“Overrated” Baker Mayfield passed for 342 yards in Cleveland’s win. Tom Brady struggled in Buffalo, but the Patriots’ defense rose to the occasion (again). And the Bucs — yes, the Bucs! — beat the Rams in LA in a wild one. Here’s Yardbarker’s Week 4 whip-around. 1 of 16
NEW ORLEANS 12, DALLAS 10
“Overrated” Baker Mayfield passed for 342 yards in Cleveland’s win. Tom Brady struggled in Buffalo, but the Patriots’ defense rose to the occasion (again). And the Bucs — yes, the Bucs! — beat the Rams in LA in a wild one. Here’s Yardbarker’s Week 4 whip-around. 1 of 16
NEW ORLEANS 12, DALLAS 10
BUCS (2-2): Tampa Bay had to pour on the points to have any chance against the high-octane Rams. Jameis Winston rose to the challenge, throwing for 385 yards and four touchdowns. Most importantly, Winston limited turnovers. He threw a pick, one of only two turnovers he has had in the past three games. (He had three interceptions in Week 1.) It indicates that Bruce Arians just might work the magic with him that he did with Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh and with Andrew Luck in Indianapolis. Facing a third and goal with three and a half minutes left that might have iced the game, Winston checked down and settled for the field goal. Los Angeles had a chance to tie, but then Ndamukong Suh got revenge against his former team with a 37-yard fumble return to ice the win.GAME GRADE: A | NEXT GAME: at Saints (Sun.)
— Mike Tunison
RAMS (3-1): It would be easy to point to the Rams’ defense as the primary culprit in their loss, and it certainly bore a major share of the blame, giving up 48 of the Buccaneers’ 55 points. The real problem was that Los Angeles had no balance offensively. The Rams entered the game with the league’s seventh-best rushing attack, but they achieved those numbers against the 24th-strongest schedule of run defenses. Todd Gurley couldn’t get going against Tampa’s second-ranked rush defense, and the Rams finished with 28 yards on 11 carries. Part of that was a byproduct of Tampa jumping out to a 21-0 lead, but the end result — Jared Goff dropping back to pass 70 times and attempting 68 passes — was likely eye-opening for Sean McVay. This was an ugly loss for Los Angeles, one that might cost the Rams in the race for NFC playoff positioning. GAME GRADE: F | NEXT GAME: at Seahawks (Thur.)
— Chris Mueller 3 of 16
CLEVELAND 40, BALTIMORE 25
BROWNS (2-2): What do you think of Baker Mayfield now, Rex Ryan? Called overrated earlier in the week by the former NFL coach, Mayfield (342 yards passing) looked far more comfortable than he had in the season’s first three weeks. And that’s mostly without Odell Beckham (two catches, 20 yards), who was taken out of the game by Marlon Humphrey. Jarvis Landry, who apparently didn’t really concern Baltimore’s defense, stood out (eight catches, 167 yards) in this huge road win for Cleveland. What impressed me most was the Browns’ continual feeding of Nick Chubb (20 rushes, 165 yards, three touchdowns). Sheesh, he looked fast on his 88-yard touchdown run, the NFL’s longest rushing score this season. In a game the Browns absolutely had to get, this was a dominating offensive performance. And guess what? The Browns are in first in the AFC North. GAME GRADE: A | NEXT GAME: at 49ers (Mon., Oct. 7)
— Matt Williamson
RAVENS (2-2): With weaklings Miami and Arizona in the rear-view mirror, Baltimore has little room for error against a quality opponent. Kansas City waxed the Ravens’ defense in Week 3 with 503 total yards. The Browns did the waxing in Baltimore in Week 4, piling up 530 yards. According to my math, that’s 1,033 yards. Yikes, what’s happened to the vaunted Ravens defense? Even with Lamar Jackson’s emergence, Baltimore has little margin for error. Going into this game, the Ravens had zero turnovers. Against the Browns, they turned it over three times (two Jackson picks and a Mark Ingram fumble). GAME GRADE: C | NEXT GAME: at Steelers (Sun.)
— Matt Williamson 4 of 16
NEW ENGLAND 16, BUFFALO 10
PATRIOTS (4-0): Fans of other AFC contenders likely expressed frustration after the Patriots eked out a victory in the toughest assignment on their annually soft AFC East docket. Cheer up: The defending Super Bowl champions looked a few cuts below their recent form. Their running game missed reliable fullback James Develin, who is on IR. Sony Michel entered Week 4 averaging 2.4 yards per carry and was a non-factor in the second half, when the Patriots needed his one-dimensional skill set to keep the Bills’ offense off the field. Michel finished with 63 yards on 17 carries but has looked good off his 2018 form. After posting 336 rushing yards and six touchdowns in the playoffs, the 2018 first-round investment is struggling. The Patriots, who are without offensive line starters Isaiah Wynn and David Andrews, may soon begin to reduce the run downs-only back’s role. GAME GRADE: C | NEXT GAME: at Redskins (Sun.)
— Sam Robinson
BILLS (3-1): As could be expected with a young quarterback facing a thriving Patriots defense, the Bills’ offense struggled. But Week 4 showed Buffalo’s defense can be an anchor as Josh Allen develops (and hopefully recovers swiftly from a concussion). The Patriots forced four Bills turnovers and scored 16 points, producing their lowest total yardage figure (224) in 10 years in the process. The Bills cooled a Patriots attack that ripped through its first three opponents, with Tom Brady’s 18-for-39, 150-yard day being one of the ugliest in his career. With help from a balanced defensive line, Buffalo’s secondary won the battle against higher-profile players. Tre’Davious White’s cornerback crew limited Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman to 76 combined receiving yards. Brady finished with 3.8 yards per attempt – his lowest in his NFL-record 211 starts that ended in wins. The Bills’ pass defense lacks name recognition (for now) but is a weapon that should keep Buffalo in the AFC playoff picture. GAME GRADE: C | NEXT GAME: at Titans (Sun.)
— Sam Robinson 5 of 16
LA CHARGERS 30, MIAMI 10
CHARGERS (2-2): Injuries early in recent seasons have restricted the Chargers, but this year’s outfit might be dealing with the most health-related trouble. Fortunately, the Bolts are catching a key break that should help them stay in the AFC contention mix. They entered Week 4 without safeties Derwin James and Adrian Phillips, offensive tackle Russell Okung, wideouts Mike Williams and Travis Benjamin, tight end Hunter Henry and kicker Michael Badgley. They lost upper-echelon defensive end Melvin Ingram to a pulled hamstring Sunday. Fortunately, they played the Dolphins, limiting the damage. The Bolts crossed the Dolphins’ 40-yard line on every drive and did not punt, ending an eight-game losing streak in Miami (against Dolphins teams a bit more committed to winning). The Chargers’ next two games – home against the Broncos and Steelers, who are 0-7 between them – should allow them to stay afloat amid this latest health crisis. GAME GRADE: A-minus | NEXT GAME: vs. Broncos (Sun.)
— Sam Robinson
DOLPHINS (0-4): It is difficult to evaluate the Dolphins’ Josh Rosen strategy. They have three 2020 first-round picks and are near-certain to use one of them on a quarterback. The franchise’s league-worst roster also makes evaluation difficult. But the 2018 first-round pick of the Cardinals gave Miami a promising stretch in a home loss. Rosen’s first drive went 75 yards. He completed 4 of 4 passes – the last of which a 34-yard TD strike to Devante Parker. He marched the NFL’s worst offense into field-goal range three more times in the half. Miami still missed two field goals, and Kalen Ballage dropped a would-be touchdown, but it’s incremental progress. Miami, outscored 81-0 this season in the second half, gained just 36 yards in the third and fourth quarters. But Rosen going 12-for-16 for 169 yards before the break is encouraging. He could be a trade asset or stopgap starter. GAME GRADE: D + | NEXT GAME: vs. Redskins (Sun., Oct. 13)
— Sam Robinson 6 of 16
KANSAS CITY 34, DETROIT 30
CHIEFS (4-0): Patrick Mahomes’ aerial displays in his first 20 starts established a stupefying pace. In start No. 21, the Chiefs’ centerpiece showed his sneaky-dangerous secondary skill. Mahomes threw for 315 yards and no touchdowns. The high standards he has set can reasonably paint it as an unremarkable performance. The reigning MVP flipped the script in his first NFL dome game, rushing for a career-high 54 yards. Mahomes vexed the Lions with scrambles on the Chiefs’ final two touchdown drives, converting a third-and-6 with a seven-yard sideline scurry and then saving his team’s effort with a 15-yard sprint up the middle on a fourth-and-8. After both escapes, the Chiefs notched go-ahead scores. No player other than Mahomes in the top 25 of the season passing yards list has cleared 210 rushing yards in a season. He amassed 272 in 2018. This in-case-of-emergency skill adds to the challenge the NFL faces in containing Kansas City’s superstar. GAME GRADE: B + | NEXT GAME: vs. Colts (Sun.)
— Sam Robinson
LIONS (2-1-1): There was a ton to take away from this game: huge plays on both sides of the ball and Matthew Stafford playing great (21-for-34, 291 yards, three TDs), distributing the ball to nine different pass-catchers. But Jeez I was super-impressed with RB Kerryon Johnson (26 carries, 125 yards). It couldn’t be clearer that Johnson is the true lead back and the Lions’ offense runs through the 5-foot-11, 212-pound former Auburn star. Without question, this is the right move for the Lions, who too often in the past put too much pressure on Stafford’s passing and on their defense to produce. Finally with a legit lead back, the Lions (18th in rushing last season) are much more balanced. Detroit didn’t win, but kudos to Matt Patricia for feeding the ball to Johnson. GAME GRADE: A-minus | NEXT GAME: at Packers (Mon., Oct. 14)
— Matt Williamson 7 of 16
CAROLINA 16, HOUSTON 10
PANTHERS (2-2): In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, facing a third-and-7 deep in Carolina’s end, Kyle Allen connected with Christian McCaffrey in the flat. The back bobbled it a few times, caught it while stumbling, and slid for an incredible first down. The drive didn’t culminate in any points, but it ate up nearly six minutes and kept the Panthers from surrendering a short field. Carolina added another field goal in the fourth quarter to protect its one-score lead and evened its record with consecutive wins after starting 0-2. McCaffrey finished with 179 yards — 93 rushing and 86 receiving — and further solidified his push to become one of the top backs in the league.GAME GRADE: B – minus | NEXT GAME: vs. Jaguars (Sun.)
— Mike Tunison
TEXANS (2-2): Like many previous losses, the latest Texans defeat was defined by one word: sacks. Playing at home, Deshaun Watson was sacked six times, the last of which resulted in a fumble that was recovered by Carolina with just over four minutes left. The Panthers turned it into three points, and Houston, needing a touchdown, had virtually no chance. The offensive line usually gets most of the blame and it had its share of problems in this one, but Watson again held onto the ball too long and was the cause of some of his own issues, particularly a violent sack in the shadow of his own goalposts. Per Pro Football Focus, Houston’s pass-blocking grade coming into the game was 16th in the league. Bill O’Brien must figure how to find a happy medium between taking shots downfield and protecting his quarterback or Watson’s health, and Houston’s season, will be in peril. GAME GRADE: D | NEXT GAME: vs. Falcons (Sun.)
— Chris Mueller 8 of 16
OAKLAND 31, INDIANAPOLIS 24
RAIDERS (2-2): Criticized inhis second Oakland stint for personnel decisions, Jon Gruden found an offense-changing weapon during the Raiders’ woeful 2018 stretch run. Signed off the Ravens’ practice squad in late November, Darren Waller has gone from perpetual suspension risk into the NFL record book. The fifth-year tight end snared seven passes for 53 yards against the Colts. In doing so, the converted wide receiver moved his catch total to 33. That ties Antonio Gates for the most by a tight end in NFL history through four games. To put Waller’s stunning emergence into perspective, he never topped 26 catches in a season while at run-oriented Georgia Tech. Waller’s 33 grabs trail only Keenan Allen (34) and lead the tight end pack by five. On Sunday, Waller contributed third-down conversions on each of Oakland’s two first-quarter touchdown drives and threw the block that finished off Trevor Davis’ 60-yard score. GAME GRADE: A | NEXT GAME: vs. Bears (Sun.)
— Sam Robinson
COLTS (2-2): Indianapolis did just about everything right in the season’s first three weeks, save make its kicks. Against Oakland, it did nothing right. Indy was victimized by several drops, including three from tight end Eric Ebron. Coming into the game, Colts pass-catchers had only three drops, according to Pro Football Focus. While QB Jacoby Brissett is clearly improving, and much more capable than outsiders would have believed, he still needs his skill players to do their jobs, particularly in a game in which he was without T.Y. Hilton. Safety Malik Hooker’s absence was felt as well, as Oakland tight ends Darren Waller and Foster Moreau combined for 10 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. The tight end assignment doesn’t get any easier in Week 5, with a prime-time date with Travis Kelce and the Chiefs. GAME GRADE: D-minus | NEXT: at Kansas City (Sun.)
— Chris Mueller 9 of 16
NY GIANTS 24, WASHINGTON 3
REDSKINS (0-4): After weeks of questions, Case Keenum was dreadful enough (6-for-11, 37 yards, one pick) to give way to rookie Dwayne Haskins. Washington’s presumptive franchise quarterback of the future had a debut to forget, including a pick-six among three interceptions. He finished 9-for-17 for 107 yards. Haskins had a few flashes of ability, but there was little to excite any Washington fan in this game at New York. Interceptions went off receivers’ hands, long returns were called back by penalty. “Surely an 0-3 team can come back from the depths of 0-3 and put on a nine-, 10-game streak and win 10 of their last 13 games. It’s not that big of a deal, right?” Redskins coach Jay Gruden (35-48-1 in Washington) told the Washington Post earlier in the week. Now we wonder how long Daniel Snyder will stick with him. GAME GRADE: D-minus | NEXT GAME: vs. Patriots (Sun.)
— Mike Tunison
GIANTS (2-2): Rookie Daniel Jones (23-for-31, 225 yards, two picks) was bound to come back to earth somewhat in his second start and indeed he did, although the main concern was how the Giants would compensate for the loss of Saquon Barkley in the first game following his injury. Wayne Gallman stepped up to the plate with 118 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. It was fairly evenly split between rushing (63) and receiving yards (55), giving the Giants flexibility on offense in the month or so that Barkley will be out. In the meantime, New York continues to roll and not only is its season saved, but Big Blue might be a threat in December. Now who would have thought THAT after Week 2? GAME GRADE: A-minus | NEXT GAME: vs. Minnesota (Sun.)
— Mike Tunison 10 of 16
TENNESSEE 24, ATLANTA 10
TITANS (2-2): While the Texans and Colts were stubbing their collective toes at home against 1-2 opponents, Tennessee was handling business on the road in Atlanta. The win could best be described as a return on investment for general manager Jon Robinson. A.J. Brown and Corey Davis, after combining for 10 catches and 111 yards in Weeks 2 and 3 combined, teamed for eight catches, 185 yards and three touchdowns. Brown’s 55-yard catch and run to open the scoring was his first NFL touchdown, and a classic example of an elite skill player turning a ho-hum completion into a big play. Davis (fifth overall in the 2017 draft) and Brown (the 51st overall pick this year) represent an organizational effort to surround Marcus Mariota with high-caliber talent, and explosive games such as this are what the Titans’ brass envisioned. GAME GRADE: A | NEXT GAME: vs. Bills (Sun.)
— Chris Mueller
FALCONS (1-3): Desmond Trufant had a heck of a time with rookie A.J. Brown, who had two touchdowns in the first quarter. The Titans’ second-round pick had an amazing catch-and-run in which he eluded most of the Atlanta defense en route to a score. For the second, he hauled in a lofted throw over Trufant to put Tennessee up 14-7 at the half. The cornerback earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2015, and at the time seemed like an ascendant talent. He has been scattershot, at best, since and might never make the leap to shutdown corner. On the other end, Atlanta once again struggled to get its offense going, with Matt Ryan committing a critical fumble at the end of the first quarter. GAME GRADE: C-minus | NEXT GAME: at Texans (Sun.)
— Mike Tunison 11 of 16
CHICAGO 16, MINNESOTA 6
VIKINGS (2-2): It’s obvious Minnesota goes as its running game goes. With Dalvin Cook tearing it up, the Vikings are highly competitive. But when the Vikings run into a great defense such as Chicago’s, Kirk Cousins eventually has to make throws. Of course he is capable, but when Minnesota doesn’t have balance in its attack, its quarterback and work-in-progress offensive line are exposed. That makes Minnesota one of the most transparent teams in the league. In Week 4, Cook and Alexander Mattison combined for just 40 rushing yards. Even with Stefon Diggs (seven catches for 108 yards) thriving, the Vikings once again showed us what they truly are. GAME GRADE: C-minus | NEXT GAME: at Giants (Sun.)
— Matt Williamson
BEARS (3-1): Sometimes there’s such thing as a good injury. That’s a brutal thing to say about Mitch Trubisky, but Chicago’s offense is better without him in the lineup. Chase Daniel (22-for-30, 195 yards, 1 TD) took over early in the first quarter, when Trubisky was ruled out with a left shoulder injury. Daniel is never going to wow us. He won’t make difficult throws like Trubisky can. He won’t make big plays with his legs like Trubisky can. But he can play winning football with this supporting cast because he is smart and efficient. In a nasty defensive struggle, Daniel’s ball placement and decision making (especially compared to Trubisky’s) really stood out in a positive light.GAME GRADE: B + | NEXT GAME: at Raiders (Sun.)
— Matt Williamson
By: Yardbarker Staff
