Heading into Sunday night's clash with the Baltimore Ravens, the Kansas City Chiefs looked a shadow of their former selves. The team that had played in five of the past six Super Bowls and represented the AFC in that big game in each of the last three years had failed to score more than 22 points in a contest during their 1-2 start.
But the team on the other sideline had not looked much like themselves, either. Baltimore were shipping 32 points per game (second-worst in the league) and 415 yards per game (worst in the NFL). And of the two struggling clubs, it was the Chiefs who found themselves on Sunday; romping to a 37-20 win at Arrowhead Stadium.
The return of the speedy Xavier Worthy at wide receiver was vital. His numbers were good but not amazing (five catches for 83 yards and two runs for 38 yards) but his impact was more far-reaching than that. The threat of more plays downfield seemed to open up so much for the Chiefs.
Head coach Andy Reid suddenly had way more play calls available to him on his sheet and Patrick Mahomes was not forced into as many clutch-the-football-before-taking-off-downfield moments brought on by passing game targets not getting open.
Mahomes was able to make quicker decisions with the football and always seemed to have an option. He threw for 270 yards and four touchdowns before retreating to the bench with his work done in the fourth quarter.
Four different Kansas City players had receptions covering at least 15 yards. Now we need to see if that was a brief one-off against a struggling and porous defense, or the first signs of a true revival that will put KC back in the AFC Super Bowl conversation.
Who's Hot…
The Detroit Lions' offense… The Lions are not one of those teams only just finding themselves on the offensive side of the ball. In beating the Cleveland Browns 34-10 on Sunday, the Lions took their three-week points tally to 124. They are scoring for fun even when the offense doesn't rack up huge yardage, as was the case when just gaining 277 yards in Week 4. The Lions still scored four touchdowns, including one on a Khalif Raymond punt return, and they benefited from three Cleveland turnovers. The Lions are a reminder not to panic after Week 1. The sky was falling in when they lost to Green Bay at Lambeau Field. At the end of September, it is the Lions who sit on top of the NFC North with a 3-1 record, while the Packers are 2-1-1.
Jacksonville's defense… When I came away from my summer training camp visit to Jacksonville, I felt the relationship between head coach Liam Coen and quarterback Trevor Lawrence was going to be vital to Jacksonville's playoff chances. They still are, of course, that relationship is key on any NFL team. But the defense has powered the 3-1 start. That unit forced four turnovers during Sunday's 26-21 road win over the previously-perfect San Francisco 49ers. The Jacksonville defense has now taken the ball away at least three times in all four games this season. And offensively, Lawrence cleaned it up by ending his streak of games with at least one interception at six.
Matthew Stafford… I was really impressed by the Rams in losing a game they should have won against Philadelphia in Week 3. And I feel the same about this team after they won a game in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts that they could easily have lost. So long as Matthew Stafford is at quarterback, these Rams have a genuine Super Bowl chance in the NFC. In a 27-20 victory, Stafford threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday, including the game-winner to Tutu Atwell from 88 yards with 1:33 remaining. And how about a bit more love and attention for Puka Nacua? Other receivers across the league tend to get more headlines, but he currently leads the league with 42 catches for 503 yards. In four games! That would be a respectable season for a lot of players.
Who's Not…
The Baltimore Ravens… For the Ravens, who dropped to 1-3 for just the third time in their history, it was a disastrous day that had started so well with a touchdown on their opening drive. But the offense could not handle the in-game adjustments made by Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and the defense is just an injury-riddled mess at the moment. And with that unit in such disarray, I cannot help but wonder why Derrick Henry had just four first half carries. I get ending the game with just eight because Baltimore were chasing by that stage and had to keep passing, but surely you try to impose your will on the Chiefs in the first half and eat some clock to keep Mahomes on the bench? It was a baffling and disappointing display and one that ended with Lamar Jackson nursing a potential hamstring injury on the bench. The Ravens simply have to find a way to respond next week against Houston.
The Tennessee Titans… The first head coach casualty of the 2025 season might not be too far away because the Titans look absolutely lost. They were shut out for the first time since 2019 in losing 26-0 to the previously-inept Houston Texans. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward is growing increasingly frustrated behind a poor offensive line and where he had played pretty in the first three weeks, he was off on Sunday. That and the 0-4 start all adds up to a hot seat for Brian Callahan that has turned positively volcanic. Callahan has started to turn on the media, which is never a positive thing. It feels like the end of days in Nashville.
The Fast Five…
- As good as Matthew Stafford played on Sunday, I think the Colts are a good team and they let the Rams off the hook. Adonai Mitchell foolishly fumbled into the end zone when prematurely celebrating one touchdown. And he wiped out Jonathan Taylor's long scoring run with just over two minutes remaining due to a holding penalty. If I had been Mitchell on Sunday night, I would have considered driving home to Indianapolis rather than getting on the plane with his teammates.
- The Philadelphia Eagles are a winning machine that rolls on, regardless of circumstance or opponent. On Sunday, Jalen Hurts failed to complete a second half pass, Saquon Barkley was held under 100 rushing yards for the fifth game in a row and AJ Brown took to social media to complain about his lack of targets. And yet the Eagles won 31-25 against a previously-unbeaten Tampa Bay team and moved to 4-0 on the year. Philly have now won 20 of their last 21 dating back to last season.
- There was some second half Baker Mayfield magic in Week 4 that made us all wonder if another dramatic comeback was in the works. The Bucs won with 59 seconds remaining in Week 1, with six seconds left in Week 2 and as time expired in Week 3. But his endzone interception midway through the fourth quarter was a killer. On first and 10 from the Eagles' 11-yard line, Mayfield tried to do too much; scrambling around and forcing the ball into the endzone where it was picked by Jihaad Campbell. Baker was only down by one score at the time, it was first down and there was enough downs to live to fight another day.
- The New York Giants produced their first win of the season and it came against the previously-undefeated Los Angeles Chargers and with rookie first-rounder Jaxson Dart at quarterback. But it came at a terrible cost as star wide receiver Malik Nabers was lost for the year to a torn ACL. New York will now need to lean on a rushing attack that produced more than 160 yards on the ground on Sunday.
- Special teams units across the league are onto something. There were more blocked field goal and extra point attempts on Sunday and none more dramatic than the one which gave the Chicago Bears a late 25-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. It was the sixth fourth quarter field goal block of this season and evened up Chicago's record at 2-2. Now, will the kicking units respond? Or is this going to become a pandemic of kick blocks?
Fact of the Week
The Buffalo Bills pulled away from the New Orleans Saints to record a 31-19 win over the New Orleans Saints. In doing so, the Bills reached the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season and for the 14th time in the last 15 regular season games. As it stands right now with the Bills being 4-0, the AFC road to the Super Bowl goes through Buffalo. And that's bad news for the rest of the conference as the Bills have won their last 13 games in Buffalo (including playoffs).
Final Thought…
Well done, Brazil. Take a bow, Ireland. Both were spectacularly fantastic and perfectly illustrated why the NFL wants to make a travelling roadshow of the international games. And now it's London's turn. We have three games over the next three weekends in the capital. And the first one between the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is going to be a bit special as it will be the 40th in London. It doesn't seem all that long ago that Eli Manning was scampering through the rain to score the first touchdown at Wembley Stadium in 2007. It's been quite the journey and the remarkable thing is that it feels like the NFL is only just getting started when it comes to stamping its mark on the global sporting landscape. If you're going to the games, say hello if you see me and make sure you have a great time. These are special and historic times we are living in as international fans of the NFL.
