As the NFL rolls into Week 4, we have essentially reached the quarter mark of the regular season.
It’s a pivotal point in the marathon that is a pro football season, which includes 17 games for every team and then the playoffs. Coaches and players hope by now they have worked out most of the kinks that can plague teams during the first month of the season and have started making real strides toward success.
So which teams will help themselves with strong showings this weekend? And which will see their suffering continue?
Here are five compelling storylines to follow this week. (Find the Week 4 schedule here.)
1. Bills–Ravens AFC shootout
Two of the most dynamic quarterbacks of this generation face off as Josh Allen and the 3-0 Bills visit Lamar Jackson and the 1-2 Ravens.
The quarterbacks, both first-round draft picks in 2018, remain on a mission to lead their teams past rival Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs and to a long-awaited Super Bowl. But first is the latest Allen-Jackson installment. Jackson, a two-time league MVP, has a 2-1 edge in the quarterbacks’ regular-season matchups. Allen won their lone playoff meeting, a 17-3 Bills victory in the 2021 divisional round.
Allen is coming off a 47-10 Monday night win in which he torched the Jaguars for four touchdown passes. That brought Allen’s season total to seven passing touchdowns, second most in the NFL through three weeks (the Vikings’ Sam Darnold has eight). Allen also has two rushing touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Jackson’s Ravens got off to a slow start before finding their footing in a 28-25 victory over Dallas on Sunday. Jackson (three passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, one interception) directs an offense that leads the league with 430.3 yards per game through three weeks, so look for fireworks from both superstar quarterbacks.
It may only be Week 4, but the result could have major implications for playoff seeding and home-field advantage. (Bills at Ravens, 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday.)
2. Dire straits for Bengals and Jaguars
Speaking of AFC contenders … Cincinnati and Jacksonville were two teams this summer that, on paper, seemed to have the potential to be postseason contenders. Instead, both are 0-3 after largely underperforming the first three weeks of the season. The Bengals, who lost Monday night to the Commanders, face the Panthers (1-2) Sunday in Carolina while the Jaguars have an AFC South game at Houston (2-1).
The meeting with Washington was supposed to be a get-right game for the Bengals, but instead, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels shredded a Cincinnati defense that has surrendered 142.3 rushing yards per game and an average of 26.7 points (both seventh most in the NFL). And despite having a healthy Joe Burrow, the Bengals remain out of sync offensively, managing just 22.7 points per game (13th).
Meanwhile, the Jaguars remain stuck in the funk that engulfed them last season when, after a 6-2 start, they went on a 3-6 slide. Through three weeks, coach Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor have seen the Jaguars manage just 276.3 yards and 13.3 points per game. Jacksonville has converted only seven of 32 third downs for first downs, and Trevor Lawrence looks nothing like a $55 million quarterback while completing only 52.8 percent of his passes (third worst in the NFL). Things are just as bad on defense as opponents have gashed Jacksonville for 28.3 points per game and 361.7 yards. The pressure certainly is mounting on Pederson. (Bengals at Panthers and Jaguars at Texans, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)
3. Important division matchups
Jaguars-Texans is one of five division clashes this week. It’s a marathon, but division wins carry a great deal of weight regardless of when in the season they come.
The Cowboys beat the Giants on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium. Sunday, the Saints visit the Falcons, the Vikings play at Green Bay and Kansas City travels to L.A. to face the Chargers.
NFC South foes New Orleans and Atlanta both suffered losses in Week 3 after posting big wins in Week 2. The Saints hope to get back on track after Philadelphia’s defense dramatically cooled an offense that had topped the 40-point mark in each of the first two weeks of the season. The Saints struggled to establish their run game against Philadelphia’s five-man defensive front and failed to sustain drives and mustered only 12 points. Meanwhile, the Falcons followed up their electrifying comeback win over Philadelphia in Week 2 with a flat performance at home against Kansas City last Sunday night. Kirk Cousins and company struggled to move the ball, with only 82 rushing yards all game, and put together just one scoring drive the entire second half. Which team gets its groove back this week?
Meanwhile, in the NFC North, the Vikings and Packers — two early season surprise success stories — meet for the first time this season. Minnesota lays its 3-0 record on the line against a revamped Packers defense as Darnold tries to continue his odds-defying career resurrection. The Packers are 2-1 despite starting Titans castoff quarterback Malik Willis the last two weeks. Starter Jordan Love (knee) is expected to return Sunday, but he’ll face an aggressive Vikings defensive attack that leads the NFL in pressures and sacks.
Thus far, the only constant in an already topsy-turvy NFL season is Kansas City. The Chiefs have already shown they can win in a variety of ways, and that they remain one of the most well-rounded and balanced teams in the league. Andy Reid, Mahomes and company aim to improve to 4-0 and take another step toward winning their ninth consecutive AFC West title. The Chiefs are going for their sixth consecutive victory over the Chargers, who have started anew under coach Jim Harbaugh but are battling injuries to key players, including quarterback Justin Herbert and right tackle Joe Alt. Edge rusher Joey Bosa and left tackle Rashawn Slater have already been ruled out. (Saints at Falcons and Vikings at Packers, 1 p.m. ET Sunday; Chiefs at Chargers, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)
4. Can Justin Fields stick as Steelers starter?
The Steelers’ quarterback situation was one of the most intriguing storylines of the offseason and preseason. The complete overhaul featured a strong redemptive theme as Russell Wilson and Justin Fields each sought fresh starts to salvage their careers. Mike Tomlin planned to roll with Wilson, the 12-year veteran and Super Bowl XLVIII champ, as his starter while giving Fields, the 11th pick of the 2021 draft, time to develop. But Wilson hasn’t played because of a calf injury.
Instead, Fields has thrived in Arthur Smith’s system while helping the Steelers to a 3-0 start. He hasn’t forced things or been reckless with the ball, completing a career-best 73.3 percent of his passes for 518 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while sporting a 95.3 passer rating. In 41 starts with the Bears, Fields posted consecutive wins only three times and never enjoyed a three-game winning streak.
Wilson remains hobbled, so Fields is now in line to start once again. Can he keep this thing going against a Colts defense that ranks 31st in total yards allowed (398.3) and rushing yards allowed (179.0)? If so, he just might force his coaches to stick with him as the starter. (Steelers at Colts, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)
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5. Caleb Williams under pressure
The top pick entered the season with massive expectations and the task of resurrecting a long-suffering Chicago franchise with a seemingly endless quarterback carousel. But thus far, the Bears appear no more adept at supporting Williams than they did Fields, or any other young quarterback, for that matter.
The 1-2 Bears rank 30th in the NFL in yards per game (249.3) and 22nd in points (17.7). Williams — the third-most sacked quarterback in the league — is completing only 59.3 percent of his passes and sports a passer rating of 65.3 (28th). It doesn’t help that Daniels, the second pick of the draft, owns the fourth-best passer rating in the league (111.8) and has completed an NFL-best 80.3 percent of his passes for the 2-1 Commanders. Washington hasn’t punted since Week 1.
Last week, in a 21-16 loss to Indianapolis, Williams completed 33 of 52 passes for 363 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Fifty-two pass attempts is entirely too many for a rookie quarterback who is still learning NFL defenses while playing behind a line that has yet to fully jell. Yes, 18 came on two different two-minute-offense drives. For the rest of the game, Williams had 34 pass attempts, and the Bears rushed 28 times overall. But even so, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron must do a better job of easing pressure on Williams.
This week, Williams and the Bears welcome a Rams team that is battered yet still came back to beat the 49ers 27-24 last Sunday. Despite the thrilling win, the Rams rank 29th against the pass, surrendering 248.7 yards per game and a passer rating of 127.3 (second-highest). And L.A.’s defense has only four sacks in three games. So maybe this is the perfect opponent for Williams? (Rams at Bears, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)
(Top photo of Josh Allen: Rob Carr / Getty Images)
