The fourth week of the NFL season has been a big one for rookie quarterbacks. During the early window of games, Caleb Williams and Bo Nix both came away with a win. For Williams, he became the first QB in the common-draft era to win his first two home starts in the same year where he was taken with the first overall pick.
Williams won the first game of his career with a Week 1 win over the Titans and then he followed that up on Sunday with the Bears beating the Los Angeles Rams. As for Nix, after throwing for NEGATIVE yardage in the first half against the Jets, he bounced back to throw for 60 yards in the third quarter of that game to lead Denver to the only touchdown for either team in what turned out to be a 10-9 win for the Broncos.
Jayden Daniels capped off the big day for rookie quarterbacks by leading the Commanders to a dominating 42-14 win over the Cardinals. In the win, Daniels completed 86.7% of his passes, making him the first quarterback in NFL history to complete at least 85% of his passes in two consecutive games. Daniels also has the Commanders over .500 through four weeks for the first time since 2011.
Though the 4 p.m. games on Sunday, there have been 13 games played so far this week. We have grades for all of them below.
The Saints are good, but they're not good enough to give away touchdowns to the other team, but that's exactly what they did in this game and they did it TWICE. Derek Carr threw a pick six in the second quarter, which came after Rashid Shahid had muffed a punt that the Falcons recovered in the end zone for a TD in the first quarter. The Saints looked like the better team, but the better team doesn't always win in the NFL especially when you make gaffes like that.
The Falcons probably felt like Christmas came early on Sunday and that's because the Saints gifted them with two touchdowns in the first half. Atlanta only rushed for 88 yards, Kirk Cousins struggled some with his accuracy and the defense couldn't stop New Orleans on third down (The Saints converted on 7 of 13 attempts), but the Falcons were able to come up with a big play whenever they needed it and that's why they won. One player who had an "A+" effort was Younghoe Koo, who hit four field goals, including a career-long 58-yarder in the final seconds. The Falcons passed their first NFC South test of the season, but they won't have long to celebrate because they play the Buccaneers on Thursday.
The Rams are only going to go as far as Matthew Stafford can take them this season, and in Chicago, he couldn't take them very far. The Rams quarterback turned the ball over twice and that essentially ended up being the difference in the game. Stafford lost a fumble in the first half that gave the Bears the ball at L.A.'s 16-yard line and Chicago soon turned that into the only TD that either team would score in the first half. The Rams' biggest offensive struggles came in the red zone with L.A. only scoring one TD on four trips inside of Chicago's 20-yard line. One week after pulling off a shocking comeback win over the 49ers, the Rams looked like a completely different team, but not in a good way.
The Bears offense might not be a thing of beauty yet, but their defensive performance was on Sunday. The Bears defense beat up on Matthew Stafford, sacking him three times while also forcing two turnovers. Montez Sweat forced a Stafford to fumble in the first half that led to a short 16-yard TD drive for the Bears. In the second half, Jaquan Brisker came up with a game-sealing interception. Offensively, the offseason signing of D'Andre Swift finally paid off with the running back totaling 165 yards and a touchdown (93 rushing and 72 receiving). The Bears got a strong defensive performance and an efficient showing from their offense and there's no reason why they can't win more games with that same formula.
The Vikings have been the most surprising team in the NFL this year and their surprise run continued with another impressive game. Well, an impressive half. Sam Darnold might come crashing back to earth at some point, but it didn't happen this week. The Vikings QB threw three touchdowns in the first half as Minnesota shot out to a 28-0 lead. The Vikings did a good job of taking advantage of miscues by Green Bay: They scored 14 points off of two Jordan Love interceptions in the first half and they got another TD after a Packers missed field goal. Yes, the Vikings almost blew a 28-point lead, but they didn't, and now, they're 4-0 and they look like one of the best teams in the NFL.
The Packers didn't punt on any of their first four drives, but they came away with zero points due to two missed field goals and two interceptions, and it was just that kind of day for Green Bay. The mistakes kept piling up for the Packers, who turned the ball over four times. Jordan Love looked rusty in his return to the field on a day where he threw three interceptions, but he also showed flashes of what makes him so great while throwing for 389 yards. The Packers came back from a 28-0 deficit to make this a game, so they definitely showed some fight, but the missed field goals and turnovers are definitely a cause for concern.
Over the course of his career, the knock on Justin Fields is that he takes too many sacks and turns the ball over too often, and this game definitely isn't going to help his reputation. Fields took four sacks on Sunday and he lost 30 yards on those four plays. He also lost a fumble in Colts territory, which was one of two fumbles that Pittsburgh lost on Indy's side of the field. Fields did come up with some huge plays -- he threw for 312 yards and rushed for two touchdowns -- but his mistakes hurt. The biggest surprise here was that the Steelers defense struggled against a backup QB (Joe Flacco). At 3-1, the Steelers are still in a good spot, but no one in their locker room is going to be happy about this loss.
With Anthony Richardson knocked out of the game, the Colts were forced to turn to Joe Flacco for the entire second half, but that didn't slow them down. Flacco threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns against a Steelers defense that had been one of the best in the NFL through the first month of the season. The Colts defense actually looked better than Pittsburgh's: The unit kept Justin Fields in check, sacking him four times while also forcing one Fields fumble that the Colts recovered. The defense also came up with two big fourth-down stops. If Richardson is out for any length of time, the Colts might be able to survive if Flacco and the defense continue to play at this level.
The Broncos could barely complete a forward pass, but sometimes you don't need to do that to win in the NFL. Bo Nix only threw for 60 yards, but that's all the Broncos needed on a day where their defense did the rest. The defense absolutely suffocated Aaron Rodgers, sacking the Jets QB five times. They also came up big on third down, holding them to just four conversions on 17 attempts. It was an impressive performance from a defense that's surrendered seven points or less for the second straight week. As for Nix, the passing numbers weren't impressive, but he did put together two strong scoring drives in the second half. At 2-2, the Broncos suddenly feel like a team that could be dangerous this year.
When your defense holds the other team to under 200 yards of total offense, that usually means you walk away with a win in the NFL, but not if you're the Jets. The offense sputtered in this game: Aaron Rodgers got beat up, they couldn't convert on third down and they weren't able to score a TD in the first half, despite getting set up with a first-and-goal at Denver's 1-yard line. Four weeks into the season, the offense still looks out of sync, being held under 270 yards in three of their four games. If they don't get things figured out soon, it could be a disappointing season for the Jets.
With A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith both out, the Eagles offense absolutely sputtered. The Eagles went three-and-out on their first three possessions and by the time they got a first down for the first time, they were already down 24-0. It didn't help that Lane Johnson was also out and with their star tackle on the sideline, the Eagles' offense line was overmatched by a Buccaneers defense that sacked Jalen Hurts six times. Hurts also lost another fumble, which is an ongoing issue for the Eagles QB. This game was never close, but there is some good news for the Eagles: They have a bye in Week 5, which means their injured stars will have an extra week to heal.
Apparently, Baker Mayfield just loves playing the Eagles. After throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns against them in a playoff win last season, Mayfield was just as good this time around, throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns. After the Bucs jumped out to a 24-0 lead, Tampa Bay's defense pinned its ears back and did the rest. Lavonte David had his first multi-sack game since 2018. After an unexpected loss to the Broncos in Week 3, the Bucs bounced back with a big win over the Eagles and Tampa Bay currently looks like one of the best teams in the NFC.
The 0-3 Bengals desperately needed a win on Sunday and Joe Burrow made sure that happened. Burrow, who threw two TD passes, led an impressive Bengals offense that totaled 373 yards. The Bengals offense is finally at full strength and Burrow used every one of his weapons with four different players catching at least three passes in a game where Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase combined for 145 yards. The Bengals defense is still having issues, but the unit did at least force a punt, which it didn't do last week against the Commanders. The defense did just enough with two fourth-down stops, including a goal-line stand on Carolina's opening possession. The Bengals offense is good enough to beat anyone, it's just a matter of whether the defense actually shows up each week.
Andy Dalton was looking for revenge on his former team, but he didn't quite get it. The Panthers QB threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw an interception that led to Cincinnati's first touchdown of the game. Panthers coach Dave Caneles went all in for the win with his biggest call coming on a failed fake punt from his own 35-yard line in the third quarter. The Panthers didn't win, but one thing's for sure: This team is much more competitive with Dalton running the offense.
The Jaguars gave Trevor Lawrence a $275 million contract back in June, and so far, they're probably not too thrilled with their investment. The Jaguars QB had another ugly day, throwing for just 169 yards while completing just 54.5% of his passes. Quarterbacks earn a lot of their money with how they play in the fourth quarter, but Lawrence was unclutch against Houston, completing just 2 of 7 passes for 1 yard in the final quarter. The Jaguars have plenty of other problems, but if Lawrence keeps struggling, it's hard to see them getting anything turned around. Lawrence has now lost nine straight starts.
C.J. Stroud was the hero of this game for Houston. The Texans QB threw a 1-yard TD pass to Dare Ogunbowale with just 18 seconds left to cap off the win. Stroud was nearly unstoppable in the fourth quarter, completing 10 of 14 passes for 113 yards and a TD. Nico Collins continues to play like an absolute star and the Jags got a firsthand look as he caught 12 passes for 151 yards and a TD. The Texans defense did struggle to stop the run -- it gave up 158 yards -- and that could be a small concern going forward, but right now, Houston handily looks like the best team in the AFC South.
There's usually an adjustment period for rookie quarterbacks in the NFL, but apparently, that's not the case for Jayden Daniels. After dicing up the Bengals in Week 3, Daniels played another nearly perfect game, completing 86.7% of his passes for 233 yards and a TD, plus he also ran for another TD on top of that. The Commanders also topped 200 yards rushing for the second time this season, which is something they did exactly zero times in 2023. Washington's biggest weakness this season has been its defense, but that wasn't a weakness in Arizona. The Commanders suddenly look like the most unstoppable team in the NFL.
The Cardinals had one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL through the first two weeks, but it has now sputtered in two straight games. Going up against a Commanders defense that had surrendered the third-most points in the NFL through three weeks, the Cards should have been able to get something going, but things quickly fell apart after Kyler Murray led his team to a TD on their opening drive. As bad as the offense was, the defense was worse. This feels like a team that's starting to fall apart after just four weeks.
There's no team better at making big mistakes than the Cleveland Browns. The second half was a disaster for the Browns, who had to deal with an interception thrown by Deshaun Watson, a missed extra point by Dustin Hopkins and an 82-yard TD catch by Amari Cooper that got called back due to holding. The mistakes keep piling up for the Browns, and when they're fully healthy, they have the talent to overcome them, but right now, they have so many injuries that they're basically just a shell of the team that they thought they were going to have this season. At 1-3, and with a tough stretch coming up, Cleveland's season could soon start spiraling out of control.
The Raiders didn't have their best offensive player (Davante Adams) or their best defensive player (Maxx Crosby), but they still managed to steal a win Sunday. Even without Crosby, the Raiders defense was still impressive. After giving up a TD on the opening drive, the defense held the Browns offense to just three points for the rest of the game. Charles Snowden came up with play of the day when he sacked Deshaun Watson to seal the win. Offensively, the Raiders rushing attack totaled 151 yards against a strong Browns defense. The offense is still a work in progress, even with Adams, but if the defense rebounded well after getting torched for 36 points in Week 3.
The Patriots played well during the first two weeks of the season, but they've fallen off a cliff since then. This one felt like it was over less than a minute into the second quarter after Jacoby Brissett threw a pick-six. The offense couldn't move the ball, the defense couldn't slow down the 49ers, and the only bright spot in the game came from Joey Slye, who hit the fourth-longest field goal in NFL history with a 63-yarder just before halftime. At some point, the Patriots are going to have to give some serious thought to turning to Drake Maye, and that point might be now.
The 49ers offense usually generates the headlines in San Francisco, but it was the defense that stole the show in this game. The 49ers pass-rush terrorized Jacoby Brissett, racking up six sacks with 2.5 of those coming from Kevin Givens. Fred Warner also added an impressive pick-six that essentially iced the game in the second quarter. With Christian McCaffrey still out, Jordan Mason had another impressive performance with 123 yards and a TD on 24 carries. The 49ers certainly weren't perfect in this game -- they turned the ball over twice -- but you don't have to be perfect when you're playing the Patriots.
With the Chiefs offense struggling for most of the game, Kansas City needed a big game from its defense and that's exactly what it get. Not only was the Chargers vaunted rushing attack held to just 55 yards, but the Chiefs also held Justin Herbert to less than 180 yards through the air. Although the offense struggled for a good chunk of the game, the Chiefs got a surprising performance from Kareem Hunt, who averaged 4.9 yards per carry in his first action for Kansas City since 2018. Travis Kelce also showed that he still has a pulse with seven catches for 89 yards. If the Chiefs proved one thing Sunday, it's that they don't always have to beat you in a shootout, they can also win defensive slugfests like the won they just played in L.A.
The Chargers offensive plan was to run the ball this season, but that plan has fallen apart over the past two weeks. After averaging 197.5 yards per game on the ground through the first two weeks, the Chargers were held to just 55 in this game. With the rushing attack non-existent, that put more pressure on a hobbled Justin Herbert, who struggled to make big plays, especially on third down. (The Chargers went a combined 4 of 13 on third down attempts.) Herbert also threw an incompletion on a key fourth-and-goal attempt from KC's 3-yard line in the fourth quarter. In a 10-10 game, Jim Harbaugh chose not to kick a field goal on the play. The Chargers have a bye coming up in Week 5, which will give Herbert and the rest of the team some much-needed time to get healthy.
It took four weeks, but the Cowboys finally figured out how to stop the run. Sure, they were only playing the Giants, but the Cowboys still came through with an impressive performance, holding New York to just 26 yards on the ground. It was a huge step forward for a defense that had surrendered the most rushing yards in the NFL through the first three weeks. Offensively, the Cowboys weren't flashy -- they barely topped 100 yards in the second half -- but Dak Prescott did come up with two big plays with a 15-yard TD to Rico Dawdle and a 55-yard TD to CeeDee Lamb, which both came in the first half. The Cowboys didn't look overly very impressive, but they did win, and that's all that matters
If the Giants have had one bright spot through four weeks, it's been Malik Nabers, who put on another show in this game before suffering a concussion in the second half. The Giants rookie caught 12 passes for 115 yards and was a big reason New York was able to go toe to toe with the Cowboys. With the Giants' ground game being absolutely shut down (it was held to just 26 yards), Daniel Jones had to carry the offense, and although that worked at times -- especially when Jones was throwing to Nabers -- the Giants just couldn't finish drives. They settled for five field goals from Greg Joseph on a night where they went 0-for-2 in the red zone. Jones wasn't bad, but he struggled to throw deep, which is something he's going to need to get figured out if this offense wants to get any better. For the second time this season, the Giants played well enough to win against an NFC East opponent. Instead, they picked up a moral victory, which counts for nothing in the NFL