Only two undefeated teams remain (both in the NFC), but nonetheless, there were many teams and players that impressed. Here’s the rundown of the best of the best for Week 4.
David Montgomery
Thursday’s Packers-Lions game once again saw a running back go off. This time it was David Montgomery, back from an injury to rush for 121 yards and three touchdowns. Thanks in part to Montgomery’s performance, the Lions are first place in the NFC North, sitting at 3-1.
Josh Allen (Jaguars)
The Jaguars in London has become an annual tradition, and this year’s edition was nothing short of triumphant. Thanks to a 3-sack performance by pass rusher Josh Allen, the Jaguars defense held the Falcons’ offense to seven points in a 23-7 victory.
Josh Allen (Bills)
The Bills-Dolphins game was expected to be a straight shootout. It was for a time, but then it got out of hand. Part of the reason was QB Josh Allen of Buffalo, who passed for four touchdowns (three went to Stefon Diggs) and only threw four incompletions. Now the Bills are 3-1, after handily knocking down the last unbeaten team in the AFC.
Russell Wilson
Vintage Russell Wilson finally turned up in a Denver uniform. After going down 28-7, the Broncos mounted a huge comeback, led by Wilson, who passed for two second-half touchdowns and led the drive that produced the game-winning field goal. Shoutout to Nik Bonitto, who posted 2.5 sacks and forced the fumble that was returned for the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Derrick Henry
Also showing his vintage self early Sunday afternoon was Derrick Henry. Henry broke off a long touchdown run and then passed for a touchdown in the Titans 27-3 rout of the falling Bengals, who now sit bottom of their ultra-competitive division.
Mark Andrews
The Ravens took advantage of a Deshaun Watson-less Browns team and hammered them 28-3. Two of the touchdowns were passes from Lamar Jackson to Mark Andrews, who totaled 80 yards on five catches.
Puka Nacua
I was ready to shout out Kyren Williams for his two-touchdown performance, but Puka Nacua continuing to make history must not be overshadowed. The 177th pick in the most recent draft has caught 39 passes in his first four games, an NFL record. This included 9 catches for 163 yards and the game-winning touchdown in overtime for the Rams, who held off a resilient Colts team 29-23.
Baker Mayfield
Once again, Baker Mayfield looked like a top QB in the NFL. He went into the Superdome, one of the most difficult and loudest stadiums in the NFL, and thrashed the Saints’ defense for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns, helping Tampa Bay win 26-9 and improve to 3-1.
AJ Brown
The Eagles’ defense of their NFC title has looked shaky at times, but they always seem to come up with the big plays when needed. Brown showed off his typical reliability with his second consecutive 100-yard game this season. This time, he went for 175 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches and helped Philly move to 4-0 with an overtime victory over a surprisingly competitive Washington Commanders squad.
Harrison Smith
The Vikings finally got their first win of the season thanks to a stellar defensive performance. They were led by Harrison Smith, who totaled 14 tackles and 3 sacks from safety, and captaining a Minnesota defense that gave up a season-low 13 points on the road.
CJ Stroud
Face it: you underestimated what the Texans could do, even with CJ Stroud leading the way. Stroud has looked insane in these past three games, and still has yet to throw an interception. Against Pittsburgh, he passed for 306 yards and two touchdowns, both to Nico Collins, and he has lead the Texans on their first winning streak in a long time.
Khalil Mack
Prior to the Chargers game, only four players had recorded six sacks or more in a single game since sacks first began being recorded in 1982. First was Fred Dean in 1983. Second, the late great Derrick Thomas was the only player to do it twice, in 1990 and 1998. Third was Giants legend Osi Umenyiora in 2007. Fourth was Adrian Clayborn, who did it with Atlanta in 2017. Khalil Mack added himself to that list on Sunday, sacking Raiders backup QB Aidan O’Connell six times and helping the Chargers move to 2-2 on the season.
The Cowboys defense
A few years ago, the Cowboys defense was being memed for their leakiness. Now, they are for real. Against New England, the Dallas D held the Patriots’ offense to 3 points and scored two touchdowns, one on a fumble return by Leighton Vander Esch and the other on a pick-six by Daron Bland (who was lockdown all game). Defensive end Chauncey Golston scored two points on a fake extra point attempt. Basically, the Cowboys defense outscored the Patriots’ offense by more than ten points. Wild.
Christian McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey has been nothing short of spectacular for San Francisco. This game proved as such. McCaffrey scored four touchdowns by himself in the 49ers’ 35-16 win over Arizona (one in the air, three on the ground).
Isiah Pacheco
Sunday night was Isiah Pacheco’s night. In a game overshadowed by referee controversies, Pacheco went off for 158 total yards (115 rushing, 43 receiving), including a long rushing touchdown in the first quarter that helped build a 17-0 Chiefs lead. This helped Kansas City ultimately hold off a surprisingly good Jets team.
Seattle’s Defense
The Seahawks may have just found their reincarnation of the Legion of Boom. Ten years after winning the Super Bowl at MetLife, they went and slaughtered the Giants 24-3 thanks to a lights out defense. The team posted 11 sacks, with two coming from rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who became the first Seahawk to notch two sacks and a pick six in the same game. Oh yeah, they forced three turnovers in total as well.
