Analysis
10/2/22
13 min read
What We Learned: 33 Expert Takeaways From Week 4
There were a number of surprising performances and interesting developments on Sunday in the NFL. The 33rd Team's experts weighed in with 33 takeaways from the day's games:
Vikings 28, Saints 25
1. "That matchup between Justin Jefferson and Marshon Lattimore was a fun one to watch. You could just tell Jefferson was going after him. It was a fistfight. We saw some of the toughness that makes Jefferson one of the premier receivers in our game. I think he's a guy that takes a great deal of pride in his preparation and performance each week. He's been frustrated. I think Kevin O'Connell has been frustrated. I think everyone's been frustrated because he hasn't had the opportunities. When you've got a player that has those type of capabilities, you've got to find him ways to get him the football." — Rich Gannon
2. "If Will Lutz makes that kick at the end of the game it could have been a very different outcome for the Vikings. They left a lot of opportunities on the field, especially early in the game. ... They left a lot of points on the field. This game really shouldn't have been close." — Rich Gannon
Falcons 23, Browns 20
3. "After a rough start, it looked like the Browns had settled down and taken control of the game. Nick Chubb was dominant and the Falcons seemed to have no chance of stopping the Browns. A few mistakes opened the door. Marcus Mariota made some key plays, and the Falcons found a way to win a game in which they were badly outplayed. A bad interception by Jacoby Brissett at the end of the game ended a drive that could have at least tied it up." — Joe Banner
Seahawks 48, Lions 45
4. "In his 10th season in the NFL, Geno Smith is playing the best football of his career. He was flawless. Along with Rashad Penny, this is a very underrated offense." — Mike Tannenbaum
5. "T.J. Hockenson had a huge game to fill the void left when Amon-Ra St. Brown, D.J. Chark and DeAndre Swift were made inactive. The herculean effort was not enough as Detroit's defense gave up 48 points to an average, at best, Seattle offense." — Rick Spielman
Titans 24, Colts 17
6. "The Titans got off to a fast start with a 24-3 lead and then found themselves hanging on for dear life at the end. Other than a surprising win against the Chiefs, the Colts have not looked even close to what many thought they would be in the preseason. Tennessee, on the other hand, looks like they are getting better every week. They are very well coached and are finding ways to win tight games that could have gone either way." — Joe Banner
7. "Derrick Henry controlled this game, and it was by far the best game of the year for him (22 carries, 114 yards rushing, 1 TD). Tennessee's run defense also deserves credit in holding Jonathan Taylor to merely 42 yards rushing on 20 carries (2.1-yard average) and no touchdowns." — Mike Tannenbaum
Giants 20, Bears 12
8. "The Chicago Bears offense was ignored this offseason, which has shown through the first four weeks of the season." — Rick Spielman
9. "The Giants walked away with a victory and improved to 3-1 in what was not a very well-played game. New York even got to the point where their two top QBs were no longer able to play and Saquon Barkley was taking the snaps out of wildcat. Wink Martindale continues to make a huge difference to a Giants defense that has limited talent. One cannot fail to see continuous struggles from Fields. He is not surrounded by the best talent, but that doesn't mean there wasn't room for him to improve from last season. Through the first four games, he has not done so." — Joe Banner
10. "Quietly at 3-1, give the New York Giants credit for winning the games they should. The defense forced three turnovers and is now only allowing fewer than 18 points per game on the season. Even with both of their quarterbacks suffering injuries today, they were able to pull out a win on the back of their defense." — Mike Tannenbaum
11. "At 3-1, you have to really encouraged by what you've seen through the first four weeks of the season. The Giants are a team that plays with a lot of heart. They're not the most talented — the offensive line is not very good, they're not very good at the wide receiver position. In a way, I feel bad for Daniel Jones. It's tough playing quarterback when you don't have the tools in your toolbox, you don't have the players around you who can make big plays. But while they're not a very talented team, I think the Giants are going to be a tough out the rest of the way. They're well-coached, they play hard, they're physical, the game's important to them." — Rich Gannon
Eagles 29, Jaguars 21
12. "Philly fell behind 14-0 in extremely difficult weather conditions, which should have been an insurmountable lead. It was extremely difficult to pass in the rain, which makes coming from behind — even at home — very difficult. Despite the fact that it was clear the Eagles needed to run on nearly every play, the Jaguars adjusted too late and would end up losing decisively. Trevor Lawrence struggled and looked more like the QB from last season than the QB we saw through the first three games of the season." — Joe Banner
13. "You simply cannot win when your quarterback has five turnovers." — Mike Tannenbaum
14. "(Jalen Hurts is) obviously the front-runner for the MVP right now. And the Eagles are definitely the team to beat in the NFC." — Samari Rolle
Jets 24, Steelers 20
15. "I know he threw three picks … but he's not afraid to throw it in there. I can coach a guy like that. You can fix that. You can't help a guy who's afraid to make mistakes and won't turn the ball loose. That's where Trubisky is. He's so tentative and won't turn the ball loose and give the guys a chance. You can't help a guy who refuses to be aggressive and isn't confident about his ability to put the ball where he wants to. That's what I like about Pickett; we can fix him. I don't know so much about Trubisky. I know he's got a big arm, but he's too tentative. I like Pickett. My vote would be to stay with him and fix him." — Mike Martz
16. "The Jets pulled off their second dramatic and surprising comeback win of the season. Although I believe the Steelers did the right thing to put Pickett in the game, his miscues turned out to be the opportunity the Jets needed to get back in the game. Even though four games is fairly quick to come to any conclusions, one that seems obvious is that the Steelers defense is nowhere near as good as people think." — Joe Banner
17. "Pittsburgh may not get to the playoffs this year but it was the right decision to replace Mitchell Trubisky with Kenny Pickett. They will go through some growing pains, but Pickett is the future. On the flip side, Zach Wilson had an up and down game, but he showed some grit and made some plays on the final drive to defeat Pittsburgh for a big road win." — Rick Spielman
18. "I didn't have high expectations going in, and it was good to see (Zach Wilson) put together a drive like he put together. At the end of the day, his numbers were fairly pedestrian. One of the things you really look for in young quarterbacks is how they do at the end of halves, how they at those critical moments at the end of halves, and to see him perform well in a critical moment is encouraging. It's not only going to give him confidence but the group confidence. It's really positive moving forward, even if there's a ton of stuff off that tape they're going to need to fix." — Eric Mangini
Bills 23, Ravens 20
19. "I'm not sure why the Ravens didn't kick the field goal from the 3-yard line to take lead when was 20-20 late in the fourth quarter. Josh Allen made huge plays with his legs, which, along with a pivotal fourth down stop on the aforementioned play, made the difference for Buffalo." — Mike Tannenbaum
20. "The Ravens – for the second time in four games – had a big lead but completely stopped scoring and again watched their defense give up the big lead. The change at DC for the Ravens continues to leave us with questions. Josh Allen further proved the extent of his talent and the ability to put the team on his back to carry them to victory." — Joe Banner
21. "If you're John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens, I think you have to be concerned after what transpired today. (Baltimore has been) a team that has an inability to close out games late when it matters the most. You go back a couple weeks ago at home against the Miami Dolphins, (Baltimore) blew a 28-point second half lead. They just couldn't do anything late in the game offensively or defensively." — Rich Gannon
22. "The Baltimore Ravens blew another big lead at home. Two weeks ago against Miami and now this week versus Buffalo — that's two costly AFC losses at home. The biggest question is whether or not Coach Harbaugh have kicked the FG instead of going for it on fourth-and-goal late in the game with the game tied 20-20. He is also going to have to deal with the blow up on the sideline with Marcus Peters." — Rick Spielman
23. "It was in the rain, and I understand Lamar may have had some trouble gripping the football, but the location of a lot of his balls weren't very good. The other thing about Baltimore that I'm concerned about, to some extent, is their inability to rush the football against good teams. They disappear in the running game too often in big games like this. They've got to rectify that. ... I'd like to see them not put all their eggs in Lamar's basket. They just can't rely on him to pull them out all the time. He does some miraculous things every week, but ... he's not a great passer [but] he's a good enough passer." — Mike Martz
Chargers 34, Texans 24
24. "Great game plan and great execution by our guys. The defense got us a turnover early and we got out to a 7-0 lead. We didn't come out like we wanted to start the second half but we showed a lot of resolve as a team and we were able to close it out on the road." — Chase Daniel
Cowboys 25, Commanders 10
25. "After allowing nine sacks last week, Washington switched to an offense consisting predominantly of runs and quick passes, which resulted in just 10 points and a Carson Wentz-led offense playing from behind, which was predictably unsuccessful. Since Prescott's injury, Dallas has relied on consistent running, aggressive defense, and a few key plays per game by Cooper Rush. So far, it's a winning formula." — Joe Banner
26. "Washington, at this point, is kind of punchless. They're quarterback is struggling, the offensive line is not very good, and they can't run the football very well." — Mike Martz
Cardinals 26, Panthers 14
27. "Where does Carolina go with their quarterback situation? Baker Mayfield has struggled through the first four weeks of the season. Is Sam Darnold really a better option when he comes off IR? It seems like Carolina is in a no-win situation which is going to make the seat a lot hotter on Matt Rhule." — Rick Spielman
28. "Kyler Murray is really a difficult guy to deal with because not only is he fast but he's got this unusual quickness. Plus, he's got serious passing skills; he can put the ball wherever he wants to." — Mike Martz
Raiders 32, Broncos 23
29. "Denver's offense still looks out of sync. There is no rhythm on offense and the Raiders defensive line handled Denver up front." — Rick Spielman
Packers 27, Patriots 24
30. "I've been critical of Aaron Rodgers not going to OTAs. You want a giant contract, you get a giant contract. They can't pay Davante Adams, you know you're going to have to play with younger players, and then you decide you're not going to come [to OTAs]. Then you complain about not having enough time on task with them when you chose not to have time on task with them. Now you have to suffer through their growing pains in real time, in game that count because you didn't put that time in when you could have." — Eric Mangini
31. "I could not be more impressed with the demeanor and play of the Patriots rookie third-string QB Bailey Zappe. He owned the huddle even though it is unlikely that he's had a single first-team rep all year. In his first professional playing opportunity, he was thrown into a game at Lambeau Field and performed admirably. It's hard to beat Aaron Rodgers anytime, but is nearly impossible to do so in Green Bay. Credit the excellent play-calling of Matt Patricia as well." — Marc Trestman
32. "I give the Patriots credit. Usually when a backup comes in you see a lot of running and screens. The Pats called plays as if Bailey Zappe was a veteran out there." — Joe Banner
Chiefs 41, Buccaneers 31
33. "This is the most points scored on a Todd Bowles defense since he's been there. They did not have an answer for anything the Kansas City Chiefs did on the offensive side of the ball. I used to think it was a Tyreek Hill thing, but the more I look at it, obviously it's a Patrick Mahomes thing, but more so, an Andy Reid thing." — Tank Williams
