The NFL lands in yet another country this year, as the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers invade Dublin on Sunday morning for the first regular-season game in Ireland.<\/p>\n
The league\u2019s international efforts are among Week 4 topics for our NFL writers Zak Keefer, Jeff Howe and Mike Sando. There is plenty more to talk about as well, such as the loser of Baltimore Ravens-Kansas City Chiefs shockingly falling to 1-3; \u201cIndiana Jones\u201d<\/a> and the undefeated Indianapolis Colts taking the show on the road to Los Angeles; and Micah Parsons\u2019 return to Dallas.<\/p>\n Read more below.<\/p>\n The Vikings and Steelers meet in Ireland\u2019s first regular-season NFL game. What are your general thoughts on how far the league wants to take its international excursions? Is an overseas Super Bowl feasible? How about an NFL Draft?<\/p>\n Keefer:<\/strong> Frankly, I see no end in sight in terms of international expansion. This is one way Roger Goodell has sweetened the pie for his bosses \u2014 the NFL owners \u2014 by cashing in on more and more international games each season. What was once an experiment is now a staple of the NFL calendar, and now the Vikings will spend 10 days<\/a> abroad with back-to-back games. I think an overseas Super Bowl would be pushing it too far \u2014 there are NFL cities across the country that would love to host the game and all that goes with it, and to ship it to London or Munich or another international stop would be a slap in the face to the fans here who\u2019ve supported their teams and this league for decades.<\/p>\n Howe:<\/strong> It\u2019s a necessary evil that helps grow the game and, more importantly, generates revenue. Though it\u2019s a huge undertaking for the teams and players, they\u2019ve figured it out by now. I\u2019d call an overseas Super Bowl a long shot, but it\u2019s more realistic than an expansion team. I\u2019m just not sure the league should invite the backlash from American markets that support the product for 365 days a year for a money grab. If there\u2019s a worthwhile, unique way to make the juice worth the squeeze, I\u2019d be interested to hear it, but I\u2019d still be surprised to see it happen. A draft could be cool, but I\u2019m not sure how they\u2019d pull that off with the time difference. They\u2019d have to start the first round of a London draft at 1 a.m. local time to slot it into the 8 p.m. East Coast window. The last thing the league would want is a dearth of spectators when it\u2019s capable of hosting hundreds of thousands on-site in a U.S. market.<\/p>\n Sando:<\/strong> The league wants to expand its reach as much as it can, despite some challenges unique to its sport internationally (specifically, accessibility to playing the game). I do anticipate Super Bowls being played in other countries, on huge stages, with international fanfare.<\/p>\n The Colts take their hot start on the road to the Los Angeles Rams. Aside from Daniel Jones\u2019 resurgence, what is working so well for the Colts? Are there any big-picture concerns about the way the Rams lost to the Philadelphia Eagles last week?<\/p>\n Keefer:<\/strong> The interesting thing about this Colts roster is that it\u2019s been pretty good the last couple of years; it\u2019s simply been held back by porous and inconsistent quarterback play. Sliding Daniel Jones into that spot \u2014 plus adding a great rookie tight end, Tyler Warren \u2014 has reminded us how versatile this unit can be, and how sharp Shane Steichen is as a play caller. But don\u2019t take any credit away from Jones, who\u2019s been tremendous. Remember: The Colts gave the ball away 29 times last season, third most in the league. Three games into this season, Jones hasn\u2019t turned it over once. As for the Rams, their cornerbacks worry me. It\u2019ll be fascinating to see whether the Colts\u2019 bigger wideouts, such as Michael Pittman Jr., can take advantage as Philly\u2019s A.J. Brown did last week.<\/p>\n Howe:<\/strong> I\u2019m just impressed the Colts have been so consistent. That\u2019s not typically a calling card of a team that emerges out of nowhere like this. They need to be taken seriously as a playoff team, and a win against the Rams could invite bigger aspirations. As for the Rams, I\u2019d be tempted to call that a moral victory against the Eagles if they hadn\u2019t blown a 19-point lead. The Rams look like a threat in the NFC, but they\u2019d better figure out the Eagles, who have beaten them four times in a row.<\/p>\n Sando:<\/strong> Regression is coming for Jones and this offense, which otherwise would rank among the best in Colts history. But it\u2019s still going to be solid. Jones is not a star. He is not even consistently accurate. But he is a professional quarterback who knows how to prepare and handle the position. Anthony Richardson was not ready to fill that role. Remarkably, the 2024 team went 8-9 with Richardson completing 47.7 percent of his passes as the primary starter. As for the Rams, I don\u2019t have major concerns from the Philly game. They\u2019ll be a tough out as long as Matthew Stafford is healthy.<\/p>\n Somehow, the Ravens-Chiefs loser will fall to 1-3. What is most discouraging about the Ravens, coming off the loss to the Detroit Lions? What is most encouraging about the Chiefs, coming off the win over the New York Giants?<\/p>\n Keefer:<\/strong> This isn\u2019t the Ravens defense we\u2019ve come to know. This is a leaky unit that\u2019s faded late in losses to the Buffalo Bills and Lions. As spectacular as Lamar Jackson can be, the quick, efficient drives he leads mean his defense has to be on the field more, which is part of the reason Baltimore is somewhere no one thought it would be: sub-.500 three games into the season. As for Kansas City, Sunday night\u2019s slog of a win over the Giants did little to dispel the offensive concerns. Until this team gets Rashee Rice back, or finds more of a consistent run game, it\u2019s going to be playing catch-up in the AFC West, the division it has owned nine years running.<\/p>\n Howe:<\/strong> Baltimore\u2019s defense is off to a wretched start, allowing the second-most points in the league and being completely unable to make a stop when it mattered in the second half of losses to the Bills and Lions. The defense got off to a slow start last season, too, before figuring it out down the stretch. That was easier to explain during the transition from Mike Macdonald to Zach Orr. And the Ravens have had trouble closing out games for several years. The Chiefs are still figuring it out on offense, and they should theoretically continue improving when Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice return. They\u2019re also unafraid to add at the trade deadline. Though I do question the Chiefs\u2019 ability to win a Super Bowl \u2014 the only true measure of success at this stage of the dynasty \u2014 no one would really be surprised if they finished the regular season with 12-13 wins, as ugly as it\u2019s looked so far.<\/p>\n Sando:<\/strong> The inability to finish on offense and defense is most discouraging for the Ravens, who blew that late 40-25 lead against Buffalo and then couldn\u2019t get stops after leading 21-14 in the third quarter against Detroit. Most encouraging for the Chiefs is getting Xavier Worthy back this week and knowing Rashee Rice will return after six games. These could be fool\u2019s gold developments because neither has proved he can be available and\/or produce over full seasons when needed, but they could restore a baseline level of weaponry for Patrick Mahomes.<\/p>\n Three 3-0 teams try to stay undefeated while dealing with new, impactful injuries. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Eagles) expect to be without Mike Evans (hamstring) for a few weeks. The San Francisco 49ers (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars) lost Nick Bosa<\/a> (ACL) for the season. The Los Angeles Chargers (at Giants) also lost RB Najee Harris<\/a> (Achilles) for the year.Which of these teams has the most concerning injuries?<\/p>\n Keefer:<\/strong> The Bosa loss is a significant one for the 49ers, because he was their closer. And though this team is 3-0 despite injuries to Brock Purdy and George Kittle, over the course of the season, the loss of elite difference-makers usually catches up to teams. The Bucs can scheme around not having Evans for a few weeks, and the emergence of Emeka Egbuka will help. Without Harris, the Chargers can lean on Justin Herbert, who\u2019s playing like an MVP. For San Francisco, no one can replicate what Bosa brings every week.<\/p>\n Howe:<\/strong> In the short term, I\u2019m more concerned about the Bucs\u2019 rash of injuries with the Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, 49ers and Lions over their next four games. They\u2019ve also got a tough stretch after their bye week before the schedule settles in December. I\u2019m not overly concerned about the Bucs\u2019 chances to win the NFC South, but the injuries could present problems in terms of playoff seeding. Long term, the Niners are surely thinking, \u201cHere we go again.\u201d I\u2019m not sure they were a Super Bowl contender, but the margin for error is already shrinking despite a 3-0 start.<\/p>\n Sando:<\/strong> The 49ers\u2019 injuries are most significant because Bosa is irreplaceable. He\u2019s a matchup consideration on every play, good enough to close out victories, as we saw against Seattle. The Buccaneers will have options at receiver as Chris Godwin returns. Evans is very good, but Bosa is the bigger game-plan consideration.<\/p>\n The Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers will reignite their rivalry Sunday night, but the Micah Parsons trade will dominate discussion. What are we expecting in this matchup? Both teams are coming off ugly losses.<\/p>\n Keefer:<\/strong> I\u2019m actually more fascinated to see the other side of the ball \u2014 the Packers offense \u2014 after they folded down the stretch Sunday in Cleveland. For all the early Super Bowl chatter about Green Bay, a road loss against a Cleveland Browns team that\u2019s been mostly incompetent on offense is a humbling dose of reality: Take a week off in this league, and you\u2019ll pay the price. But the Packers have owned this matchup as of late, winning five straight, and I expect that streak to continue. Dallas falls to 1-3.<\/p>\n Howe:<\/strong> I still view the Packers as a legitimate Super Bowl contender despite a really bad loss to the Browns, but this week will show their resolve. How do they respond to adversity? How do they balance the added spotlight with the Parsons storyline? On paper, the Packers are the superior team and should beat the Cowboys. Off the field, this is an opportunity for the locker room to grow together. The Cowboys need to prove they\u2019re capable of beating a good team. They had an admirable showing in a Week 1 loss to the Eagles, but they can\u2019t stack too many moral victories and hope to cash them in for a playoff spot.<\/p>\n Sando:<\/strong> Dallas made the Giants\u2019 and Chicago Bears\u2019 offenses look like the 2007 New England Patriots, which makes this a \u201cget right\u201d game for the Green Bay offense. That should put Parsons in position to rush the passer as the Packers play with a lead. I could see Parsons getting two sacks.<\/p>\n (Photos of Micah Parsons and DK Metcalf: Cooper Neill and Joe Sargent \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NFL lands in yet another country this year, as the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers invade Dublin…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":259373,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[532,8998,9001,9002,3570,8986,9006,8812,1232,1545,9005,62,3528,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-259372","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-baltimore-ravens","9":"tag-dallas-cowboys","10":"tag-green-bay-packers","11":"tag-indianapolis-colts","12":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs","13":"tag-los-angeles-chargers","14":"tag-los-angeles-rams","15":"tag-minnesota-vikings","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","18":"tag-san-francisco-49ers","19":"tag-sports","20":"tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","21":"tag-united-states","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115277664392830205","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}