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NFL Week 4 winners and losers: Packers' tie with Cowboys feels like a loss
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- NFL Week 4 winners and losers: Packers' tie with Cowboys feels like a loss
As the NFL concludes the first month of the regular season, almost no one is walking away from Week 4 unscathed .
That holds true in the standings, where just two teams – the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills – remain unblemished. But losses are mounting in another way, too, with several teams already having their depth tested in recent weeks as they regularly utilize injured reserve. And the major personnel hits kept coming Sunday, with a number of franchises being forced to figure out ways to forge on without critical contributors.
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Here are the biggest winners and losers from Week 4 in the NFL:
NFL Week 4 winners
Jaxson Dart
Let's table aesthetics for a minute. Beyond the bottom line, little about the rookie quarterback's starting debut was appealing. But the New York Giants turned to Dart looking for some kind of jolt, and it got one with a 21-18 win over the previously unbeaten Los Angeles Chargers . The first-round passer's production was modest at best – 111 passing yards and 54 more on the ground – with the offense stalling out after a nine-play, 89-yard touchdown march on the opening drive. Still, Dart's running ability changed the complexion of the attack for the better, and he pushed through a hamstring injury as he repeatedly extended plays. Despite taking five sacks, he maintained his composure and didn't commit any backbreaking errors. The rejuvenation might be short-lived given the costly loss of Malik Nabers to a torn anterior cruciate ligament , but New York at least has something to build on.
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Tush Push 2.0
Unease surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles ' offense figures to hang around at least another week after Jalen Hurts didn't complete a pass in the second half of a 31-25 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that was too close for comfort. But Nick Sirianni and highly ridiculed first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo still deserve credit for getting creative. On a third-and-1 in the third quarter, Philadelphia came out in a Tush Push look only to trick the defense with a counter sweep to Saquon Barkley , who sauntered for a 6-yard score. In the first half, the team also mixed things up by throwing a short, underhanded touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Goedert when presenting a look that suggested a quarterback sneak. The plays were probably cold comfort given the five three-and-outs that came after halftime, but they at least suggest the offense is capable of expanding beyond a somewhat rigid identity.
Atlanta Falcons ' offensive stars
After a rocky opening trio of contests, this was much closer to the vision for the Falcons' foursome of top-10 picks in the last four years. In a 34-27 win over the Washington Commanders , quarterback Michael Penix Jr. rediscovered a sense of comfort, completing 20 of 26 passes for a career-high 313 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Running back Bijan Robinson was central to that effort, as he took a swing pass 69 yards and finished with 106 receiving yards on four catches. But perhaps even more important was the re-emergence of Drake London , who secured the first touchdown of any Falcons receiver this season and answered questions surrounding his connection with Penix by notching eight receptions for 110 yards. Tight end Kyle Pitts also got going with a season-high 70 yards on five grabs. Perhaps a Commanders defense that repeatedly presented holes in coverage and bungled tackle attempts is responsible for a good bit of the breakout, but good vibes were needed after Atlanta fired wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard last week in response to the team's stagnant aerial attack.
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Kansas City Chiefs ' passing offense
Probably premature to declare the aerial attack fully healed given how other teams have easily dismantled the Baltimore Ravens ' ailing defense. But Patrick Mahomes and Co. will take any progress they can get, and the strides made this week in a 37-20 victory shouldn't be ignored. Xavier Worthy 's return from a shoulder injury provided immediate dividends, with the speedy wideout not only posting 121 yards but also opening things up for others. With only two games left in Rashee Rice 's suspension, there's a legitimate opportunity to build some steam before the Week 10 bye.
Marcus Jones
Success stories regarding holdovers from the Bill Belichick era are few and far between for the New England Patriots . On Sunday, however, Jones ignited a 42-13 win over the Carolina Panthers , with his 87-yard punt-return touchdown in the first quarter starting the scoring avalanche after a shaky start. He nearly housed another in the second quarter but was tripped up by punter Sam Martin after a 61-yard runback. The 2022 All-Pro's 167 punt return yards were the most in Patriots for any player in a single game.
Liam Coen
Through four weeks, Coen stands alone among first-year coaches as the only one with a winning record. The key to the turnaround has been pretty straightforward: A team that collected just nine takeaways in 2024 now has 13, with four coming in a 26-21 win that handed the San Francisco 49ers their first defeat of the season. But an opportunistic approach has extended to other areas, as Parker Washington returned a punt 87 yards for a score. Coen hasn't managed to get Jacksonville 's off-kilter passing attack to fully click, but he's revitalized yet another underperforming run game, with Travis Etienne Jr. racking up 124 yards and a score on 19 carries Sunday. He also managed to get bragging rights over 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, making a strange controversy even more bizarre when he seemed to push back on Saleh's assertion that the Jaguars engaged in legal sign-stealing.
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Puka Nacua
Offensive Player of the Year Award incoming? After crushing the Indianapolis Colts for 13 catches and 170 yards in the Los Angeles Rams' 27-20 win, the receiver is now at 42 catches and 503 yards. Maintaining that torrid pace – which would position him to break the single-season marks in each category with 178 receptions and 2,138 yards – will be exceedingly difficult. So far, though, no one looks up to the task of slowing him. Even with Davante Adams on board, it's clear Matthew Stafford runs the aerial attack through the third-year pass catcher, who's surely boosting his financial outlook even further as he approaches eligibility for an extension after this season.
Chase McLaughlin
The Buccaneers had their share of special teams hiccups and their comeback magic finally ran out, but don't blame either problem on McLaughlin. The kicker nailed a 65-yard field-goal attempt that goes down as the longest outdoor conversion in NFL history. He later added a 58-yard boot for good measure.
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NFL Week 4 losers
Matt LaFleur
All that for a 40-40 stalemate between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys ? Leave it to Dak Prescott to sum up the contest in his postgame interview with NBC: "Trying to wrap my head around a tie." Us, too. When the Cowboys settled for a field goal in the opening series of extra time, it seemed like the Packers were perfectly positioned to again roast a defense that did little to shift its status as a liability. But on a night when he repeatedly boxed in his attack with complacent play-calling, LaFleur teetered on the verge of catastrophe with his game management on Green Bay's final drive. Content to drain the clock to deny Dallas another drive at the end of the game, LaFleur put his offense in scramble mode when Jordan Love was forced to fire an eventual incompletion into the end zone with only one second remaining. Escaping might be seen as a win given the myriad ways that Green Bay could have come fully undone at the end. But for the second consecutive week, LaFleur squandered a double-digit lead. In the NFC North, playing not to get burnt in close contests will almost assuredly lead to losses rather than mere ties.
Giants' brief glimmer of hope
In most scenarios, a transition to Dart that produced this end result would be viewed as an unmitigated success. But any notion of properly developing the rookie passer and building toward a more prosperous 2026 campaign took a major hit when Nabers went down with what immediately became clear was a significant injury. There's no replacing a player who is a gravitational force in the passing game and last season set the NFL rookie record with 109 receptions, which was also the Giants' all-time franchise high. New York's aerial attack looks toothless without Nabers, and opponents will be free to key in on Dart and Cam Skattebo in the run game while also squatting on anything short. Stout defensive efforts by Big Blue will go a long way toward ensuring Dart doesn't get roped into too many unfavorable situations as Brian Daboll and Co. try not to saddle him with too much. But as he continues playing for a desperate coaching staff, it seems clear that Dart will have to take on more than anyone could reasonably ask now that Nabers is out.
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Adonai Mitchell
In his young career, the Colts receiver has demonstrated a penchant for ripping off electric plays as well as committing costly errors. The full range of his volatile play was summed up Sunday when he dropped the ball before crossing the end zone, turning what otherwise would have been a dazzling 75-yard touchdown into a touchback. His tough afternoon continued late in the fourth quarter with a holding penalty that negated Jonathan Taylor 's go-ahead 53-yard touchdown scamper. Indianapolis has stood by Mitchell among his early setbacks and continued to do so after the loss, with Shane Steichen merely dismissing the fumble as a "bump in the road." It's the smart long-term play for a massively talented player, but the short-term toll of paying for his slip-up smarts, especially for a team that otherwise had enjoyed such a sterling start.
Minnesota Vikings ' lines
Commanding the line of scrimmage was the prevailing theme of Minnesota's offseason, as the team invested considerable resources in remaking each of its fronts. It made the first leg of the franchise's international jaunt event more painful when both crumbled in a 24-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland. With neither center Ryan Kelly (concussion) nor right tackle Brian O'Neill (knee) returning after exiting the game, Carson Wentz had little recourse for the Steelers' relentless blitzes. Despite showing some resilience with a strong late surge, Wentz was in too large of a hole on a day in which he threw two interceptions, took six sacks and saw the running game once again disappear. Defensively, a group that was without standout Pro Bowl edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel couldn't find a way to counteract Aaron Rodgers ' quick strikes or stuff backup running back Kenneth Gainwell , who went for 99 yards and two scores on 19 carries. Given that the injury losses might not be resolved in a week, this problem could hang around for a bit.
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Carolina Panthers
Seems pretty clear that last week's shutout was more reflective of the Falcons – at least at that moment in time – than the Panthers. Carolina couldn't carry over any semblance of momentum, allowing 42 unanswered points to a Patriots team that has been far from consistent or deadly. The pass rush barely generated pressure against Drake Maye , who was only hit once. One week after talking a big game following his pick-six, cornerback Chau Smith-Wade tried to punch out the ball from Hunter Henry rather than tackle the tight end, and the result was a 31-yard touchdown. Meanwhile, the chemistry between Bryce Young and Tetairoa McMillan was decidedly off, with an overthrow on a would-be touchdown among the several notable misses.
Tennessee Titans
After an 0-3 start, Brian Callahan relinquished play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree. How will he – or the Titans organization as a whole – respond to the team posting the second shutout loss of the young season in a 26-0 defeat to the Houston Texans ? With just 175 total yards, 10 first downs and a two-of-11 mark on third downs, Tennessee had no life beyond what its previously 0-3 AFC South rival afforded it. But worst of all were the abundant mistakes, including two missed field goals, that have become a feature of Callahan's run. At a time when the NFL's other stumbling franchises are showing some form of promise, the Titans are repeatedly coming up empty in offering up reasons for optimism beyond Cam Ward 's playmaking streak. Callahan said after the game that the outcomes are attributable to poor play rather than a lack of fight, but he can't afford for this wayward group to continue to wander much longer.
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Ravens' mounting injuries
In last week's panic meter assessment , I gave the Ravens a bit of the benefit of the doubt after they faced two of the NFL's formidable attacks. A repeat of the same exercise would bump up the concern levels for this unit at least a couple points after Kansas City's largely languid attack found its footing against Baltimore. Perhaps the team placing defensive linemen Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington on injured reserve Saturday was a harbinger of what was to come for an already depleted unit, as linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring) and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (calf) and Nate Wiggins (elbow) all were dinged up against the Chiefs. Beyond what they mean to the unit itself, the losses also can have a cascading effect on the rest of the operation, as Lamar Jackson – who also left with a hamstring injury – might be left to press in an attempt to compensate for the defense's inability to generate sufficient stops. A Week 7 bye can help the roster recuperate, but anything short of a .500 mark by the end of October would be troublesome for what was supposed to be an AFC front-runner.
Justin Herbert
When left tackle Rashawn Slater was lost for the season in training camp with a torn patellar tendon, the Bolts initially didn't look worse for the wear. That was largely thanks to the superlative job that steady second-year protector Joe Alt did upon flipping to Herbert's blind side. But when Alt went down with an ankle injury Sunday and didn't return, the floodgates opened for the Giants' pass rush. Herbert was pressured on 47.7% of his dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats, with the triumvirate of Brian Burns , Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter combining for 20 pressures. While Herbert was only sacked twice, he never established a consistent level of comfort and threw two interceptions. If Alt's injury keeps him sidelined for a long stretch, Los Angeles will have a hard time withstanding the onslaught of edge rushers sure to be in Herbert's face on a weekly basis.
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Joe Flacco
When he was subbed out at the tail end of the Cleveland Browns ' 34-10 loss to the Detroit Lions , it was probably a matter of protection after the starting quarterback was battered with nine hits on the day. But it was also hard to shake the notion that the 40-year-old could be running out of time to turn this floundering offense around. Kevin Stefanski gave something of a non-answer when asked by his commitment to Flacco, pointing instead to the wider offensive problems. But Flacco's turnovers have been deflating, and he added three more on Sunday. Turning to a rookie ahead of a London matchup against Brian Flores' Vikings defense has to be a non-starter, but giving a shot to Dillon Gabriel should be on the radar for a franchise that is getting nice returns elsewhere from its rookie class.
Geno Smith
When Smith unraveled in a three-interception outing against the Chargers, it was natural to shrug off the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback's night as the product of facing one of the NFL's stingiest defenses. But with Smith throwing three more picks in a 25-24 loss to the Chicago Bears , the veteran signal-caller's early woes can't be dismissed as merely an aberration. Smith himself acknowledged the letdown, saying after the game, "The guy that I'm supposed to be hasn't showed up yet." While Ashton Jeanty 's breakout performance should be encouraging for a ground game that had been lifeless through two weeks, the Raiders simply don't have the pieces in place to weather these kind of outings from Smith.
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Spencer Rattler
The New Orleans Saints quarterback's 25th birthday was Sunday, and he was given the unfortunate gift of becoming the ninth passer since the AFL-NFL merger to open his career 0-10 thanks to a 31-19 loss to the Buffalo Bills . It's almost certainly not fair to put that mark all on the second-year signal-caller, who isn't receiving much help from a roster stuck in transition. But on a day when New Orleans ' ground game piled up 189 yards on 34 carries, Rattler couldn't engineer much downfield, finishing with just 126 yards on 18-of-27 passing. He's not nearly the biggest problem for the Saints, but with second-rounder Tyler Shough sitting on the bench, there are still too many missed offensive opportunities for him to have much comfort in his standing.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL Week 4 winners and losers led by Packers' puzzling tie
