Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes face off to avoid a 1-3 start and 4 other things to watch from the NFL’s week 4
By Andy Scholes, CNN
(CNN) — From Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes battling to avoid a 1-3 start to undefeated showdowns, star returns and even a morning kickoff in Dublin, week 4 of the NFL season has no shortage of drama.
Here are five things to know:
Ravens struggling as mega-matchup with Chiefs looms
Is it time to panic in Baltimore after a disappointing 1-2 start? A little yes and a little no.
The Ravens have been outscored 39-15 in the fourth quarter of their two losses, falling apart late against both the Bills and Lions. Derrick Henry, normally one of the league’s most reliable backs, has already fumbled three times this season – two of them in critical fourth-quarter moments. For perspective, he had only three fumbles combined over the last two years.
The defense hasn’t bailed them out, either. Baltimore gave up 98- and 96-yard touchdown drives to Detroit on Monday. Before that, the Ravens had allowed a 95-yard touchdown drive at home just once since 2001.
Now the Ravens have to travel to face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, who are also sitting at 1-2, and desperate to avoid dropping to 1-3.
So why shouldn’t Ravens fans panic? Lamar Jackson. The 28-year-old quarterback is off to a blistering start, leading the NFL with nine passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. As long as he’s playing at that level, it’s hard to imagine Baltimore staying down for long. But either Jackson or Mahomes will be 1-3 after Sunday.
Eagles-Bucs: A NFC championship preview?
While Ravens-Chiefs headlines the AFC, the NFC spotlight belongs to the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Philadelphia stayed perfect with a wild win over the Rams, capped by 6-foot-6, 336-pound Jordan Davis blocking a field goal and returning it for a touchdown. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats player tracking, Davis ran 18.59 mph on the play! 18.59 mph!
That’s the fastest top speed by any player over 330 pounds since 2017. Davis and the Eagles defense are a big reason they haven’t lost since December 22. Philly is 21-3 dating back to the start of last season.
The Bucs? They just keep sneaking out wins. A three-point victory over the Falcons, a one-point escape against the Texans, and a two-point nail-biter against the Jets have them at 3-0. Baker Mayfield has been clutch in crunch time and now owns the seventh-best MVP odds at 20-1. A win over Philly, and those odds could shrink fast.
Micah Parsons’ return to Big D
Micah Parsons is set to make his big return to Texas on Sunday to take on his former team. The Cowboys traded Parsons to the Packers in a deal that shocked the NFL just before the season, ending a long contract standoff.
Jerry Jones says Dallas won’t honor Parsons with any kind of tribute. That’s probably for the best considering how the Cowboys defense is playing. It has been a disaster – especially the secondary. Dallas has already given up 13 pass plays of 25 yards or more and is allowing 288 passing yards per game, worst in the NFL.
If the Cowboys lose this one, they’ll fall to 1-3. And if Parsons makes a few highlight plays in a Packers win, it’ll make the sting even worse.
Can the Colts be stopped?
Daniel Jones and the Colts’ offense have been flat-out unstoppable in their surprising 3-0 start. That’s a sentence nobody expected to be writing before the season.
Jones has been so sharp that Colts fans are calling him “Indiana Jones” — a far cry from how Giants fans felt about him just a year ago. Indianapolis finally punted against the Titans last week, but only once. Through three games, they’ve punted just one time total – the fewest by any team through the first three games of a season since at least 1940.
Head coach Shane Steichen is the current favorite for Coach of the Year, but his team faces its toughest test yet with a road trip to the Rams on Sunday.
Dublin kickoff and a Monday Night doubleheader
Set your alarms: The NFL goes international again Sunday with the Steelers and Vikings meeting in Dublin at 9:30 a.m. ET. This season marks a record expansion of the league’s global footprint, with seven international games across five countries.
Back stateside, fans get another Monday night doubleheader – but not in the staggered format from Week 2. This time both games overlap, with the Jets at Dolphins at 7:15 p.m. ET and Bengals at Broncos at 8:15 p.m. ET, so you’ll need the double box going Monday.
The new media deal with Disney makes this setup a regular feature, happening four times this season (Weeks 2, 4, 6 and 7).
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
