As the Miami Dolphins were defeated by the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, just two undefeated teams remain across the league. This week proved easier for one of those teams, while the other relied on overtime for their undefeated status to be preserved. There was another game that went to overtime this week, along with a variety of blowouts and close matchups.
As next week marks the beginning of bye weeks for teams, here’s everything you need to know from the last 16-game week for a while:
Thursday Night Football
Detroit Lions 34 – Green Bay Packers 20
Detroit’s first drive resulted in a Jared Goff interception, but they controlled the Packers by 24 at halftime, ultimately beating them for the fourth time straight. Lion’s running back David Montgomery shined, earning three rushing touchdowns and 121 of the teams total 190 rushing yards. Detroit’s defense also deflated the hopes of Green Bay, as cornerback Jerry Jacobs executed two interceptions off Packer’s quarterback Jordan Love.
The Packers scored two second half touchdowns, but Detroit’s work was already complete. The Lions now hold sole position for first place in the NFC North, as they prepare for the Carolina Panthers in week five .
Sunday
Atlanta Falcons 7 – Jacksonville Jaguars 23
The Jaguar’s defense was on full lockdown in front of 85,000 fans in the NFL’s return to London at Wembley Stadium. Although Atlanta earned more rushing yards than Jacksonville highlighted by 105 yards from running back Bijan Robinson, they only managed to reach the end zone once. They also never earned a field goal opportunity, while Jaguar’s kicker Brandon McManus notched all three opportunities given.
On top of this, Falcon’s quarterback Desmond Ridder tossed two interceptions, one of which was returned by the Jaguars for a 39 yard touchdown. He also fumbled the ball during the last drive of the game, ultimately handing the Jaguars a win. Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence played excellent throughout, executing 23 of 30 attempts and earning a touchdown. The Jaguars will hope to earn back a winning record in week five against Buffalo.
Miami Dolphins 20 – Buffalo Bills 48
After completing a 50 point victory last week, the Dolphin’s confidence was put to sleep during their date with Buffalo. Bill’s quarterback Josh Allen earned four touchdown passes and only failed four attempted passes. However, the Dolphins earned more rushing yards than their opponent with their running back De’von Achane putting on a fabulous display of two touchdowns and 101 yards. Achane earned almost as many rushing yards as the entire Bills team, as they narrowly beat him with a total of 104 yards.
Although they dominated the rush game, problems still arose on Miami’s offense. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa tossed an interception on a drive that could have brought his team back into the game. Meanwhile, running back Raheem Mostert fumbled the ball late in the first half. Their team was denied any scoring opportunities in the final quarter allowing the Bills to put the icing on the cake, and beat Miami for the third time straight.
Minnesota Vikings 21 – Carolina Panthers 13
Both teams entered this game without a win so far this season, and Carolina without a win over Minnesota since 2017. Panther’s quarterback and 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young had arguably his best start of the season, but his failure to throw a touchdown pass may have resulted in his team’s defeat. The Vikings gave their opponent plenty of chances to win, as the first drive resulted in Panther’s safety Sam Franklin Jr. returning a Kirk Cousins interception for a 99 yard touchdown.
Cousins tossed another interception later in the first half, which led to a Carolina field goal. Besides the two interceptions, Cousins also had two touchdown passes, and still leads the league in passes completed and passing touchdowns. Carolina’s final drive lasted 15 plays, but they came up just 18 yards short of a tying touchdown resulting in another winless game. They will look to change that in week five against Detroit.
Denver Broncos 31 – Chicago Bears 28
These two sides were also winless entering their week four matchups with one another, and played a tale of two halves. The Bears led their opponent 21-7 after the first half, and scored another touchdown late in the third quarter. However, a Denver touchdown with 20 seconds left in the same quarter appeared to shift momentum right back onto their side. Despite four touchdowns from Bear’s quarterback Justin Fields, he fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter, allowing for a 35 yard touchdown return by Bronco’s linebacker Jonathon Cooper.
Bronco’s quarterback Russell Wilson also earned two of his three touchdown passes late in the final frame, allowing his team to clear a 21 point deficit and take the lead by three. The Bears failed to take advantage of their final opportunity, as an interception was thrown by Fields. The Broncos completed the comeback and earned their first win of the season.
Baltimore Ravens 28 – Cleveland Browns 3
The Browns only seemed to give their opponent slight trouble in the first quarter, earning a field goal, but Raven’s quarterback Lamar Jackson’s accuracy could not be stopped. He was involved in every Ravens touchdown, tossing two and completing two rushing touchdowns. Jackson completed 15 of 19 attempts and earned 186 yards, while wide receiver Mark Andrews averaged 16 yards across five receptions and two touchdowns.
Cleveland had to settle with backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, as starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was limited due to a right shoulder injury. Thompson-Robinson did not play well as he tossed three interceptions and his team only earned 73 passing yards. Jackson did lose the ball to a fumble, however, his team still ended the game with almost 100 more passing yards and 40 more rushing yards than their opponent.
Pittsburgh Steelers 6 – Houston Texans 30
Texan’s rookie quarterback CJ Stroud is beginning to make himself a case for rookie of the year after tossing two touchdowns against the Steelers. He is also just one of three starting quarterbacks yet to throw an interception this season. Stroud tossed 206 yards and progressed to six touchdown passes on the season. Meanwhile, Texan’s kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn continued to stay hot, after knocking back all three field goal opportunities given.
Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett failed to toss a touchdown and instead threw an interception on the team’s first drive. Pittsburgh’s scoring was done by kicker Chris Boswell with two field goals in the third quarter. The Texans earned 312 passing yards to just 111 from the Steelers, as they beat Pittsburgh for the first time since 2011 in convincing style.
Los Angeles Rams 29 – Indianapolis Colts 23 (OT)
The Colts became the first team this season to have two games enter overtime, however, it took some work to get there as they trailed by 20 at halftime. A fumble from Colt’s quarterback Anthony Richardson in the first quarter, along with two Rams touchdowns and field goals allowed Los Angeles to dominate early. Colt’s kicker Matt Gay also missed his only field goal chance of the game late in the first half, rendering his team pointless at halftime.
Momentum began to shift in the third quarter, as Ram’s quarterback Matthew Stafford tossed an interception while Richardson completed his first of two touchdown passes. The Colts allowed the Rams zero points in the final quarter, while scoring two touchdowns and completing a two point conversion, tying the game with two minutes remaining.
The Colts entered the extra frame confident, as they had completed a comeback of sorts and came out of their first overtime game with a win. However, the Rams only needed one drive to score a touchdown, with Stafford finding wide receiver Puka Nacua for a 22 yard touchdown. Nacua is on pace for one of the best receiving years the NFL has ever seen with 501 yards this season, and on top of this he is only a rookie.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26 – New Orleans Saints 9
Baker Mayfield continued to impress on Sunday, as the Buccaneers defeated their division rivals for the third time straight. He did toss an interception late in the first half, but Saint’s fullback Adam Prentice fumbled the ball for his team on the first play, giving possession back to Tampa Bay. Otherwise, Mayfield played a solid game completing 25 of 32 attempts and three touchdown passes. New Orleans was plagued by another fumble, this time from quarterback Derek Carr late in the fourth quarter.
Carr tossed 127 yards and failed to throw a touchdown. Meanwhile the Saint’s last drive concluded with an interception tossed by quarterback Jameis Winston in his only pass attempt of the game. Saint’s kicker Blake Grupe completed the entirety of his team’s scoring, executing all three field goal attempts given. The Buccaneers maintain their winning record, while the Saints are now even as they head to New England in week five.
Washington Commanders 31 – Philadelphia Eagles 34 (OT)
In perhaps the most exciting game of the week, these division rivals went back and forth in a game that needed more than 60 minutes. Neither quarterback tossed an interception as the two sides were separated by just 50 yards, the Eagles earning 415 to Washington’s 365. Two rushing touchdowns came from Washington, while quarterback Sam Howell’s only touchdown pass of the game came with two seconds left to wide receiver Jahan Dotson.
Eagle’s quarterback Jalen Hurts tossed two passing touchdowns, both in the second half, and earned 319 yards. Wide receiver A.J. Brown shined for the Eagles, earning two touchdowns and averaging 19.4 yards across 9 receptions. Each team played its best game imaginable, but it ultimately came down to field goal attempts. Washington kicker Joey Slye only received one opportunity to kick, while Eagle’s kicker Jake Elliot knocked back all four attempts given.
Elliot’s winning field goal was 54 yards and with four minutes remaining in overtime, keeping his team undefeated. Washington will have a chance to redeem a winning record in week five as they return home to face the Bears.
Cincinnati Bengals 3 – Tennessee Titans 27
Bengal’s quarterback Joe Burrow has only tossed two touchdowns this season, and failed to do so for the third game this season against Tennessee on Sunday. The game was even after one quarter, as each team was on the board with a field goal. However, Cincinnati’s scoring for the evening would end with this as they failed to reach the end zone.
Meanwhile, Titan’s quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry both tossed touchdown passes for their team. Henry also earned a rushing touchdown and 122 yards. A Burrow fumble late in the third quarter seemed to summarize the game for the Bengals, while Tannehill tossed a negligible interception in the fourth quarter. High hopes continue to fall for the Bengals, as they face a chance of redemption against Arizona in week five.
Las Vegas Raiders 17 – Los Angeles Chargers 24
After losing their first two games of the season, the Chargers have brought their record back in shape, while the Raiders have yet to win since week one. After a tie game at the conclusion of one quarter, the Chargers scored the rest of their points in the second half. Quarterback Justin Herbert played a great first half, tossing a touchdown while earning two rushing touchdowns. Charger’s kicker Cameron Dicker also completed his only field goal given, awarding Los Angeles a 24-7 lead at halftime.
With quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in concussion protocol, the Raiders started backup Aidan O’Connel, who looked good early, scoring a rushing touchdown in the first quarter. Although despite the quick start, he tossed an interception on the team’s final drive, and fumbled the ball twice in the second quarter. After the O’Connel interception the Chargers had to kill just two and a half minutes to hold on and snag the victory heading into their bye week.
New England Patriots 3 – Dallas Cowboys 38
Patriots coach Bill Belichick faced his biggest loss ever as the team’s coach in their loss against the Cowboys on Sunday. New England’s opening drive concluded with a successful field goal by kicker Chad Ryland, tying the game at three early on. However, the home team dominated from this point forward allowing their opponent to earn just 10 first downs and 53 rushing yards. Patriots quarterback Mac Jones tossed 150 yards, but failed to find the end zone and threw two interceptions, the first of which was returned 54 yards by the Cowboys for a touchdown.
Ryland missed a field goal on the Patriots final drive of the game, while Cowboy’s kicker Brandon Aubrey scored all three field goal attempts taken. Cowboy’s quarterback Dak Prescott continued to impress, completing 28 of 34 attempts and a touchdown. They face an undefeated 49ers team in week five.
Arizona Cardinals 16 – San Francisco 49ers 35
The train continued to roll for the 49ers, as they remained undefeated this season against the Cardinals on Sunday, while quarterback Brock Purdy is now 9-0. Purdy was unstoppable, having a near 100% completion rate throughout his 21 passes. He only failed to find his receiver on one attempt and tossed a touchdown in the process. Powerhouse Christian McCaffrey scored three touchdowns as the running back leads the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. Finally, wide receiver Brandon Ayuk carried the ball 148 yards across just six receptions.
Meanwhile, Cardinal’s quarterback Joshua Dobbs played a solid game, earning two touchdowns and 265 yards. The team’s kicker Matt Prater also made the only field goal attempt taken throughout the game. However, between the 49er’s rushing yards and Purdy’s accuracy, there was no chance of victory in sight for Arizona.
Kansas City Chiefs 23 – New York Jets 20
After taking a 17 point lead in the first quarter, the Chiefs seemed to have a victory in the bag early on. However, momentum began to swing as Chief’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw two interceptions in the second quarter. The Jets rendered the Chiefs to just two more field goals throughout the game, both from kicker Harrison Butker who finished the game with three. New York turned on the jets in the second quarter, earning a safety, a field goal, and a touchdown.
Jet’s quarterback Zach Wilson finished the game with two touchdowns and 245 yards, but they amassed just 108 rushing yards, hurting their offense. The Chiefs held the ball for the final seven minutes of the game, concluding with a Mahomes kneel at the Jets three yard line. Instead of scoring, he made the bold move of running out the clock and securing a third straight victory for the Chiefs.
Monday Night Football
Seattle Seahawks 24 – New York Giants 3
Despite completing 27 of 34 pass attempts, Giant’s quarterback Daniel Jones tossed two interceptions, and fumbled the ball leading to the Seahawks first scoring drive. From there Seattle held control throughout the game, earning a touchdown in the first three quarters and a field goal in the final frame. Giant’s kicker Graham Gano executed the only field goal opportunity he was given, but despite earning more first downs than their opponent he was the only scorer for the Giants.
Seahawk’s running back Kenneth Walker III was the player of the night, earning 79 rushing yards and a touchdown as his side has now won six of the last seven meetings between these teams. The Giants will have a tough time continuing to prove themselves in week five against an impassioned Dolphins team.
