NFL Week Four Previews

Saying three games only doesn't provide enough sample size to decipher which teams will end where by the end of the year. Three games tell you who you played. Four games tell you who you are.

Will four games suffice to identify the frauds in the game? Will the Raiders stay hot, or will the Chiefs reestablish their undying dominance of the AFC West in the Patrick Mahomes era?

Burrow versus Lawrence: the rivalry long predicted finally gets its first really meaningful installment. Which will prevail and become the next rival to Josh Allen, Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson in the AFC?

Raiders Vs Chiefs

Tectonic Plate Shifting matchup Set To Go Down In Las Vegas As The Upstart Raiders Set To Take On The Kansas City Chiefs, Two Undefeated AFC West Rivals, One Walks Away With sole Possession Of First In The Division. Both 3-0 starts have accents of surprise built into them. Let's start with The Biggers Surprise The Las Vegas Raider not Too long Removed From The number One Pick and Trading Away The Teams superstar The Raiders Signed Kirk Cousins Casted In The Mold Of A Bridge Quarterback Long Before He Became One and Through Three Win He’s Given The Raider More Than They Could Ve Ask. Kirk Cousins has Registered three touchdown passes in each of the Raiders' first three games of 2026, 107.2 Passer Rating, 67.4% Completion Percentage, +0.17 EPA Per Dropback all Numbers Many Teams I The League—Cough, Cough, Atalanta Would Love To Have On Board. Cousins has excelled at getting the ball out and, to this day, has made sound decisions. He’s Generated Just Three Picks and three turnover-worthy plays.

What's more surprising is who (who not) Cousins has done this with in a starting lineup. Star Tight end Brock Bowers returned Week Three Against The Saints With Authority: 116 Yards, One Touchdown, Seven Receiving First Downs, a 69 percent success rate, and a 91.5 PFF grade. Before Bowers returned, receivers Tre Tucker and Cody White, and Tight End Micheal Mayer have stepped into the void to pull the offense into top-ten territory for some time. White has three touchdowns on the season: two against the Chargers and another against the Saints in Week Three. The Raiders Offense has Gotten Going Without A Run Game, Ashton Jeanty Leads The Team in Receptions(13), 15 Miss Tackles Forced on Offense, If He Can Start To Get Going Down Field The Raiders Could Look Even Better Down The Stretch. The Chiefs enter Week Four looking to make a statement after a letdown against the Dolphins. Not that Kansas City To The Lowly Dolphins; the season hasn’t reached that level of absurdity. Still, Kansas City’s defense Failed To register A Sack On Malik Willis, who basically opens the door for rushers to get after him. The Chiefs Give Up A 56% third-down conversion rate, multiple third-down and long conversions, and 337 Yards, 119 on the ground, with Devon Achane Injured For The Dolphins. The Chiefs Have Played Great Against The Run, and leading off their games has helped so far this season. The Chiefs' offense is strong heading into Week Four: 416.3 Yards Per Game, +0.15 EPA per play- both top-five numbers in the league.

Patrick Mahomes is heating up despite an uneven game against the Dolphins. The Chiefs only drop back to pass 24 Times, 20/24 passing for 246 passing yards, a 119.8 passer rating, an 83.3% completion percentage, and +0.46 EPA per dropback on just five pressures faced, with no sacks against the Dolphins. A Rebuilding Team. The Raiders are third in EPA Per Play Allowed. The Run defense Will Prove Crucial Not Only In Slowing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker but also Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Who Relies heavily on the play-action game and Targeting Walker in short-yardage situations. Mahomes and Walker registered a touchdown on a short shovel pass inside the Dolphins' five-yard line, which counts as a pass, but Walker Mostly Rushes The ball in those Situations. The Chiefs Have Had Issues Along Their Offensive Line; Mahomes getting the ball out of his hands quickly has negated a 2.61-second time to throw on the season. The Raiders Pass Rush Has Tapered Off After A Hot Start To The Season, They’ve Drop To 15th Quarterback Pressure Rate But Still Top Ten in Sack Rate The Chiefs have A Vulnerability At Left Tackle where undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson Still Fills In For Josh Simmons Protecting Mahomes’s Blind Side. The Chiefs Haven’t Played Any Teams Of Note, Outside Of Catching The Broncos Napping In Week One, who didn't have an elite pass rusher with Nik Binnito not available; the Dolphins don't have an elite pass rusher; the Colts didn’t have an elite pass rusher; the Raiders have Maxx Crosby; he’s off to an elite start after reconstructive knee surgery. I think Brock Browser proves too great a force, and the Raiders Move On To 4-0.

Bills vs Patriots

The Bills Face Off Against The Patriots As The Two AFC East Rivals Enter Week Four On The Opposite End Of Their Worse Outputs This Season. The Bills coughed up five turnovers and entered the fourth quarter of their matchup against the Chargers, Trailing Unfamiliar Territory For Buffalo This Season. The Bills Hadn’t Trailed Since The Fourth Quarter Of The Texans Game In Week One. The Bills Played An Uncharacteristically Sloppy 10 Penalties For 88 Yards, three of them giving Los Angeles a first down, A Couple Of Holding Penalties One In The Fourth Quarter That Negated A Ty Johnson Touchdowns The Bills Ultimately Scored On That Drive. Josh Allen accounted for three of those turnovers: two interceptions, One Fumble, 16/26 no Touchdowns, -0.19 EPA Per Drop-back, 38.7% Pressure Rate, 54.0 Passer Rating. The Man Who Played Out of This World To Start This Season Finally Came Back To Earth. The Patriots Will Hope To Face This Lesser Version of Josh Allen in Week 4 and not the one who Lit Up The Lions and Texans defense. Allen ranks third in pass EPA, fourth in EPA per dropback, and in adjusted EPA per play. The Patriots’ defense was worse for wear aftereek Threes Bout. With the Jags, .ew England Had Posted some Of The best Defensive Stats In The Game Until Athens faced a true prime-level quarterback, Trevor Lawrence. The Patriots Surrender 35 Points To The Jags After Giving 16 Total Point The First Two Weeks Of The season New England’s Defense Entered Week Three Fourth In EPA Per Drop back Allowed But Gave Up +0.186 EPA Per Dropback To Trevor Lawrence, Three Touchdowns, 102.9 Passer Rating. With Drake Maye Still On A Bender That continued on Sunday Against The Jags with three turnovers, the defense for New England had become a calling card for the team before, and the Jags Receivers Made Mostly Easy Work Of Patriots ' secondary. The main culprits of the Bills’ attack were wide receivers Parker Washington and Former Patriots Jakobi Meyers, a slighter, undersized receiver with a quick burst, very similar to the Bills’ Kahlil Shakir and DJ Moore. Quiet Day for Shakir Against the Chargers, But DJ Moore Led the Bills With Six Catches For 67 Yards. The Bills’ Defense Got On Track in Week Three in Response to a Struggling Josh Allen And The Offense. The Bills’ defense, which surrendered 385 Yards Of Offense over The First Two Weeks Of The Season and A +0.166 EPA per play, gave 363 net yards to the Chargers But Held Los Angeles To A -0.061 EPA Per Play and kept the Chargers From Running Off With The Game. This Bend Don’t Breaks Bills’s Style Of Defense Falls In Line With How The patriots Offense Has Played According To Next Gen Stats The Pats Generated Seven Plays Inside Of The Jags Territory, Four Red Zone Drives In Total Without Scoring A Touchdown On Any Of Those Drives With Just One Red Zone Field Goal. Drake Maye Struggles Boiled Over In week Three With Three More Turnovers, He Did However Regain Some Of His Deep Ball, Two Deep Completion Seven Explosive Pass Plays For The Offense But Explosive Plays Disappear Inside The Red Zone and Right Now The Run Game Struggled To Pick Up The Slack, The Offensive Line Has Struggled With Injuries, Drake Maye Faced pressure 50% Of His Drop Backs and Patriots Receivers Cant Win One On One Matchups. A Week After Registering A Massive Touchdown For New England In The Run Game Treyveon Henderson Went Quiet, Just 23 yards On The Ground, 3.2 Yards Per Carry, 83 Yards On The Ground For The Patriots’s Total. Romeo Doubs in His Third Game 38 Receiving Yards On Four Targets, Three Reception Veteran Receiver Mack Hollins Lead The Patriots in Receiving. to Make Matters More Concerning For The Pats Their runnDefense Just Gave Up 4.5 Yards Per Carry, 141 yards On The Ground To The Jags The Second Best run Game In The League heading Into Week Three Only Buffalo Runs The Ball better Than Jacksonville, The Bills Notched +0.15 EPA Per Run Play, 177 Net Rushing yards, 5.4 Yards Per Carry, 75 Yards on Explosive Runs. Last season, on Monday Night Football in Week Five, the Patriots Upset The Bills In A Victory That Sparked The Team’s Run To The Super Bowl. That Victory Doesn’t Happen in 2026; instead, the Bills Exact Revenge and Set the Patriots Back Another Year of Development.

Jets Vs Bears

Some investing advisors live by the strategy that volatile stocks become alphas while predictable stocks crater. Chicago Bears football stock has taken some wild turns in three weeks of football. Does this suggest their future remains brighter than the complexion of their quarterback situation? the bears Devoured The Panthers In Week One—Yes We Have To remind Every One Because That’s The Baseline For The Team— The The Vikings Pillaged Their Offense Quarterback caleb Willliams Suffered A hamstring injury and Experienced Back-Up Tyson Bagent Suffered A Concussion Ahead Of Facing The 2-0 Eagles. With Williams Projected To Miss Weeks and the Bears Forced To start Case Keenum, the veteran responded, posting three passing touchdowns and leading the Bears To A 27-7 Win Over A Very Celebrated but less-than-elite Eagles Defense. The Bears Offense Generated +0.091 EPA Per Play, 375 Yards Of Offense, and five red-zone trips in nine possessions. Keenum led the charge, 24/34 for 247 passing yards, two touchdowns, and a 110.8 passer rating in a spot start, and He Produced A Couple of series where he couldn’t miss Getting The Ball Out in 2.3 seconds to throw, with elite production downfield, With Five Explosive Passes Of 15+ Yards Or Better. The Bears Nearly Became The Main Surprise Of The Night holding A Relative Capable Philly Offense To Just Seven Points, -0.288 EPA Per Play, 238 Yards Of Offense. This defense Got Shredded By Bryce Young, giving Jalen Hurts A lot of different looks that frustrated him in the pocket: 16/25, 153 Passing Yards, 64.3 Passer Rating, -0.59 EPA per dropback. The Bears ' secondary forced a lot of tight windows, took away Hurts' top target, Devonta Smith, and intercepted a Crucial Pass To Crush A Potential Eagles Uprising. Will The Same Strategy Work On The Jets and Geno Smith? The other Veteran quarterback Comes In Off Of A Heater Against Detroit, completing 31/37 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns, 20.9 passing EPA, a 21.1% completion percentage over expected, In A losing Effort As He Carried The Jets Offense 72.1% With The Jets Trailing Most Of The Game. GenO Had The Deep Ball Cooking Against A vulnerable 5-for-6 on deep passes (20+ air yards) for 143 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears have struggled to defend the deep pass this season, +0.56 EPA Per Dropback allowed through Three Games. Smith in First Year Back with the Jets Has Completed 75.5% Of His Passes, +12.9% Completion Percentage Over Expected, +0.13 EPA per dropback. Extra Rushers Be Wary: Geno Has Played Elite Ball Against The Blitz: +0.03 EPA per dropback, +24.01 % completion percentage over expected. The Bears Send Blitzes More Than 41.8% Of Their Defensive Snaps. If Geno takes advantage of those situations, he’s a shoo-in for Big Game. The Bears' secondary planned and executed taking away Jalen Hurts ' top target, Devonta Smith: 30 routes run, 8 Targets, 6 Catches, 67 Yards, -0.26 EPA Per Target. I Could Only Suppose The Bears Will Seek To Emulate Their Success Against The Jets. Garrett Wilson, coming off of an impressive Week 3 performance: 10 Receptions, 107 receiving yards, +23.5% Catch Rate Over Expectation, +6.5 receiving EPA, A Couple Of Incredible Catches in The Process. If the Bears Manage To Take Garrett out of the game, who can step Up For The Jets? Rookie first-round tight end Kenyon Sadiq Registered His 100 Yard Game As A Pro. Sadiq caught seven of his eight targets for 105 yards and a touchdown, 4.2 yards per route. The Jets defense ranks 13th in PA Per Play Allowed On Defense. They Ranked Top Ten Before Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, and A Detroit offensive storm rolled in, scoring four touchdowns, 371 Rushing Yards, and 0.208 EPA Per Play. The Jets Defense Couldn’t Hold Up Against Detroit’s rushing Attack: -0.05 EPA Per Play On Run Plays, 131 rushing yards, 10 missed tackles, and 4.4 Yards Per Rush Allowed. The Bears defense handled the Eagles' run game effectively. The Jets abandoned the run game with running back Breece Hall In The Second Half Of The Gam, just 58 Yards On The Ground For New York, 32 Yards For Breece Hall In The Losing Effort. The Jets have lost two of three one-score games, And Most seasons, luck favors One Team in one-score games and disfavors another team; simply put, you’re either winning one-score games or losing them in most cases. Geno Stays Hot, But The Bears Prevail On The Strength Of Case Keenum and Their Run Game.

Bengals Vs Jaguars

Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence Faced Off In The 2020 BCS National Championship as the Clemson Tigers Faced Off Against The LSU Tigers, with Burrow and LSU Prevailing In January before COVID-19. Lawrence Entered The Year As The Top Quarterback Fresh Off A National Championship, A Five Star Blue Chip Guy Prospect Who Any Team In The League Would Take Number One Had He Not Have To Wait Another College Season. Joe Burrow rose out of relative obscurity, got hot, got hot, stayed hot, and went number One Overall In 2020. When Lawrence went number one the following season, the natural presumption was that these two would feature in many prominent AFC battles for years to come, sort of in Brady-manning fashion. Yet, 2026 Feels Like Their First Prominent Battle Between The Two Elite QBs. Lawrence Has Teetered Between Quarterback Sage Mode and Genin-level play, and Joe Burrow has struggled with injuries, so ultimately this Week Four Matchup feels like the first truly defining matchup between these two as pros. Of course, Lawrence Won’t Face Burrow One-on-One; He’ll Face The Bengals' defense. After looking strong across the first two games, Cincy got exposed against Rodgers and the Steelers.

Rodgers Dished Out 19/34, 55.9% Completion percentage for 292 Passing Yards, one pick, a 101.6 passer rating, and 15.4 yards per completion. Rodgers had the worst year of his career: 72.1 passer rating, 5.2 yards per attempt. Rodgers Committed Most Of His Damage Against The Bengals ' linebackers in coverage: Cincy Linebacker Barrett Carter, 118.8 Passer Rating, 75 Yards Allowed; Demetrius Knight Jr 118.8 Passer Rating, 41 Receiving Yards Allowed, and Across The Intermediate Part Of The Field and Down The Field. Trevor Lawrence Has Played Elite Ball Around The Intermediate Area and downfield: 115.7 Passer Rating, +0.61 EPA per dropback on intermediate pass attempts, and 135.4 Passer Rating and +1.56 EPA per dropback on deep passes extremely Good. The Jags Receivers Top Receivers Jakobi Mayers Excel At Creating Separation 3.2 Yards One Of The Top Figures In The League, +1.41 EPA Per Target, +22.5% Catch Rate Over expected. The Jags Other Top Receiving Option Parker Washington Sports A 97.8 Pff Grade Inside The Intermediate Area Of The Field, 10.75 Yards Per Route Run(10-19), Three Contested Catches, 2.91 Yards Per Route Run as The Former Sixth round Pick Has Developed Into A Top Tier Receiving Threat. The Steelers' run game also punished the Bengals on the ground: 138 Yards On The Ground, 6 yards per carry; Steelers’ running back Jaylen Warren: 7.5 yards per carry, 127 Yards On The Ground. The Bengals Will Face The Bhayshul Tuten Express Rolls With Steam: 77 rushing yards, 16 Carries, 4.8 Yards Per Carry, one rushing touchdown. This Bengals showdown could springboard a hefty contract after This Season. Joe Burrow Delivered His Best Effort Of The Season Against The Steelers Defense 28/37 Passing,75.7 Completion Percentage, 278 Passing Yards, Three Touchdowns, 123.5 Passer Rating, +0.32 EPA Per Dropback, +6.2% Completion Percentage Over Expected, Two Of His Three Touchdowns Came On Passes Over 20 Air yards. His Top Target Continue Their Standout Play As Both Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins Hauled In Touchdown Passes With Chase Leading The Way For The Bengals offense With Three Touchdowns and Tee Higgins Leads The Team In Receiving Yards and Tight Mike Gesicki leads The Team In EPA Per Target Each Registered a Touchdown Against The Steelers. The Jags Defense On Sunday Suffocated Drake Maye and his receivers, holding the MVP runner-up to a 48.4 passer rating. Two picks generated a 48.4% pressure rate; tight window throws: 20.0% of His Pass Attempts; 56.0% Completion percentage. The Jags' top three cornerbacks, Travis Hunter, Jarrian Jones, and Jourdan Lewis, all clock sub-80 passer ratings; Hunter and Jones Register In The Mid-50s. Hunter And Jones Recorded Picks Off Of Maye. The Jags Have The Edge in This Matchup, Considering How Well The Defense Has Played On All Levels As The Pass Rush Starts To Pick Up. The Jaguars Collect Another Statement Victory Over A Highly Touted Quarterback.

Cowboys Vs Texans

The Dallas Cowboys Find A Way To Set A New Standard For Malignant Defensive Effort After The Boys Exit Brazil In Week Three Stunned By A Ravens game-winning field Goal. How Much Can A Football Offense Achieve In Seven Seconds? Against the Cowboys' defense, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens generated an Explosive pass play that flipped Field Position and knocked down a game-winning field goal to Storm Off With The 34-31 victory, shuttering the dazed Cowboys Team 1-2. A Few years ago, a touchback would’ve started a team at the 20 Yard Line, But The New 35 Yard Line Rule Set In Motion The Dallas downfall. The Cowboys Made A Series Of Moves In The Offseason. Dallas enters week four 30th in EPA Per Play And Yards Allowed. The Cowboys will hope that their latest addition to the defense, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., will realign the other responsibilities of players, possibly shifting Rookie Defensive Back Caleb Downs Back To Safety. Dallas’s Defense Will Lock Wits With The Texans Quarterback CJ Stroud, entering Week Four Winless At 0-3 And Not trending In The Right Direction. Stroud In his Highly anticipated Fourth Season Got Off To Great Start In week One But He’s Coming Off Of His Weakest Offering Of The Season 16/27, 167 Passing Yards, One Touchdown, -0.11 EPA Per Drop back, 89.6 Passer Rating Against The Colts In Week Three Game Both Teams needed To Get In The Win Column. The Colts Defense Had Previously Given up +0.276 Per Dropback To Passers Before Running Into Stroud. The Texans offense that now ranks suffered five three-and-outs against the Colts, which ranks second-to-last in terms of yards per play on third down through three games. The Texans Run Game Hasn’t Shown Up Yet This Season: -0.11 EPA Per Rush This 10th, worse, 3.6 Yards Per Rush. David Montgomery, a big offseason acquisition, has just 33 Yards On The Ground. Will The Cowboys Defense Serve as a Springboard After Most “Ball Knowers” Nominated The Colts Defense To Catapult the Texans' Run Game? The Cowboys Ran On By The Ravens 192 Yards On The Ground, Five Yards Per Run, Seven Explosive Runs. Of course, Dallas Won’t Have to face Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry again. The Dallas Offense not Exactly The World Beaters We watched Last Season, +0.16 EPA Per Play, 12th In Yards Per Game Lead By Dak Prescott The Cowboys Dropped 441 Yards On The Ravens But Came Short In The End Zone Settling For Field Goals Three Times And Netting Touchdowns With The Other Three Drives. Good News: Receiver George Pickens Has Rounded Into Form After A Slow Start to The Season. Pickens registered His Best Game This Season: 7 Receptions On 11 Catches For 82 Receiving Yards, 2.2 Yards Per Route Run against the Ravens. His co-star CeeDee Lamb Turned In seven Catches For 112 in a losing effort, as Lamb looked shocked on the sideline, Perhaps His Mind Preparing For Overtime Before The Ravens Stormed The Field In Victory. The Texans defense is still rounding into form, not the elite force we’ve come to expect on Sundays: 16th In Yards Allowed Per Game and 19th in EPA Per Pass. Daniel Jones went 24-of-36 for 235 yards, one touchdown, and one pick-six. The Texans Pass Rush Has Picked Up, Their Up 11th In Pressure Rate On The Strength Of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter But Those Pressure Haven’t Always Made The Difference On The Score Board. Houston has managed to lose several games in recent History when they sack the quarterback and win the turnover margin, and they could run into another such matchup against the Cowboys on Sunday. I Believe The Texans Get The Win On Strength Of Their Defense really Getting After Dak, A Low Scoring Affair Overall As CJ Stroud Makes Enough Plays To Lead The Texans To Victory.