NFL Week 4 Good, Bad and Ugly: Rams Likely Saved Their Season With Dramatic Win

The NFL is always crazy, and the Week 4 early window was a prime example.

In Buffalo, the Bills took their first loss of the season, with the Patriots scoring a go-ahead touchdown on a one-handed touchdown grab by Efton Chism III before intercepting Josh Allen to win 29–26. In Houston, the Cowboys won a seesaw affair, 34–30, scoring with less than a minute left on a 12-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb, who had 17 receptions for 189 yards and a touchdown.

Then there was the Rams’ rally in Philadelphia. Trailing 20–10 in the final five minutes, Los Angeles drove 98 yards for a touchdown, forced a punt and then scored again, giving the Rams an improbable 24–20 victory to put both teams at 2–2.

Finally, the Giants had a goal-line stand to beat the Cardinals, punctuated by corner Deonte Banks going coast-to-coast on the game’s final play with a 98-yard pick-six.

But we start with the Bears, who are looking every bit the part of a legitimate contender.

GOOD: Bears doing the job with backup quarterbacks

When Caleb Williams was being carted off the field in Week 2, the Bears looked sunk. A few minutes later, they lost a rain-soaked game to the Vikings, leaving them 1–1 with questions abound.

However, Chicago has shown its teeth over the past six days. In blowout wins over the Eagles and Jets, the Bears have won by a combined score of 50–19, despite starting Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent at quarterback, while also fielding a defense that allowed 37 points in the season opener to the Panthers.

In those wins, Bagent and Keenum combined to throw for 515 yards and two touchdowns while the rushing game has done the job behind Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift, totaling 319 yards on 4.2 yards per carry. Perhaps more important is the play of the defense. Geno Smith went 8-of-15 for 119 yards a week Chicago limited Jalen Hurts to 153 yards and an interception on Monday night.

With the Packers reeling from injuries and the Lions unable to stop a nosebleed (evidenced by Smith throwing for 321 yards and three touchdowns in Detroit last weekend), the Bears and Vikings appear set to have a two-team race in the NFC North.

BAD: Texans looking at the end of their season before it began

Last year, the Texans began 0–3. The sky was falling. The playoffs were a pipe dream. Then, Houston dragged itself off the deck and finished 12–5 before winning a playoff game.

If the Texans are going to get back into the postseason for a fourth consecutive season, they’ll need to escape a hole deeper than a season ago. Houston led much of their game on Sunday against the Cowboys but ultimately lost 34–30, allowing Dak Prescott to throw for 335 yards and a touchdown, while CeeDee Lamb caught 17 passes for 189 yards and a score.

Even with the winless Titans up next, it feels like Houston doesn’t have the defensive pillar it relied on in the past. The unit has allowed more than 30 points twice, both times at home, to Buffalo and Dallas.

While the season is long and the Texans have talent, it’s going to be a long road back for a team already running out of time.

UGLY: Everything about the Eagles—and it’s only getting worse

Two things can be true at once: The Eagles are 2–2 and in the thick of the NFC East race. Philadelphia has also looked anywhere from average to awful in every game this season.

The Eagles entered Sunday’s game without receiver DeVonta Smith, right tackle Lane Johnson, guard Landon Dickerson, linebacker Zack Baun and tight end Dallas Goedert. Then they lost running back Saquon Barkely in the first half. Still, they led for 55 minutes, up 20–10 late. Then, Philadelphia allowed two touchdown drives to suffer a devastating defeat, 24–20 to the jubilant Rams, leading to home-crowd boos.

The offense did virtually nothing throughout, gaining 172 yards, including a minuscule 98 yards on their four scoring drives. With a chance to keep the ball away from the Rams with a 20–17 lead, they gained one yard on three plays. On the game’s final drive, the Eagles lost 15 yards before losing the game.

Through four games, the Eagles have needed a late stand to hang on against the one-win Commanders, a last-minute touchdown to beat the winless Titans and then got blown out by the Bears on Monday night before Sunday’s disaster. The offense has been stuck in the mud because of injuries and poor execution, coming into the weekend ranked 25th in yardage.

Philadelphia’s defense can feel a bit better, not allowing more than 24 points in any of its four contests. Still, the unit has only four sacks despite playing some of the worst offensive lines in football, highlighted by Washington and Tennessee.

Ultimately, the Eagles are alive, but will need to get healthy and play significantly better to become a scary opponent.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson passed for 222 yards and two touchdowns before he sustained an ankle injury in Baltimore's win over Tennessee on Sunday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

GOOD: Lamar Jackson, Zay Flowers and the Ravens’ offense

Baltimore hired a defensive-minded head coach, Jesse Minter, but also brought in a 30-year-old offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, hoping to get the most out of a Ravens attack loaded with talent. So far, mission accomplished.

Through four games, the Ravens are 3–1 after beating the Titans, and have done so in style.

Despite sitting out the second half on Sunday because of an ankle injury, Jackson has already thrown for 745 yards with five total touchdowns, averaging 10.0 yards per attempt. Meanwhile, receiver Zay Flowers has also been sidelined for six quarters with a hamstring injury and, despite that, has amassed 17 catches for a staggering 358 yards. Derrick Henry has also rushed for seven touchdowns.

In a division with the resurgent Browns, the pesky Steelers and the ever-dangerous Bengals, Baltimore needs to figure a few things out. The defense has been a sieve at times, giving up a fourth-quarter lead to the Saints while nearly blowing a similar game last weekend in Rio against the Cowboys. That said, the offense is giving Minter’s unit grace while it attempts to round into form.

If Baltimore can do so, it could get on a nice run with the Falcons and Browns up next before tough matchups with the Bengals, Bills and Jaguars.

BAD: Buccaneers might be headed for top-pick territory

How many problems can one team have? The Buccaneers are 0–4 despite playing three home games. Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield could miss two months with a thumb injury, meaning undrafted free agent rookie Jalon Daniels will start for the foreseeable future. In Daniels’s first action, he threw three interceptions in a 17–14 loss to the Packers.

In the weeks ahead, Tampa Bay has the Cowboys, Steelers and Panthers. None are world-beaters, but all are better than a Buccaneers team that has looked overmatched offensively and good-not-great defensively under coach Todd Bowles, who has to be wondering what the real estate market looks like.

All of this is made worse by Baker Mayfield’s extension, a three-year, $165 million deal he was given before the season began. Now, even if Tampa Bay completely bottoms out and finishes with a pick near the top of the draft, it’ll be nearly impossible to take a quarterback such as Arch Manning or Dante Moore with Mayfield signed through the 2029 season.

The first move will likely be moving on from Bowles, who oversaw the Buccaneers’ 3–8 finish in 2025 to miss the playoffs.

UGLY: Bengals’ rushing attack has yet to find its teeth

Joe Burrow didn’t have his finest day. He threw two interceptions, including one in the Jaguars’ red zone. He threw for 428 passing yards, but the mistakes outweighed the positives.

That said, Cincinnati’s 22–17 loss to the Jaguars continues to showcase a worrisome trend with its running game.

Through four weeks, Cincinnati hasn’t had a performance with both 100 rushing yards and at least 4.0 yards per carry. On Sunday, the Bengals ran for a humiliating 23 yards on 1.5 YPC despite the game being within reach almost the entire way.

With Ja’Marr Chase now in the concussion protocol, Cincinnati may need to lean more on its rushing attack than anticipated. If things don’t change quickly, that could prove problematic for the Bengals.

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