The season’s first quarter is over, and there already have been many surprises. Week four brings more of these, as we already see which teams will likely make a run for the playoffs. So, what could the likes of the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Houston Texans, among others, do this week?
Let’s look back at Week Four of the 2024 NFL Season.
The Lions have the Perfect Victory
The Seattle Seahawks came into their week four encounter with the Detroit Lions with an unbeaten record. On the other hand, while they have lost a game so far, the Lions have been one of the stronger teams and could challenge for the NFC North title. These two teams met on Monday night. Could the Seahawks continue their perfect start to the season?
The game’s first two drives ended up not going anywhere for either team. But it would be the Lions who broke the deadlock soon after. On a drive that started on their seven-yard line, the Detroit offense, led by quarterback Jared Goff, would be able to drive down the field to reach the Seahawks’ one-yard line. From here, David Montgomery found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to give the Lions the early lead.
Things would get better for the Lions on the Seahawks’ next drive. At around the 50-yard line, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith found D.K Metcalf for a 14-yard pass. However, Metcalf then fumbled the ball, which was then scooped up by the Lions offense, and then returned to the Seattle 14-yard line, giving Detroit excellent field position to score, which is what they were able to do. Jahmyr Gibbs scored the three-yard rushing TD to double the Lions lead.
But the Seahawks were able to reply. From the Lions’ 30-yard line, Smith found Metcalf for the 30-yard touchdown pass. However, upon review, it was ruled that Metcalf was down at the one-yard line, removing the score from the board. This did not stop Seattle, as two plays later, Kenneth Walker found the end zone for the TD score.
The Lions immediately struck back. They again found themselves down at the Seahawks’ one-yard line before Gibbs scored his second TD of the game. Seattle did try to score something before the end of the half, with Seahawks kicker Jason Myers attempting a 62-yard field goal. He was unsuccessful, and the Lions had a 21-7 lead at halftime.
The Seahawks had the first possession of the second half, and on this occasion would be able to score points. Starting from their 25-yard line, Smith and company would drive down the field to reach the Lions’ nine-yard line. From here, he found AJ Barner for the TD pass to slightly cut into the Lions’ lead.
But Detroit were able to widen their lead on the following drive. Goff was able to bring the offense down to the Seahawks’ seven-yard line, and then he found Amon-Ra St Brown for the score
The scoring would not stop there. In reply to this, Walker scored his second TD of the game from a one-yard rush. The Seahawks went for a two-point conversion after this, but this failed. Those six points for the Seahawks were followed by seven for the Lions after Goff found Jameson Williams for a 70-yard TD pass.
Walker scored his third TD of the game following a 21-yard rush. This made it a one-possession game as the teams entered the fourth quarter.
The scoring streak ended on the next drive, as the Lions’ drive could not go anywhere. However, a few drives later, Detroit was able to get the score to put the game to bed. From the Seahawks, eight-yard line, Goff found St Brown for his second TD of the game.
The Seahawks tried to make this a one-possession game but turned the ball over on downs deep into the Lions’ territory. This did have its advantages, as they forced a safety out of the following drive.
But, this was but enough, and the Detroit Lions had recorded a 42-29 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
This was a high-scoring affair that was to be expected from these two teams. Special mention needs to go to Jared Goff, who completed every one of his 18 pass attempts, throwing for 292 yards and two TDs. In contrast, Geno Smith made 56 passing attempts and nearly 400 yards. With this result, the Lions and Seahawks both have a 3-1 record.
Next week, Detroit has a bye week, while Seattle faces the New York Giants.
Minnesota’s narrow Win
The Minnesota Vikings are the hottest team in football after the first three weeks of the season. I do not think anyone was saying this when J.J. McCarthy was ruled out for the season. They hoped to keep their unbeaten season going when they faced divisional rival the Green Bay Packers, who had quarterback Jordan Love return for this game.
The Vikings had the first possession of the game and were able to get the first points from it. Starting from their 27-yard line, the Vikings, led by quarterback Sam Darnold, quickly made their way down to the Packers’ 29-yard line. From here, Darnold found Jordan Addison for the touchdown pass to give Minnesota the early lead.
In reply to this, the Packers got into field goal range, and Green Bay kicker Brayden Narveson attempted a 37-yard field goal attempt. However, this kick hit the uprights, rendering it unsuccessful.
While the Packers could not score on their drive, the Vikings were more than able to. Darnold again was able to lead the offense down the field and into the Green Bay red zone. Here, and aided by two penalties against the Packers’ defense, the Vikings made it down to the two-yard line. Then, Darnold found Josh Oliver for the TD to extend their lead.
Things got even better for Minnesota soon after. On the next drive, Packers quarterback Jordan Love was intercepted, and this mistake was then capitalized on by the Vikings. Taking advantage of the field position, they quickly made it down to the Packers’ seven-yard line. From here, Darnold found Addison for the TD.
It kept getting worse for Green Bay after this. In their next two drives, they missed another field goal, and then Love was again intercepted, this time deep in his territory. From this, Minnesota scored their fourth touchdown of the half, as Darnold found Justin Jefferson.
Green Bay did have some luck to end the half. A muffed punt from the Vikings gave the Packers a very good field position, which they were able to take advantage of. From the Vikings’ 15-yard line, Love found Jayden Reed for the TD pass.
This meant that the Vikings had a 28-7 lead over the Packers at halftime.
The second half started somewhat well for the Packers. While neither team was able to find the endzone, Green Bay were able to intercept Darnold at their two-yard line.
It would not be until the fourth quarter that the scoring resumed. On a drive that started on their 11-yard line, the Green Bay offense would be able to make it down to the Vikings’ six-yard line. From here, Love found Dontayvion Wicks to make it a two-possession game.
The two-possession game became a one-possession game after the next drive from the Packers. Before this, the Packers’ defense gained possession from Minnesota’s fumble in their territory. Love found Tucker Kraft for a 13-yard TD pass from the new possession. This was followed by a successful point conversion attempt to make it a six-point game.
The Vikings were able to get something from their next drive. Darnold and company brought the ball down to the Packers 15-yard line, but could not go any further. This set up a 33-yard field goal attempt from Vikings kicker Will Reichard, which was successful, extending Minnesota’s lead to an important nine points.
The Packers had to now score two touchdowns if they were to remain in this game. On their next two drives, this did not happen. They ended in an interception and a fumble. Luckily, the Vikings would be unable to get anything from these.
Green Bay was able to score one final TD, a 17-yard pass from Love to Wicks, but this was only a consolation score. In the end, the Minnesota Vikings would record a 31-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Minnesota was very close to Losing this Game, and if it wasn’t for a few mistakes from the Packers, they would have. Still, they do appear to be the best team in the NFC North but do have weaknesses. They go to 4-0 for the season, while the Packers fall to 2-2.
Next week, Minnesota faces the New York Jets in London while the Green Bay Packers face the Los Angeles Rams.
Houston leave it late
The Jacksonville Jaguars have not won a game so far this season. They had a tough challenge this week when they faced the Houston Texans, a team that on paper is strong enough to go all the way.
The Jaguars would get the first score of the game. Their first drive would not be great, with the Jags punting. However, the Texans’ punt return was muffed, and on the two-yard line, the ball was scooped up by the Jags. This led to quarterback Trevor Lawrence throwing a two-yard touchdown pass to Brian Thomas to give them the early lead.
In response to this, in what would be their first drive of the game, the Texans were able to shake off their previous mistake and find the endzone themselves. Led by quarterback C.J. Stroud, Houston was able to move down to the Jaguars six-yard line. From here, Steffon Diggs found the endzone to a rushing TD to tie the scores.
The tie did not last long. On the game’s next drive, Lawrence and company would be able to reach the Texans’23-yard line, but not further. This forced kicker Cam Little to attempt a 41-yard field goal, something he would be successful with, handing Jacksonville the lead again.
After a few punts, it was Houston who would be able to take the lead. Stroud was able to move his offense down to the Jaguars, three-yard line. From here, he found Nico Collins for the TD pass. In reply to this, the Jaguars’ drive stalled again, setting up a 52-yard field goal attempt that Little was successful with.
The Texans were also getting in on scoring field goals, as kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn scored a 30-yard attempt. This meant that the Texans had a 17-13 lead at halftime.
Both teams did not have the best start to the second half, with both teams punting on their first few drives. However, the Jaguars would be able to break this deadlock halfway through the third quarter. On a drive that started on their 36-yard line, the Jaguars offense would be able to make their way down to the Texans’ 8-yard line. Lawrence found Christian Kirk for the TD pass to retake the lead from here.
On their next drive, Jacksonville tried to put the game to bed. They made it down to the Texans’ one-yard line, where they faced an important fourth down attempt In this attempt, Lawrence scrambled to find the endzone. However, he was not successful, keeping it a three-point game.
For most of the fourth quarter, the drives ended in punts. However, with under three minutes left on the clock, the Texans had possession and slowly drove down the field, taking valuable seconds off the clock. They were able to make it down to the Jaguars’ one-yard line, where Stroud found Dare Ogunbowale for what could be the game-winning touchdown.
There were 18 seconds left on the clock, the Jags had to act fast. On the final play of the game, from their 10-yard line, they played a selection of lateral passes, which did not get them anywhere. This sealed the 24-20 win for the Houston Texans.
Houston left it late, but they were able to get the victory. They improve to 3-1 for the season, while the Jaguars fall to 0-4. Next week, the Texans face the Buffalo Bills, while the Jaguars face the Indianapolis Colts.
What happened in the other games?
The Atlanta Falcons faced the New Orleans Saints in what as a battle between two surprise packages of the first part of the season. It was a close game throughout, but a 58-yard field goal from Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo as time ran out gave the Falcons a 26-24 victory.
Caleb Williams, a semi-decent start to his NFL career continued when his Chicago Bears faced the struggling Los Angeles Rams. Williams would be able to lead the Bears on four successful scoring drives, as they won 24-18.
The Indianapolis Colts played the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game where Colts QB Antony Richardson left the game with an injury. He was replaced by Joe Flacco, who was able to score two touchdowns to lead his team to a 27-24 victory.
Bo Nix scored his first NFL touchdown as his Denver Broncos defeated the New York Jets 10-9.
Last season, the Philadelphia Eagles struggled in the second half of the season, before the Tampa Bay Buccanneers ended their season in the playoffs. These two teams met this week, and the same happened. Tampa Bay was able to demolish the Eagles, whose offense never got going, to record a 33-16 win.
Andy Dalton returned to his old team as the Carolina Panthers faced the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have not won a game so far this season. This changed this week, as Joe Burrow threw for two TDs in a 34-24 win.
Jayden Daniels is another rookie QB who is having it all his way so far. His Washington Commanders faced the Arizona Cardinals this week, and the good offense we saw from Arizona a couple of weeks ago decided to not reappear. The Commanders easily won this game 42-14.
The San Francisco 49ers needed to win against the New England Patriots to keep their season strong. They did this with Brock Purdy throwing for nearly 300 yards in the 30-13 win.
The Las Vegas Raiders faced the Cleveland Browns, a team that needed a win. Unfortunately, they were outplayed by the Raiders, who recorded a 20-16 victory.
The Kansas City Chiefs continued their undefeated start to the season against the Los Angeles Chargers. It was looking like an upset could be on the cards as the Chiefs were 10 points down after the first quarter. But Mahomes and company came back to record a 17-10 victory over a divisional rival.
The Sunday Night Football game was on paper a thrilling meet-up between the unbeaten Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens. However, in reality, it was anything but. The Ravens were unstoppable, with LaMarr Jackson throwing for two touchdowns and Derrick Henry rushing for 199 yards in the 35-10 win.
The Tennessee Titans faced the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. Still with QB Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins struggled. Tennessee wasn’t that great either, but the stronger run game gave them a 31-12 victory and their first win of the season.
And finally, How did the New York Giants ruin my weekend? Technically, as this game was on Thursday night, my weekend wasn’t ruined by them. The Giants faced the Dallas Cowboys, who had recently been able to destroy the Giants. However, the Cowboys are in a bad run of form at the moment and it showed. The game was close until the last play, where a Hail Mary attempt from Daniel Jones was intercepted. The Giants did not score any TDs in this game, but it was a better-than-expected performance. Still, a 20-15 loss is nothing to praise.
So, that was week four of the 2024 NFL season. Next week, the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans meet in what could be a good game, the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets meet in London in what could be a bad game, and the New York Giants meet the Seattle Seahawks, in what will probably be an ugly game.
