10 Things We Learned This Weekend in the NFL: Week 4

1. The Thursday night matchup between the Vikings and the Rams showed us two very important things

The first of these things being that the Rams are still at the top of the NFC. When your quarterback can post a perfect passer rating, throw for a whopping 465 yards, and connect on five touchdowns against a defense like Minnesota’s, you know that the limit is the moon. Coach McVay was instrumental in a seven point win last Thursday. He continually put the rams offense, and namely Jared Goff, in a position to exploit mismatches. *Cough Cough* Anthony Barr.

We also learned that the Vikings are not as far gone as we may have thought a week ago against Buffalo. Minnesota faced an extremely uphill battle this weekend. They had to attempt to bounce back from a loss to a lowly NFL team, travel all the way to L.A. to play one of the best teams in the league, all of this coming on a short week of rest. While there are certainly no moral victories in the NFL, the Vikes managed to only lose by seven points, while playing from behind the entire game. Look for the Vikings to make a turnaround in the upcoming weeks.

2. The Bengals and Ravens are slowly separating themselves from the pack in the AFC North.

The Bengals visited the Falcons in a tough road bout and managed to come out victorious, despite Matt Ryan’s impressive showing. Down by five with seven ticks left, Andy Dalton was able to find AJ Green who made an impressive grab to put the Bengals up by one. I bet Falcons fans really wish that their star studded duo of Julio Jones and Matt Ryan could connect on a touchdown pass for once in their lives.

In what was the most boring Sunday night game in a while, the Ravens prevailed over the Steelers. Or at least a team wearing the Steelers’ uniforms. The Ravens used the deep ball and John Brown to gouge the Steelers over and over again. It seems as though Le’veon Bell meant more to the Steelers than they ever realized. Backup James Connor has done a good job running the ball through the first three weeks, but it seems as if the Steelers lack trust in him. In a game that never really got out of hand, the Steelers completely abandoned the running game, only giving Connor the ball 9 times. When a team becomes one-dimensional it makes the game much easier for the opposing the defense, seeing as how they only have to worry about the passing game.

FILE – In this Sept. 24, 2018, file photo, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) throws a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half of an NFL football game, in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers play the Chicago Bears on Sunday. They have to decide if they’ll stick with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick or go with Jameis Winston at quarterback.(AP Photo/Jason Behnken, File)

3. Fitzmagic is over whether you like it or not.

I had been saying all week that the Bears were going to have their way with the Bucs, and boy did they prove me right. Fitzpatrick wound up being benched after posting just 126 yards, one pick and being sacked twice. Jameis Winston relieved him, and was also torn apart. He managed to throw for a touchdown, but it was paired with two picks of his own and 145 yards.

Head coach Dirk Koetter stated after the game that the Bucs would be turning back to Winston in future matchups. In my eyes this is kind of a low blow to Fitzpatrick. He led the Bucs to two resounding wins, barely lost to the Steelers, and had one bad half against one of the premier defenses in the league. However, I am not in charge so my opinion is void.

4. The reigning champs fall to Tennessee.

Carson Wentz was outgunned by Oregon product Marcus Mariota in a game which raised some questions for the Eagles. Maybe the story in this should be less about the fact that the Eagles lost and more about the fact that the Titans keep finding ways to win. In a back and forth affair it was Marcus Mariota who marched his team downfield and found Corey Davis in the endzone, much like what we saw in Atlanta, to seal the game. This game moves the Titans to 3-1 on the year, and the Eagles to a less than impressive 2-2 and facing some serious questions.

5. The Dolphins lose their first game of the year.

Wow, it’s almost like we talked about this last week. Surprise, surprise, Tom Brady dominated the Dolphins. Ryan Tannehill went back to being who we all knew he was, throwing for less yards than New England running back Sony Michel ran for. It seemed as if Tom Brady was trying to help the Dolphins in this one. He threw two interceptions and they still managed to win by 31 points.

Now I wouldn’t go as far to say the Dolphins are a flash in the pan but, assuming they make the playoffs and could see Tom Brady there, there is no realistic chance the Dolphins are in contention this year.

New York Jets running back Bilal Powell (29) dives but can’t make a catch as he is defended by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith (50) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

6. The Jaguars get some confidence back against the miserable Jets.

After one week, Sam Darnold looked as if he could be the Messiah for the Jets. That hope has since slowly began to fade out. While he did not throw an interception, he completed only half of his attempts for 167 yards. Yes, Jacksonville has a very intimidating defense, but this is now three straight mediocre showings from the young gun.

In the meantime, Blake Bortles did what he does best, looking like he deserves to be benched one week then proceeding to throw for 388 yards the next. Dede Westbrook looked really great in this one as well, hauling in nine catches for 130 yards. If the Jaguars can find a way to get some consistency out of Blake Bortles, their defense could very well lead them to the AFC championship yet again this year.

7. Questionable calls decide the game in Oakland.

This game was a mess and there is no other way to put it. Marshawn Lynch spun out of a tackle and seemed as if he was on his way to the endzone when the play was blown dead due to “forward progress.” Lynch did not like that one bit (sorry Kirk Cousins) as he punted, or attempted to punt, the ball into the stands. Cleveland also fell victim to a rather quick whistle. On a play in which they sacked Derek Carr and he fumbled almost immediately, the play was called dead. Had the ball been live, Cleveland seemingly would have taken it to the house to essentially ice the game.

In the end, Derek Carr was the hero. He rallied his team with a touchdown followed by a two point conversion and then led them to the game winning field goal in overtime. Congratulations, Mr. Gruden.

8-10. Some may call this lazy writing, those people likely did not watch the Monday night game between the Chiefs and the Broncos.

How many times did Von Miller and company get to Mahomes? Six? Seven times? The answer is a resounding… one.

In a true “prove-it” game for Patrick Mahomes, he did not let anyone down. Except maybe the poor Broncos fans. In a first half that had Mahomes skeptics running wild, the chiefs managed to stay within three points of the Broncos, whose attack was spearheaded by Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman. The Chiefs defense struggled at times in the game, as most people expected it would. It was no matter, however. Patrick Mahomes consistently made jaw-dropping plays and led the Chiefs back from down 10 points to win, on the road, in Mile High. Whether it was avoiding the likes of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb all game to then find a receiver 20 plus yards down the field, or if it was running to his left side, throwing a pass with his non-dominant hand for a key conversion, or doing literally anything. Patrick Mahomes earned the 8-10 mark almost all by himself in this one, but Kareem Hunt also rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown.