Week 4 has already begun, with the Cowboys’ win at the Meadowlands over the Giants. It was a much-needed win for the Cowboys and an ill-advised loss for the Giants.
There are a few takeaways from the game.
Malik Nabers is going to be a bonafide star in this league. Daniel Jones is just not a good enough quarterback. With that said, Jones did find him 12 times for 115 yards. Nabers already has 35 catches for the season for 386 YDs and three TDs. He’s already on track to be a top-five WR on next year’s draft boards. Just imagine if Nabers had Patrick Mahomes getting him the ball.
Despite the win, the Cowboys still have something wrong with them. The most obvious areas to focus on are the running game, offense, and defense. It’s just not good enough to keep defenses in the box. It allows opposing defenses to peel off their safeties and put more pressure on their receivers.
On Thursday, they only had 80 yards on the ground, led by Rico Dowdle’s 46 yards on 11 carries. For the year, they are only averaging 75 yards per game while giving up 145 yards per game. Also, they are giving up more points (26.5) than they are scoring (24).
Thank God for the kicker. Brandon Aubrey did miss a FG on Thursday, but he made two of three, with one being 60 YDs. He is a bonafide weapon. He’s already made 12 FGs, and his miss on Thursday was his first this year. He’s 6/7 with FGs over 50 YDs and has two at least 60 YDs, with a long of 65 YDs. He may be the biggest reason the Cowboys can stay in the playoff hunt this year. So often, games are decided by a field goal, and it helps to have a guy who can kick the ball anywhere on the field.
INJURY REPORT:
These injuries could all potentially affect your fantasy team’s results this week. There are 19 names on this list, all either questionable or out, with nine who are OUT. This list doesn’t include Tua Tagovailoa or Christian McCaffrey.
OUT:
Los Angeles Rams-WR Cooper Kupp: Kupp still has an ankle injury. The Rams will still have a puncher’s chance against the Bears, heading to Chicago.
Jacksonville Jaguars-TE Evan Engram: Engram was always a nice, big, and reliable target for Trevor Lawrence. And at 0-3, he needs all the help he can get. Lawrence may also be without Gabe Davis, who is listed as questionable. Losing just Engram will be tough, losing them both will almost be insurmountable considering their problems on offense.
Houston Texans-WR Tank Dell: The injury bug has hit the Texans early. It will be a good test to see how they can respond. This may open things up for CJ Stroud to get the ball to Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.
Houston Texans-RB Dameon Pierce: The running game is more of a concern for the Texans. Not only is Pierce out, but Joe Mixon is questionable.
Philadelphia Eagles-WR, Devonta Smith: Smith is out, and AJ Brown is questionable because of a hamstring injury. This will become a big game for TE Dallas Goedert and RB Saquon Barkley. Goedert led the team last week with 10 catches for 170 yards, and Barkley had a monster game, rushing for 147 yards and two TDs.
Arizona Cardinals-TE Trey McBride: A QB’s best friend can have a solid TE. McBride is a legitimate top-five TE in the league. He’s out with a concussion, and it’s unfortunate for the Cardinals because they are matching up with the Commanders, who scored 38 points against the Bengals. Their only hope may be a letdown game for Jayden Daniels.
Washington Commanders-RB, Austin Ekeler: The Commanders find themselves down a star player as well, losing the services of the all-purpose back. All of a sudden it seems like the Commanders have an overabundance of weapons on offense, so they may be able to overcome his loss. Look for Brian Robinson’s workload and stat line to increase.
Las Vegas Raiders-WR Devonte Adams: The Raiders are one of the worst teams in the league. Not having the services of Adams will not help matters, and fellow WR Jacobi Meyers has had a slow start to the year. He’ll have to snap out of it for Vegas to have any shot.
Las Vegas Raiders-TE Michael Mayer: He is listed as out for personal matters. Personal matters should remain personal, and I hope that whatever is forcing him to miss the game can resolve itself with a good result. His loss should open things up for rookie TE Brock Bowers.
Here is a list of players who were limited this week and listed as questionable:
Green Bay Packers-QB Jordan Love: Winning without Love may allow them to keep him on the bench, but even though they are playing with house money, getting him back sooner rather than later should be the goal.
New Orleans Saints-RB Alvin Kamara: Kamara is the heart and soul of the Saints. Anytime he’s not on the field, he weakens them.
Chicago Bears-WR Keenan Allen: Rookie QB Caleb Williams needs all the help he can get. He hardly gets the time to go through his progressions, though, so having him on the field may not help unless he’s the first look.
Carolina Panthers-WR Diontae Johnson: With or without Johnson, it will be interesting to see if the Andy Dalton experiment was a fluke, a one-hit wonder, or something the team can build on.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers-RB Bucky Irving: Irving is the rookie RB to watch this year. He’s been amazing and has helped Tampa’s offense. He’s averaging just under 10 rushes per game, with a solid 6.2yd average. And he’s been the perfect compliment to Rachaad White.
San Fransisco 49ers-WR Deebo Samuel: The team does not necessarily need Samuel in this matchup against the Patriots, but suddenly, the Niners are 1-2, and they cannot afford to blow this game against a tomato-can opponent. If he can go, he needs to play. Kyle Shanahan cannot afford to take any chances.
Los Angeles Chargers, QB Justin Herbert: Ankle injuries have a way of lingering. Herbert had a problem going into last week’s game against Pittsburgh and was forced to leave early. It may be wise to sit him, especially against the Chiefs, although they are at home, and it is a divisional matchup.
Speaking of matchups, here are a handful of intriguing games this week:
Bengals at Panthers: This game is intriguing on both sidelines. The Bengals desperately need a win, sitting at 0-3. And the Panthers are coming off a signature win after benching Bryce Young…something’s gotta give.
Vikings at Packers: This could be an NFC Championship preview. This has huge ramifications regarding the division and NFC seeding. Can the Vikings start the year 4-0 behind Sam Darnold?
Bills at Ravens: Even though the Ravens won their game last week against the Cowboys, they are sitting at 1-2, and it doesn’t get any easier for them this week. The Bills are at the top of many power rankings and are clicking on all cylinders. It’s tough to see the Ravens start the year 1-3, but what a brutal schedule they’ve had. They’ve played KC and Dallas on the road in their four games and are now home against the Bills.
Seahawks at Lions: This, like the Vikings/Packers tilt, could be an early NFC Championship preview. Although this game doesn’t have divisional implications, it will be interesting to see if the Lions can bounce back from their last home game. I can’t see them losing two in a row at home, and I can’t see the Seahawks being a 4-0 team…all signs lead to a Lions win here.
Commanders at Cardinals: This is the Kliff Kingsbury revenge game, as the Commanders head to Arizona. Kingsbury is the Commanders’ OC, and he’s coming off a brilliant game plan against the Bengals.
Patriots at 49ers: This game is only intriguing in that it may very well be the last for Jacoby Brissett as the Patriots starter. The team is 1-2 and 10pt underdogs heading to San Fransisco. The team has been awful on offense, but Brissett was a decent game manager in the first two games. He won at Cincinnati and took the 3-0 Seahawks to OT. The last game against the Jets began the Drake Maye chatter. And that chatter grew louder after seeing what Jayden Daniels did last week. A bad game will surely see Maye getting his first start in week five at home against the Dolphins.
Heading into wk.4 there are still five undefeated teams in the NFL. The Vikings, Steelers, Chiefs, Bills, and Seahawks are all sitting at 3-0. Ironically, all five teams are facing road matchups this week. It is unlikely all five will win, it is also unlikely all five will lose. By week’s end, some of these teams will be 4-0…but which one’s.
At this time of year, we begin to hear stories about the 1972 Dolphins and their undefeated season. When 4-0, becomes 5-0, and then 6-0, and beyond, we hear about the surviving Dolphins popping champagne upon the loss of that remaining undefeated team.
In looking at this week’s matchups, there is a chance there will only be one team standing…and it’s not the team you think. The Vikings are heading to Green Bay to face the Packers. The Steelers are going to Indianapolis. The Chiefs are playing the Chargers. The Bills are going to Baltimore. And Seattle faces the Lions, in Detroit on Monday night.
The logical choice is to say Kansas City will definitely remain undefeated, and they probably will…but, they haven’t played great despite their 3-0 record. And some would say that each game has been aided by advantageous calls by the refs. They are facing off against a divisional opponent on the road, versus a team coming off of a loss. They could very well leave Sofi Stadium with a loss.
The Vikings have been the story of the season, starting off 3-0 with Sam Darnold as their QB. With that said, they too have a divisional game on the road. Going to Lambeau Field is never easy. And every divisional matchup will be pivotal because aside from each other, these two teams have to contend with the Lions…every win matters. Especially if Jordan Love is back, it is not a stretch to think Minnesota will get their first loss of the year.
The Ravens looked like themselves against the Cowboys last week. And they almost beat Kansas City in wk.1 on the road. This was better than an 0-2 team, and they are better than a 1-2 team. Iot’s hard to think they will begin the season 1-3. Clawing back to 2-2 will keep them in the race for the division. It would not be surprise to see the Ravens give the Bills their first loss of the year.
The Lions lost their last home game, due to boneheaded clock management by HC Dan Campbell. If not for that, this would be a matchup of two 3-0 teams. Truth be told, the 30 record of the Seahawks is a bit of a mirage. They defeated the clueless Patriots, the nearly clueless Broncos, and the Tua Tagovailoa-less Dolphins. This may be a blowout win for the Lions.
And that leaves the Steelers. Out of all of these five games, the matchup against the Colts is by far the easiest opponent any of these undefeated teams will face this week. The Colts nearly lost against the hapless Bears. QB Anthony Richardson looked terrible. The Steelers defense is legitimately one of the best in the league, and it is difficult to see where the Colts will score their points. QB Justin Fields has been legitimate, and his play has been good enough to keep Russell Wilson on the bench. Look for the Steelers to prevail this week and go to 4-0. And when the smoke clears Monday night, they may find themselves as the only remaining undefeated team left.
The 1972 Dolphins will have to keep the champagne on ice for at least one more week.