NFL Week 4 Recap: They're Back, Baby?!

Have the rumors of the Kansas City Chiefs' demise been greatly exaggerated?

When the Chiefs started 0-2, we all celebrated. We said it was over. Their next game was the Giants; we knew they'd win that one, but even so, Baltimore was next. I was immensely confident that the Ravens would beat down the Chiefs. So the game was at Arrowhead. In my view, all that meant was that the Chiefs would lose by two touchdowns instead of three. Then, I watched Baltimore's game against the Lions. My goodness. Granted, the Lions are good enough to tap dance all over opposing defenses, but there's that and there's what I saw to end Week 3. That entire game totally siphoned away all of my confidence in Baltimore in Week 4.

And sure enough, they proved me right. The Ravens were dominated by the Chiefs, by the tune of a 37-20 score in KC's favor. So that's back-to-back wins for the Chiefs, and their first against a contender this year. However, the Ravens have not looked strong this year. They blew it in Week 1 against the Bills, they shit the bed against the Lions, and now, this embarrassment against the Chiefs. The Ravens, who were part of the AFC's Final Four last year, are 1-3 to start this season. And it gets worse. Lamar Jackson, the Ravens' meal ticket? He got injured during the game. Hamstring problem. He could be out for 2-3 weeks. If it's three weeks, the Ravens have the Texans next, then the Rams, and then a bye. So only one loseable game in that group.

Week 4 also began that familiar stretch where the international games take place early in the morning. That is always an awesome feeling; you set your alarm, you wake up extra early, and BOOM! Football, usually on NFL Network. In this case, it's the Vikings and Steelers participating in the NFL's first game to emanate from Dublin; serving as the first of six early morning international games in an eight week span. The Steelers dominated for the most part, but Minnesota nearly came back in the fourth quarter, but fell just a bit short. Steelers won it, 24-21, improving to 3-1 entering their bye.

Week 4 kicked off with Part 1 of back-to-back weeks of NFC West action, with the Seahawks and Cardinals taking center stage. Seattle won with a last second field goal, and regarding Sunday's early window, the centerpiece was a battle of unbeatens between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the latter being one of the few teams who have had this iteration of the Eagles' number as of late. In this go-around, the Eagles dominated, but Tampa tried to get in it, until they couldn't. Eagles took down the Bucs, 31-25, and as a result of the 49ers' loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the late window, the Eagles stand alone as the NFC's only unbeaten franchise.

The Jaxson Dart era got off to a bittersweet start for the New York Giants. The Giants actually won, 21-18, over the formerly unbeaten Los Angeles Chargers, but like most wins from bad teams, it came with a price. Malik Nabers, their top receiver, ended up injured, and it was revealed to be a torn ACL. There's a lot of that going around. Elsewhere in the early window, the Texans also picked up win #1 against the very hapless Titans, the Falcons defeated the Daniels and McLaurin-less Commanders, the Lions and Patriots won big, and the Buffalo Bills needed to come back against the hapless New Orleans Saints--with the Bills now 4-0 to start th season.

Regarding the late window, the only other action that occurred was the Los Angeles Rams handing the Indianapolis Colts their first loss; which proved me right--I said that the Colts nee to prove themselves against real teams, and they haven't so far. The Chicago Bears actually defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, with the win clinched with a blocked field goal (oh, the irony). So as a result of this, the Vikings were the only NFC North team who lost in Week 4. Epic! We were treated to another double dose of Monday Night action, but the main game was clearly Jets/Dolphins, one of two 0-3 vs 0-3 games that week. Dolphins won, but it came at a cost. Tyreek Hill, he of the trade demands and all sorts of horrible baggage, dislocated his knee, and it's revealed to be, yes, an ACL tear. Out for the year. The other game saw the Broncos easily dispatch of the hapless and Burrow-less Bengals, 28-3. Cincinnati should really thank God that the Reds made it to the postseason this year.

We are about a quarter through the season, and it's only the Bills and Eagles standing alone as the only unbeaten teams left. Meanwhile, the Titans and Saints are still looking for their first win. I'll be honest, the Saints are very faulty, but I did not have them as the last winless team left in the NFC; I thought for sure it would be either the Giants or Panthers. And remember: the Saints almost made the playoffs just two years ago. As for the Titans, oh boy. This team has been freefalling ever since they blew the division in 2022. Even worse, Brian Callahan (their current head coach) is so dumb and clueless that he makes Brandon Staley look like Andy Reid. This is his second season as their HC, and he's a combined 3-18. And of course, he's a White guy who has never been an HC in the NFL before... and it shows. From the looks of it, the Titans are on pace to make last year look like their 1999 season, but watch Callahan not get fired for it. I've seen Black coaches fired for much, much less.

Week 5 will kick off with the other half of the NFC West, the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams, facing off on Thursday Night Football. We will receive another international game, and it's the Minnesota Vikings and the Cleveland Browns facing off on early Sunday, so set your alarm clocks. On Sunday Night Football, it's the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots in a game that a lot of fans were rolling their eyes at when the schedule was announced. The Patriots do look kinda good this year, so this could be a good one on NBC. On Monday Night Football, it's the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting the Kansas City Chiefs. The first byes of the season are dished out, and for this week, it's the Bears, Falcons, Steelers, and Packers all taking siestas in Week 5.

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Check out my story about the Packers/Cowboys game below!