Week 4 NFL Outrights
by Tyler Doty | by Tyler Doty
Week 4 NFL Highlights
With three weeks in the books, we’ve now got some ideas of what the identity is of each NFL team going forward. Some remain a bit of an enigma (the Raiders an obvious example after their disastrous showing against Carolina) and others are still holding onto hope (even with an 0-3 start, Cincinnati’s favorable schedule says that it has a 35% chance to make the playoffs anyway), but for the most part, we know a little bit about what each team will probably look like.
So that makes it a little easier to target which games are really worth your time in Week 4. While the first three weeks were kind of a feeling-out process, now we have a real sense of which games are going to matter. Here’s a look at the highlights for NFL Week 4.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts
Don’t look now, but the Steelers might have found their long-term answer at quarterback. When Pittsburgh traded for both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, the assumption was that Wilson would be the guy in the Steel City and Fields might be either a long-term play or a bridge option after Kenny Pickett didn’t work out.
But Fields has seized his moment and hasn’t let it go. Pittsburgh is now 3-0 and looks like it could be one of the leaders in the AFC North. With the Ravens, Browns and Bengals all stumbling out of the gate, the Steelers have a real chance to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division. Pittsburgh won’t play a division opponent at all until Week 11, but the Steelers could essentially make those games meaningless if they continue their hot start.
Indianapolis finally got a win and moved to second place in the AFC South, but it wasn’t a win the Colts could feel good about. Indy’s biggest issue is that Anthony Richardson offers too high of a variance in his performance. When he’s playing well, the Colts can move the ball on anyone and score on anyone. When he struggles, he’s capable of losing the game on his own. Look for Pittsburgh to focus its efforts on Jonathan Taylor and dare Richardson to win the game himself.
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
So just as everyone thought, with Jordan Love on the bench, Green Bay has gone 2-0. The Packers took advantage of some self-destruction on the part of the Titans (again) and a sharp outing from Malik Willis, and they’ve kept pace with Minnesota and Detroit to this point.
But this could be where the Vikings really upset the apple cart. Minnesota has looked excellent through three weeks, but the Vikings haven’t yet done it against anyone in the division. Over the next four weeks, Minnesota will see both Green Bay and Detroit, which could prove a problem.
This week, however, presents a bigger problem to the Packers. Green Bay has a real issue in that it’s been built on running the ball without Love on the field. Minnesota hasn’t let anyone run against it this year, ranking second in the NFL in run defense. If the Packers can move the ball on the ground, they’re in good shape. If they can’t, the Vikings should win in Wisconsin for the second straight year.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
Wait a minute, what’s this game doing here? Well, it’s kind of a last chance for Jacksonville. Both teams got punched in the mouth hard last week, losing their Week 3 games by a combined 81-17. But more importantly, the Texans have a chance to really give themselves a leg up in the AFC South. Even though Houston got pushed around in Minnesota, the Texans are still the only team in this division above .500. They’ve also already won at Indianapolis and Tennessee looks like a wreck, so a win here would confirm the Texans as the division’s class.
The Jaguars have looked just awful since the second half of Week 1. However, they do tend to play well in Houston. Jacksonville has lost six in a row at home to Houston, but the Jaguars won 24-21 last year in Texas and have won two straight in Houston. If they’re going to salvage anything from this season, they must make it three in a row here.
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
New Orleans might be one of the bigger enigmas in the NFL at the moment. On one hand, the Saints nearly stole one against Philadelphia last week, despite getting outgained 460 to 219. On the other, the Saints had a five-point lead with two minutes left and couldn’t hold it.
New Orleans is at its best when it can move the ball on the ground, which gives it an edge on the Falcons. Atlanta hasn’t proven particularly adept at stopping anything on the ground, giving up 150.3 yards per game on the run.
However, Kirk Cousins is starting to grasp the offense, and the Falcons went toe-to-toe with Kansas City before coming up short. Atlanta has done far too much losing at home since opening Mercedes-Benz Stadium; New Orleans is 5-2 all-time in the current stadium. Atlanta finally broke the streak last year with a 24-15 win, and a win here is critical if the Falcons are going to live up to initial preseason expectations.
