Welcome to a weekly look at the NFL’s next round of games. A peek that will be less quarterback-crazy and more about offensive lines, defense, running games, maybe even the occasional punter, for gosh sakes, and all things that make this the greatest team game ever invented, not the star-driven individualized sport that way too many of us try to make it out to be. An effort will be made to keep the tone somewhere between “going old-school and ”Get off my lawn!“
Rant of the week
Daniel Jones and the Colts host the Raiders with a chance for Indianapolis to go 4-1 for the first time since 2013, Andrew Luck’s second season. The Colts would be going for their first 5-0 start since Peyton Manning led them to the Super Bowl in 2009 if not for second-year receiver Adonai Mitchell’s showboating gaffe. A boneheaded mistake representative of too many made by some selfish players in today’s game. Mitchell made a great catch and an even greater 75-yard run before he tried to celebrate by taunting the defense as he was about to cross the goal line with the Colts trailing the Rams 13-10 early in the third quarter last week. He fumbled through the end zone for a touchback in a 27-20 loss. Coach Steve Steichen said after the game: “That starts with me. I have to do a better job emphasizing it more.” Are you kidding me?!
Paul Brown of the week
As one of only two undefeated coaches heading into Week 5, Philadelphia’s Nick Sirianni has a chance to match something done by only the most innovative and possibly best coach in league history. Bill Belichick? No, Cleveland’s Paul Brown. If Sirianni beats Denver (2-2) at home, he will match Brown by reaching 5-0 for the third time in his first five seasons. Beware the Broncos, however. One of the best teams in the trenches, Denver leads the NFL in sacks (15) and is tied with Jacksonville for fewest sacks allowed (three).
Perfect Bills not so perfect
Add one of the stranger stats of the 2025 season to the long list of reasons Josh Allen was and still is the league MVP. The Bills are going for 5-0 when they host New England (2-2), yet they are 31st in run defense. They are giving up 164.3 yards rushing per game. Against the Saints last week, they gave up 165 after-contact yards, the most by any team since at least 2018, according to NextGen Stats. The seven other teams in the bottom eight in run defense are a combined 7-21. The Bills lead the league in rushing, yet their impressive average (163.5) is still 0.8 less than what they’re giving up on the ground.
Historic embarrassment in Dallas
Sorry to rain on last week’s triumphant 40-40 comeback tie with Green Bay in Big D, but this might be my favorite stat for all the Cowboys haters out there: Until Sunday night, home teams that scored 40 points with no turnovers were 300-0 since 1967, the Super Bowl era. Dallas (1-2-1) plays at the Jets, one of three winless teams, two of which are at home — the Giants (1-3) are at New Orleans (0-4) — and have a decent shot at their first victory. The Jets are the last team without a takeaway this season, but the Cowboys proved last week that their defense is awful even when it’s not battling short fields. Dallas ranks last in yards allowed (420.5), passing yards allowed (297.3) and third-down percentage (58.2). It’s also 31st in points allowed (33.0). In other words, J-E-T-S!
Stat of the week
59.3 Saquon Barkley, apparently healthy this season, is averaging fewer than 60 yards rushing per game — ranking 20th in rushing with 237 yards — heading into Week 5. An MVP candidate a year ago, he averaged 125.3 yards per game en route to a 2,005-yard season. His pace this year: 1,008 yards.
Quote of the week
Nope. No, we don’t.
Game of the week
Buccaneers (3-1) at Seahawks (3-1) Two games feature two teams with winning records. No, Carolina isn’t one of them. But Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold did share part of an awful fall together with the Panthers three years ago. Mayfield was 1-5 with the worst completion percentage of his career (57.8) before requesting his release. Darnold went 4-2 with his second-worst completion percentage (58.6). Today, Mayfield has an 8-to-1 TD-to-INT differential and has thrown more touchdown passes (77) than any other NFL quarterback since joining the Bucs in 2023. Darnold’s career resurrection that began last year continues. His career-high completion percentage has bumped up from 66.2 to 70.0 this season.
Did you know?
The NFL’s first four weeks featured 18 games in which the game-winning score came in the final three minutes of regulation or overtime. That’s the most in 42 years and ties 1983 for the most ever after four weeks.
