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What We Learned

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2024 NFL season, Week 4: What We Learned from Sunday's games

Around The NFL breaks down what you need to know from all of Sunday's action in Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season. Catch up on each game's biggest takeaways using the links below:

Early Window

Late Window

Sunday Night

EARLY WINDOW

Atlanta Falcons 26, New Orleans Saints 24

New Orleans Saints
2024 · 2-2-0
Atlanta Falcons
2024 · 2-2-0

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Takeaways from Eric Edholm:


  1. Falcons defense, special teams make big plays in thrilling win. Younghoe Koo hit a 58-yard field goal with :02 remaining to complete a wild victory for the Falcons that they nearly coughed up. The Saints took a 24-23 lead with one minute remaining and Atlanta was out of timeouts. But Saints defensive back Paulson Adebo, who was picked on all game, committed a 30-yard pass interference penalty to set the Falcons up for the game-winning kick. The Falcons won a big divisional game without the benefit of an offensive touchdown, with Koo hitting four field goals and the Falcons’ KhaDarel Hodge recovering a muffed punt in the end zone and Troy Andersen running back a pick-six. Andersen left the game late with a knee injury but was all over the field before that, also making 16 tackles. The Saints scored on their first two drives and moved the ball well in the second half, but Atlanta made just enough stops -- and got help from the mistake-prone Saints -- to earn the win.
  2. Saints’ mistakes pile up in frustrating loss. The Saints lost despite taking the lead in the final minute of the game and holding the Falcons offense out of the end zone. The self-inflicted mistakes started early, as Rashid Shaheed muffed a punt inside his own 5-yard line -- a ball he never should have tried to catch -- which was recovered for a freebie Falcons TD before New Orleans ever ran an offensive play. Then a promising drive was short-circuited when Derek Carr had a pass deflected at the line, which was run back for a pick-six. When the Saints got to the Atlanta 5-yard line, trailing 23-17 with fewer than five minutes remaining, there was some curious play-calling and poor execution that led to a fourth-down stop. Even so, the Saints got the ball back and took the lead, but Adebo’s 30-yard pass interference call set the Falcons up in field-goal range.That’s two straight frustrating losses for the Saints, who started out the season like gangbusters the first two weeks but have fallen back to earth since.
  3. Falcons take an interesting offensive approach in victory. Is Bijan Robinson still the lead back for the Falcons? Early in the game, that looked to be the case, even as the Falcons took a pass-heavy approach, as Robinson had five carries and three first-half receptions. Meanwhile, Tyler Allgeier had only one touch in the first half. That approach was nearly flipped on its head at halftime, when the Falcons were protecting a tenuous 17-14 lead. That’s when Atlanta leaned on Allgeier, giving him the ball eight times to Robinson’s two second-half touches. Worth noting: Robinson did have two plays called back by penalty, including what would have been a 19-yard catch and run for a touchdown on a questionable holding call. But Robinson was more of a decoy after halftime than a weapon, despite it being a close game. Perhaps this was just a “hot hand” situation during which Allgeier was doing more with his touches, averaging 7.5 yards per carry and 10 yards per catch, but it also could be a development worth watching.


Next Gen Stats Insight for Saints-Falcons (via NFL Pro): The Falcons defense generated a season-high 28.9% pressure rate in Week 4 against the Saints, even with Derek Carr averaging 2.39 seconds to throw. Entering Sunday, the Falcons generated pressure on only 20.0% of dropbacks, the lowest rate in the NFL. Ten different Falcons pass rushers generated a pressure on the day, however, no pass rusher had more than two pressures.


NFL Research: This was the second victory in Falcons history where they scored zero offensive touchdowns and two or more defensive/special teams TDs. The last time was in Week 9 of the 1977 season in a win over the Detroit Lions. 

Cincinnati Bengals 34, Carolina Panthers 24

Cincinnati Bengals
2024 · 1-3-0
Carolina Panthers
2024 · 1-3-0

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Nick Shook's takeaways:


  1. Bengals' well-balanced offense powers them to win. The Bengals' 0-3 record stood as a bit of a mirage to those who didn't watch them closely in their first few weeks, because after an ugly debut in Week 1, they've played quality football on the offensive side. Finally, that reality produced a triumph. Joe Burrow put together another very solid day, completing 22 of 31 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns, and made just one dreadful mistake when he tried to find Ja'Marr Chase amid chaos and threw an interception. Otherwise, Burrow was good, and his team's rushing attack carried over the positive momentum from Week 3 into another productive day in Week 4, with Chase Brown and Zack Moss combining for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 30 attempts. The total product -- including a 7 for 13 mark on third down -- made for a pleasant viewing experience for a Bengals team that clearly arrived in Charlotte on a mission and delivered.
  2. Panthers are different team with Dalton. Last week, Andy Dalton entered the starting lineup and threw the Panthers to victory. He nearly repeated such a performance on Sunday, completing 25 of 40 passes for 220 yards, two touchdowns -- including a beautiful pass to Diontae Johnson down the seam -- and one interception caused by a defender hitting Dalton's arm when he released the ball. Dalton brings a calming, confident presence to this offense that was sorely needed and has clearly injected a ton of life into a Panthers team that seemed to be headed nowhere quickly just a couple of weeks ago. Even while trailing, head coach Dave Canales could be seen cracking a slight smile while talking with Dalton on the sideline, as if he'd been provided a quarterback he can trust to get the job done. That can go a long way for a team that is fighting an uphill battle.
  3. Cincinnati's defense needs to figure it out. We're now through a month of football, and the Bengals' defense hasn't provided much reason to suggest they're going to round into form anytime soon. After surrendering 38 points to Washington in Week 3, the Bengals allowed Carolina to rack up 375 yards of offense, convert 50 percent of their 14 third-down attempts, rush for 155 yards and remain in the fight until the game's final 75 seconds. To make matters worse, Trey Hendrickson -- Cincinnati's only semi-reliable source of a pass rush -- exited with a neck injury. Cam Taylor-Britt got cooked on a route down the seam for a second straight week, and this time, it resulted in a touchdown. As a team, the Bengals recorded just nine pressures for a rate of 20.9%. This unit just isn't playing consistently right now and is quickly proving to be the Bengals' weakness, and after a 1-3 start, that's only going to put more pressure on Burrow and Co.


Next Gen Stats Insight from Bengals-Panthers (via NFL Pro): Despite playing just 41.9% of offensive snaps Sunday, Chase Brown totaled a team-high 80 rushing yards across 15 carries (including +24 rushing yards over expected), averaging 5.4 yards per carry, and scored two touchdowns on the ground.


NFL Research: With his 63-yard pinballing catch and run for a receiving score, Ja'Marr Chase moved into a tie with Odell Beckham Jr. for the most 60-plus-yard receiving touchdowns before turning 25 years old (in the Super Bowl era) with nine.


Chicago Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 18

Los Angeles Rams
2024 · 1-3-0
Chicago Bears
2024 · 2-2-0

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Kevin Patra's takeaways:


  1. Bears find running game in home win over Rams. D'Andre Swift struck back in Week 4. The running back spent much of the week as the butt of social media jokes after last week's struggles (20 yards on 13 carries). Swift more than doubled his production on Sunday. Displaying better decisiveness, he knifed through the Rams' defense to the tune of 93 rushing yards on 16 totes with a 36-yard touchdown scamper. Swift also led the Bears with 72 receiving yards on seven catches. Swift generated more total yards (165) in Week 4 than in Weeks 1-3 combined (114). With the ground game finally finding life, the Bears' attack was balanced in the second half, allowing Caleb Williams to manage the offense without shouldering the load. Swift generated first downs, keeping the offense on the field, churned the clock, and helped overcome numerous pre-snap penalties that threatened to stymy drives. It wasn't always pretty for the Bears' O, particularly in the first two quarters, but they punched it in twice in the second half to build a lead. If Chicago consistently gets production on the ground, Williams' life will be much easier moving forward. 
  2. Miscues sink Stafford, Rams. For stretches, Matthew Stafford slung the pigskin with aplomb, dicing up the Bears secondary despite missing his top two receivers. But the errors mounted. A second-quarter sack-fumble deep in his own zone lost the Rams an early lead. Stafford, as he is wont to do, took several sacks in scoring range that scuttled drives. L.A. went 1 of 4 in the red zone and 1 of 2 in goal-to-go situations. The inability to finish drives told the tale of Sunday's loss for Sean McVay's crew. Playing shorthanded, L.A. outgained Chicago (322-264), had more first downs, and fewer penalties than the home squad. However, a missed field goal and the turnovers from Stafford -- who was picked off by Jaquan Brisker while getting hit in the face to end the game -- sunk the Rams on this day. L.A. punted just once in a game that it scored 18 points. Falling to 1-3, L.A. will rue the missed opportunities in a winnable, sloppy game.  
  3. Give the punter some love. It's not often a punter makes a What We Learned nugget. Tory Taylor deserves the attention. The sixth-round rookie proved a weapon on Sunday. On five punts, Taylor pinned the Rams inside the 20 three times. The rook was at his best late. He boomed a 66-yard bomb deep in the fourth quarter to provide a long field in a six-point game. On his final boot, Taylor again pinned L.A. deep, sticking a punt at the 8-yard-line. With the game in doubt, forcing no returns and a long field played a factor in Chicago holding on to a one-score lead. 


Next Gen Stats Insight for Rams-Bears (via NFL Pro): The Rams pass rush pressured Caleb Williams on half of his dropbacks (13 pressures on 26 dropbacks), led by Byron Young and Jared Verse with five pressures apiece. Verse had four of his five pressures come in under 2.5 seconds, the quickest pressures in a game by a rookie this season.


NFL Research: DJ Moore has now caught a touchdown from three different No. 1 overall picks (Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield and Cam Newton).


Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 29

Minnesota Vikings
2024 · 4-0-0
Green Bay Packers
2024 · 2-2-0

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Eric Edholm's takeaways:


  1. Vikings dominated early but had to hang on to win. The first 25 minutes of the Vikings’ victory could not have gone any better as Minnesota scored touchdowns on four of its first five drives with quarterback Sam Darnold throwing for three touchdowns. Minnesota averaged 8.0 yards per play on those drives and cut through Green Bay’s defense with ease, keeping Darnold’s pocket clean. Aaron Jones was a big part of the win in his old stomping grounds, totaling 139 yards from scrimmage to keep the Vikings consistently ahead of the chains. Defensively, the Vikings were helped by the Packers’ mistakes, including turnovers, missed field goals and a rash of penalties, but they also made life hard for quarterback Jordan Love, who looked uncomfortable most of the first half. But the Vikings seemed to let their feet off the gas down the stretch, improbably turning a four-score game into a 28-22 lead with more than 10 minutes left. On the one hand, the Vikings have the kind of talent to go on the road and pull out this win. On the other, it served as a reminder that they easily could have let this one slip through their fingers. 
  2. Early mistakes were too much for Packers to overcome. Love returned from a Week 1 MCL injury and struggled early, throwing two costly first-half interceptions -- it could have been more. He came up short on a few other passes, too. The Packers’ disastrous start put them in a 28-0 hole in the second quarter, as the Vikings scored 21 of those points after four empty possessions, with two picks and two missed field goals. It raised the question of whether Love was healthy enough to play. Love did rally the Packers with a touchdown drive before halftime and got hot in the fourth quarter, throwing for 202 yards and three TDs in the final 15 minutes. He set career highs in passing yards (389), TD passes (four) and completions (32) but also interceptions (three). The final one pretty much ended the comeback hopes. With six-plus minutes remaining, Love hung a deep shot up in the air that was picked by the Vikings’ Byron Murphy. The Packers were trailing 31-22 and were gaining on the Vikings, but they buried Green Bay deep and ran enough clock to seal the win. 
  3. LaFleur had a tough game. In Weeks 2 and 3, Matt LaFleur deservedly earned gold stars for his coaching work, putting backup QB Malik Willis and the Packers in a terrific position to win with great game plans with Love out. But LaFleur’s early decisions against the Vikings seemed to backfire at every turn. Was starting Love the right call? He proved to be up for the challenge of rallying the Packers late, but the slow start – with several off-target throws – made it worth asking if Willis should have started a third straight game. One of Love’s misfires was a low throw to Dontayvion Wicks that Wicks couldn’t control; LaFleur challenged the ruling of a no-catch, but he lost that one. It appeared LaFleur wanted to challenge Romeo Doubs’ catch at the 1-yard line, but LaFleur ended up calling timeout and earned a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for arguing the call. Meanwhile, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell won both of his challenges. Credit LaFleur for getting his team to buy in and start chipping away at the lead, but nothing went the coach’s way early, digging the Packers in too big a hole to climb out of.


Next Gen Stats Insight for Vikings-Packers (via NFL Pro):Jordan Love struggled against the Vikings’ blitz throughout the day, completing 16 of 25 attempts (minus-5.3% CPOE) for 157 yards, including one touchdown and two of his three interceptions coming vs. extra rushers.


NFL Research: Sam Darnold is the first QB to win and have two or more passing TDs in each of his first four career starts for a team in the Super Bowl era.

Houston Texans 24, Jacksonville Jaguars 20

Jacksonville Jaguars
2024 · 0-4-0
Houston Texans
2024 · 3-1-0

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Kevin Patra's takeaways:


  1. Stroud leads second-career fourth quarter comeback. Good teams win games despite not playing their best. It was a roller-coaster afternoon for the home squad. C.J. Stroud led a clinical nine-play opening drive touchdown march, and Houston scored on three of its four first-half possessions. The second half, however, opened with back-to-back three-and-outs and five consecutive punts. When the Jaguars left the door ajar, Stroud strode through. The star quarterback made plays on the final possession, knifing through the Jacksonville defense with darts over the middle and capped it off with a 1-yard lob to Dare Ogunbowale for the victory. Stroud generated 345 yards and two passing TDs, his first 300-plus yard passing game since Week 12, 2023, versus Jacksonville. It wasn't the crispest effort for DeMeco Ryans' club. Offensive penalties, particularly on left tackle Laremy Tunsil, killed drive after drive in the second half. Seemingly, every big play was wiped out by a Texans penalty. But when they needed it late, Stroud and Co. made the plays to eke out a victory. Sometimes, that's all that separates the good teams from the afterthoughts.
  2. Jags collapse, fall to 0-4. Doug Pederson's club has to be sick. It let a road win slip through its fingers. Overcoming a half-time deficit, the Jags ran their way to the lead thanks to a big Tank Bigsby run and 158 total ground yards on the afternoon. Yet, holding a three-point lead late, Jacksvonllle called two passes from Trevor Lawrence. Both landed incomplete, opening the door for a Texans comeback. The decision not to ride the ground game and drain the clock was odd from Jacksonville because Lawrence once again was scattershot all day. The starter completed 54.5% of his passes for 169 yards and two TDs. Lawrence's accuracy continues to be a Jags bugaboo this season. Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. (six receptions for 86 yards and one touchdown) flashed big-play ability once again. As a whole, however, the Jags offense continues to be a herky-jerky proposition. Falling to 0-4, Pederson's club is in a hole only one of 105 teams has climbed out of to earn a playoff spot.
  3. Texans run the Collins offense. When in doubt, throw it to Nico Collins. That seemed like Houston's game plan on Sunday. With zero consistency from a ground game that sorely misses Joe Mixon, the Texans offense struggled to sustain drives in the second half. But whenever Stroud needed a big play, he targeted No. 12. Collins put up a career-high 12 catches for 151 yards and one TD. No other Texans player generated 70 receving yards. His production isn't of the dink-and-dunk variety, either. Collins totaled 115 of his 151 receiving yards on 10 targets over 10-plus air yards. Collins is proving the offseason payday was a prescient move by Houston. He's earned 80-plus receiving yards in each of his last six games, the longest streak in team history. Whenever Stroud gets into a bind, he looks Collins' way. The wideout rarely lets him down.


Next Gen Stats Insight for Jaguars-Colts (via NFL Pro): C.J. Stroud was effective targeting in-breaking routes in Week 4, completing 13 of 19 attempts (+7.0% CPOE) for 213 yards and a touchdown, his most yards on in-breakers since Week 9, 2023.


NFL Research: Nico Collins is the first player in Texans history with 450+ receiving yards in the first four games of a season.

Indianapolis Colts 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 24

Pittsburgh Steelers
2024 · 2-0-0
Indianapolis Colts
2024 · 0-2-0

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Nick Shook's takeaways:


  1. Flacco reprises the hero role. After ripping off an incredible run in Cleveland last season, Joe Flacco found himself being called into action in the first quarter after Anthony Richardson suffered a hip injury. While the veteran didn't rack up a ton of passing yards like he did in 2023, he undoubtedly dealt all afternoon, completing 16 of 26 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Flacco looked much like he did with the Browns last season: confident, decisive and accurate with an arm that still has plenty of life in it. His insertion changed the Colts' offense in terms of scheme, but the unit didn't miss a beat, and Flacco made a few courageous throws needed to keep the Colts ahead of the Steelers in a game that became close in the final stages. If we learned anything, it's that last year wasn't a fluke. Flacco is still a plus backup who can handle this job if asked.
  2. Fields delivers valiant effort in loss. Pittsburgh got off to a very rough start, allowing Justin Fields to get bludgeoned by an aggressive Colts defense and watching Indianapolis build a 17-0 lead. But Fields didn't crumble, finding ways to execute behind an offensive line that was inconsistent at best at protecting him. He remained sharp as a passer even amid frequent pressure, connected with George Pickens for big gains down the sidelines on a couple of occasions, and used his legs to finish off two crucial touchdown drives. The only disappointing part of the entire day came in the final moments, when Pittsburgh nearly fumbled away possession and failed to give Fields time to find receivers downfield in the closing seconds. Sunday produced Pittsburgh's first loss of 2024, but should stand as another encouraging sign for Fields' growth with this team. For the first time, he nearly carried them to victory.
  3. Taylor's value is rising. Jonathan Taylor already posted two 100-plus-yard games entering Week 4, but once the Colts lost Richardson on Sunday, it became clear how important Taylor would be to balancing an offense that suddenly lost its mobile threat under center. Taylor fell short of the 100-yard mark -- he finished with 88 yards and a rushing score on 21 carries -- but that didn't diminish his importance, especially in a second half in which the Colts were repeatedly asked to respond to the Steelers' comeback attempt and came through, a fact even more impressive considering the defense they did it against. Taylor paced a balanced offensive attack that prevented the Steelers from pinning their ears back in an effort to hunt Flacco, allowing the Colts to keep up with the Steelers' scoring and prevent them from completing the comeback. If Richardson has to miss more time, Taylor will be even more valuable.


Next Gen Stats Insight for Steelers-Colts (via NFL Pro): Joe Flacco finished a perfect 12 for 12 on short passes (0-9 air yards) for 109 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's win.


NFL Research: Justin Fields is the third quarterback in Steelers franchise history to have 300-plus passing yards and 50-plus rushing yards in a single game, joining Hall of Famer Bobby Layne and Kordell Stewart.


Denver Broncos 10, New York Jets 9

Denver Broncos
2024 · 2-2-0
New York Jets
2024 · 2-2-0

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Bobby Kownack's takeaways:


  1. Denver survives slopfest. A first-half Gotham downpour made things nearly impossible for both offenses early. It took until the 11th drive of the game, more than 17 minutes in, for either team to move the sticks without the benefit of a penalty. Quarterback Bo Nix struggled mightily again in this one. At halftime, he had thrown for a whooping negative-7 yards on 7-of-15 passing, with more than a couple of those throws resembling shotput heaves due to a wet ball. He was marginally better when the rain lessened to begin the third quarter, at which point he finally completed his first pass beyond the line of scrimmage. And to his credit, he later led the longest drive by either squad, a 73-yarder, which he finished with his first career touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton. The silver lining here, beside the win, might be Javonte Williams showing some life down the stretch. He had gains of 9, 9, 1 and 16 on the fourth-quarter drive that set up the winning field goal.
  2. Jets are wildly inconsistent through four games. Robert Saleh might want to take the game tape and burn it. The Jets did almost nothing well offensively after seeming to turn a corner last week. When they did manage to move the ball, they would eventually stall, such as they did on goal-to-go from the 1 for three straight plays before a fourth-down false start convinced them to settle for a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter. Aaron Rodgers threw a few ducks and couldn’t connect with Mike Williams, Allen Lazard or Garrett Wilson consistently, while Breece Hall contributed just 18 total yards. New York officially committed 13 penalties (for 90 yards) and had a few more declined. The defense can’t be blamed after limiting Denver to 186 total net yards and 10 points, but today told the same type of narrative New York has missed the playoffs with the past couple of years.
  3. Broncos defense continues to legitimize itself. Last year at this time, Denver was coming off allowing a 70-burger heading into Week 4. This time around, the defense came into New York having held a solid Buccaneers offense to seven. For an encore, the Broncos kept Aaron Rodgers and Co. out of the end zone, surrendering just nine points on the way to victory. The unit locked New York’s running game down, allowing Hall an alarming 0.4 yards per carry on 10 totes. Braelon Allen and Rodgers combined for the Jets’ other 60 rushing yards. Holding on to just a 1-point lead during the Jets’ final three drives, Denver forced a punt, a turnover on downs thanks to a timely P.J. Locke sack and a missed 50-yard field goal. The final stand was especially impressive after a defensive pass interference on Riley Moss moved the ball to the Broncos’ 36-yard line. Denver’s D allowed just four more yards on the next three plays to keep it difficult for kicker Greg Zuerlein. Zuerlein’s miss came after the Jets’ 13th failed third down conversion of the day. It was a gutsy, stingy performance by Vance Joseph’s group, one that puts the Broncos back at .500 after two straight wins.


Next Gen Stats Insight from Broncos-Jets (via NFL Pro): Garrett Wilson lined up against Patrick Surtain II on 28 of his 46 routes (60.9%) and hauled in two of his three targets with Surtain in coverage for 22 yards. Wilson had five targets, three receptions and 19 yards against all other defenders.


NFL Research: Bo Nix is the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win a game in which he averaged fewer than 2.5 yards per pass attempt (minimum 25 attempts). He threw it 25 times for 60 yards in today’s win against the Jets.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33, Philadelphia Eagles 16

Philadelphia Eagles
2024 · 2-2-0
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2024 · 3-1-0

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Michael Baca's takeaways:


  1. Buccaneers get back on track with dominant win. Baker Mayfield's efficient quarterback play powered an offense that was seemingly unstoppable against the Eagles in the early going. The Bucs' passing attack was the catalyst to Tampa Bay's hot start, which included two consecutive touchdown drives to begin the game. Following a muffed punt by the Eagles at the end of the first quarter, Mayfield ensured an early onslaught by scoring on a sly run-option play from the 1-yard line on fourth down. The veteran carved up his opponent with quick, accurate throws that offered Philly's defensive backs little room for error and its powerful defensive front little time to create pressure. Mayfield, who finished 30-of-47 passing for a season-high 347 yards with two touchdowns (zero interceptions) plus the rushing score, kept defenders on their heels by spreading the ball around to eight different receivers. Meanwhile, Rachaad White and Bucky Irving produced identical stat lines (10 rushes, 49 yards each) to keep the Eagles D honest in what was an impressive offensive showing. Following a Week 3 dud in which Tampa Bay mustered just seven points against a then-winless Broncos squad, the Buccaneers got back on track with a big win against one of the NFC's perennial contenders. 
  2. Rough start dooms Eagles. Philadelphia stared at 24-0 deficit midway through the second quarter before even converting a first down in the game. Three consecutive three-and-outs and surrendering scores on four of Tampa Bay's first five possessions put the Eagles in a peculiar position that wasn't ideal considering their top two receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith didn't suit up. While the Eagles weren't equipped for a shootout, Saquon Barkley did his best to make it a one-man show, leading the team in scrimmage yards (116 yards; 84 rushing, 32 receiving) and breathing life into a potential comeback to begin the second half with a 59-yard TD gallop. But the Eagles gave up a TD drive on the Bucs' next possession, and despite the special teams unit scoring a two-pointer off a blocked extra point to make it a 14-point game midway through the third, Jalen Hurts's struggles (18 of 30 for 158 yards; passing TD, rushing TD) persisted in the second half as the Buccaneers pinned their ears back. The Eagles' passing attack wasn't at full strength and the defense was quickly spent thanks to the Bucs' proficient day – not to mention the Florida humidity – but Philadelphia enters a much-needed bye week following a disappointing performance overall. 
  3. Eldest Buc leads impressive defensive effort. Lavonte David, the oldest player on Tampa Bay's roster, was an absolute menace who guided a dominant Buccaneers defense. The 34-year-old veteran led the team with eight tackles and produced two of the team's six sacks, one of which a back-breaking strip-sack of Hurts in the third quarter that dashed any sliver of comeback hope. That play was the 30th forced fumble of David's 13-year career, a stat that leads all active players, and his energy permeated through a Bucs defense that allowed a season-low 227 yards of total offense. David is trending toward having his name forever glorified in the Buccaneers' Ring of Honor, and Sunday he proved there is plenty more where that came from. 

 

Next Gen Stats Insight for Eagles-Buccaneers (via NFL Pro): The Buccaneers generated their highest pressure rate (48.6%) in a game since Week 6, 2021, which was also against the Eagles. The Buccaneers were effective on blitzes, recording eight pressures and four sacks on 15 blitzes. Lavonte David had two sacks and four pressures on eight pass rushes. On the season, David has nine pressures, second-most on the Buccaneers and most among off-ball linebackers in the NFL through the early slate of Week 4.

NFL Research: Following a touchdown catch in the first quarter, Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (596) passed kicker Martin Gramatica (592) to become the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

LATE WINDOW

Washington Commanders
2024 · 1-1-0
Arizona Cardinals
2024 · 1-1-0

FULL BOX SCORE


Analysis to come from Kevin Patra

New England Patriots
2024 · 1-1-0
San Francisco 49ers
2024 · 1-1-0

FULL BOX SCORE


Analysis to come from Bobby Kownack

Kansas City Chiefs
2024 · 2-0-0
Los Angeles Chargers
2024 · 2-0-0
Cleveland Browns
2024 · 1-1-0
Las Vegas Raiders
2024 · 1-1-0

FULL BOX SCORE


Analysis to come from Nick Shook


SUNDAY NIGHT

Buffalo Bills
2024 · 2-0-0
Baltimore Ravens
2024 · 0-2-0

FULL BOX SCORE


Analysis to come from Grant Gordon

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