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Week 4 takeaways: What we learned from Sunday’s games

Sunday delivered with a solid day of football, capped off with a banger Sunday night contest. As always, there were some surprises, which we’ll touch on. Let’s go over some things we learned from Sunday’s games.

Packers, Cowboys more evenly matched than we thought

After Green Bay acquired star edge rusher Micah Parsons from Dallas prior to the season’s start, many would have assumed the Packers to be the superior team. That assumption would be reinforced after the first few weeks of the season, with the Packers starting 2-1 with strong defensive showings while the Cowboys started 1-2.

It turns out that these two teams may be closer than we thought. On Sunday night, the Packers pulled ahead early 13-0, but a blocked extra point returned for two points by Dallas ended up being a difference maker as the Cowboys started to fight back. The two squads threw haymakers at each other all game long, and the contest finished as a 40-40 tie after overtime.

Surprisingly, Parsons’ “revenge game” was rather quiet. He notched a sack, but was also held in check for some of the game as the Cowboys exposed Green Bay’s defense. Parsons, understandably, was upset after the game.

“Giving up 40 points, bro, I don’t care where we’re playing. That’s just unacceptable,” Parsons said. “For me and everyone, I’m not even pointing fingers, we gotta find a way to get off the field. We didn’t do a great job at that tonight. I take ownership, coach and I took ownership. Ownership is one thing, but doing something about it is another. We gotta, tomorrow, let’s all watch this film as a team. Let’s break it down. Let’s talk about it. I think that’s the tough conversation that we need to have all together.”

Narrative shifts on Chiefs, Ravens after blowout

It turns out having one of his top two wide receivers back in the fold was all Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes needed to get his offense back on track. Xavier Worthy, who missed most of the first three games with a shoulder dislocation and torn labrum, immediately made a huge difference in his return, leading the team in both rushing and receiving and finishing with 121 yards from scrimmage.

The Chiefs dropped 37 points on a banged-up Baltimore defense in their 37-20 win, the most by Kansas City’s offense since Week 3 of the 2023 season. To make matters worse for the Ravens, QB Lamar Jackson left the game with a hamstring injury, putting his status for next week’s game in question. Also, it’s confirmed that defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike will miss the remainder of the 2025 season with a neck injury.

Suddenly, with the Chiefs at 2-2 and Ravens at 1-3, the narrative has shifted for both teams — the Chiefs might be back after a slow start, while the Ravens might be in the midst of a down year.

Starting Dart was the right decision, though Nabers’ fate is worrisome

The New York Giants opted to bench Russell Wilson and start the rookie Jaxson Dart at QB this weekend, and it paid off. Dart wasn’t perfect, but he helped lead the Giants to victory over a very good Los Angeles Chargers team by a 21-18 score, thanks to a combo of his running ability and playing mistake-free football.

Even with the unfortunate news that star WR Malik Nabers is out for the season with a torn ACL, the future looks solid for the Giants. Joe DeLeone broke it down here:

“Dart still has areas he needs to improve, but his first game was electric. Like any rookie would, he had misfires and instances where he held the ball just a little bit too long. For his first start in the NFL, he showed a lot of upside in terms of how he can drive success for this team. From his toughness as a runner to his poise on multiple late-game throws, he displayed the playmaking ability needed to ignite an offense that desperately needed energy.

“If Dart can improve gradually each week, there’s an opportunity for the Giants to continue upsetting more teams in 2025.”

End is nigh for the Titans

It’s official: the Tennessee Titans are cooked. A 26-0 shutout by the Houston Texans dropped the Titans to 0-4, and after the game, rookie QB Cam Ward called it like he saw it:

“We are keeping a buck right now, we ass,” he said after the game, in which he was sacked twice and threw one interception. As of this writing, Ward is the most sacked QB in the NFL at 17.

After the loss, some are already calling for the firing of coach Brian Callahan. Is it too soon? Maybe not. Buck Reising broke it down here:

“It doesn’t fix the larger issue, but there must be accountability … Callahan should be fired, but he should not be alone. Ownership has failed the fans, the players, and the coaches. [Titans owner Amy Adams] Strunk shouldn’t sell the team, given how valuable NFL franchises are; that would just be financially irresponsible. Serious self-reflection is required, however, to decide whether the people she’s empowered across the board are leading her organization down the right path.”

More takeaways to consider: Both the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders were competitive in their losses despite missing their No. 1 QBs — that’s a good sign for them; the Indianapolis Colts lost, but they might’ve won if not for a gaffe by WR Adonai Mitchell — that’s also a good sign for them; the Jacksonville Jaguars might be for real after beating the San Francisco 49ers, though MNF against K.C. next week will be the real test.

MNF preview: Score predictions for tonight’s doubleheader

We’ve got another MNF doubleheader to look forward to. Let’s take a look at score predictions for each game, as the Jets and Dolphins fight to notch their first win, while the Bengals fight to remain relevant while QB Joe Burrow is sidelined.

New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins, 7:15 p.m. ET

Kyle Crabbs: “Let’s start with this. There will be no tie. The Packers and Cowboys have us covered on that front. I do think that Miami is going to end up winning this contest at home. The defense has things to build on from the second-half of the Bills game and the Dolphins, with a fresh game script, should be able to again establish some success with their ground game. They’ll need it.

“Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle may not set records for catches or yards in this game, but I think they’ll give the Dolphins the chunk plays they need to stack on top of what is trending towards an effective run game. That, plus a presumed change in their turnover fortunes, makes the difference.” Dolphins 26, Jets 20

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Denver Broncos, 8:15 p.m. ET

Charles Goldman: “I expected a bit of regression from Broncos QB Bo Nix in Year 2, because that’s what often happens with quarterbacks who start with a lot of success as rookies. NFL defensive coordinators have a whole year of tape to diagnose and assess, taking away the things you’re good at, and then it’s up to the coaches and players to adjust.

“What I didn’t anticipate was that the defense has seemingly taken a step back as well. Regardless, Denver is in a much better spot with its starting quarterback still on the field. The Bengals can’t say the same with Joe Burrow out with a turf toe injury.

“While Browning does have experience, asking him to get a road win in primetime against a team that finds itself against the ropes? That’s a tough ask. If the Broncos’ defense can shade coverage to Chase’s side of the field and keep pressure on Browning, they should be able to do enough in this one.” Broncos 28, Bengals 17

John Sheeran: “Confidence in Browning moving forward hinges on this game. Denver has a solid defense from its dynamic duo off the edge in Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper, to the game’s best cover corner in Surtain. There’s no hope for Browning and Co. if they look like what last Sunday showed in Minnesota.

“Fortunately for all of us watching, I think they’ll show a little more fight this time around. For all his faults as a head coach, Zac Taylor can usually galvanize his troops to respond swiftly after embarrassing performances. Often, it has resulted in wins, but he has had Joe Burrow operating his offense. He’s still got Browning for the next three months.

“The Bengals will look better on offense, but the Broncos have the better quarterback and more reliability in the trenches. Unless Browning proves the first point wrong, I see the home team taking this one.” Broncos 26, Bengals 20

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