The Athletic NFL Staff
Recapping Week 4 in the NFL
Welcome to The Athletic's live experience covering all things Week 4 in the NFL.
In the early window on Sunday, the Vikings moved to 4-0, the Colts handed the Steelers their first loss of the year, the Texans held on to defeat the Jaguars, the Bengals are on the board with a win over the Panthers, the Broncos shocked the Jets in rainy New Jersey and more.
In the late window, Jayden Daniels put on a show again for the Commanders, the 49ers bested the Patriots, the Chiefs are 4-0 and Raiders bounced back against the Browns.
Stay tuned here for coverage, news, updates, stats, highlights and more from our NFL writers.
Required reading
- Week 4 scores and stats
- "Sunday Night Football" live blog
- "Monday Night Football" live blog
Streaming NFL games: Fubo (try for free)
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Calvin Johnson to be inducted in Lions ring of honor
The Detroit Lions are inducting Calvin Johnson into their ring of honor on Monday night. In the Lions’ locker room, Calvin Johnson remains larger than life.
Read more here.
- "Monday Night Football" live blog
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49ers minutia minute: From Malik Mustapha to Evan Anderson, rookies played big role in win
The newest 49ers minutia looks at the big role played by rookies in Sunday's win over the Patriots. Seven different rookies combined for 181 snaps on offense and defense in Sunday's win over the New England Patriots.
Read more here.
2025 NFL Draft QB Tracker: Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado — stats through five starts: 1,630 yards, 14 TDs, 3 INTs, 70.1 percent completions, 8.3 YPA
It’s been a bit of a roller coaster for Sanders, who has seen a slight increase in air yards/attempt (7.9 in 2023, 8.3 in 2024) and a decrease in accuracy (7.7 percent off-target throws in 2023, 9.1 percent in 2024). Those aren’t alarming shifts, though. Sanders’ lack of downfield attempts between the numbers remains a concern, but there have been improvements in other areas that are tough to ignore.
Though Sanders is still being pressured a ton (35.2 percent of his dropbacks), his efficiency against said pressure has been much better than it was last year — a year ago, Sanders’ EPA/pressured dropback was at -.28; right now, it’s .02.
Sanders’ percentage of completions of 20-plus yards is up (13.4 in 2023, 17.4 in 2024), as is his accuracy beyond 30 yards (43.3 percent in 2023, 46.6 percent in 2024). His footwork and general pocket presence have shown improvement, too, even if his penchant for breaking off concept and just chucking the ball in Travis Hunter’s direction remains a little worrisome. That’s how UCF picked him off Saturday.
Sanders needs to be more consistent from a stable pocket, both with his feet and processing, and he still attempts too many horizontal and backward escape acts when underneath routes are open. But his arm talent and confidence in the vertical-passing game remain undeniable.
Read more here on other 2025 NFL Draft QB prospects.
Caleb Williams puts together complete game for Chicago Bears
Rookie QB Caleb Williams put together his best overall game in a much-needed Bears win over the Rams on Sunday. It wasn't prolific, and it had a bumpy start, but Willams did more than enough as the Bears finally got into a rhythm.
Read more here.
Ranking the Cowboys’ position groups after 4 games
2. Quarterback
Many will look at this and say Dak Prescott hasn’t played nearly as well as he did last season. And they would be correct. But this just lets you know how unimpressive the rest of the team has performed through four games. Prescott had his best game Thursday night against the New York Giants, completing 22 of 27 passes with two touchdowns, no turnovers and a 125.5 passer rating. His play appears headed in the right direction. As long as Prescott stays healthy, quarterback will be one of the team’s highest-rated positions.
What do the rest of the rankings look like? Read more here.
Raiders respond to Antonio Pierce's challenge
The Raiders responded to Antonio Pierce's challenge by delivering a needed win after a "trying week." Pierce apologized for his "business decision" comments directed at Raiders players last week: “I don’t want to be a distraction.”
Read more here.
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4-0 Chiefs survive again
The Chiefs held the Chargers scoreless after the first quarter. Without Rashee Rice, the offense was able to generate just enough points. But while tthe Chiefs survived another close game to stay undefeated, but the margin gets slimmer with Rice's out.
Bills searching for new recipe after loss to Ravens
The Bills were riding high until everything came down with a thud Sunday night. Read more here on how the Bills’ ‘everybody eats’ formula goes rotten, leaving Buffalo searching for new recipe.
- "Sunday Night Football" live blog
Derrick Henry, Ravens set tone early on Sunday night
The Ravens found their offensive identity by leaning on Derrick Henry and the rushing attack after getting off to a slow start this season. Baltimore started 0-2 but now has back-to-back win over the Cowboys and Bills.
Read more here.
- "Sunday Night Football" live blog
The Jayden Daniels Show continues
The Commanders are feeling good about themselves after winning three straight as their rookie QB Jayden Daniels continues to put on a show. The prized rookie QB was again efficient and sharp in a lopsided win over the Cardinals as Washington improved to 3-1 on the season.
Read more here.
The Athletic NFL Staff
NFL Week 4 recap: Ravens upend Bills, Washington's surge continues, Vikings keep rolling and more
Ravens-Bills wasn't quite the close contest we were hoping for, but it still gave us plenty to discuss about two teams that are likely among the best in the league. That's where Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen begin the Week 4 recap episode of The Athletic Football Show.
The guys also discuss the surging Washington football team, the 4-0 Vikings, troubles for the Jets and Eagles, a silly little game between the Falcons and Saints, and a whole lot more.
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Bills' tough night in Baltimore
Buffalo briefly battled back against the Ravens before faltering again. A disastrous trick play and defensive flaws sunk Buffalo on "Sunday Night Football." Read more from the loss here.
- "Sunday Night Football" live blog
Geno Smith is knocking on the door of stardom
It seems few outside of Seattle have noticed how well Geno Smith is playing. Can he change that Monday night against the Lions? Seattle's quarterback has a chance to shake the underrated label on 'Monday Night Football' vs. the Lions.
Read more here.
Short-handed Chargers fall to Chiefs in predictable fashion
It was an all-too-predictable finish for the shorthanded Chargers in a valiant effort against the Chiefs. Game-management issues by Jim Harbaugh prevented a potential extra Chargers possession: "I wish I could have done better for our guys.”
Read more here.
Can Browns get their season back on track?
The Browns are searching for answers on how to get their season back on track after falling to the undermanned Raiders. Cleveland fell to a Vegas team that was without its two best players, Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby.
Read more here.
It's time to start Drake Maye in New England
It's time for the Patriots to make a change at QB and start rookie Drake Maye. The Patriots wanted to sit and develop Maye. But after a disastrous start, it's time to bench Jacoby Brissett and go with the rookie.
Read more here.
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From Vikings’ shocking start to Chiefs’ WR setback, assessing 4-0 teams
Leading the Green Bay Packers by four touchdowns at Lambeau Field must have felt like a dream for Minnesota Vikings fans Sunday, even if their team had to hold on for a 31-29 victory.
Losing receiver Rashee Rice to what is feared to be a season-ending knee injury felt like a significant setback, if not a full-on nightmare, for Kansas City fans already worried about the Chiefs’ offense. Was it?
Both teams emerged from Week 4 with 4-0 records, best in the league pending 3-0 Seattle’s visit to Detroit on Monday night.
The Pick Six column starts at the top this week. The Vikings have basically hijacked this space in recent weeks. I’ve reached deep into the archives to contextualize one of the most shocking 4-0 starts in memory. Are these the storybook 1999 St. Louis Rams or the long-forgotten 2002 San Diego Chargers? What about the Randall Cunningham-led 1998 Vikings, who finished 15-1 and then, well, you know what happened from there.
As for the Chiefs, we’ll assess what Rice’s injury means — and does not mean — in Kansas City’s quest to win a third successive Lombardi Trophy.
- What matters for 4-0 Vikings, Chiefs
- NFC East goes through Washington?
- Derrick Henry’s emphatic start
- Is Aaron Rodgers too good for Jets?
- Malik Nabers: How much is too much?
- Two-minute drill: Seahawks’ question
Read more here.
Raiders play 'next man up' in win over Browns
In missing their stars, the Raiders played the 'next man up' game to a T in besting the Browns. Every coach in the NFL has run the “team win” and “next man up” cliches into the ground, but that's how the Raiders won on Sunday.
Read more here.
Brock Purdy touts wheels in win over Patriots
Brock Purdy turned in a stabilizing performance against the Patriots on Sunday, in which he flashed the deep ball and scrambling, then boasted postgame about his wheels. Purdy finished with 288 yards in Sunday's win, including a 53-yard strike that was his longest throw of the season so far.
Read more here.