Eric Williams
NFL Reporter
The 1972 Miami Dolphins, who still remain as the only NFL team to ever go undefeated, could be popping champagne early this year.
Only two undefeated teams remain following Sunday’s Week 4 games: the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills. The Eagles survived on the road, holding off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-25, while the Bills outlasted the New Orleans Saints at home, 31-19.
For Philadelphia, it’s the third time in four seasons the Eagles have started 4-0. For the Bills, it’s the fifth time since 1990 and the first since 2020 that they have started the season 4-0.
Last season, the last undefeated team in the league didn’t get its first loss until Week 11. The Kansas City Chiefs went 9-0 last season before losing to the Bills in Buffalo.
Elsewhere in the NFL, big plays were made on special teams for a second straight week. After five blocked kicks in Week 3, three more kicks were blocked in Week 4, along with a blocked punt return for a score by the Eagles.
But the biggest of all those plays was the blocked field goal by Chicago Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell of Daniel Carlson’s 54-yard field goal attempt to give Ben Johnson’s team a 25-24 win on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Let’s take a closer look at who’s hot and who’s cold from Week 4.
WHO’S HOT
Buffalo’s workhorse running back showed why he deserved a contract extension this offseason, finishing with 117 rushing yards and a touchdown in Buffalo’s victory over New Orleans. Cook set a franchise record with a rushing touchdown in eight straight games, and his 21 rushing touchdowns since the start of the 2024 season tops the league.
Cook topped 100 yards rushing for a third straight game, is second in the league in rushing (401) and leads the league in rushing touchdowns (5). If he keeps this up, Cook could be in the conversation for Offensive Player of the Year at the end of the season.
The Ole Miss product looked the part in his first NFL start for the Giants, a 21-18 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. With the victory, Dart became the first quarterback to win his first career start against a team that was 3-0 or better in 23 seasons. Marc Bulger was the last to do it with the then-St. Louis Rams in October 2002 against the Raiders, who were 4-0 at the time.
Yes, Dart only passed for 111 yards and a touchdown, but he rushed 10 times for 54 yards, and he didn’t turn the ball over. Combined with rookie Cam Skattebo’s 79 rushing yards, the Giants controlled things on the ground and kept the pressure on Justin Herbert by picking the Oregon product off twice.
Skattebo and Dart are the first Giants rookies with at least 50 rushing yards in the same game since Larry Heater and Leon Perry in 1980 against the Cowboys, per FOX Sports research.
One of the primary reasons for Jacksonville’s 3-1 record — besides forcing a league-high 13 turnovers — was the play of the Clemson product. Etienne finished with 128 rushing yards and a touchdown in his team’s road win over San Francisco, giving the 49ers their first loss of the season.
Etienne gained 89 of his rushing yards before contact, a higher total than he had in the entire 2024 season (78), per Next Gen Stats. We also got to see Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh had a few harsh words after the game because Coen did not like Saleh’s legal sign-stealing comments.
I’m here for the pettiness.
Playing without three starting offensive linemen and No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb, Prescott still finished with 319 passing yards and three touchdowns, facing his former teammate Micah Parsons and one of the best defenses in the league.
Dak Prescott has remained one of the league’s top passers despite the circumstances in Dallas.. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
The Cowboys finished with a tie against the Packers. But it felt more like a win for Dallas, who came into the game as heavy underdogs and was not expected to compete against a more talented roster like Green Bay. Prescott leads the league with 1,119 passing yards.
The ball has finally found Pittsburgh’s big-play receiver. After a slow start, Metcalf exploded for five catches and 126 receiving yards, including an 80-yard touchdown reception in a win over the Minnesota Vikings.
The Steelers are using Metcalf more inside the slot. Metcalf ran 11 of his 20 routes (55.%) from the slot, where he caught 2 of 2 targets for 94 yards and a touchdown, per Next Gen Stats.
WHO’S COLD
Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are not coming out of retirement to save the day. Traditionally known for a menacing defense, the Ravens are allowing a league-worst 33.3 points per game through the first four weeks of the season.
Cornerback Nate Wiggins was one of a handful of Ravens players injured in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, while the defense has already dealt with numerous injuries this season. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs finished with 37 points and 382 yards of total offense in a decisive win over the Ravens. Injuries to frontline players like Kyle Van Noy and Nnamdi Madubuike have affected play on that side of the ball. Still, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Zach Orr must go back to the drawing board and figure things out before Baltimore faces the Houston Texans in Week 5.
The Browns dropped to 1-3 on the season, with a 34-10 loss to the Detroit Lions. Flacco finished 16-of-34 for 184 yards, with no touchdowns and three turnovers. Flacco was sacked three times and posted a 39.3 passer rating.
Flacco is 40 years old. He leads the league with eight giveaways. Cleveland drafted two quarterbacks this year in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. It’s time to play one of them.
Give credit to Mitchell for owning up for his mistakes after the game in the locker room. Still, he cost his team 14 points in a closely contested game on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. The first head-scratcher was Mitchell fumbling through the end zone on a play that should have been a 76-yard reception for a score. Instead, the Colts lost a touchdown that would have given them a lead.
Colts’ Adonai Mitchell drops football crossing goal line causing a touchback
Mitchell was also called for an obvious holding penalty on another touchdown, a 53-yard run for a score by Jonathan Taylor, that would have given Indianapolis a lead late. Mitchell’s fumble through the end zone was like Taylor’s fumble through the end zone for a touchback in a loss to the Denver Broncos last season.
Smith had three interceptions against the Bears and leads the league with seven. Fortunately for the Raiders, the Bears turned those turnovers into 13 points as the Las Vegas defense limited the damage by Smith.
Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly must do a better job of putting Smith in better situations, so he doesn’t hurt the team, which means handing the ball more to rookie Ashton Jeanty. Pete Carroll has said it’s all about the ball. For Smith, that means doing a better job of taking care of it.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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