Congratulations to all 32 NFL Franchises! Yes, this will not be a season defined by a catastrophic failure. In week 4, the Raiders defeated the Broncos 32-23 to become the final team to win in the 2022 NFL season. It means there will be no winless to join the five infamous teams in NFL history, that includes: the 1960 Dallas Cowboys (0–11–1), the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0–14), the 1982 Baltimore Colts (0–8–1) the 2008 Detroit Lions (0–16), and the 2017 Cleveland Browns (0–16). It is cause for celebration, and to achieve the feat in week four means that the NFL is compelling because any team can pull an upset, and the favorites have to play their best to win. In this article, we discuss three headlines that emerged from an interesting week 4.
1. Rain Football- Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc in the Caribbean, devastated Florida, and somehow found the time to impact our Sunday afternoon football in a positive way. It is so much fun to watch football played in the rain. One of the games impacted by the weather was the Ravens versus Bills. Baltimore jumped to a 20-3 in the first half, and the game felt over. However, Josh Allen and the Bills roared from behind to tie the game 20-20. The major talking point from the game was Coach John Harbaugh’s decision to go for it on 4th and Goal at the 2-yard line. The play backfired with Lamar Jackson throwing an interception. Then, Josh Allen led his team down the field for a game-winning field goal. Another sweet watch of the elements was in Philadelphia, where the rain and Eagles defense punished Trevor Lawrence with four sacks and five turnovers. Still, the Jaguars were in the game to the end, but Miles Sanders and the run game tore them apart with a 210-71 yards margin. Yes, the Eagles remain the only undefeated team in the NFL.
2. Tight Finishes-week 4 had some very close games decided by one score. One of the tight finishes was in Green Bay, where the Packers were big favorites to beat the Patriots without their starting quarterback, Mac Jones. However, Bill Belichick made life difficult for Aaron Rodgers and held a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter. Aaron Rodgers engineered a game-tying drive and won it at the buzzer in overtime with a field goal. Another nail-biter was in London when the Vikings narrowly beat the Saints 28-25. Will Lutz almost tied the game with a 61-yard field goal attempt but the football hit the upright, bounced on the crossbar, and fell in the end zone. Ouch! Another surprise was the Jets’ comeback from a 20-10 deficit in the 4th quarter to win on the road. In the game, Tomlin sparked the offense by benching Mitch Trubisky and inserting Kenny Pickett as the quarterback. The move worked by propelling the Steelers to 4th quarter lead, but Zach Wilson showed grit in completing the remarkable comeback to put the Jets to a 2-2 record for the season.
3. Revenge Games- entering week 4, I underestimated the power of revenge in picking the Buccaneers and Rams to win over the Chiefs and 49ers. Revenge was clearly on the mind of Pat Mahomes as he played like a man on a mission to erase the pain of losing Superbowl LV against the Bucs and in the same stadium. Mahomes pulled out the tricks in the book and torched the Buccaneers’ defense completing 23/37 for 249 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. The big concern for the Bucs was the Chiefs’ ability to run the ball with 37 rushes for 189 yards. Tom Brady had his best game of the season with 39/52 for 285 yards and three touchdowns. However, the early kickoff fumble cost the team, and they lost the turnover margin 2 to 1. The other revenge game was the 49ers avenging their loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship game. The 49ers’ defense was unstoppable on the night by sacking Matthew Stafford for seven sacks and a disastrous pick-6 interception. Week four was a powerful reminder that we should not underestimate the power of revenge.
Funny Moment: The Seahawks won a shootout against the Lions 48-45 in the Motor City. Star wideout, DK Metcalf, grabbed seven catches and 149 yards for a monster performance. However, during the game, Metcalf was carted off which made every Seahawks fan’s heart sink. However, after the game, he revealed he was not injured but called for the cart so he could get to the bathroom quicker. A man’s gotta go right?