NFL Week 4: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Patrick Mahomes is Houdini, DK Metcalf had to poop, and NFL refs' vendetta against the Lions and Saints continues.
In many ways, this was not a particularly pleasant week in the NFL. And I’m not even talking about Tua Tagovailoa’s injury, the neurotrauma consultant who was fired for his mistakes, and the changes that are coming to the NFL’s concussion protocol as a result. Or Myles Garrett’s car accident and injury from it. Or J.J. Watt going into atrial fibrillation and playing just days later.
I’m specifically referring to the unusual amount of sloppy football we witnessed on Sunday. Bad weather on the East Coast contributed to that trend, but the day seemed dominated all across the league by pick-sixes, fumbles, and (not coincidentally) backup quarterbacks.
Thankfully, there were a few bright moments as well. So let’s focus on both! Below, I will hand out kudos and boos to some of Week 4’s winners and losers.
Kudos to you
The Eagles are still unbeaten! The Raiders got in the win column! Congrats to both, but am I going to single them out in this section? Nah. Maybe next time!
The Bills, who finally won a one-score game
Coming into the week, the Bills were 15-9 dating back to Jan. 16, 2021. Seven of those losses had been decided by one score; none of the wins had, though.
At long last, that streak ended Sunday when Josh Allen and Co. escaped rainy Baltimore with a three-point victory. Those aren’t the only streaks that were broken either:
The Bills fell behind early, as if still hungover from their blunder-filled loss to the Dolphins a week ago. Then they came out in the second half and started playing like the Super Bowl favorites that they are.
And maybe they were helped, just a little bit, by the generosity of the officials:
Patrick Mahomes, that tricky Houdini
Last week during an uncharacteristically subpar performance, Patrick Mahomes was, again uncharacteristically, seen in a heated exchange with OC Eric Bieniemy. But both were all smiles on Sunday night, when Mahomes stunted all over the Bucs — and got a tiny bit of revenge to boot.
Two plays in particular were Mahomes specials, the kind of magic act that no one else could make happen, at least not without an assist from Winifred Sanderson’s book. Excuse me, I mean “booooooooook.”
The first came in the second quarter. On second-and-goal from the Tampa 2-yard line, Mahomes scrambled for nearly 40 yards (!) while being chased by defenders, executed a flawless 360-degree spin move, and then hit a smooth J to Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the touchdown:
The second was less athletically, yet more cerebrally impressive. Later in the second quarter, KC was back in the red zone. On third-and-goal, Mahomes motioned to Travis Kelce, faking out the entire defense and distracting them from Noah Gray, who moved under center and sneaked the ball across the line for a touchdown:
After a couple of duds to start the season, Sunday Night Football was much more entertaining to watch this week, thanks in large part to Mahomes’ showmanship.
Rookie quarterbacks, who got unexpectedly called into duty
Before Sunday, only one rookie QB had thrown a pass in an NFL game: Malik Willis, who saw a little late action in Week 2 during the Titans’ blowout loss to the Bills.
This week, two others from the 2022 draft class made their debut. First, Kenny Pickett replaced Mitchell Trubisky, who was benched for playing like, well, Mitchell Trubisky. Things started off ominously for Pickett — he threw a pick on his first pass of the game — but the Pitt grad gave the home crowd something to cheer about, for a while anyway. He followed that interception with rushing touchdowns on back-to-back drives, making a little NFL history in the process.
Unfortunately for Pickett and the Steelers, he followed that up with interceptions on back-to-back drives. The first opened the door for the Jets’ comeback win, while the second was a Hail Mary to end the game. Despite his inconsistent performance, Pickett provided the spark that Mike Tomlin was looking for and will hopefully be the Steelers’ starter going forward.
Later that afternoon, the Patriots had to turn to Bailey Zappe after backup Brian Hoyer (who was filling in for an injured Mac Jones) left with a head injury in the first quarter. Even though Lambeau Field is a tough venue for any player’s first ever appearance, Zappe acquitted himself well. In fact, the fourth-rounder became the first rookie QB to throw a touchdown pass this season.
The Patriots didn’t ask Zappe to do too much. He had 10 completions on 15 passes for 99 yards and the touchdown (and also lost a fumble), but that was enough to keep the underdog Pats competitive — they would go on to lose in OT.
Was it enough for Jones to get Wally Pipped by Zappe? Probably not … yet.
DK Metcalf, for being honest
I could have praised Geno Smith, who is out here setting completion percentage records. I could have praised Pete Carroll, for making this Seahawks offense more fun in the wake of Russell Wilson’s exit.
Instead, I’d like to give it up for DK Metcalf. Not for his highly productive game against the Lions (seven catches for 149 yards). But for admitting that yes, he had to poop and no, he couldn’t make the long trek across Ford Field without a ride:
They’re saying boo, not boo-urns
If DK Metcalf had a literally poopy day on Sunday, others had a metaphorically poopy one.
The refs, who still hate the Saints and Lions
As it turns out, the refs on the other side of the Atlantic don’t like the Saints any more than they do in the US. The Saints, led by backup Andy Dalton and missing several key starters, were clinging to a three-point lead against the Vikings on Sunday morning.
Kirk Cousins engineered a touchdown drive in the middle of the fourth quarter to give Minnesota the lead back, though the Vikes were helped along the way by two questionable penalties. First, Tyrann Mathieu was flagged for illegal use of hands, turning what would’ve been fourth-and-10 into a fresh set of downs.
Three plays later on another third down, Adam Thielen grabbed Marshon Lattimore’s helmet and the latter was the one who was called for PI:
That moved the ball from the 44-yard line to the 3-yard line, and the Vikings took the lead right after. They would go on to win by three.
The refs weren’t the reason the Saints lost, but they did kinda screw them over.
The same thing happened to the Lions. Facing an eight-point deficit in the third quarter, Detroit forced an incomplete pass on third-and-16. The Seahawks would have to punt, right?
Wrong:
On the second attempt of third-and-16, Rashaad Penny broke free for a long touchdown.
The Lions, like the Saints, fell by three points.
John Harbaugh, who lost a little love
The Ravens had a chance to take a late lead against the Bills, potentially salvaging another blown lead. On fourth-and-goal of a 14-play, 93-yard drive, John Harbaugh decided to go for it rather than kick a field goal. But Lamar Jackson threw a pick in the end zone, and the Bills drove down for a game-winning field goal.
At the time, I thought the Ravens should have kicked the field goal with their all-word kicker, Justin Tucker. Harbaugh’s explanation afterward was reasonable, though, so I understand why he thought going for it would give the Ravens their best chance to win. The problem, as it was last season when the Ravens failed on two potential game-winning two-point conversions, was the playcall (and execution).
This was doomed from the start:
I wouldn’t be surprised if some Baltimore fans were, like Marcus Peters, feeling a little salty toward Harbaugh after this one.
Trevor Lawrence, who couldn’t hold on to the ball
Poor Trevor Lawrence. He had put together the best stretch of his young career coming into Week 4. The Eagles were even on upset watch against the feisty Jags. However, Lawrence left Philadelphia looking like Urban Meyer was still his coach:
Lawrence’s first three fumbles all led to Eagles touchdowns. His fourth came with under two minutes to go and the Jaguars trailing by eight points. His turnover essentially ended the game and any hope of an upset.
Baker Mayfield, who still doesn’t get it
The Panthers took a 10-3 lead into halftime against the Cardinals, with the only touchdown courtesy of a pick-six. That lead quickly evaporated and it wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter, when the Cards were comfortably ahead, that the Carolina offense finally scored a touchdown.
Before that, their offensive drives were as follows: four punts, two turnovers on downs, two Baker Mayfield interceptions, one Mayfield fumble, and a field goal.
Panthers fans got fed up and booed Mayfield on the drive before the touchdown. He heard the boos and his response was, uh, not very self-aware considering his team lost 26-16:
The QB situation has gotten so dire that the Panthers could end up turning back to Sam Darnold. At this point, is he a better or worse option than Mayfield? I honestly don’t know.