the Packers had no rushing game to speak of, which was partially Matt LaFleur's fault. For some reason, the Packers didn't even attempt to run the ball on their first two possessions. They actually finished the game with just 27 yards on the ground, which was their lowest rushing output since 2013. The defense was also bad, but it's hard to be good when you're on the field for 38 minutes like Green Bay's defense was in this game. | |
Lions-Packers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
