We will get the biggest moments of week four, but since the NFL insists that broadcasts show Taylor Swift before every commercial break and on every score, and the NFL social media has banners of her in their profile, I figured it’s only right to open this week’s takeaways with a short summary of who Swift is for those who weren’t aware.
Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13th, 1989 in West Reading, Pennsylvania. She is most well known for her influence in the music industry as a singer-songwriter. She is arguably the biggest star in the industry, winning endless awards. She is also by all accounts an amazing person. To no fault of her own, simply because she is romantically linked with an NFL player, the NFL is promoting her attendance to Kansas City Chiefs games to an unbearable and cringeworthy level that it is simultaneously annoying and painful to watch.
Please NFL, stop with this madness.
Now that that’s out of the way, here’s the biggest moments of week four:
Buffalo Slams Breaks on Miami Hype Train
How did we not see this coming? Of course the Miami Dolphins would lose against a tough Buffalo Bills team after dropping 70 points on the Denver Broncos. What we never would’ve saw coming was just how dominant the Bills were in their 48-20 win over Miami.
With the exception of the final drive to run out the clock, Buffalo came away with points on all but two drives. Most of those points came from Stefon Diggs who found the end zone three separate times while acquiring 120 receiving yards. Diggs and Josh Allen were on fire like NFL Blitz all day. Allen had his best game of the season connecting on 21 of 25 throws for 320 yards and four touchdowns.
The Buffalo defense also continued their strong play this season. Miami did post just under 400 total yards, but keep in mind this is the same team who put up over 700 against Denver. Buffalo did a great job preventing the dynamic duo of Tyreek Hill and Jayden Waddle from catching balls all over the field. Hill and Waddle were held to 58 and 46 yards receiving respectively.
The Miami loss now means there are no remaining undefeated teams in the AFC. A conference that most people already knew would be competitive now sees Buffalo, Miami, Kansas City, and Baltimore with 3-1 records. With the Jets and Patriots looking far less talented than Miami and Buffalo, it is likely these two teams will remain in a tight race throughout the season. The Dolphins and Bills won’t see each other again until the final game of the regular season, which could be a pretty massive game with big playoff seeding implications.
Bengals Panic Meter Reaching the Red Zone
Okay, it’s starting to get really concerning out in Cincinnati. The Bengals are now 1-3 on the season after getting shelled by Tennessee, 27-3.
It seemed like a week three win over the Los Angeles Rams would be enough to boost the Bengals back to the level of play we are familiar with them playing, but it’s clear something isn’t quite right with this team. Now it’s just a matter of whether it will get right or if we can expect Zac Taylor’s team to continue to lose to AFC opponents.
The Tennessee loss now puts the Bengals at 0-3 in the AFC after previous losses to divisional opponents Cleveland and Baltimore. There are many problems with the Bengals, but the most glaring, mostly because of his recent contract extension, is Joe Burrow’s play. Debated as just as good as Patrick Mahomes last season, Burrow is currently ranked 25th or lower amongst quarterbacks in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion percentage, and quarterback rating. It’s hard not to believe his calf injury from training camp is not still lingering.
Burrow is the most noticeable individual problem with this Bengals team, but the team in general has been just poor in all aspects. The offense and defense are both ranked in the twenties in DVOA and 26th in overall team DVOA, usually a good predictor of team quality. There hasn’t been a more surprising start, good or bad, by any other team in the NFL this season.
The Bengals will need to fix their issues much sooner than later. With already three losses, they may have only four more max to use before they can kiss the playoffs goodbye in an murderer’s row AFC. Cincinnati will travel to Arizona this week then take on Seattle at home in week six. After their bye, they take on San Francisco and Buffalo, arguably the best two teams in the NFL right now.
Wilson Has a Moment, but Not Enough for Jets to Beat Chiefs
When Aaron Rodgers was injured in week one and declared out for the regular season, many people looked at week four’s Sunday Night Football matchup between the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs and wondered what could’ve been? Considering Zach Wilson’s struggles since being drafted by New York, the expectation was that football fans would be spending their Sunday evening watching the Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs walk right through the Jets. Wilson had other things in mind.
It was by no means a perfect game, but this felt like the first time Jets fans had seen Wilson be a major reason why the Jets could potentially win a game. The 2021 NFL Draft pick made some nice throws and played with the confidence of a quarterback gunslinger for good portions of the game. Wilson threw for 245 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also showed good chemistry with last season’s rookie of the year, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, connecting for nine catches.. It only makes sense that Wilson would play his best in a nationally televised game, across the field from the best quarterback in the world, and with Taylor Swift in the crowd. On a night where Mahomes struggled, Wilson had the better game.
Unfortunately in an almost unbearably cruel way, halfway through the fourth quarter with the Jets down 23-20, Wilson fumbled the snap on the Kansas City 49 yard line and Kansas City recovered. The Chiefs would burn the final 7:24 of clock time to win the game.
Kansas City now finds themselves with three other AFC teams at 3-1. Mahomes hasn’t quite found anyone to be Robin to Travis Kelce’s Batman. I think most of us just expect the Chiefs to figure it out. That being said, the Chiefs did get a great from Isaiah Pacheco, who was the best player on the field, running for 115 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
The Jets may have lost the game, but the defense continues to be validated as one of the best in the league after giving Mahomes hell all night. Despite Wilson’s final play and biggest blunder of the night, this is something for him to build off of. He didn’t look like an elite franchise quarterback, but he looked more than competent. With a roster like the Jets, that type of play could help them win a lot of games. Hopefully Wilson can only build off of this as most people don’t want the Jets or him to continue to struggle.
It turns out Sunday Night Football didn’t need Aaron Rodgers or Taylor Swift (as much as the NFL and its cameras think we need to see her) to be a great game. Zach Wilson provided enough to make it a fun night of football and give a little bit of hope to Jets fans.
Week Five Game Watchability Rankings
Teams on Bye: Browns, Chargers, Seahawks, Buccaneers
14. Bears vs Commanders: It’s really hard to imagine any reason to watch the Chicago Bears games this season. As it stands right now, the Bears own the first and second overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft as they own the rights to Carolina’s pick. Justin Fields had some nice moments against Denver in week three, but the Bears are trash and have no real reason to win games this season. On the other hand, Sam Howell put on a valiant effort against Philadelphia as the Commanders nearly defeated the Eagles. Washington should win this one easily.
13. Jets vs Broncos: Two teams who are off to terribly disappointing 1-3 starts after offseason changes that were expected to pay big dividends, New York and Denver now find themselves in a land of confusion. Sean Payton has had his hands full with the Broncos and just barely earned their first victory of the season over the winless Chicago Bears. Obviously the Jets season went off the rails just a few plays into it when Aaron Rodgers was injured and eventually out for the season, but Zach Wilson’s performance against Kansas City on Sunday Night Football may finally be something to build off for the Jets former second overall pick.
12. Panthers vs Lions: Bryce Young is going through some early career growing pains as he finds his team with an 0-4 record as one of only two winless football teams. It’s not about to get an easier as Carolina travels to play a good Detroit team coming off a big road win against Green Bay. The Lions are living up to expectations as the NFC North favorite and a win over the Panthers would get Detroit to 4-1 for the first time since 1991, a season in which Detroit reached the Conference Championship.
11. Packers vs Raiders: The Jordan Love excitement in Green Bay took it’s first major hit in week four as the Packers were completely outclassed at home by Detroit and Love had major struggles, especially in the first half of the game. Overall, Love’s first four weeks as the new starter could be defined as “fine”. He’s had some bad throws, good throws, accuracy issues, hit some deep balls, and had a nice fourth quarter comeback against New Orleans. Las Vegas continues to struggle under coach Josh McDaniels and his coaching seat may get warmer and warmer as the season goes on. Hopefully the Raiders will have Jimmy Garoppolo back from concussion protocol. “Jimmy G” hasn’t been great, but he’s definitely the better option over Aidan O’Connell.
10. Texans vs Falcons: C.J. Stroud is seeming like the real deal at quarterback. The Houston rookie has been the most impressive rookie quarterback and has led this young Texans team to two straight wins. Despite Jacksonville being big favorites in the AFC South, it’s an open race and no one really accounted for Houston being competitive with many teams this season. Atlanta is in their own open divisional race, but they have an issue with their quarterback. Desmond Ridder does not look like the solution and at this point it seems like Kyle Pitts will never accomplish much in Atlanta, let alone be a elite tight end in the league. These are two teams in very similar situations and a win to get to 3-2 would be quite the accomplishment at this point in the season.
9. Saints vs Patriots: The big question in this game will be whether Mac Jones or Bailey Zappa will get the start for New England after Bill Belichick benched Jones this week. The Patriots defense is a solid group, but the offense has struggled and it’s becoming more and more clear that Jones may not be the future for the Pats. New Orleans saw Alvin Kamara return in week four to the tune of 13 receptions out of the backfield, but lost to the hands of Tampa Bay. This might be the sneaky good game of the week between two teams that have some real strong pieces, but also glaring holes.
8. Titans vs Colts: After four weeks, the AFC South is the most even division in the entire NFL. All four teams are now 2-2 on the season. Tennessee moved back to .500 after a dominating victory of the struggling Cincinnati Bengals, while Indianapolis moved back to even with an overtime loss to the Rams after making a 23 point comeback. Tennessee is still roughly the same team with a heavy Derrick Henry load on offense and a very physical defensive line. The Colts have been riding the exciting play of rookie Anthony Richardson who has already scored four rushing touchdowns, living up to many of the Cam Newton comparisons. The winner will at least remain to have a claim to the division lead.
7. Bengals vs Cardinals: This isn’t necessarily a game to watch because of either team has been impressive, but it has now gotten to the point where Cincinnati’s week to week abysmal performances are worth following just to see if they can figure it out. This Bengals team was in the last two AFC Championships and the Super Bowl just two seasons ago. There’s no reason this team should be struggling this bad. It’s like the NBA players who lost their talent in Space Jam. Is Joe Burrow’s calf injury the main issue or is it something bigger than that? It’s already getting concerning in Cincy, but a loss to Arizona could be cause to start the panic alarms.
6. Giants vs Dolphins: The Jets have been the bigger New York storyline, but could it be argued that the Giants fans should feel much worse about their situation. At least the Jets know they have a great defense. What do the Giants actually know other than that they just gave a big extension to a mid tier quarterback who is playing like less than a mid tier quarterback? No offense to Daniel Jones, but that extension does not look good right now. Considering New York’s play, it would be a surprise to see them hang with Miami, especially a week after the Dolphins first loss of the season to a division rival. This game might be unwatchable for Giants fans, but for the rest of us who loves the Dolphins offense, get some popcorn.
5. Chiefs vs Vikings: Kansas City isn’t always high on this list because they usually enter as heavy favorites to teams with less talent. By all means the Chiefs should be favorites over Minnesota and will likely win by multiple scores, but the Vikings are the type of team that could make these at least enjoyable to watch for neutral fans. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Justin Jefferson all in the same game. Hey, maybe even Taylor Swift. I hear she’s been at some Chiefs games. Hopefully Minnesota will at least be able to put points on the board to make this a shootout.
4. Eagles vs Rams: Philadelphia is one of two undefeated teams, but it doesn’t feel like it. The Eagles have had to earn some close victories, even in games where they were fairly big favorites. Los Angeles continues to be competitive in each of their games and wide receiver Puka Nacua seems to be much more than a three week wonder. Nacua caught nine catches for 163 yards and a touchdown in week four against the Colts. Both the Eagles and Rams will look to take overtime victory momentum into this matchup.
3. Ravens vs Steelers: Baltimore seems like the one 3-1 AFC team that no one is taking quite seriously yet. It could have to do with the team’s past injury issues or the fact that we have’t quite seen Lamar Jackson match his MVP season of 2019. Nonetheless, the Ravens are the early season studs of the AFC North and will look to move to 3-0 in the division with a win over the Steelers. Pittsburgh’s usually dominant defense struggled against rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud in an embarrassing loss to the Texans this weekend. A Steelers’ win over Baltimore could get people to start believing this team is a potential playoff competitor again.
2. Jaguars vs Bills: Buffalo has a claim for the best looking team in the NFC since week two. Many people, including myself, had predicted this season would be the year the Bills start to slide back in the AFC and they’ve been proving that greatly wrong. Fresh off a dominating win over Miami, who many also thought would beat Buffalo, the Bills defense looks great and the Josh Allen to Stefon Diggs connection is still one of the best in the NFL. It’s just a matter of Buffalo continuing to keep this level of play up. Jacksonville will pose another good test as the Jags are trying to be one of those teams who jumps in front of Buffalo. Jacksonville erased the memory of a Houston loss by taking care of business of Atlanta in the London game. We could easily see these teams playing again in January.
1. Cowboys vs 49ers: This is the no brainer best game of week five and arguably the most hyped game of the early season. Cowboys cleaned up their poor loss in Arizona by completely annihilating the New England Patriots. San Francisco remains undefeated and has been the most impressive team in all of the NFL through four weeks. This game has NFC Divisional Round or Championship Game preview written all over it. The winner of this game might have the strongest claim for best team in the NFC through five weeks, all due respect to Philadelphia.
The Brewball NFL Power Rankings
- San Francisco 49ers (4-0)
- Philadelphia Eagles (4-0)
- Buffalo Bills (3-1)
- Kansas City Chiefs (3-1)
- Miami Dolphins (3-1)
- Dallas Cowboys (3-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
- Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
- Detroit Lions (3-1)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)
- Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)
- Washington Commanders (2-2)
- Tennessee Titans (2-2)
- Green Bay Packers (2-2)
- Cleveland Browns (2-2)
- New Orleans Saints (2-2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
- Los Angeles Rams (2-2)
- Indianapolis Colts (2-2)
- Atlanta Falcons (2-2)
- Houston Texans (2-2)
- Cincinnati Bengals (1-3)
- Minnesota Vikings (1-3)
- New England Patriots (1-3)
- New York Jets (1-3)
- New York Giants (1-3)
- Las Vegas Raiders (1-3)
- Arizona Cardinals (1-3)
- Denver Broncos (1-3)
- Carolina Panthers (0-4)
- Chicago Bears (0-4)