NFL Week 4 breakdown: Tom Brady, Bucs best Bill Belichick, Patriots. Cowboys building momentum.
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prevailed over Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in the most-anticipated NFL regular-season game in quite some time.
It wasn't vintage Brady on a rainy Sunday night in Foxborough, but he did lead his team on another game-winning drive in a game that was closer than many expected.
Elsewhere, the Arizona Cardinals might have affirmed their arrival as one of the NFC's top contenders. The Rams weren't the only NFC team to be knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten. The Carolina Panthers were soundly defeated by the Dallas Cowboys, who have now won three straight after their season-opening loss to the Buccaneers.
NFL Week 4's biggest moments
- Tom Brady became the NFL's all-time career passing yardage leader, eclipsing Drew Brees' record.
- Tom Brady is now the fourth quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 teams.
- Patriots fans gave Tom Brady a massive ovation as he made his signature pregame entrance in New England. Then, booed him and the Buccaneers.
- Patrick Mahomes had a ridiculous underhand touchdown pass against the Eagles.
- The Ravens ran a play rather than kneeling so that they could tie an NFL record.
- It was a brutal day for Davis Mills and the Texans, who had negative-23 net passing yards in the first half against the Bills.
- Trey Lance got his long-awaited chance with the 49ers when Jimmy Garoppolo was sidelined with an injury against the Seahawks.
- Teddy Bridgewater was knocked out of the Broncos' game against the Ravens with a concussion.
- The Giants' Jabrill Peppers had a NSFW reaction to winning the overtime coin toss.
- Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin could only smile at each other after the Packers QB tried to pull a fast one on the Steelers.
NFL Week 4 analysis
- Week 4 winners and losers: Kyler Murray and the Cardinals had a huge win in LA vs. the Rams. Patrick Mahomes breaks Chiefs out of slump. Saints have stinging OT loss to Giants.
- 32 things we learned: Perhaps no other game in history can match the hype of Tom Brady's return to New England. But Week 4 offered lessons beyond that tilt.
- Why Chiefs shouldn't get too comfortable: Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill helped the Chiefs keep the Eagles from getting too close, but Kansas City still has several problem areas to address, Mike Jones writes.
- Cowboys feed off momentum: The Cowboys picked up their third straight win Sunday with an explosive third quarter against the Panthers as no Carolina mistake went unpunished.
NFL Week 4 rundown
- Buccaneers 19, Patriots 17: Tom Brady showed Patriots fans that he could still deliver in late-game crunch time.
- Ravens 23, Broncos 7: The Ravens tied a record set by the Steelers in the 1970s by rushing for 100-plus yards in a 43rd consecutive game.
- Packers 27, Steelers 17: The Randall Cobb game? The Packers' veteran WR had two touchdowns as Green Bay thumped Pittsburgh.
- Cardinals 37, Rams 20: The Cardinals knocked the Rams from the ranks of the NFL unbeaten with an impressive road win.
- Seahawks 28, 49ers 21: Seattle rebounded from back-to-back losses behind Russell Wilson's three touchdowns (two pass, one rush).
- Cowboys 36, Panthers 28: It's starting to look like the Cowboys are the team to beat in the NFC East.
- Chiefs 42, Eagles 30: Nothing like a five-touchdown game from Patrick Mahomes to get a team back on the winning track.
- Giants 27, Saints 21 (OT): Daniel Jones might have had the best game of his career as the Giants rallied for a stunning overtime victory.
- Bills 40, Texans 0: Buffalo routed offensively inept Houston for an easy win.
- Football Team 34, Falcons 30: Taylor Heinicke and J.D. McKissic provided some late-game magic to pull out this victory.
- Browns 14, Vikings 7: The Browns defense once again produced a dominant effort.
- Colts 27, Dolphins 17: The Carson Wentz-led Colts finally got their first win, doing so against a sputtering Dolphins team.
- Bears 24, Lions 14: Nothing like a matchup against the lowly Lions to help a team bounce back from a nightmarish game.
- Jets 27, Titans 24 (OT): Rookie Zach Wilson was exactly what the Jets needed to earn their first win of the season.
- Bengals 24, Jaguars 21 (Thursday): Joe Burrow won the showdown of the previous two No. 1 draft picks.
Eyes on the (fantasy) prize
We have reached a point where Cordarrelle Patterson just can’t be ignored. The Falcons receiver/running back cemented his status as this season’s most efficient playmaker by catching three touchdown passes and rolling up 116 combined yards on just 11 touches. Volume is still king in fantasy leagues, but Patterson continues to do so much with very little. If he’s still on your fantasy league’s waiver wire, he needs to be added.
Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell had the best game of his rookie season, catching six of his eight targets for 58 yards and rushing three times for 31 yards and a touchdown. Miles Sanders is still the starter in Philly, but the aptly named Gainwell is the clear No. 2 now and worth a fantasy roster spot.
Veteran back Damien Williams could have a much larger role in the Bears offense following a knee injury to starter David Montgomery. Williams took over lead-back duties in the second half and rushed for 55 yards and a TD on eight carries. There’s very little depth behind him if Montgomery has to miss time.
With top wide receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones both out on Sunday, the Titans turned to third-down back Jeremy McNichols and wideout Chester Rogers . McNichols was targeted 12 times and caught eight of those passes for 74 yards, while Rogers caught five of six targets for 63 yards. Josh Reynolds played in his second game and caught six of nine targets for 59 yards.
Jets wideout Jamison Crowder made his first appearance after missing three games with a groin injury. He caught seven of nine targets for 61 yards and a score. And the Packers’ Randall Cobb reconnected with QB Aaron Rodgers to the tune of five catches, 69 yards and two TDs.
This week’s pop-up tight end stars were the Bengals’ C.J. Uzomah and the Colts’ Mo Allie-Cox. Both scored twice, but remain weekly dart throws.
And although it hasn’t been a great year for rookie quarterbacks, the 49ers’ Trey Lance may have a chance to change the narrative. With Jimmy Garoppolo sidelined by a calf injury (and potentially out for multiple weeks), Lance could thrive if the offense is even slightly redesigned for his skills. His running and passing skills give him a high floor in fantasy.
Coming this week
Monday: Week 4 wraps up when the Los Angeles Chargers host the Las Vegas Raiders (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2). The Raiders are going for their first 4-0 start since 2002, when the team reached the Super Bowl.
Tuesday: USA TODAY Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 4.
Thursday: Week 5 kicks off with the Seattle Seahawks hosting the Los Angeles Rams (8:20 p.m. ET, NFL Network) in a pivotal NFC West showdown. Before the game, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 5 game.
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