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To my best recollection, I cannot remember there ever being only one remaining unbeaten team in the NFL entering October prior to this season. Yet as we entered the first weekend of NFL action in October of 2022, that is exactly what we had, after the Miami Dolphins had fallen to Cincinnati. That left the Philadelphia Eagles as the sole remaining unbeaten team in the league. They won, and so remained unbeaten, at least for now.
Two AFC teams that have ranked among the elites in the league in recent seasons also won. The Kansas City Chiefs got a small measure of revenge for their embarrassing Super Bowl loss two seasons ago by convincingly beating the Tampa Bay Bucs in Florida. And the Bills overcame a 20-3 deficit to force overtime, and then eventually to win.
Sunday marked my birthday, and the two local New York teams gave me a birthday gift, with each providing very exciting wins. I cannot predict a playoff berth for either team, but it feels good to see them both winning this late into the season. Usually, they both are struggling by this point in recent seasons. Nice to see them both winning and feeling excited by their play.
So let's take a look at each game that was played in Week 4:
London Game - Minnesota 28, New Orleans 25 - The Vikings almost always seem to get the better of this rivalry, with the admittedly notable exception of the 2009 NFC title game (the Brett Favre pick after an ill-advised pass attempt). Another big and memorable meeting between these two franchises goes in favor of the Purple and Gold, who now improve to 3-1 and appear to be solid. As for the Saints, this marks a third straight loss after a win on opening day, which has to be a source of major concern for New Orleans football fans. My pick: Accurate
NY Giants 20, Chicago 12 - I got home to catch the final twenty or so minutes of this game. The G-Men did not look overwhelmingly good, or anything. Yet, they obviously were good enough to win this game, at least on this day. Daniel Jones suffered that ankle injury, and it remains to be seen just how serious it will prove to be. But Sa'Quon Barkley had an incredible game, and really carried Big Blue to victory here, almost literally. As for Da Bears, I am beginning to wonder just how accurate those predictions that Justin Fields would be the next Patrick Mahomes actually were. He frankly looks like he is really struggling at the moment. My pick: Inaccurate
NY Jets 24, Pittsburgh 20- I turned the end of this game on right after the G-Men had secured victory against Chicago. The Steelers clearly are nowhere near the team that we got used to them being in recent seasons. The Jets probably should have lost, and in fact, it seemed like Pittsburgh might run away with it at some point. Somehow, though, Gang Green had yet another late rally for what seems an improbable win. What an exciting end to this game, and a wonderful win for the Jets, who are 2-0 on the road so far this season. My pick: Inaccurate
Dallas 25, Washington 10 - This one went pretty much the way you had to figure that it would. Dallas felt like the significantly better team, with a tough defense. Washington is decent on defense, but they seem to struggle on offense. Given that, this kind of a game, and the score, cannot come as a huge surprise or anything. My pick: Accurate
Buffalo 23, Baltimore 20 (OT) - What a game! Now I will admit to being sure that my pick for the Bills was going to fall flat when I saw the Ravens owning a 20-3 lead. But give Buffalo credit: they stepped up, and in a big way. The defense tightened up, the offense really got going, and they stormed back and found a way to win. Very solid road win for the Bills. As for the Ravens, this is the second big lead that they allowed to collapse, and which turned into a loss for Baltimore. That has to be a source of not only frustration, but serious concern at this point. They need to show the ability to seal the deal. My pick: Accurate
Philadelphia 29, Jacksonville 21 - The NFL's last unbeaten team for this season hung on against the tough and vastly improved Jaguars. Both teams seemed to have momentum at different times in this one, but the Eagles showed why they have remained undefeated to this point. My pick: Accurate
Atlanta 23, Cleveland 20 - This just was not what I expected. The Browns seemed to be a better team this season. But already, they lost two games to fairly lowly teams, the Jets and now the Falcons. Not a great start, if they hoped to establish themselves as a legitimate contender for the division and/or playoffs. As for the Falcons, a very solid home win. My pick: Inaccurate
Seattle 48, Detroit 45 - A lot of points, and a lot of offense in this one. Not much defense, however. The Seahawks jumped all over the Lions early in this one. Then, Jared Goff resembled an elite quarterback, making incredible throws and getting Detroit back into this game. However, it proved to be too little, too late. After four games, the Lions once again have suffered some heartbreaking losses, making this look like it will be another long and frustrating season for fans. My pick: Inaccurate
Tennessee 24, Indianapolis 17- The Titans jumped out early in this one, and it appeared that the rout was on. Then the Colts finally showed some signs of life, but the Titans managed to hang on, providing just enough offense to let a solid defensive effort pay off for a huge win that could indeed shape this divisional race. So far, the Colts have been extremely disappointing. I had assumed - evidently wrongly - that they were a far better team that they are showing themselves to be. My pick: Inaccurate
LA Chargers 34, Houston 24 - More or less what you could expect from this game. The better team won, but the Texans at least showed some signs of decency. The Texans now are the last winless team left in the league, although they did get that tie in Week 1 against the Colts. My pick: Accurate
Arizona 26, Carolina 16 - Another game that was more or less as you could expect it to be. The Cardinals figure to be a legitimate playoff contender, and so they should win a game like this one. Carolina kept it fairly close, but the Cardinals just seemed to have a few too many weapons. My pick: Accurate
Green Bay 27, New England 24 (OT) - This wound up being a far more competitive game than I figured it would be. Belichick seemed to have almost managed to pull off a huge upset. But the Packers are tough at home, even when the weather is not yet brutally cold, and this was proof of that. A solid win for the Pack, but a good showing for the Pats. My pick: Accurate
Las Vegas 32, Denver 23 - This one did not go the way I had expected, although it also was not a shock. The Broncos look to be one of the most talented and dangerous teams on paper, but their level of play thus far this season has revealed some serious vulnerabilities. The Raiders are familiar with Denver, and exposed those weaknesses, particularly with Denver's defense. The Silver and Black earn their first win of the season, while Denver lost an important divisional game and lose ground to the Chiefs. My pick: Inaccurate
Sunday Night Football: Kansas City 41, Tampa Bay 31 - The Chiefs more or less did to Tom Brady and the Bucs what Tampa did to KC in the Super Bowl a couple of seasons back. The Chiefs just looked far sharper, more determined, hungrier. In other words, set on getting revenge for that rather embarrassing blowout Super Bowl loss that denied the Chiefs back-to-back Super Bowl championships. The offense looks dangerous again. As for the Bucs, they seemed more vulnerable than expected. My pick: Inaccurate
Monday Night Football: LA Rams at San Francisco 24, LA Rams 9 - Frankly, this one felt predictable. True, the Rams beat the 49ers in the NFC title game in January, but they had lost the prior six meetings to the 49ers before that. With this one being in San Francisco, and with the Niners set on revenge, as well as with the Rams just not seeming to have the championship intensity that served them so well last winter, this one pretty much went as most people probably figured it would. My pick: Accurate
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