Week Four Headlines
Raiders finally get a win, Lions and Seahawks have a shootout, Chiefs get Super Bowl revenge, Browns drop one in Atlanta
Las Vegas gets first win of the season
Don’t let the records fool you. The Raiders are a much better team than their 0-3 record indicated, and the Denver Broncos should be grateful that they have a win this season, let alone two.
The Raiders showcased this today to finally get in the win column. Josh Jacobs arguably had the best game of his career with 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Davante Adams regained form after combining for 48 receiving yards in the previous two matchups. Derek Carr didn’t have any touchdowns against the Broncos. However, he didn’t have any picks either, and was able to showcase his mobility by picking up yardage on the ground.
Detroit and Seattle duel for the NFL’s highest scoring game in nearly three years
Geno Smith and Jared Goff combined for 93 points in week four. That’s a sentence I thought I would never say in 2022, but here we are. The Detroit Lions vs. Seattle Seahawks game was easily the most entertaining matchup of the week. Two teams that are probably going to end up last in their divisions, but still put up a fight every single week.
Smith is continuing his redemption season, throwing for 320 yards and two touchdowns while completing 76.7 percent of his passes. Rashaad Penny had 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while D.K. Metcalf had his first 100-yard receiving game since week three last season. The Seahawks never punted in this affair. Meanwhile, Goff held his own with 378 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception. Goff did this without the Lions’ number one running back or wide receiver.
Interestingly enough, Goff has now been a part of three of the NFL’s last four highest-scoring games.
Even for all the criticism, Goff has actually been a decent signal caller in his tenure with Detroit. I still think the Rams ultimately won the trade with Matthew Stafford, but that’s not to diminish the Lions’ end of the bargain.
Patrick Mahomes soars back to top of the MVP race
See what happens when Patrick Mahomes has an offensive line in place? See what happens when his receivers can catch the balls? That’s what Kansas City was missing in Super Bowl 55. It was painful to see Mahomes throw passes parallel to the ground just to be dropped by his receivers. It was brutal to watch him run around like a madman because his offensive line couldn’t block anything. This is what happens when a team can properly sustain. Mahomes seemed to just be toying around with Tampa Bay’s defense, making highlight reel throws all night. The Chiefs scored 41 points, which is the fifth time that Kansas City has scored 35 points or more against Tom Brady.
Falcons get first win against AFC North since 2010
This matchup was a direct contrast from the Seahawks-Lions duel. Instead of high passing attacks, we got inefficiency through the air that leads to a battle in the running games. Atlanta and Cleveland combined for 379 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. While neither quarterback has been groundbreaking this season, this was the first truly bad game by Marcus Mariota and Jacoby Brissett. Neither signal caller had a passing touchdown or a passer rating above 70.
The Falcons have had an easy schedule thus far, but I think many fans can be content with their 2-2 record. Aside from their blown lead to the Saints in week one, they have performed well this season.
