Roughly a month has now gone by in the NFL season, and some things around the league look dramatically different than most of us expected, while others look very much the same. But expected or not, it sure hasn’t been dull, and Week 4 wasn’t at all.
- The Browns, especially after being so thoroughly dominated in Week 1, have become surprisingly competitive, on a game-to-game basis as well as in the standings after winning three straight. Sure, they’ve played three teams with plenty of blemishes to go around, but 3-1 is still 3-1. They have games against the Jets and Titans in the coming weeks, sandwiching a game against the Ravens that may or may not include Lamar Jackson, before a road rematch with the Steelers. None of those are guarantees, by any stretch, but there are enough winnable games there to see the Browns hang around until at least midseason.
- One key reason for Cleveland’s success: the 2026 Draft. Each of their top four picks have made a real impact early on. Spencer Fano has held his own at left tackle, both Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion have looked like the rightful future of the receiving corps, and safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has made some plays. They’ve got something to build on moving forward, no matter how the rest of the season plays out. If they can find a long-term answer at QB, they’ve got something there.
- As is often the case with social media, the short exchange of profanities between Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy got wildly overblown. It’s a competitive atmosphere with two highly driven individuals who can’t operate in their jobs without having massive egos. These things happen all the time in football; this time it just got shown on camera and made for a few laughs. Nothing to see there, though.
- Daniel Jones looked like Daniel Jones of old in London. He’ll probably bounce back, but the fumble he had early in the game was so glaring in its lack of pocket awareness that it raises some mild concern.
- At long last, the New York Jets intercepted a pass. You have to take things one step at a time, and that step is at the very least going in the right direction.
- Where do the Texans go from here? The Bills and Cowboys have exposed their vaunted defense in shootouts where the offense looked capable, and in the two good defensive performances they’ve had, the offense has been hapless. The Titans could be a “get right game” for them, but they have to get a lot right and fast to even have a prayer of becoming the second team ever to start 0-4 and still make the playoffs.
- That Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb connection is as close to a guarantee as you can find in the league right now, and they took advantage time and time again en route to beating the Texans. Connections as strong as that one are and always will be fun to watch.
- The Lamar Jackson to Zay Flowers connection isn’t far behind. While Jackson’s short-term availability is in question, the leap Flowers has taken to the next level will be huge for the Ravens as this season goes on.
- While the Packers-Bucs game wasn’t the one that drew the most attention this weekend, it seemed like Tampa Bay was always in a position to make one big play and turn the game in their favor. But they never could. All four of their losses have been by one score, and it’s seemed every game like they had no ability to make the one play they actually needed when it mattered. You can’t expect to win like that.
- I’ve mentioned this before, but if the Bucs can’t find a way to become more opportunistic on Thursday night against the Cowboys, Todd Bowles will likely be replaced with the long week coming up to break in the interim head coach.
- I try not to be too critical of particular play calls very often on this site, but I have to be honest: I don’t understand the logic of what the Bengals did at game’s end on Sunday. They had 1st down on the cusp of the red zone with over a minute left, then proceeded to take three straight deep shots before falling short on a pass over the middle on 4th down. It feels like intermediate passes would’ve gotten them where they wanted to go, especially with their best healthy weapons at that point in the game coming from the tight end and running back rooms.
- Even if it’s the poor decisions of opponents, the Jaguars find ways to win. That was a common thread in the AFC last year, as they did it almost weekly along with similar performances from the Broncos and Patriots. While those two have been scuffling early on, the Jags just keep on finding a way, and that’s half the battle in this league.
- Jacksonville’s next opponent, the Eagles, having been looking shaky in the early weeks, and don’t have too much more time before they need to start looking like the team we all know again. Unimpressive wins against the Commanders and Titans have been followed by Case Keenum dominating them and then a fourth quarter comeback by the Rams when the Eagles had a perfect chance to put it away with a late score. If they don’t string together a few good performances in a row, the pressure will really start to mount in Philadelphia, especially for Jalen Hurts.
- The Giants currently lead the NFC East at 3-1, with the Cowboys and Eagles a game behind. It’s a long season, and the lead will change hands multiple more times in almost every division. But you have to wonder how long they can stay in the race for the division before one of Dallas or Philadelphia gains a strong footing at the top. Or do they actually have a shot to win?
- For the first time in 2026, Drake Maye looked like 2025 Drake Maye. The game carried huge implications for the division as well as the Patriots being in the playoff race in general, and he stepped up.
- Efton Chism III also stepped up. That was an incredible catch he made to steal the game from Buffalo. And I doubt he’ll forget CJ Gardner-Johnson’s postgame comments about it when the two teams meet again in early December.
- I know this is a coach I’ve talked at length about as well, but Brian Flores is running away the Assistant Coach of the Year award early on. The ability of that defense to simply deliver wins even as the offense deals with injuries and uneven QB play has been a sight to see.
- One thing that’s sure made the job easier for Flores has been Dallas Turner. He took a step last year, but this season he’s taken a leap. He’s looked like a top 10 edge rusher in the league, and there are quite a few good ones playing right now.
- The cornerback injury situation in Denver is bad. The team as a whole is showing a lot of inconsistency early on, but to lose what should be the most reliable part of your team to consecutive injuries is brutal. Fortunately for them, it doesn’t sound like either injury is as severe as they initially thought, but any sum of missed time could still cause a lot of damage.
- Even in a loss, the Raiders proved they belong. I think many were fully prepared to watch them get blown out by the Chiefs and then fall off hard from there. But it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. They have playmakers on both sides of the ball and Klint Kubiak seems to have been very well prepared for this opportunity. Their next few games, all against contenders, should be appointment viewing.
- After the gruesome Tyquan Thornton injury, the Chiefs are down yet another receiver, and have to plug holes in a room that already had its fair share of concerns when healthy. I’m sure they can keep winning, because they often do, but at some point they will have to reckon with this issue.
- Bryce Young bounced back very well on Sunday Night Football from last week’s struggle against the Browns, and is still looking good overall on the season. I can’t help but wonder how good the team will be as a whole if he continues to play at a high level all year.
- Elsewhere in the NFC South, the Falcons offense has looked like an elite unit the last two weeks in primetime. The return of Michael Penix, Jr. is one obvious factor, but likely doesn’t tell the whole story. I’m curious about what else has changed and, more importantly, how long that change is liable to last.
Games are reduced by byes beginning this week, but rest assured, I’ll be back with 22 more observations next Tuesday! Until then, enjoy another tremendous week of football.
