What we learned from the games of the week 4 of Sunday

This is what we learned from Sunday Week 4 of the 2018 NFL season:

Oakland Raiders 45, Cleveland Browns 42 (OT)

1. Jon Gruden has the victory he needs for three weeks. The Raiders finally made their fourth attempt. Oakland is about to lose another lead, but by the good news of replay and some timely and forced overruns. Gruden's team regained the spirit of their overtime coach, managing to bring back the clock in 1998 with a close-range attack on Marshawn Lynch's back, which was successful for most of the afternoon . drive. Matt McCrane is redeemed after an absence earlier and Gruden is headed to the midfield with a pinched-eyed smile, happy to finally be able to get a W with his new Raiders and probably knowing that He would get some good breaks along the way.

Gruden won this time offensively, defeating Gregg Williams 'defense by taking advantage of Williams' aggressive approach and winning a lot of yards on a variety of target-driven wheeled courses. Jared Cook still flourished in the middle of the field. And the credit goes to Derek Carr, who had an eventful day but mostly made the necessary shots and held in his pocket despite enormous pressure. For a week, the questions asked of Carr and Gruden will not be about a series of defeats.

2. Which roller coaster of a game? Surprising the wave of hype and momentum, Baker Mayfield launched a choice of six players early in the contest to calm that energy. Cleveland then responded with a 10-point lead and 14 points, to which Oakland responded with 20 unanswered points. Cleveland had another answer, taking a lead of 42-34 and appearing to win first place to seal the match, with the exception of a few knees. Then, a very questionable repeat examination reversed the initial point, altering the distance and the distance between the first and the tenth. Cleveland hit, Oakland ended up scoring and converting the two-point attempt and the match lasted in overtime, where the Raiders ended up winning through a center placement from Matt McCrane.

The reverse spot was one of the few bad calls. Marshawn Lynch had a race that seemed incredibly likely to break the distance early in the game and was rejected, when it appeared that he was not doing it. Cleveland had what should have been a sack and a breath escape by an official who found Carr within reach of the defender, even though no defender seized him until the ball was on the ground. In all, it was a wild game in which Oakland took advantage of the opportunities that were offered to him, while Cleveland did not do the same. This last call will remain long in the minds of the Browns.

3. Now, even considering the dubious calls, the Browns still shot themselves in the foot. Baker Mayfield searched the depths of Cleveland territory and a miscommunication with J.C. Tretter resulted in another fumble. Mayfield launched three interceptions, two of which was his fault. But the positive side and the main objective of this last point is the game of Nick Chubb. Carlos Hyde is the dark of the Browns, but Chubb has spelled it out with one of the best carrier averages you've ever seen: 35 yards per bag. The compact and sneaky racing ball is incredibly fast and has hidden equipment that only appears on long runs, pushing Chubb over the mound to cross a last line of pursuers and enter the end zone. He used it twice, on 63- and 41-yard passes for touchdowns, and is a brilliant spot in a defeat that surely hits the Browns.

Similarly, the Raiders finally managed to fully involve Amari Cooper, who found her eight times for 128 yards and one touchdown. It was a very encouraging afternoon for a Raiders offensive that started the first three weeks of heat and collapsed in the last quarter and a half and did the opposite on Sunday for its first victory.

– Nick Shook

Baltimore Ravens 26, Pittsburgh Steelers 14

1. What began as a startling shootout in the Steel City ended with something much more familiar to these two North AFC rivals. The Ravens and Steelers totaled 28 points in a first half, which included long touchdown passes to John Brown and Antonio Brown, and even longer winnings to JuJu Smith-Schuster and his new Folk Hero. Pittsburgh, Vance McDonald. The Baltimore and Pittsburgh attacks, however, slowed down. The second half included 11 practice sessions, five punts, four field goals, all on the Ravens kicker, Justin Tucker, and a fatal interception.

While Baltimore has dominated the Steelers with long attempts to score 12, 11 and 14 games in the last two innings, Pittsburgh has fallen. The Steelers failed to get James Conner's offense early in the game – the back ended with just 44 yards in total – limiting their third game. Behind the scenes, Ryan Switzer has seen more love than Brown and Smith-Schuster in the far right. The Steelers converted just two of their 11 third-try attempts, and the Pittsburgh night is over, Ben Roethlisberger forcing a third and long pass to Brown in a triple cover to throw a belly pick. of Anthony Levine. was hiding at the sight.

2. The slowdown in the Steelers slowdown in the second half is due to the defense of the Ravens and their first-year defensive coordinator, Don "Wink" Martindale. Tony Jefferson's debut against McDonald gave Baltimore a two-point lead within six minutes of the start of the game. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Carr – still without top spotter Jimmy Smith, who returns from suspension next week – helped Pittsburgh's top Brown and Smith-Schuster players get just three catches for 17 yards in the second half. Carr recorded two stellar hits on JuJu, while Levine, who eliminated Big Ben in the final minutes, scored three assists in defense. Their tight coverage goes well with a successful passing race driven by Terrell Suggs (two TFL) and second-year linebacker Tim Williams (one bag). Baltimore can boast of its most complete defense for some time, able to embarrass stupid things like Buffalo in Week 1 and have the same attacks as Pittsburgh. Next step is rookie Baker Mayfield and the besieged Browns.

3. The threat of a deep bullet from John Brown has dramatically changed the Baltimore attack. After Brown made two receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown in the first half, Baltimore attacked the Pittsburgh defense middle with intermediate routes leading to his tight-end trio – Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams – Extending training in the second half with play chips rather than big winnings. The balancing of the Ravens defense is not so different from Baltimore's egalitarian pass attack. Joe Flacco (363 yards) completed 28 passes at a stretch of 8.6 yards per attempt to reach 11 different receivers of all shapes and sizes. Personalities such as Chris Moore, Tim White and De & Lance Turner made significant gains on late orders in Baltimore.

"If we run a little better, I do not think we were stopping," said Ravens coach John Harbuagh at the end of the match. "… the fact that it was 11 guys, that I did not even know, dude, it's hard to defend.There's not a guy you can double, I You can not double everyone. "

– Jeremy Bergman

Seattle Seahawks 20, Cardinals of Arizona 17

1. With attacking midfielder Chris Carson injured in the hip, Mike Davis took the lead role in rookie Rashaad Penny and prospered. Davis entered Sunday with just 3 yards in the race, but anchored the Seahawks' ground game with 101 yards rushing and two touchdowns in 21 carries. Davis's first 20-yard touchdown came in the first quarter, while quarterback Russell Wilson took the lead as a blocker. Wilson threw a magnificent block on the safety of Cardinals Antoine Bethea near the goal line to put Davis in the end zone.

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September 30, 2018

As a team, the Seahawks produced 171 rushing yards on 34 carries. Penny had 49 yards in nine attempts and quarterback Wilson scored 21 yards in four races. Sunday's effort marked a second consecutive game in which the Seahawks remained engaged in the running. The record is 2-0 after Seattle started the game 0-2 with a focus on the pass. The balanced attack from the Seahawks produced 331 total yards with a ratio of 31 to 26. In addition, the Seahawks won the time of possession for a second consecutive week. Good things actually happen when the Seahawks can control the game, but the defense will now have to overcome the loss of security, Earl Thomas, who has been fractured in his left leg.

2. The Seahawks kicker Sebastian Janikowksi had a fragile first half, missing 38 yards in the first quarter and 52 yards in the second period. But the veteran was successful when he scored 40 yards in the third quarter and scored the game-winning goal with a 52-yard run over the timeout. Given the tight games Seattle has played in the first quarter of the season, Janikowski's ability to get rid of mistakes and qualify for the clutch will be very helpful to the team. The Seahawks also played a ball offensive in both wins, so it will be critical to take advantage of the field position for the kickoff.

3. Do not be fooled by the goals as you watch the first start of career rookie quarterback Josh Rosen. Rosen completed 15 of 27 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown with impressive shots, but her receiver group did not help much at the start of the game. Wide receivers Christian Kirk, Larry Fitzgerald and J.J. Nelson all dropped passes and Fitzgerald had two very unusual declines in the first period. Rosen had a perfect ball placement on deep passes to Kirk and Nelson, but he saw the ball squirt. Nelson, in particular, dropped a pass that should have given the Cardinals a nearly five-yard lead.

Nevertheless, Rosen showed coolness throughout the match to overcome the falls and led the team late in the fourth quarter to tie the score with a 22-yard wide receiver shot by Chad Williams. Given the strength of his arm and his ability to get out of adversity early, the future of the Cardinals' recruits is promising.

– Herbie Teope

Los Angeles Chargers 29, San Francisco 49ers 27

1. Chargers generally find ways to sabotage their way to winable games themselves. Sunday afternoon, facing a team of 49ers struggling with an injury, his starting quarter seemed to be part of these struggles. But the Bolts earned a two-point victory over the backs of two of their young stars, Melvin Gordon and Derwin James, despite persistent mistakes by veterans (Philip Rivers) and newcomers (Caleb Sturgis). Gordon scored 22 shots on the Chargers with a total of 159 rushing yards, led the team in receptions (7) and was the driving force behind his finest passes. On the other side of the ball, Derwin James, defenseman of the year 's defensive rookie, was the Chargers' main defensive disruptor, recording three hits, two defensive passes and one bag and forcing the team to go into action. winning interception. via blitz. With the Raiders and Browns on their schedule for the next two weeks, the Chargers are ready to resume the playoff conversation that they briefly left after losing to the Rams and Chiefs Titans.

2. The 49ers can survive and compete with C. J. Beathard at the center. Taking the place of injured Jimmy Garoppolo, Beathard showed hardness, confidence and sometimes contact from his first start in 10 months. Most of his career-high 298 yards was led by George Kittle (125 yards), who took a third quarter 82 yards to home. Although the two interceptions of the second-year quarterback were crucial, Beathard showed enough to bolster coach Kyle Shanahan's confidence by allowing him to lead this training after Jimmy G. With a more dynamic Matt Breida and more dynamic Next week, Beathard has a legitimate chance to lead the Niners beyond the Cardinals. Although the defeats of Joe Staley (knee) and Dante Pettis (knee) are stung as long as they are.

3. Sturgis is the weather vane of the Chargers. The fate of the team depends on the direction given by his unscheduled shot and his attempts to score extra points. Sturgis missed his first two attempts Sunday, a goal on the field and an extra point, prompting the Chargers to attempt a two-point conversion on their next touchdown. The kicker missed another point in the second half and was spotted sitting solemnly on the bench alone. But after the Bolts dropped by one point in the fourth quarter, Sturgis' 21-yard success with less than eight minutes to play was the difference. On the season, Sturgis has 67% more points and 77% goals, which is not quite worthy. At least not yet.

– Jeremy Bergman

Cincinnati Bengals 37, Atlanta Falcons 36

1. An impressive performance by Andy Dalton and the Bengals (3-1) ended in glory as the quarterback saw A.J. Green for a 13-yard touchdown with seven seconds to go. The training resulted in a wonderful day for Dalton, who had 337 yards and three goals while overcoming Tyler Eifert's loss. This high-profile tilt moved the Bengals emotionally when their tight and threatening end of the game suffered a leg injury following a third-quarter take. Seconds later, Cincy suffered a punt blocked before Dalton saw a decisive pass at the end of the third quarter. The Bengals, however, found their rhythm when it mattered most.

2. This is reminiscent of the cascade of Falcons-Saints points last week, with both offenses already well advanced, Bengals and Falcons totaling 52 points in the first half – the second highest production in the first half. semester of the year – while combining go 18 out of 27 on third conversions. Matt Ryan was almost perfect, repeatedly finding his big money targets like Julio Jones (9/173), Mohamed Sanu (6/111) and rookie Calvin Ridley (4/54/2) for endless pieces of property. against a wanted defense of the Bengals. . Ryan was lucky to see Tony McRae, a Cincy cover man, drop a pick six minutes later, but make no mistake: this offense is promising.

3. The Falcons (1-3) have been my choice of the Super Bowl in the NFC, but Atlanta's defense is like a seated duck. The loss of linebacker Deion Jones and security Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen turned defense into defeat, but the return of Takkarist McKinley (with three sacks) gave a boost to this unit.

– Marc Sessler

Tennessee Titans 26, Philadelphia Eagles 23 (OT)

1. Align them and knock them out. For three and a half quarter, the Titans (3-1) lulled the Eagles into a false sense of security – a disappointment unmasked by a precision airstrike orchestrated by Marcus Mariota on the wings of his talented receiver body that culminated in exciting extension the victory. The Titans converted to three quarter-finals in overtime – including one on an expensive penalty to the Eagles – before Mariota throws a 10-yard pass to Corey Davis in the end zone to block the win. The impressive 16-game, 75-yard drive once again showed what the Titans are capable of when the hope is almost off. Two weeks ago, against Houston Texans, Tennessee showed resilience. Last week, he won a defensive battle against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Against the defending champions of the Super Bowl, they rallied to a devastating offensive that presented itself perfectly without the late Rishard Matthews.

The return started late in the third quarter while the Titans were at 17-3. A 2-yard dive by Mariota allowed Tennessee to return to the game. In the fourth quarter, the quarter-finals hurt the Eagles' highs. Behind a stronger offensive game, Mariota started the race with a 51-yard throw to Davis, in the belly of the Eagles' defense. Davis's speed and confidence coupled with Mariota's price drop puts Tennessee just outside the red zone. Mariota led a 7-yard pass to Taywan Taylor and then a touchdown pass for 11 yards to Tajae Sharpe. The impressive training, which ended with a big win in the bowling zone in the end zone, boosted the momentum for the Titans, even though Jake Elliott's 30-yard score forced the extension. After some initial fights, Mariota impressed in the last 20 minutes, completing 30 of 43 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns.

2. The Eagles' pass is often to be seen, but their side team does not seem to be able to keep pace with younger and faster cadets, such as the Titans deployed. Tennessee used a variety of different passes to separate the Eagles (2-2) in the fourth quarter and overtime when pass coverage was more or less suppressed or hindered by penalties. The Eagles had three chances to win in overtime, but instead gave 19-yard and 17-yard passes with a pass interference penalty. By the time the Eagles' front could not reach Mariota late, he made them pay. Carson Wentz performed well in his second match after an injury, completing 33 of 50 assists for two touchdowns. Jay Ajayi added 70 yards on 15 carries, but that was not enough to stop Super Mariota.

3. What's new with the Titans racing game? With a quarterback still safe from injury, Tennessee does not seem interested in moving away from his passing game even if he was hit by inefficiencies in the first period. Sure, running in the mower blades, which are the Eagles' top seven places, is not easy, but the Tennessee O line can hold up, especially with Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin together. Derrick Henry entered the game by criticizing his game in the third week, calling him "trash", but he did not even get the chance to take out the "trash" – he was limited to eight runs for 24 yards. Dion Lewis, who the Titans signed during the off season, was limited to zero yards on the ground, but he caught nine passes for 66 yards. Mariota was the best running back with 46 yards in 10 races. Tennessee's ability to face adversity is admirable, but a better running game would greatly contribute to transforming the Titans, who have become annoying performers back in a Super Bowl challengers.

– Austin Knoblauch

Houston Texans 37, Colts of Indianapolis 34 (OT)

1. Deshaun Watson nearly won this game with a deep overtime shot that was just missed by DeAndre Hopkins in the end zone. Houston's setter then clinched gold with a 24-yard strike at Hopkins that allowed Ka & imi Fairbairn to win the 37-yard match. The Texans seemed to be in the bottom right, Watson threw for 374 yards and showed some of the art and the game team that made him feel throughout the league last fall. Hopkins (10/169/1) was generally fantastic as rookie Keke Coutee (11/109) offered an outstanding performance. Watson's protection remains a concern, with Indy's defense accumulating seven sacks and nine tackles for the loss. Still, Texans can draw positive points from a contested victory that ended a run of nine losses.

2. Why did Colts coach Frank Reich choose to try his luck 43 with 24 seconds in overtime – and why throw the ball? This decision led to the inability of Andrew Luck and Houston's victory. The loss aside, this thriller is a step forward for Andrew Luck and the Indy Airstrike. Luck thrived with the game on the line to create a nine-game, 85-yard, fourth quarter touchdown that brought Indy into 31-29 Texans. Luck then found Chester Rogers for converting two points to send the business overtime. After three weeks of results in the low octane air field, Luck accumulated a monstrous 464 yards and four scores at 7.5 yards per attempt, while breathing life into the game. passes. Still, I'm not sure there's a broader imbalance in the league after watching Indy's ground game produce just 41 yards at 2.4 yards per race.

3. J.J. Last week, Watt presented his magnificent grill powers with three sacks against the Giants. On Sunday, Jadeveon Clowney did his part by scoring two sacks – including a key overtime kill – two tackles for the loss and first score of the Houston day when he fell to the center of Ryan Kelly's balloon, cumbersome and short. dribbled to the end of Indy area. Watt had not finished, however, piling up a pair of takedowns, including a Luck striptease bag on Indy's 5-yard line that had allowed Watson to score on Hopkins. All questions about Watt's ability to terrorize quarterbacks after two seasons devastated by injuries have been set aside.

Bonus: Hat for Adam Vinatieri, the Colts' 45-year-old kicker, whose 42-yard throw to finish the first half earned him 566 goals, the most kickers in history. NFL.

– Marc Sessler

Chicago Bears 48, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10

1. Welcome to the 2018 offensive party, Chicago! Mitchell Trubisky presented a show in the first half, raining a parade of deep fire on a defensive side of Tampa Bay. In two quarters, the quarterback has scored 47, 39, 34, 33 and 30 yards. Trubisky had five touchdowns and a perfect score of 158.3 QB in the first half. The Bears offensive line did a great job giving the QB time to materialize, and Trubisky traded the ball. While the second-year quarterback struggled to see the pitch sometimes in three games, he had no problem with Sunday's whitewash. Trubisky entered Sunday with nine touchdowns in 15 career starts. He pitched for six scores today.

If this is the future of Matt Nagy's offense, register us. The Bears (3-1) confused the Bucs defensemen with multiple creative formations, including a touchdown to Taylor Gabriel on a mat when Trubisky and QB backup Chase Daniel were both in the backfield. Nagy prepared a horn of plenty of wide-open receivers in the field. Trubisky threw in windows apparently as wide as the Gulf of Mexico. Nagy also used playmaker Tarik Cohen in the two-man game. Doing his best identity theft on Tyreek Hill, Cohen was discovered on wheel and angled roads (7 receptions, 121 yards, TD). Cohen is a mismatch all over the field that completely opens the rest of the Bears' offense. Expect Nagy to use the more advanced 5-foot-6-inch jitterbug.

2. The Fitzmagic finally failed. Coach Dirk Koetter sent Ryan Fitzpatrick off the bench after two difficult minutes of QB play. Jameis Winston came into play at halftime, dropping 38-3. The Bucs' offensive problems did not all involve Fitzpatrick, but the quarterback lifted the ball several times and struggled to cope with Chicago's relentless run. After the veteran quarter became the first player in NFL history to win more than 400 yards in three consecutive games to open the season, he scored nine of 18 attempts for 126 yards and one interception, for a score of 49.8. at Winston.

After missing the first three weeks due to a suspension, Winston entered the game and made little progress. In his first possession, the quarter had his arm touched by Khalil Mack, which made the ball float in the air for an interception. Winston seemed a bit rusty early and was repeatedly submerged by a Bears pass that had his ears leaning back. Winston finished 16 of his 20 goals for 145 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against a defense not to give up the big games. With a goodbye next week, it made sense for Koetter to take the Winston representatives into an explosion. After Fitzpatrick flew the ship for three weeks, it seems like Winston will be back to work.

3. The Bucs' attack collapsed thanks to a dominant Bears defense that played with fire. Mack completely destroyed the Bucs' offline game. The defensemen once again stuffed the stats sheet with four tackles, a sack, a touched QB, a loss tackle, a defender and a forced fumble. His game was even more impressive than the numbers. Mack did everything possible to neutralize the offense with Bucs by unfailing pressure. The defensive player 's favorite of the year is worth every penny for North bears, NFC.

– Kevin Patra

Dallas Cowboys 26, Detroit Lions 24

1. Ezekiel Elliott caught a superb 34-yard rush over the shoulder to get Brett Maher off the field goal. With his apologies for the three bags of Demarcus Lawrence, Elliott was the best player on the field, leading Dallas in the race (152 yards in 25 races) and receiving (88 yards and one touchdown at four receptions). It's arguably the best performance ever for the All-Pro halfback, who leads the NFL in 303 rushing yards and 14 field scrimmages (14) since entering the league as a choice No. 4 in 2016. The bar is so low for Dak Prescott's offense that it is also the best exit of the quarterback season, causing the Cowboys to rack up the most points (26) and passes to the pass (255) since early December of last year.

2. Despite all the talk of the Lions returning to their long-lost ground attack last week, their porous race defense deserved no mention. Coach Matt Patricia rallied his troops at halftime to emphasize the fact that their performances were unacceptable in defense. It's no use that the 38-yard pass from Elliott via a screen pass was a match after Romeo Okwara lost a sack due to an unnecessary penalty of roughness on a confusing game in which no whistle sounded dead. Needing a stop after Golden Tate's 38-yard touchdown gave Detroit a one-point lead two minutes from the end, second-year linebacker Jarrad Davis was beaten by Elliott for the loss of Lions.

3. Tate, one of the NFL's most dangerous threats after the capture, made its way with a Dallas side team that showed a disturbing leaning for abandoning big games over the course of two last weeks. Après avoir embarrassé Jourdan Lewis et Jeff Heath sur un score de 45 verges, Tate a donné aux Lions une avance de 24-23 avec un touché de 38 verges contre un Anthony Brown surclassé. De même que Byron Jones a joué dans sa conversion de la sécurité au numéro 1, le reste de la formation secondaire de Dallas est touché chaque semaine.

– Chris Wesseling

Green Bay Packers 22, Buffalo Bills 0

1. Le quart-arrière des Packers, Aaron Rodgers, a réussi une passe efficace, complétant 22 de ses 40 passes pour 298 verges et un touché avec une interception, ce qui lui a valu une série de 150 passes sans choix. Rodgers aurait dû avoir au moins deux autres interceptions, mais les défenseurs des Bills ne pouvaient pas retenir le ballon.

Malgré tout, ce qui ressort le plus chez Rodgers, c’est sa mobilité malgré le volumineux appareil sur son genou gauche. Rodgers, qui a réussi à compenser la blessure subie au cours de la première semaine, a montré une bonne mobilité. À chaque fois que les Bills appliquaient une pression, Rodgers se glissait facilement dans la poche ou se déplaçait latéralement pour glisser vers la gauche ou la droite à de nombreuses reprises. Rodgers n’a pas hésité lorsqu’il est sorti de la poche pour courir avec le ballon, totalisant 31 verges en cinq courses, dont une longue de 15 verges. Reste à savoir si Rodgers sera en santé à 100% cette saison, mais la mobilité qu’il a montrée dimanche est plus que suffisante pour donner des cauchemars aux coordonnateurs défensifs.

2. La partie de course à pied des Packers a pris part à la 24e semaine et s’est classée 24e dans la ligue, avec une moyenne de 89 verges par match, et est restée bloquée avec une course par comité. L'approche a produit un après-midi productif contre une défensive des Bills qui s'est classée cinquième contre la course, accordant 80 verges par match. Les porteurs de ballon de Green Bay, Jamaal Williams, Aaron Jones et Ty Montgomery ont combiné 110 de leurs 141 verges au sol.

Du trio, Jones a fourni l'explosion avec 65 verges et un touché sur 11 portées, soit une moyenne de 5,9 verges par course. Jones s'est vraiment imposé sur la troisième possession des Packers en réalisant une course de 30 verges, une première descente sur une courte descente, une prise de 17 verges et une course de touché de 3 verges. Alors que les Packers semblent à l'aise d'utiliser les trois demis dans un rôle de rotation, Jones a bien plaidé en faveur de la possibilité de remonter dans le graphique de profondeur.

3. Le quart-arrière des Bills, Josh Allen, n'a pas réussi à s'appuyer sur la performance de la semaine 3, et les hauts et les bas d'un appelant débutant étaient en démonstration dimanche. Une semaine après avoir mené les Bills à une superbe victoire de 27-6 sur les Vikings du Minnesota, Allen est revenu à la réalité avec une performance incohérente face à la défense des Packers.

La première mi-temps d’Allen était à ne pas oublier, alors qu’il entrait à la mi-temps en complétant un très mauvais 5 de 19 passes pour 58 verges et une INT, tout en affichant une cote de 17,9. Le septième choix du repêchage de 2018 n'a pas dépassé les 100 verges avant le quatrième quart et était constamment sous pression, les Packers ayant limogé Allen à sept reprises. Allen a terminé la partie en complétant 16 des 33 passes pour 151 verges sans aucun touché et deux interceptions pour un score de 36,3.

– Herbie Teope

New England Patriots 38, Miami Dolphins 7

1. Frank Gore est bien parti pour finir dans le trou noir mais Miami avait déjà brandi le drapeau de la capitulation avec 10 minutes à faire au quatrième quart lorsque Brock Osweiler a remplacé Ryan Tannehill dans un blanchissage 38-0. À ce moment-là, le demi recrue des Patriots, Sony Michel, avait plus de verges au sol que toute l’offensive des Dolphins. Après avoir vu leurs récepteurs piétonniers ne pas s'ouvrir au cours des deux dernières semaines, les Pats ont dévoilé une attaque au sol qui a forcé la ligne de défense défensive des Dolphins à se concentrer sur la course plutôt que sur la passe. Michel et James White ont combiné pour 41 m (224 verges) du coup d'envoi du moteur qui a provoqué l'attaque de Tom Brady.

2. Les 449 verges d'attaque des Patriots ont-elles été un signe que les malheurs du début de saison se situent dans le rétroviseur ou simplement la conséquence d'un plan de match brillant pour exploiter les faiblesses d'un adversaire? Nous nous pencherions vers ce dernier. Bien que Michel, plus confiant, ait connu de gros trous pour marquer son premier touché en route vers sa première performance de 100 verges, il n’a pas encore retrouvé l’élan insaisissable qu’il a présenté à la Géorgie. Cordarrelle Patterson a profité d'une couverture brisée sur un jeu de choix pour son score de 55 verges. Phillip Dorsett a signé une belle prise de touché, mais a également laissé tomber le meilleur lancer de Tom Brady de l'après-midi. Jouant sur un tendon du jarret et continuant à jouer à l'attaque des Patriots, Josh Gordon a lancé ses deux cibles isolées pour 32 verges. Rob Gronkowski caught four of seven targets for 44 yards before exiting with an ankle injury late in the third quarter. Will the All-Pro tight end be ready to face the Colts on a short week? Much to Brady's relief, possession receiver Julian Edelman should be available after serving his four-game suspension.

3. Handed a prime opportunity to announce a long-awaited changing of the guard in the AFC, the Dolphins did nothing to quell suspicions that their 3-0 start was aided by a friendly schedule. Tannehill was sacked just two times and still managed just 100 yards passing in just over three quarters. He also botched a shotgun snap that Kyle Van Noy recovered deep in Dolphins territory to set up James White's 22-yard touchdown scamper. New England's defense not only stifled Miami's ground attack but also erased Tannehill's scrambling ability and took away the jet sweeps and trick plays that broke Oakland's back in Week 3. This offense will need to get back on track with matchups looming against the first-place Bengals and Bears in the next two weeks.

— Chris Wesseling

Jacksonville Jaguars 31, New York Jets 12

1. Blake Bortles is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but with Jacksonville's defense, that can be enough. We learned this last year, and we've learned it again with these last two weeks. In Week 3, Bortles and Jacksonville's offense didn't do much of anything in a 9-6 loss to Tennessee that was filled with punts and lacked Leonard Fournette and a fully healthy T.J. Yeldon. Bortles was presented with a slightly better situation in Week 4, getting Fournette back (briefly) and Yeldon at full strength, and becoming a poor man's Joe Montana with his collection of improvisations. Bortles dropped, clutched, hesitated, scrambled and threw his way to multiple gains for first downs, and when he threw from the pocket, he was sharper than usual. Watching a Bortles-led game is never overwhelmingly pleasing, but frankly, he was good (29-of-38, 388 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) in a non-traditional way. That was more than enough Sunday.

2. The Jets continue to take a less-than-adventurous approach — understandably so — with their offense, but it hurt them more Sunday than in any of the first three weeks. Jacksonville's highly touted defense limits things for any offense, but New York, which successfully ran the football for most of the season, did very little of it. Bilal Powell ran eight times for 26 yards. Isaiah Crowell rushed four times for a net gain of zero yards. To top it off, he was tackled in the end zone for a safety.

As a result of a lack of a ground game and a still-attainable deficit, Darnold was forced to throw 34 times. He missed his target occasionally and was nearly intercepted twice (Jalen Ramsey's dropped INT will loom in the season-ending stat race), but he also made more than a few excellent throws. The problem: His receivers dropped a handful of on-target attempts. Two straight drops killed what looked to be a key drive just before half. At least one more drop came at the hands of Jermaine Kearse this time, late in the third. The Jets' offense is still a work in progress.

3. Jacksonville's seemingly ragtag group of wideouts continues to play above expectations. Dede Westbrook caught nine passes for 130 yards and was a stumble away from a touchdown; Donte Moncrief caught five passes for 109 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown that essentially iced the win. James O'Shaughnessy and Austin Seferian-Jenkins combined for four catches and over 50 yards. And Yeldon caught three passes, including a very important 31-yard touchdown late in the first half to end Jacksonville's run of strictly field goals. There's no clear No. 1 and these aren't the days of the Allens, but this group excels at finding ways to get open as Bortles improvises. It was on full display Sunday.

— Nick Shook

New Orleans Saints 33, New York Giants 18

1. A heretofore maligned Saints defense came to play. Entering the week giving up a league-worst 34.3 points per game, 6.9 yards per play, and 421 yards per tilt, New Orleans bottled up Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley most of the day. With six minutes remaining OBJ was held to five catches for 17 yards. Taking advantage of an anemic Giants offense, the Saints compiled three sacks (two by linebacker Demario Davis) and two forced fumbles. The New York offense remained an excruciating watch. To open the game, the Giants marched for a 75-yard TD drive on 10 plays for a touchdown with seven first downs. Big Blue's next four dives (not counting an end-of-half kneel) generated 63 total yards on 20 plays with four first downs. At one point late in the third quarter CBS commentator Tony Romo sounded exacerbated, noting "I feel like every pass is like 3 yards for the Giants." Facing a Saints defense that had been bombarded by deep shots through three weeks, New York couldn't take advantage with anything downfield thanks in part to a porous offensive line. That inability made the difference Sunday.

2. The Big Blue defense did an admirable job slowing Drew Brees most of the day. Led by Janoris Jenkins and Landon Collins, New York silenced Michael Thomas early. The NFL's leading pass-catcher entering the week had just one reception through two quarters. The Saints were held out of the end zone in the first half, going 0-4 in the red zone, settling for four field goals. New York could only keep down the explosive Saints offense so long. Alvin Kamara, Brees, and Thomas got loose in the second half, punching in three touchdowns to blast the game open. Kamara punctuated the day with a game-sealing 49-yard touchdown run to culminate a 102-yard-rushing, 3 TD second half. It wasn't the most prolific day for Brees, 18-of-32 (56.3 percent) for 217 yards and no touchdowns, but the Saints will gladly take the road win.

3. Taysom Hill is officially a thing. The backup quarterback played a key role throughout the game. As the Saints were poised to go 3-and-out for the second straight drive to open the tilt, Hill tossed a fake-punt pass for a first down. The play jumpstarted the Saints, who earned a field goal on the drive. On the day, Hill returned a kick, played lead-blocker for Kamara, ran over a defensive back on a 19-yard run, and played a big role as a read-option quarterback in the red zone. On 15 offensive plays, Hill compiled four rushes for 28 yards, one reception for -4 yards, and 1-of-2 passing for 10 yards. He got overzealous on one QB keeper when he should have handed to Kamara for a touchdown. The backup atoned later on the exact same play giving it to the RB for a score. Hill's threat as a runner is clearly something Sean Payton wanted to take advantage of in the red area. It will be interesting to see if the Saints stick with Hill's option when Mark Ingram returns from suspension next week.

— Kevin Patra