WEEK 4 PREVIEW
Through the first three weeks, fantastic finishes have been a common thread across the NFL slate. There have been 15 games decided by a game-winning score in the final three minutes of regulation or in overtime, the most such games through Week 3 in NFL history.
- Dublin bound: The first-ever NFL regular-season game in Dublin, Ireland, is set for Week 4 when Minnesota and Pittsburgh play at Croke Park (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network) on Sunday. The following week, the Vikings will become the first team to play multiple international games in different cities in the same season, when the team travels to London to take on the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
- Last week, Minnesota cornerback Isaiah Rodgers recorded two forced fumbles, an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown and a 66-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the Vikings’ 48-10 win over Cincinnati, becoming the first player in NFL history with an interception return touchdown of 85-or-more yards and a fumble return touchdown of 65-or-more yards in the same game.
- In Week 3, Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre (508 touchdown passes) for the fourth-most regular-season touchdown passes in NFL history and topped Philip Rivers (63,440 passing yards) for the sixth-most regular-season passing yards all-time.
- 3-0 teams: Six teams – Buffalo, Indianapolis, the Los Angeles Chargers,Philadelphia, San Francisco and Tampa Bay – have begun the season with three consecutive wins.
- New Orleans (0-3) at Buffalo (3-0) (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Buffalo can begin 4-0 for the fifth time since 1990 and the first since 2020. The Bills, since Week 11 of the 2023 season, have won 13 consecutive regular-season home games and have scored at least 24 points in each game.
- Last week, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen recorded his 86th career win (including the postseason) since entering the NFL in 2018 and surpassed Joe Flacco (85 wins) for the fifth-most wins by a quarterback in his first eight seasons, including the playoffs, in NFL history.
- During the Bills’ current 13-game home winning streak, Allen has 37 touchdowns (26 passing, 10 rushing, one receiving) and a 105.4 passer rating, including multiple combined passing and rushing touchdowns in 12 of the 13 games.
- Buffalo running back James Cook is the only player in the NFL with at least 100 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in each of the first three weeks of the season. Since 1990, only three previous players have recorded 100 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in each of their team’s first four games of a season: Christian McCaffrey (2023), DeMarco Murray (2014) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith (1995).
- L.A. Chargers (3-0) at N.Y. Giants (0-3) (1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Chargers can win each of their first four games of a season for the sixth time in franchise history and the first since 2002. Los Angeles, with divisional wins over Kansas City (Week 1), Las Vegas (Week 2) and Denver (Week 3), became the third team since realignment in 2002 to defeat division opponents in each of their first three games of a season, joining the 2006 Chicago Bears and 2003 Minnesota Vikings.
- Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert passed for 300 yards in Week 3 and is the only quarterback with multiple 300-yard games this season. Herbert has 29 career games with at least 300 passing yards and can become the fourth player all-time with at least 30 such games in his first six career seasons, joining Patrick Mahomes (41 games) and Football Hall of Famers Dan Marino (32) and Kurt Warner (30).
- Philadelphia (3-0) at Tampa Bay (3-0) (1 p.m. ET, FOX): Philadelphia can start 4-0 for the third time in the past four seasons (2022-23) while Tampa Bay can begin 4-0 for the fourth time in franchise history and the first since 2005. Since 2015, the reigning Super Bowl champion has begun the following season with four consecutive wins five times.
- Last week, Philadelphia overcame a 19-point second-half deficit to win, becoming the first team to overcome a second-half deficit of 19-or-more points since Denver in Week 4 of the 2023 season (overcame 21-point deficit to win at Chicago). Eagles defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis each blocked a field goal in the fourth quarter as Philadelphia became the first team since at least 1978 to block two field goals in the fourth quarter of the same game.
- Tampa Bay became the first team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to record a game-winning score in the final minute of the fourth quarter in each of its first three games of a season. The Buccaneers are also the third team since 1970 to record a game-winning score in the final minute of regulation in three consecutive games at any point in a single season, joining the 2017 Pittsburgh Steelers (Nov. 26-Dec. 10) and 1994 New York Giants (Dec. 4-18).
- Indianapolis (3-0) at L.A Rams (2-1) (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX): Indianapolis can begin 4-0 for the first time since 2009. In five of the past 10 seasons (2015-24), a team has begun 4-0 the season after missing the playoffs.
- The Colts have punted once this season, the fewest punts by a team in its first three games of a season since at least 1940.
- Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor leads the league with 338 rushing yards and 431 scrimmage yards entering Week 4. Last week, he became the fourth player since 2000 with at least 7,500 scrimmage yards and 60 touchdowns in his first 70 career games, joining Arian Foster, Adrian Peterson and Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.
- Los Angeles wide receiver Puka Nacua leads the NFL with 29 receptions and 333 receiving yards this season. He had 11 receptions for 112 yards in Week 3 and became the fifth player all-time with at least 10 receptions and 100 receiving yards in six games within his first three career seasons, joining Ja’Marr Chase (seven games), Justin Jefferson (seven), Michael Thomas (seven) and Odell Beckham Jr. (six).
- Jacksonville (2-1) at San Francisco (3-0) (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX): San Francisco can start 4-0 for the third time (2019 and 2023) since head coach Kyle Shanahan was hired in 2017.
- San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey recorded his 12th career game with 10 receptions last week, most by a running back in NFL history.
- McCaffrey has 33 career games with at least 50 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards, the second-most by a running back all-time, including in each of the first three weeks this season. Since 2000, there have been only three previous occurrences of a player recording at least 50 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards in four consecutive games: McCaffrey himself in 2018 with Carolina (five consecutive games), Charlie Garner (four consecutive games in 2002 with the Oakland Raiders) and Robert Smith (four consecutive games in 2000 with Minnesota).
- Jacksonville leads the NFL with seven interceptions and nine takeaways through the first three weeks, including multiple interceptions in each game. Since 2000, only five previous teams have recorded two-or-more interceptions in each of their first four games of a season: 2021 Dallas Cowboys (first five games), 2018 Miami Dolphins (first four), 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (first four), 2007 Oakland Raiders (first four) and 2003 Kansas City Chiefs (first four).
- Ravens-Chiefs continue rivalry: The Baltimore Ravens (1-2) and Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) are set to meet on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS), marking the seventh time in the past eight seasons, including playoffs, the two teams have squared off. Five of the previous six meetings have all been decided by seven-or-fewer points.
- Since 2018, when both Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes took over as their teams’ starting quarterback, Kansas City and Baltimore rank first and second in the NFL in points per game and total yards of offense per game, respectively.
- Jackson is the fourth quarterback ever with a passer rating of 125-or-higher in each of his team’s first three games of a season, joining John Hadl (1973 with the Los Angeles Rams), Patrick Mahomes (2019 with Kansas City) and Russell Wilson (2020 with Seattle).
- Parsons returns to Dallas: Green Bay defensive lineman Micah Parsons is set to play his first game in Dallas (Sunday night, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) since being acquired by the Packers from the Cowboys in August. During his four seasons with Dallas (2021-24), Parsons ranked fifth in the NFL in sacks (52.5) and tackles for loss (64) and became the second player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, to record at least 12 sacks in each of his first four career seasons, along with Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White.
- New Orleans (0-3) at Buffalo (3-0) (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Buffalo can begin 4-0 for the fifth time since 1990 and the first since 2020. The Bills, since Week 11 of the 2023 season, have won 13 consecutive regular-season home games and have scored at least 24 points in each game.
