NFL Takeaways: Week 4

Story posted October 4, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Gia Sabatino

Week 4 of the NFL brought us even more unpredictable games than the first three weeks have. The scores were closer and the teams were even hungrier.

Here are the top takeaways from this week’s madness:

The Eagles are Soarin’

The Eagles got off to a rough start with their matchup against the Jaguars on Sunday, but as soon as Jalen Hurts started firing, the Eagles took the lead in the second quarter and never looked back.

Even though it wasn’t their prettiest win, the Eagles won 29-23 and advanced to 4-0 on the season for the first time since 2004.

This makes them the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL.

As we’ve seen the first few weeks of the season, the Eagles’ defense has proved to be a force to be reckoned with, snatching five interceptions so far this season. For the offense, Miles Sanders seems to be an underrated weapon with 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns just this past game alone.

Philadelphia is a fully stacked team and fans shouldn’t expect anything less than wins from the Birds moving forward. Things are looking a lot like a 2018 repeat…

Aaron Rodgers Joins the 500 Club

After stealing a close one against the Patriots and their third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe, the Packers move to 3-1 on the season all thanks to Mason Crosby clutching out the 27-24 win in overtime with a 31-yard field goal.

In addition to the overtime win, Aaron Rodgers threw his 500th career touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver, Romeo Doubs, who caught the pass for seventeen yards.

This makes Rodgers the fifth quarterback to join the 500 club.

Although this is definitely something to celebrate, there is no doubt that so far this season Rodgers seems all out of sorts without his ex partner-in-crime, Davante Adams.

Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the league right now but he has been struggling to connect and find new weapons within his offense. Rodgers and his receivers have to get their acts together so he can make it well beyond 500 touchdown passes.

Dolphins Are No Longer In Paradise

Not only did the Dolphins suffer a 27-15 loss to the Bengals on Thursday night, but their star quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, suffered a horrific injury when he was slammed to the ground while being sacked during the second quarter.

The Dolphins started off the season off strong (3-0) with lots of help from the Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle wide receiver duo, but it seemed like the duo couldn’t get the job done with second-string quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

With the loss of their quarterback for a Week 5 matchup against the Jets, we may see the Dolphins struggle but they should be able to continue to keep the momentum going until Tagovailoa makes his return.

On the other hand, Joe Burrow had his chance to shine moving his Bengals to 2-2 on the season. They lost two close games at the start of the season and people were questioning if they are really the team people thought they were.

But after Burrow threw for 287 passing yards and two touchdowns this past Thursday, it is safe to say the Bengals are still alive and well and looking to put up a fight in the AFC North.

Both of these teams will continue to be fun to watch and will give fans the excitement we all look for.

The Veterans Are In Trouble

All of our veteran quarterbacks seem to be struggling this season: Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan and even Tom Brady. And there’s no doubt that defending Super Bowl champion, Matthew Stafford, is perhaps the biggest culprit.

The Rams suffered a 24-7 loss against the 49ers on Monday Night Football. Along with nearly half of the NFL teams, both teams move to 2-2 on the season.

This NFC West matchup appeared looked like a good one on paper, only to be let down by the Rams lack of competitiveness.

Although Stafford threw for 254 passing yards, it took him twice as many completions as Jimmy Garoppolo and threw for no touchdowns. On the other hand, Garoppolo threw for 239 yards and one touchdown in just 16 completions.

Not only did Stafford throw a pick-six with only a few minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but he was sacked seven times and looked rattled.

The Rams are a team we know to have so many weapons but they are simply not living up to their potential so far.

As for the 49ers, Jimmy G is the quarterback they need and there is no arguing that. The Jimmy G slader has to place, as he has what it takes to lead the 49ers to the playoffs once again.

 

Gia Sabatino is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email gms6168@psu.edu.