NFL Week 4 recap
Broncos 37, Jets 28
Broncos' QB Brett Rypien was able to lead his team to a win in his NFL debut. Rypien threw for 242 yards and 2 TDs despite 3 interceptions, and Denver got a huge performance from WR Tim Patrick--six catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. Denver had a double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter, but a Pierre Desir pick six cut the lead to just two points with 10:45 left in the game. They'd miss the two point conversion but take the lead with a field goal on their next possession. The Broncos responded with a field goal of their own before icing the game with a Melvin Gordon touchdown run. Jamison Crowder broke out for New York with 104 receiving yards.
Saints 36, Lions 29
Stop me if you've heard this before: the Lions got out to an early double-digit lead and watched it disappear just as quickly. Detroit took its first possession down for a D'Andre Swift touchdown and scored another on a touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay after an interception. The Saints would go on to score 35 unanswered after that, thanks to a redzone interception on an underthrown pass by Matthew Stafford. Even without six starters, New Orleans looked like the much better team. Detroit had no answers for stopping the run as Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray combined for 147 yards and three touchdowns. Emmanuel Sanders had 93 receiving yards, and Tre'Quan Smith scored twice. Stafford threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns as Detroit climbed back in it late, but the defense once again failed to get key stops.
Colts 19, Bears 11
Nick Foles's first start with Chicago was not a great one. The Bears managed just 3 points for the first 58:25 of this game. An Allen Robinson touchdown catch with the two point conversion made this game look much closer than it was. The defense forced the Colts to mostly field goals, and Rodrigo Blankenship mad all four attempts. Philip Rivers threw for 190 yards with a touchdown to TE Mo Alie-Cox.
Bengals 33, Jaguars 25
Joe Mixon had his 2020 breakout game in this one-- running for 151 yards and two touchdowns and catching six passes for 30 yards and another touchdown. The Bengals scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half to open up a double digit lead. The Jaguars cut the lead to one score but could not recover the onside kick. Joe Burrow continued to impress with 300 passing yards and a touchdown. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd were their leading receivers. Gardner Minshew had another impressive game for Jacksonville--throwing for 351 yards and two touchdowns.
Browns 49, Cowboys 38
The Browns were able to take complete advantage of a bad Dallas defense, even without RB Nick Chubb for most of the game. The Browns ran for 307 yards in this game, led by D'Ernest Johnson's 95 yards. Kareem Hunt added two rushing touchdowns, and Odell Beckham Jr had two receiving touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. The Cowboys once again started to come back late-- scoring three TDs in the 4th quarter-- but Beckham's TD run put the game away. Dak Prescott had a monster game once again, throwing for 502 yards and four touchdowns in a LOSS. He gets no help from his defense and is a prime example of why you shouldn't put any stock in QB wins.
Seahawks 31, Dolphins 23
Russell Wilson continues his MVP-caliber season with 360 passing yards and two touchdown passes. Miami kept this one close, but fourth quarter touchdowns from David Moore and Chris Carson put Seattle ahead for good. DK Metcalf had another big game for the Seahawks with 106 receiving yards. Moore had 95 yards to go with his score, and Carson had 80 on the ground. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 315 yards--110 of those to Devante Parker--but had two interceptions and no touchdowns on the day.
Buccaneers 38, Chargers 31
We finally saw the Tampa offense we thought we were getting in the offseason. Tom Brady threw 5 TD passes to lead the Bucs by the Chargers. He threw an early pick six but rallied in the second half. Mike Evans had 1122 receiving yards and a touchdown catch, while Scottie Miller added 83 yards and a score. Ronald Jones ran for 111 yards for the Tampa rushing attack. The Chargers scored a touchdown on the last play of the 3rd quarter--a 72 yard pass from Justin Herbert to Jaylen Guyton-- but couldn't do anything in the fourth. Herbert threw for 290 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in the game.
Ravens 31, Washington 17
This game wasn't as close as the final score implies. Lamar Jackson threw for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns and added another 53 and a touchdown on the ground. The Ravens got out to a 21-7 lead in the second quarter, despite not getting their usual production in the running game. Mark Andrews caught 2 touchdown passes from Jackson, and Jackson and Mark Ingram each added a score on the ground. Washington got 314 passing yards from Dwayne Haskins and rushing TDs from Haskins and Antonio Gibson. It just wasn't enough.
Panthers 31, Cardinals 21
Teddy Bridgewater threw for 276 yards and had three total touchdowns-- two passing and one rushing-- as Matt Rhule's Panthers scored the upset over Arizona. Carolina's young defense held Kyler Murray and the Cardinals' offense at bay and got out to a 21-7 lead at the half. Mike Davis added 84 rushing yards and a touchdown, while WR Robby Anderson had 99 receiving yards on eight catches. Murray had just 133 passing yards for Arizona but threw three touchdowns. DeAndre Hopkins was held to just 41 yards on the day.
Vikings 31, Texans 23
This is the game that ended up being the final nail in the coffin for Bill O'Brien. Dalvin Cook score both his touchdowns in the first half and finished with 130 yards for the Vikings. Houston was only able to manage field goals in the first half, digging a hole too big to fill. The Texans defense gave up over 100 receiving yards to both Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. While Kirk Cousins had 260 passing yards and a touchdown, Minnesota used its rushing game (162 yards, 3 touchdowns) to win this one. Deshaun Watson had a 300 yard passing game with 2 TD four Houston. Will Fuller had 108 receiving yards, and he and Kenny Stills both scored touchdowns. Houston gets plenty of offense, but they need the defense to step up if they want to start winning.
Rams 17, Giants 9
This one was much closer than expected. The Rams weren't able to take advantaged of a weaker Giants defense and held on late to come away with the win. After the Giants cut the lead to one early in the 4th quarter, Jared Goff found Cooper Kupp for a 55 yard touchdown to extend the lead. After an LA punt, the Giants drove deep into the redzone with under a minute left, but Daniel Jones's pass was intercepted to seal the deal. Jared Goff threw for 200 yards and a touchdown for the Rams, and Gerald Everett scored on a 2 yard end-around. Jones threw for 190 yards for New York.
Chiefs 26, Patriots 10
A defensive battle for almost three quarters. Patrick Mahomes found Tyreek Hill with 0:42 seconds left in the third quarter. Overall, Mahomes didn't have the kind of great game we've grown accustomed to seeing but still finished with 236 passing yards and two touchdown passes as the Chiefs beat New England. The Patriots held their own for most of the game, but poor clock management and decision making by their backup QBs led to a loss. Brian Hoyer and Jarett Stidham combined to throw three interceptions, including a late pick six by Tyrann Mathieu off of Stidham that put the game out of reach. Stidham would throw another interception on the next drive and turn it over on downs on their last possession.
Bills 30, Raiders 23
Josh Allen's 288 passing yards and two touchdowns to help lead the Bills to 4-0. A josh Norman fumble recovery allowed Buffalo to extend their lead to 30-16 in the fourth quarter. The Raiders got a late touchdown from Nelson Agholor but did not recover the ensuing onside kick. Stefon Diggs was the playmaker for Buffalo, tallying 115 yards. Gabriel Davis and Cole Beasley added touchdowns. Derek Carr threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns for Vegas.
Eagles 25, 49ers 20
Upset alert!!! After a defensive battle in the first half, Philly got its first win of the season, soemhow taking over first place in the NFC (L)East. Carson Wentz threw a 42 yard touchdown to Travis Fulgham in the fourth for the Eagles to take the lead. On the next offensive play for San Francisco, Eagles' LB Alex Singleton intercepted a Nick Mullens pass for a touchdown. That play would cause the Niners to replace Mullens with CJ Beathard. Beathard led a touchdown drive, but his pass would fall incomplete on the final play of the game. Wentz had 193 passing yards to go with is TD pass to Fulgham. George Kittle continues to make his case for the league's best tight end with 15 catches for 183 yards and a TD for San Fran.
Packers 30, Falcons 16
TE Robert Tonyan came out of nowhere to lead the Packers to victory with three touchdown catches to go with 98 receiving yards. The Falcons offense, which had been electric so far this year, struggled against the Green Bay defense; managing just a field goal in the first half. In fact, Atlanta only had one first half drive that didn't end in a punt. They were more aggressive in the second half and were rewarded with two touchdowns. The Packers sacked Matt Ryan four times and got 327 passing yards with four TD passes from Aaron Rodgers. RBs Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams also had big games. Jones had 111 total yards with a receiving touchdown, and Williams had 105 total yards--mostly in the passing game. Ryan had 285 passing yards for Atlanta, and Todd Gurley scored both touchdowns.