We’ve reached October, which means “it’s still early” is starting to do a lot of heavy lifting for some NFL fan bases. There’s plenty of football left, obviously, but at some point your team has to actually win a game instead of telling everyone it’s going to be fine (it’s not going to be fine, Chargers fans).
Meanwhile, I’m back with another round of opinions that could look brilliant or incredibly stupid by next Sunday (yeah, about that Drake Maye comment last Sunday …). That’s part of the fun. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
Here’s my biggest takeaway from each game on the Week 4 Sunday slate.
Takeaway: That Jonathan Taylor guy is pretty good.
It’s hard to glean too much from a game where the Commanders were forced to go to their third-string quarterback after Marcus Mariota suffered a knee injury in the first quarter. Instead, I’m going to sing the praises of Jonathan Taylor, who has six rushing touchdowns in four games and plays a very old-school game. That’s cool because a few years ago, we thought old-school running backs were done in the NFL. Taylor and Derrick Henry, in particular, aren’t going to let that happen any time soon.
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Takeaway: How can any NFL fan not love Jameis Winston eating a W?
Without Jaxson Dart, the Giants aren’t a threat to make a deep run in the postseason. They probably won’t even make the postseason. But right now, who cares? The Giants are 3-1 and currently in first place in the NFC East. Plus, they’ve got the Commanders in Week 5, and Washington’s uncertain QB situation could make that task quite a bit easier. It might not last, but Giants fans should enjoy the early success.
Takeaway: As soon as you think you know something, the NFL reminds you that you don’t.
Of course, the 1–2 Patriots, who looked awful in Week 3, went into Buffalo and beat the previously unbeaten Bills as seven-point underdogs. Because of course. This is the type of game that makes the NFL great. Just when you think you have a handle on which teams are good and which teams are bad, the NFL says, “You don’t know what you think you know.”
Takeaway: Ben Johnson is a damn genius.
Look, I’m not going to overreact to the Bears beating the Jets. But regardless of opponent, Chicago head coach Ben Johnson just went 2-0 with Case Keenum starting in Week 3 and Tyson Bagent starting in Week 4. For the record, entering this stretch, neither Keenum nor Bagent had even started an NFL regular-season game since 2023. The defense deserves a lot of credit (and Johnson deserves credit for hiring Dennis Allen as his defensive coordinator), but scoring 50 points with those two QBs shows that Johnson is one of the league’s sharpest offensive minds.
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Takeaway: If it’s possible for an October game to be a season-defining game, this was it … for both teams.
This is the type of win that the Cowboys can use to build momentum, especially with two winnable games coming up against the Buccaneers and Packers. Scoring 28 second-half points against one of the league’s best defenses is exactly the type of thing that can instill confidence in an offense for the rest of the season.
On the other side, I don’t know how the Texans recover from this. Not only did they fall to 0-4, but they blew a double-digit second-half lead and allowed the Cowboys to take the lead with an 11-play, 74-yard drive in just 1:43 right after Houston had retaken the lead. Only one team in NFL history has made the playoffs after starting 0-4: the 1992 San Diego Chargers. So, not only do they have to reverse a 34-year-old trend, but they have to do it coming off one of Houston’s most heartbreaking losses in recent memory.
Takeaway: Speaking of heartbreaking losses, my goodness, Philadelphia.
The good news for the Eagles is that, unlike the Texans, their heartbreaking blown double-digit second-half lead dropped them to 2-2 instead of 0-4. The bad news is that it probably doesn’t make them feel any better. I’ve said for three weeks that the Eagles are a deeply flawed team, but their record said otherwise. Now, their 2-2 record feels more appropriate.
Takeaway: Both of these teams are bad.
This felt like a must-win for the Packers against a bad Bucs team starting a backup quarterback. And, credit to them, they got it done. But they didn’t make it easy on themselves, didn’t look good doing it, and nearly blew it late. Todd Bowles is probably on his way out in Tampa, but Matt LaFleur’s seat might start to heat up if Green Bay doesn’t start playing better, particularly on offense, over the next month.
Takeaway: I got nothing.
It doesn’t appear that Lamar Jackson’s ankle injury is too serious, and it’s hard to fault the Ravens for being careful with their star quarterback in a game they were never in danger of losing. Aside from that, I got nothing. The Ravens are pretty good, the Titans are pretty bad, and Sunday’s game pretty much showed exactly that. Credit to Tennessee for fighting until the final whistle, though.
Takeaway: Neither team should be too excited about this game.
Yes, the Jaguars are obviously much happier after going into Cincinnati and upsetting the Bengals. But they committed 13 penalties for 125 yards and nearly allowed Cincinnati to pull off a miraculous comeback with some puzzling late-game decisions. The Bengals lost Ja’Marr Chase to a concussion early in the second quarter, and Tee Higgins left the game late after suffering an adductor injury. Oh, and they committed 11 penalties of their own for 108 yards. It was an ugly, ugly game, but the focus in Cincinnati turns to the health of their two star receivers.
Takeaway: Is Minnesota the most fraudulent 4-0 team ever?
Probably not, but I don’t have time to go through every 4-0 team in NFL history. That being said, this team is not nearly as good as its record. They beat the Packers (who aren’t good), the Bears (who are good, but that was a weird game played in a massive rainstorm), the Bucs (who aren’t good) and the Dolphins (who, guess what? Aren’t good). At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter, I guess. There are plenty of teams that would rather be a fraudulent 4-0 than have their current record.
Takeaway: The Raiders might actually be decent.
Yes, the Chiefs won to move to 4-0. It’s fair to say that Kansas City is officially “back.” But everyone is going to say that, so let’s take some time to talk about the Raiders. Las Vegas had a lead in every quarter, including the fourth. But two plays changed everything: a 55-yard pass to Tyquan Thornton on third-and-5 with 3:35 left (to set up a go-ahead touchdown on the next play) and a Raiders fumble on the ensuing kick return. Those moments shouldn’t distract from the fact that Las Vegas looked every bit as good as the Chiefs for most of the game, and at certain points, better. This isn’t the 2025 Raiders anymore.
Takeaway: Things are going to get worse before they get better.
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Seattle bounced back from a surprising Week 3 upset loss against Washington, but the real test comes next week in a measuring-stick showdown against San Francisco. For the Chargers, there’s just not much light at the end of the tunnel. They fell to 0-4, the season is basically over, and if that weren’t bad enough, here’s the upcoming schedule: Broncos, Chiefs, Rams, Texans, Ravens. For a team with Super Bowl aspirations coming into the season, Los Angeles could be staring down the barrel of an 0-9 start if they don’t figure something out in a hurry.
Takeaway: The San Francisco 49ers are the best team in the NFL.
I’m not just saying that because they beat the overrated Broncos (and their insanely overrated head coach). Sure, the win helps bolster the case. But San Francisco is now 4-0 with three wins by double digits and a fourth that would have been a nine-point win if not for a virtually meaningless late field goal last week. Yes, they have played the Dolphins and Cardinals. But they also blasted the Super Bowl-favorite Rams and now boast a ridiculous +58 point differential. The Rams got all the preseason hype, but it was their NFC West rivals that everyone should have been worried about.
Takeaway: Sometimes a good benching is all you need.
It’s crazy to think that the Bryce Young, who completed 29 of 41 passes for 329 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers against the Lions on Sunday Night Football, is the same quarterback we saw two years ago. Entering Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season, it seemed like Carolina Panthers fans and the franchise were ready to give up on Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He had earned the dreaded “bust” label after posting a 2-16 record as a starter with more interceptions (13) than passing touchdowns (11). The team benched him for that Week 3 game in 2024 and he didn’t return to the starting lineup until Week 8.
Since then, Young’s been a different player. He led the team to an NFC South title in 2025 and has gone 14-16 in regular-season starts since his return, throwing 47 passing touchdowns against 19 interceptions. This year, Carolina has one of the most explosive offenses in the league. If Young can go from benched in 2024 to back-to-back division titles, it’d be one of the best career turnarounds in NFL history.
