NFL Analysis
9/29/24
8 min read
Biggest Winners, Losers From 2024 NFL Week 4
It certainly seemed like Week 4 would be the week of blowouts. The Vikings and Colts held massive leads early in the first quarter, only for the Packers and the Steelers to fight back and make their contests competitive.
It was a whirlwind of a week with several massive performances and a few teams with ugly losses. So, without further ado, here are the biggest winners and losers coming out of Week 4:
Honorable Mentions:
Winner: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Colts
Loser: Doug Pederson, HC, Jaguars
Winner: Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders
Loser: Amari Cooper, WR, Browns
NFL Week 3 Winners, Losers
⬆️Winner: Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers
The last few weeks have been rough for Baker Mayfield, as the Buccaneers have been without starting RT Luke Goedeke. Mayfield was sacked 12 times in the last two games, and the offense has had a hard time sustaining drives. But that wasn’t the case for the Buccaneers in Week 4.
Mayfield got off to arguably the best start of his career against the Eagles, dicing them up for 24 points in the first half. He completed 30 of 47 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns as the Buccaneers led for the entire contest. Mayfield was highly accurate, carving up Philadelphia's young secondary.
He even added a rushing touchdown on the fourth drive of the game to take a 21-0 lead.
Philadelphia only sacked Mayfield twice, but they rarely pressured him. When he is kept clean, Mayfield is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Buccaneers have had a tough schedule to start the season, yet they are 3-1 and atop the NFC South again. Despite losing Dave Canales this offseason, it certainly doesn’t appear that Mayfield and the Buccaneers are taking a step back — not at all.
⬆️Winner: Robert Spillane, LB, Raiders
Robert Spillane isn’t a household name. In fact, even the most die-hard NFL fans might not know who he is. But I’m sure he doesn’t care at all. However, Spillane has developed into one of the league’s best linebackers, and that was on full display again in Week 4.
Despite the Raiders being without Maxx Crosby, they found a way to get a hard-fought win against the Browns. A big reason is Spillane’s play in the middle of the field. Spillane signed with the Raiders during the 2023 offseason, and he’s been one of their leaders on defense. During the 2023 season, he played more than 1,100 snaps, racking up 148 total tackles.
He looks like he is playing at an even higher level in 2024, which makes sense, considering it’s his second year in Patrick Graham’s defense. He’s making all of the defensive calls, and his ability to consistently make tackles in the middle of the field is why the Raiders have been reliable on that side of the ball.
Las Vegas only allowed 16 points against Cleveland in Week 4, and Spillane led the team in tackles with 12. But he was so much better than the box score indicates.
He did a fantastic job spying Deshaun Watson, keeping him in the pocket. That allowed the defense to rack up three sacks and hold Cleveland to just 241 yards of offense. Spillane has emerged as a leader of the defense, and Las Vegas sits at 2-2 after the first month of the season with both of its wins against the AFC North (Ravens, Browns).
⬆️Winner: D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears
It’s been a rough start for D’Andre Swift in Chicago. In his first three games with the Bears, he managed just 68 yards on 37 carries, averaging only 1.8 yards per attempt. There were even some whispers this week that Roschon Johnson might get a chance to play ahead of Swift after his total ineffectiveness through Week 3.
Swift had a breakout performance in Week 4, which couldn’t have come at a better time. The Bears leaned heavily on Swift against the Rams, giving him 23 total touches. He saw 16 carries and racked up 93 yards (5.8 yards per carry). He was also highly effective as a receiver, leading the Bears in yards (73).
D'Andre Swift was averaging YPC and had 114 total yds the 1st 3 weeks.
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) September 29, 2024
Today he had (93 yards rushing) and (72) receive including this explosive TD. Excellent day for Swift. Blocking looks a bit better too.. #DaBears #Bears #ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/a9RzjeWqRY
Swift looked dynamic and explosive, which is exactly what the Bears hoped to get when they signed him on the first day of free agency. Chicago’s offense had a hard time moving the ball on Sunday unless it was Swift touting the rock.
In fact, Swift totaled 165 of the Bears’ 264 yards of offense (62.5%). While that certainly won’t be the case every week, the Bears are a lot more dangerous when Swift is playing at this level.
⬇️Loser: The New York Jets
If the New York Jets are going to make the playoffs this year, this is a game that you have to win. They were coming off 10 days of rest, playing at home, and were a 7.5-point favorite against the Broncos. The defense did its job, holding Denver to just 10 total points on 13 drives. The Broncos had just 60 passing yards, yet they escaped with a win in New Jersey.
The biggest blame goes to the offense, which could just never get going. Their lack of a rushing attack was a big reason they couldn’t put up points, as Breece Hall totaled just four yards on 10 carries. Hall has struggled in the first month of the season, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry. Again, he wasn’t even the most effective running back, with Braelon Allen averaging 4.3 yards per rush.
It wasn’t just the rushing attack that was off. The Broncos had Aaron Rodgers frustrated all game long and sacked him five times. The Jets had just 184 net passing yards on 47 dropbacks, which is incredibly low.
It’s not time to panic if you are a Jets fan, but this was a tough loss for a team that seemed to have some positive momentum. However, it’s fair to wonder what the offense's ceiling is, given how old they looked on the offensive line on Sunday.
⬇️Loser: Nick Sirianni, Eagles
There is no doubt that the Philadelphia Eagles were short-handed on offense today. They were without their top receivers (A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith) and their star right tackle (Lane Johnson). However, the Eagles weren’t competitive against the Buccaneers, and this game was eerily similar to the playoff outcome last year.
The Eagles allowed 33 points on defense as Mayfield threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns. Tampa Bay racked up 445 yards of offense, including 24 points in the first half. At one point, the Buccaneers had outgained the Eagles 174-0 in terms of yardage. Nick Sirianni’s team looked completely flat, and the offense was unable to design any chunk plays in the passing game.
Philadelphia has now lost eight of its last 11 games under Sirianni, and this was the third week in a row where the offense struggled to score. Jalen Hurts looks worse than ever, and no one on the roster is playing with any confidence. The Eagles are on bye in Week 5, and it is desperately needed.
They look broken, and it doesn’t appear their coach has any answers.
⬇️Loser: Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons
Kyle Pitts is incredibly talented. No one can deny that. The former Florida star ran a 4.44 40-yard dash at his NFL Pro Day, and he was only the second tight end in NFL history to record 1,000 receiving yards during his rookie season (Mike Ditka was the other). Yet, he has gone completely missing from the offense for the Falcons.
Pitts earned just three targets in Week 4, failing to haul in a pass. Through the first month of the season, Pitts has just eight combined catches. He’s not a fit in Zac Robinson’s offense, and they’ve not used him as a vertical threat at all. Instead, he’s been an underneath receiver whose production has been limited because he’s not overly dynamic after the catch.
The good news for Atlanta is that they won without any production from Pitts in Week 4. Still, it’s fair to wonder what his long-term role in this offense will be. Because if he is only going to catch a few passes every week, it might be time for the Falcons to explore a trade.
This clearly isn’t working, and he’s too talented to be used as just a blocker and a decoy each week.
