2025 NFL: Previewing Week 4

Every Fall the NFL reminds you just when you think know what to expect, the script can flip quickly on any given Sunday.

That adage held true yesterday, with a number of surprising results.

Week 3 Quick Hits:

Bills 31 Dolphins 21 – Buffalo ran their record to 3-0, while Miami remains winless. Josh Allen threw for 3 td’s, and James Cook averaged 5.7 yards per attempt on his 19 carries. I’m surprised that Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel was not let go.

Browns 13 Packers 10 – It’s surprising, but not shocking that Green Bay lost at Cleveland. The Browns have a good defense. Emotional let downs happen. Still, Green Bay entered the 4th Quarter leading 10-0, and found a way to lose. Quality Browns defense or not, the Packers offense should be expected to put more than 10 points. Leading 10-3 with 3:18 left, Jordan Love was picked off on 3rd and 3 at the Packers 25. This gave the Browns the opportunity to tie the game. With 27 seconds left, Green Bay attempted a field goal for the lead, but Browns came up with the block. Cleveland only had to gain 16 yards to set-up the time expiring game winner. Credit the Browns for battling.  Understand that upsets happen when you don’t put away inferior teams early.  Knock the Packers a little bit, for not being complete dialed in from the opening kick. The Browns run defense built off their outstanding performance vs. Derrick Henry by holding Josh Jacobs to 30 yards over 16 carries. Quinshaw Judkins had another productive day at RB (94 yards, 18 carries).

Colts 41 Titans 20 – I thought this was a game that had the potential to be closer. Instead Indianapolis imposed their will. Another great game for Jonathan Taylor, which allows Daniel Jones to operate an effective play-action game. The Colts also had 4 sacks, and a pick. Indianapolis was able to make the Titans largely one-dimensional as they held Tony Pollard to 2.8 yards per carry on his 16 attempts.

Vikings 48 Bengals 10 – Uh, I didn’t see this score coming. Quite the day for CB Isaiah Rodgers who had two defensive scores, and forced another fumble. Carson Wentz was an effective 14 for 20 and 2 scores. RB Jordan Mason chipped in with 116 yards on 16 carries. He also scored twice. Jake Browning isn’t going to be Joe Burrow, but he’s going to make some plays for Cincinnati. What he absolutely can’t do though is turn the ball over, and here had 2 picks. On top of his interceptions, the Bengals gave away 3 fumbles.

Steelers 21 Patriots 14 – Despite forcing 5 turnovers, Pittsburg was still tied with NE late into the 4th. The ultimate winning score coming on a 17 yard strike from Aaron Rodgers to Calvin Austin with 2:16 left. Just 139 yards passing for Rodgers. Drake Maye threw for 268, and he ran for 45; but he had a pick and a lost fumble. The lost fumble setting up Pittsburgh’s winning score. New England tried to answer, and reached the Steelers 28 before failing to convert 4th and 1. Pittsburgh had 5 sacks, 2 coming from TJ Watt.

Eagles 33 Rams 26 – Another good match-up between these teams, similar to their playoff game last January. This was a 26-7 Rams lead a minute into the 3rd Quarter. The Eagles didn’t quit, and they improved to 19-1 (including the playoffs) over their last 20 games. Puka Nacua had another big day, with 11 catches for 112 yards. Davonte Adams chipped in with 3 catches for 56 yards and a score. RB Kyren Williams had 94 yards on 20 carries. The Rams were also able to hold Saquon Barkley in check, limiting him to 46 yards on 18 attempts. Jalen Hurts had 3 TD’s passing, and another one on the ground. He found AJ Brown and Devonta Smith for a combined 14 receptions for 169 yards, and 2 scores. The Rams were up 26-21 with 8:46 left, when Jalen Carter blocked a FG.  The Eagles took over and put together a 17 play, 91 yard drive for the ultimate winning score. Now trailing 27-26, the Rams had a 10 play drive to set-up the potential winning FG as time expired. This attempt was also blocked, and this time was returned.  The Rams have to be kicking themselves for not being able to close this one out. Credit the Eagles for having the pride of a champ, and finding a way.

Bucs 29 Jets 27 – Another somewhat surprising game.  The Jets played with some pride in Week 1, and then rolled over in Week 2 and also lost Justin Fields to a concussion. When this game was 23-6 Bucs in the 4th, I wasn’t expecting a Jets rally. Instead, NY puts together two long scoring drives, and then gets the lead with 1:49 left after getting a FG block and a return.  Taking over down 1, Baker Mayfield and the Bucs go 48 yards over 7 plays, culminating in a 36 yard field as time ended for the game winner. Closer than it should have been for Tampa, but they found a way to win.  The Jets didn’t roll over which is a positive sigh for them. Less encouraging for the Jets is that Tyrod Taylor led NY in rushing.

Commanders 41 Raiders 24 – Without Jayden Daniels, DC was able to get a convincing win. That’s encouraging for DC. Marcus Mariota filled in capably.  The Commanders offense was balanced with 201 yards rushing, and 207 yards passing. Sometimes when teams have a player like Daniels, they become complacent waiting for their start to take games over. DC isn’t better with Mariota over Daniels, but the Commanders getting positive contributions from a number of guys on the roster is a good thing. The Washington defense came up with 5 sacks, 2 coming from Bobby Wagner. Vegas getting rolled when they didn’t have a turnover, and they received 3 TD’s from Geno Smith isn’t a great sign for them. One positive for the Raiders was that 3rd year WR Tre Tucker showed up with 145 yards receiving, and 3 td’s. Tucker had 47 catches last year, and is on pace for 74 here in ’25.

Panthers 30 Falcons – Okay, this is my surprise of the day. You could have convinced me that Atlanta would be flat, and lose a divisional game. You could have convinced me that the Panthers would play up for a week. You would not have convinced me that the Panthers would both put up 30, and hold Atlanta scoreless. That’s an unforgivably lackluster performance from Atlanta. Michael Penix had 2 picks, and there was also a fumble from Nathan Carter. Atlanta was also held to 5 of 16 on 3rd and 4th downs. So, kudos to the Carolina defense, but boo to Atlanta as a whole for not competing at all.

Jaguars 17 Texans 10 – A pretty significant loss for Houston, as they fell to 0-3.  0-3 meaning they’re 3 games behind the Colts, and they’ve also lost this initial head-to-head vs. Jacksonville. I like the Texans roster, but the anointing CJ Stroud received after his rookie season (’23) is feeling increasingly premature here in ’25. The Jags have some playmakers. It’s really just a matter of how consistent can Trevor Lawrence be?

Chargers 23 Broncos 20 – LA moves to 3-0, and Denver falls to 1-2.  Denver entered the season as the media darling everywhere. Most prognosticators were projecting Denver to finish ahead of LA in the AFC West. Lots of comments to be found of Denver being the tea AFC West team most likely to push the Chiefs in the division. Instead it’s the Chargers who are out of the gates quick. They’ve now beat each of their divisional foes to begin this season. Justin Herbert is playing at a high level.  He was sacked 5 times in this game though.  Also concerning for LA is that they’ve lost Najee Harris to an Achilles injury. Back-to-back weeks Denver has now lost in the final seconds.

Seahawks 44 Saints 13 – Seattle is pretty good, and New Orleans is not.  Despite the big margin, Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker was held to 38 yards on 16 carries after his 105 yard outing the week before. 2025 5th rounder Tory Horton had a 95 yard punt return for a TD, and also caught a TD from Sam Darnold.

Bears 31 Cowboys 14 – Caleb Williams put 4 TD’s against that incredibly soft Dallas defense. The Bears have plenty of weapons. If they aren’t a pushover defensively, and Williams progresses; they can be in a lot of games. Here vs. Dallas they got sacks from Montez Sweat and Dominque Robinson, and they also had 3 picks (2 from Tremaine Edmunds). D’Andre Swift ran for over 1,000 yards 2 years ago with Philadelphia, carrying a a hefty 4.6 yards per attempt average. That dropped to 3.8 last year in his first season with the Bears, and it’s at 3.5 this year through 3 games. See if the Bears can get a bit more out of him. It’s pretty bleak for Dallas overall, and they weren’t helped by CeeDee Lamb suffering an ankle injury. Watching Dallas, it feels like their only path to being a fringe Wild Card contender is monster production from Dax Prescott each week.

49ers 16 Cardinals 15 – San Francisco improved to 3-0, getting a home victory over their divisional rival. SF getting another win, with the injuries they’ve already dealt with – that’s pretty big. Unfortunately for them, they suffered another significant injury as DE Nick Bosa tore his ACL and is done for the year. 2024 1st rounder Ricky Pearsall stepped up with 117 receiving yards over 8 catches.  Mac Jones threw for 284 yards after throwing for 279 the week before. Jones apparently aggravated a knee injury, but it sounds like Brock Purdy is getting close. Christian McCaffrey didn’t do a whole lot on the ground (17 carries, 52 yards), but he had 10 receptions for 88 more.

Chiefs 22 Giants 9 – I thought it was smart that KC gave Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt a combined 20 carries, to hold down the Giants pass rush. Four different Chiefs had at-least 4 catches. Tyquan Thorton had a 33 yard grab, and Juju Smith-Schuster had a 27 yard reception. 2 sacks, and 2 picks for the KC Defense. Nobody would expect or ask for Russell Wilson to throw for 450 yards against the Chiefs like he did vs. Dallas the week prior, but 160 yards and 2 picks doesn’t cut it. The Giants did get a good game from Rookie RB Cam Skattebo, who had 60 yards rushing, and 61 yards receiving.

Week 4 Quick Hits: 

Thursday September 25th

Seattle at Arizona – Both of these NFC West teams enter this game at 2-1. The Cardinals are a slight favorite at home.

Sunday September 28th

Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh (Dublin) – Another pair of 2-1 teams, both coming off wins. The Vikings are a 2.5 point favorite, and given a 57% chance of winning.

DC at Atlanta – Daniels status for Sunday is to be determined. Washington a 2.5 point road favorite with Daniels status up in the air, and given a 59.2% chance of winning.

New Orleans at Buffalo – Buffalo is a 15.5 point favorite! Because this is the NFL, the Saints are given a 20.3% chance of getting the road win.

Cleveland at Detroit – Will be a short week for the Lions obviously. Cleveland will be feeling good about themselves after their comeback win over Green Bay. Could the Browns surprise NFC North teams in back-to-back weeks?

Carolina at New England – Two 1-2 teams. Carolina is 0-2 on the road, New England is 0-2 at home. The Patriots are 5.5 point favorites.

LA Chargers at NY Giants – The 3-0 Chargers arrive in New York to face the 0-3 Giants. If Wilson isn’t on here, this is a game where I could envision Jaxson Dart getting some time. LA hasn’t seemed super comfortable running the ball, and with Harris out, they’ve lost some depth in their backfield. LA would like to spread you out, and use their weapons at WR. Does that give the Giants D-Line some opportunities to get Herbert to the ground?

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay – Mike Evans suffered a low grade hamstring injury yesterday, and he’s probably out for a few weeks. Two 3-0 teams here. Eagles are a 3.5 point road favorite, and given a 54.4% chance of winning. Kyren Williams had some success running on the Eagles yesterday. Curious to see if Bucky Irving can as well.

Tennessee at Houston – Two 0-3 AFC South teams. A must win game for the Texans obviously.  Also needs to be a game where Stroud plays well.

Indianapolis at LA Rams – The 3-0 Colts head to LA, to face the 2-1 Rams. LA is a 3.5 point home favorite, and given a 57% chance of winning. The Rams were able to slow down Barkley. Can they do the same against Taylor?

Jacksonville at San Francisco – Is Purdy back? SF’s defense was a bit thin with Bosa, what does it look like without him? Can the Jags put up some points? Can Lawrence start to build some momentum, and get Jacksonville to 3-1?

Baltimore at Kansas City – Will be a short-week for the Ravens. KC’s offense will likely still be without Xavier Worthy.  Without that wideout to take the top off a defense, can the Ravens sit on everything underneath? The Ravens are without Likely, Ricard, Van Noy, and Madubuike tonight vs. Detroit. Are any of them available vs. KC?  Before tonight’s game is played, the Ravens are a 2.5 point favorite in KC, and given a 50.8% chance of winning.

Chicago at Vegas – Can the Bears build off of their win yesterday vs. Dallas? Does the offense start to look consistent?  Vegas had a disappointing outing vs. Washington. Do they rebound? Do they become non-competitive?

Green Bay at Dallas – Micah Parsons revenge game.  You can already picture NBC panning to Jerry Jones everytime Parsons does anything.  Green Bay can’t be feeling great today after giving that game away in Cleveland. That probably doesn’t bode well for the Cowboys.

Monday September 29th

NY Jets at Miami – The 0-3 Jets at 0-3 Miami. Quite the showcase. Who wants to finish 3rd in the AFC East?

Cincinnati at Denver – The Broncos defense needs to show up at home vs. Browning. The Broncos are 1-2.  They need this game. They’re currently a 7.5 point favorite, and given a 71.9% chance of defending their home field.

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