NFL Week 4 preview: 5 things to watch out for as teams look to kick-start their offense
By Andy Scholes and Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — What has happened to offense in the NFL? This past Sunday, the Saints led the Philadelphia Eagles 3-0 heading into the fourth quarter. The New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys all scored seven points or less in the first three quarters of their games.
It’s been a real struggle out there. Is it the lack of preseason? Or everyone’s new favorite complaint of defenses playing their safeties deep all the time? Maybe teams will finally break out this week?
Here are five things to know heading in to Week 4.
Are the Vikings for real?
Who had Sam Darnold leading the NFL in passing touchdowns through three weeks of the season? The journeyman quarterback looks like he’s finally found a home in Minnesota.
Darnold struggled with the New York Jets after being drafted No. 3 overall in 2018, before spending short stints in Carolina and San Francisco. But the 27-year-old now appears to be thriving in Minnesota and praised the people he’s surrounded himself with in helping him deal with the bad times.
“I think it’s having a really good, close group of friends and family that I have back home to, if I’m going through success, to be able to keep me level-headed,” Darnold told reporters on Wednesday.
“And when I do have times where things aren’t going necessarily well, I can lean on them and know they can help me build myself up. I think it has a lot to do with the close friends I have and the parents I have that were just able to raise me the right way and continue to push me in ways that only they could.”
The Vikings offense has looked stellar with Darnold and defensive coordinator Brian Flores has his crew flying all over the field.
The Vikings are now 3-0 for the first time since 2016 and are coming off back-to-back wins over the 49ers and Texans, two teams many had going deep in the playoffs.
If head coach Kevin O’Connell is able to beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in a big divisional matchup, the Vikings will truly cement themselves as one of the top teams in the league.
And here’s a fun fact for you – even though it feels like he’s been around forever, Darnold is younger than Joe Burrow.
Are Burrow and the Bengals done?
Speaking of Burrow, no team has ever started the season 0-3 and made the Super Bowl. Only six teams in NFL history have started 0-3 and even made the playoffs.
The last to do it was the 2018 Texans. So the odds are clearly stacked against Cincinnati and its franchise QB. The only silver lining for them right now is that their schedule isn’t too tough over the next month.
They play at Carolina on Sunday and this is an Andy Dalton revenge game! Dalton played his first nine seasons for the Bengals, leading them to the playoffs four times. He’s 2-1 against his former team in his career.
Despite this game being in Charlotte, the Bengals are favored. If Cincinnati can get a win, the team’s next three are against the Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants and Browns. They need to go 3-1 in the next four games to dig themselves out of the hole, but it is doable.
Burrow stressed after the Bengals’ shock home loss to the Commanders in Week 3 that his team is not out of the playoff hunt.
“It’s an exciting opportunity, just like every season is. There’s going to be some big games down the stretch that we’re going to have to step up for,” the 27-year-old told reporters. “We haven’t played any division opponents yet.
“The Steelers are 3-0, other teams are 1-2, we’re 0-3. We play all six of those games coming up. We’re by no means out of it. Playoffs and winning the division is the furthest thing from my mind. We have got to get better this week.”
Game of the week: Bills at Ravens
No team has looked better this season than the Buffalo Bills. The league-wide offensive woes have not been a problem for Josh Allen.
He’s had the Bills firing on all cylinders. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, Allen and company scored a touchdown on every single first-half drive and Buffalo has now scored the most points in the NFL this season so far with 112.
That kind of production will not be easy in Baltimore against a Ravens team that is still desperate to get its season back on track after a poor start.
Lamar Jackson’s squad lit up the Cowboys early on Sunday – largely thanks to a breakout performance from running back Derrick Henry – but then had to hold on for dear life to get their first win of the season. Jackson is 2-2 against Allen all-time, but it was Allen who won the one playoff game between the two in 2021.
Before the two teams clash on Sunday, the Bills QB praised the skillset Jackson has and how difficult it will be to stop him.
“I think he’s – one, he’s an inspiration to a lot of people in this country,” Allen told reporters. “The way that he plays the game, the doubters that he had coming out … and then for him to show the resiliency and the work ethic and the attitude to go forward and win two MVPs, guys around the league, they see that.
“He’s really changed the way that I think guys play the game, but make no mistake about it, he can throw the snot out of the football and (I) got a lot of respect for him, a lot of love for him.”
Should be fun watching them go head to head once again on Sunday Night Football.
Jayden Daniels is the real deal
Washington fans could not be more excited heading into Week 4 as it appears they finally have their franchise quarterback.
Jayden Daniels, who the team drafted with the second overall pick, had an all-time great game in Monday’s win over the Bengals – he had only two (!) incompletions in Cincinnati.
He looks cool, calm and collected whenever he drops back. Excluding kneel downs, the Commanders have scored on every single drive the past two games.
For reference, scoring on every single drive has happened only 10 times since 2000 – that’s 12,990 games. Daniels has now done it in two in a row.
Commanders fans have had 10 starting quarterbacks over the last five years. Now, they have a Heisman-winner who looks like a budding star.
“I’m just a competitor. I want to compete at the highest level, and obviously, it’s a blessing to be able to go out there each and every Sunday to do things that a lot of people in the world can’t do,” Daniels said after the Week 3 victory over Cincinnati.
“I’m blessed to be a part of one of the 32 teams that go out there and compete every Sunday, or Monday, or whenever we play.”
The Commanders travel to face the Cardinals on Sunday, with Arizona looking to bounce back from defeat at home to the Detroit Lions last time out.
Another Monday double-header
For the second week in a row, we get a Monday night double header. There are four Monday doubleheaders this season after Disney increased its number of games from 17 to 23 in the latest media rights deal.
This week, we have the Miami Dolphins hosting the Tennessee Titans and the Lions hosting the Seattle Seahawks. Chances are, once both games are on, Lions-Seahawks will be the one to watch. Seattle is 3-0 under new head coach Mike Macdonald, but Detroit will certainly be its toughest test yet.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, remain without Tua Tagovailoa who is on injured reserve with a concussion and now backup Skylar Thompson is questionable with a rib injury. We could see Tim Boyle or Tyler Huntley under center for the Dolphins.
Miami, who had the number one offense in the league last season, is the only team yet to have a lead in regulation time this season. Amazingly, they do though have a win, kicking a game-winning field goal as time expired against the Jaguars in Week 1.
Full Week 4 schedule
Away @ home
Thursday
Dallas Cowboys (1-2) @ New York Giants (1-2) – 8:15 p.m. ET
Sunday
New Orleans Saints (2-1) @ Atlanta Falcons (1-2) – 1:00 p.m. ET
Cincinnati Bengals (0-3) @ Carolina Panthers (1-2) – 1:00 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Rams (1-2) @ Chicago Bears (1-2) – 1:00 p.m. ET
Minnesota Vikings (3-0) @ Green Bay Packers (2-1) – 1:00 p.m. ET
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) @ Houston Texans (2-1) – 1:00 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) @ Indianapolis Colts (1-2) – 1:00 p.m. ET
Denver Broncos (1-2) @ New York Jets (2-1) – 1:00 p.m. ET
Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) – 1:00 p.m. ET
Washington Commanders (2-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (1-2) – 4:05 p.m. ET
New England Patriots (1-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (1-2) – 4:05 p.m. ET
Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) @ Los Angeles Chargers (2-1) – 4:25 p.m. ET
Cleveland Browns (1-2) @ Las Vegas Raiders (1-2) – 4:25 p.m. ET
Buffalo Bills (3-0) @ Baltimore Ravens (1-2) – 8:20 p.m. ET
Monday
Tennessee Titans (0-3) @ Miami Dolphins (1-2) – 7:30 p.m. ET
Seattle Seahawks (3-0) @ Detroit Lions (2-1) – 8:15 p.m. ET
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