We may have only reached the fourth week of an 18-week NFL regular season, but the pressure has already ramped up.
Contenders unexpectedly find themselves trying to claw their ways out of early holes. Coaches already find themselves on the hot seat. Some squads already must rely on backups to fill key injury holes. Hot-start squads have a sense of urgency while trying to protect unexpected early leads. The drama never ceases.
This week’s slate kicked off with an NFC West clash between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night and then progresses to the NFL’s first game in Ireland, between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin on Sunday morning. Stateside, another 11 games will take place before the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys wrap up the day on the national stage. Monday night features a double-header between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos.
Here are five of the most compelling storylines of the week:
1. Elites under pressure
Any showdown between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs counts as must-see TV. But with both perennial AFC front-runners off to slow starts and in danger of slipping in even deeper holes, the stakes are that much higher.
After an 0-2 start, the Chiefs got their first win on Sunday, beating the hapless New York Giants 22-9. After blowing a golden opportunity against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, the Ravens blew out the Cleveland Browns but then coughed up another statement-win opportunity against the Detroit Lions last week. Owners of 1-2 records, both teams’ chances of making the playoffs have taken a hit. Since 1990, only 24.9 percent (93 of 374) of teams that open the year 1-2 have gone on to make the playoffs. A victory Sunday would go a long way towards helping either team get back on track. But someone is losing, and since 1990, only 35 teams have reached the playoffs after starting 1-3.
To win, the Chiefs must do a better job of taking care of Patrick Mahomes, who is still trying to find comfort behind a revamped offensive line and is completing just 59 percent of his passes (the lowest clip of his career). Kansas City also must provide better support by way of a more effective rushing attack. This just might represent the prime opportunity for that run game to get on track, however. The Ravens’ defense has allowed an average of 149 rushing yards per game (third most in the NFL) and has allowed opponents to convert 44.7 percent of third downs for first downs (ninth worst). In addition to slowing the run after getting gashed by Detroit last week, Baltimore also must do a better job of taking care of the football at crucial junctures. The Ravens lead the league with 37 points per game. However, fourth-quarter fumbles by Derrick Henry cost Baltimore against both Buffalo and Detroit. The Ravens also must do a better job of capitalizing in the red zone, where, despite having Henry and Lamar Jackson, they have scored touchdowns only 54.5 percent of the time (17th), a year after scoring on a league-best 73.97 percent of their trips inside the 20. (Ravens at Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).
2. Jaxson Dart’s debut
The Giants find themselves in a lowly cluster of six winless teams. With Brian Daboll feeling the heat after this 0-3 start and back-to-back double-digit loss seasons, the coach pulled the plug on the Russell Wilson experiment. The hook came just two weeks after Wilson recorded only the fourth 400-yard passing game of his career, but with the Giants’ offense so grossly ineffective while averaging just 17.3 points per game and converting on only 27.6 percent of their third downs.
Now Daboll turns to New York’s first-round pick (No. 25) out of Mississippi. Dart boasts exceptional athleticism and a big arm and reminds Daboll of Josh Allen, whom he coached as offensive coordinator in Buffalo. The 6-foot-2, 233-pound Dart showed promise in the preseason (32-for-47 passing for 372 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, 52 rushing yards and a touchdown on six carries) but coaches didn’t feel like he was ready to start. Dart has had a couple of cameos in the first three weeks of the regular season, but nothing exceptional (two carries for 0 yards, no pass attempts). Can Dart infuse the Giants’ anemic offense with life while facing an undefeated Los Angeles Chargers team boasting a defense that has held opponents to just 182 passing yards and 16.7 points per game and opposing passers to a combined 67.9 passer rating? Talk about being thrown to the wolves! (Chargers at Giants, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, CBS)
Jaxson Dart looked good in the preseason. Can he build on that in his first NFL start? (Ishika Samant / Getty Images)3. Meeting of the unbeatens
Fresh off a dramatic comeback victory that featured a last-second blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles lay their perfect record on the line against another undefeated team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at Raymond James Stadium. This is also a rematch of the 2023 wild-card matchup, which saw the Buccaneers knock off Philadelphia 32-9.
The Eagles have already delivered some statement wins, pulling away from NFC East rival Dallas, once again defeating the Chiefs and then rallying against a very good Los Angeles Rams team last week. But perfection has eluded Philly thus far. The Eagles’ defense has struggled against the run (surrendering 133 yards per game). The offense has yet to produce with any kind of consistency. The passing game has sputtered. They’re just average on the ground (122 yards per game) despite the two-headed attack of Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts, and they have scored only 25.7 points per game (sixth fewest). Nick Sirianni’s team does, however, frequently seem to find a way to win.
So too do Todd Bowles’ resilient Buccaneers, who have won all three of their games on go-ahead scores in the final minute of regulation. The impressive depth built by general manager Jason Licht and his staff has shown through as young players have filled voids caused by delayed season debuts or in-game exits of injured veterans. Life will get a little more challenging for Baker Mayfield because veteran wide receiver Mike Evans joined the injured list this week. But rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka has shined, recording three touchdown catches and 181 yards on 14 receptions. Can the Buccaneers continue to execute against a talented Eagles secondary, and can Tampa’s defense hold the potentially potent Eagles offense in check as it has its previous foes? (Eagles at Buccaneers, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox).
4. Next level desperation
Something’s got to give. Sunday in South Beach, the winless New York Jets take on the also-winless Miami Dolphins.
First-year coach Aaron Glenn’s Jets haven’t been awful. They went toe-to-toe with Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers before a narrow defeat in Week 1. The Super Bowl contender Bills did win handily in Week 2, but New York rebounded in Week 3 against the Buccaneers, erupting for a 21-point fourth quarter behind backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor to hold a lead entering the final minute of regulation. Quarterback Justin Fields missed the last game with a concussion but returns to action this week. Awaiting the Jets is a Dolphins defense that has surrendered a league-high 32.3 points per game, 145 rushing yards per game (fifth-most) and ranks 31st on third downs (opponents convert 52.6 percent of the time).
The Jets need a win, but not as badly as Miami coach Mike McDaniel and his Dolphins. After two feeble playoff showings in his first two seasons on the job and then a disappointing, injury-plagued 2024 campaign, McDaniel needs his team to return to the ranks of the bona fide contenders. However, Miami looked listless in Week 1 and didn’t fare much better in Week 2. They played hard against Buffalo last week, but still fell short. Once regarded as a bright offensive mind, McDaniel’s schemes seemingly have grown stale and predictable, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has displayed poor decision-making. Can the Dolphins finally get it together and take advantage of a Jets defense whose players still are acclimating to coordinator Steve Wilks’ system? The Jets have given up 31 points per game while opposing quarterbacks have completed 65.1 percent of their passes and posted a passer rating of 107.6. (Jets at Dolphins, 7:15 p.m. ET, Monday, ESPN).
5. Parsons’ return
The Cowboys will try to rebound from last week’s embarrassing loss to the Chicago Bears by pulling off an upset against an angry Packers team that suffered a stunning 13-10 loss to the Browns last week.
The Cowboys’ defense may have reached its lowest point last week against the Bears, surrendering 31 points, four touchdown passes and a 60 percent success rate on third downs. Blown coverages and confounding miscommunications ran rampant. Previously-struggling Bears quarterback Caleb Williams looked like a star and wasn’t sacked once. Could the timing of this week’s game be any worse? Coming to town with the Packers is all-world pass-rusher Micah Parsons, whom the Cowboys traded to Green Bay just before the start of the season after failed contract extension negotiations. The Cowboys could use Parsons’ services in the worst way. But instead, he’ll look to exact revenge while aiming to help the Packers return to looking like one of the best teams in the league.
The Packers have held opponents to just 232.3 yards and a league-low 14.7 points per game. Parsons has 1.5 sacks, six quarterback hits and five tackles. He and his fellow Green Bay defenders should be able to take advantage of a battered Cowboys offense, which is missing both star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and starting right guard Tyler Booker. Pressure ramps up significantly on quarterback Dak Prescott, who owns a 1-5 record against the Packers, including an 0-2 postseason mark. Meanwhile, his counterpart Jordan Love, who struggled against Cleveland’s ferocious defense last week, seemingly can bounce back in a big way. (Packers at Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, NBC).
(Top photo of Lamar Jackson and George Karlaftis: David Eulitt / Getty Images)