WHAT I LEARNED FROM WEEK 4 GAMES

Here's what I've learned from Week 4 games of the 2018 NFL season

KANSAS CITY 27, DENVER BRONCOS 23

1. Patrick Mahomes had his moment on Monday night. After struggling through an unproductive first half during which he averaged just 4.3 yards per pass attempt, Mahomes (304 yards, TD) rebounded with confident abandon. With the Chiefs down by 10 points in the fourth quarter, the second-year gunslinger led two touchdown drives, showing off the remarkable out-of-pocket accuracy and ball speed that earned him the starting gig in Kansas City and early-season MVP chatter. After the Broncos went three-and-out with 4:35 to go, Mahomes marched K.C. down the field in eight plays, converting two third downs and bouncing back from second-and-30 at one point, to take a four-point lead over Denver with just under two minutes to go.

Case Keenum took Denver into Chiefs territory quickly, thanks to a 36-yard heave to tight end Jeff Heuerman. But the Broncos quarterback followed that up with four straight incompletions from the Chiefs' 28-yard line, including one misfire toward the end zone in the direction of a wide-open Demaryius Thomas. Game over. Point, young gun.

1b. Mahomes' night can't be summed up in numbers or metrics, but this stat from the ESPN broadcast comes pretty damn close. The Chiefs quarterback threw for 192 yards outside of the pocket on Monday night, the most by any quarterback in the past decade. The Brett Favre comparisons are easy to make, especially when Mahomes is completing passes ambidextrously and launching rifles off balance at obtuse angles like the former Packers legend. But it's hard not to make them. The only difference? Mahomes doesn't turn the ball over. Through four games, he has a 14:0 TD-to-INT ratio. Mahomes is pacing the MVP race ahead of Jared Goff and Khalil Mack -- and the gap's not small.

2. Onlookers at Broncos Stadium at Mile High were up in the arms over one particular official oversight during Mahomes' game-sealing drive. On a third-and-7 for Denver's 46 with 2:03 to go -- and with Broncos fans screaming in a fever pitch -- Mahomes appeared to snap the ball with no time remaining on the play clock. Craig Wrolstad's crew didn't blow the whistle and the ensuing play was a 35-yard bomb to tight end Demetrius Harris to set up the winning score.

When asked if he confronted the officials about the play clock, Broncos coach Vance Joseph told reporters, "I did, and he said he looked up, it was zero and the ball was gone. I disagree. I disagree."

3. Kansas City's league-worst defense was no match for a pair of rookie running backs from the Pac-12. Denver's dynamic backfield duo, Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman, combined for 136 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Complementary in nature, Lindsay's slash-and-dash style and Freeman's ground-and-pound demeanor hammered K.C.'s veteran front through the first three quarters, racking up first downs and extending drives to keep Mahomes off the field. The Broncos inexplicably went away from the pair on a three-and-out preceding Mahomes' final march, a decision Broncos offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave will rue when he watches the film.

BALTIMORE RAVENS 26, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 14

1. What started as a surprising shootout in the Steel City ended as something far more familiar to these two AFC North rivals. The Ravens and Steelers combined for 28 points in a first half that included long touchdown passes to John Brown and Antonio Brown and even longer gains to JuJu Smith-Schuster and Pittsburgh's newest folk hero Vance McDonald. But out of the half, Baltimore and Pittsburgh's attacks slowed. The second half featured 11 drives, five punts, four field goals, all on the boot of Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, and one fatal interception.

Whereas Baltimore dominated the Steelers with lengthy scoring drives of 12, 11 and 14 plays in the final two frames, Pittsburgh sputtered. The Steelers were unable to get James Conner going on early downs -- the back finished with just 44 total yards -- limiting their third-down play-calling. Underneath route-runner Ryan Switzer saw more love than Brown and Smith-Schuster down the stretch. The Steelers converted just two of their 11 third-down attempts, and Pittsburgh's night fittingly ended with Ben Roethlisberger forcing a pass on third-and-long to Brown in triple coverage, only to throw a pick right into the gut of Anthony Levine, who was hiding in plain sight.

2. Credit for the Steelers' sloppy second-half slowdown is due to the Ravens' league-leading defense and their first-year defensive coordinator, Don "Wink" Martindale. Tony Jefferson's early rip-and-run of McDonald set up Baltimore with a two-score lead within six minutes of the start of the game. Cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Carr -- still without star cornerback Jimmy Smith, who returns from suspension next week -- held Pittsburgh's top wideouts, Brown and Smith-Schuster, to just three catches for 17 yards in the second half. Carr recorded two stellar swats on JuJu, while Levine, who picked Big Ben off in the closing minutes, tallied three passes defensed. Their tight coverage paired nicely with a burgeoning pass rush piloted by Terrell Suggs (two TFLs) and second-year linebacker Tim Williams (one sack). Baltimore boasts its most complete defense in some time, capable of embarrassing pee-wee offenses like Buffalo in Week 1 and stuffing high-flying attacks like Pittsburgh with equal aplomb. Next up: rookie Baker Mayfield and the beleaguered Browns.

3. The threat of a John Brown deep ball has changed Baltimore's offense immeasurably. After Brown landed two receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown in the first half, Baltimore attacked the middle of Pittsburgh's defense with intermediate routes to its trio of hulky tight ends -- Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams -- extending second-half drives with chunk plays rather than big gains. The balance on the Ravens defense is not so dissimilar to Baltimore's egalitarian passing attack. Joe Flacco (363 yards) completed 28 passes at a season-high clip of 8.6 yards per attempt to 11 different receivers of all shapes and sizes; the likes of Chris Moore, Tim White and De'Lance Turner were picking up meaningful gains on Baltimore's late scoring drives.

OAKLAND RAIDERS 45, CLEVELAND BROWNS 42 (OT)

1. Jon Gruden has the win he's needed for three weeks. The Raiders finally get off the schneid in their fourth attempt, with Oakland coming mighty close to again losing a lead, but by the good fortunes of replay review and some timely passing, forced overtime. Gruden's team took on the spirit of its coach in overtime, successfully turning the clock back to 1998 with a run-heavy attack on the back of Marshawn Lynch, who was successful for most of the afternoon and no more so than on the game-winning drive. Matt McCrane redeemed himself after an earlier overtime miss and Gruden headed to midfield with a tight-lipped grin, happy to finally get a W with his new Raiders and likely knowing he got a couple good breaks along the way.

Gruden earned this one offensively, out-scheming Gregg Williams' defense by taking advantage of Williams' aggressive approach and earning plenty of yardage on wheel routes run by a variety of targets. Jared Cook again flourished in the middle of the field. And credit is due to Derek Carr, who had an up-and-down day but mostly made the throws needed and stood tall in the pocket despite immense pressure. For one week, the questions directed at Carr and Gruden won't be about a losing streak.

2. What a roller coaster of a game. Riding the wave of hype and momentum, Baker Mayfield threw a pick six early in the contest to quell that energy. Cleveland then responded by taking a 10-point lead, then a 14-point lead, to which Oakland replied with 20 unanswered points of its own. Cleveland had another response, taking a 42-34 lead and appearing to gain a first down to seal the game, save for a few kneel-downs. Then, a very questionable replay review overturned the initial spot, changing the down and distance from first-and-10 to fourth-and-1. Cleveland punted, Oakland ended up scoring and converting the two-point attempt and the game went into overtime, where the Raiders eventually won via a Matt McCrane field goal.

The overturned spot was one of a few bad calls. Marshawn Lynch had a run that looked incredibly likely to go the distance early in the game and was ruled down, when it appeared as though he wasn't. Cleveland had what should have been a sack and fumble blown dead by an official who deemed Carr within the defender's grasp, though no defender grasped Carr until he had the ball knocked out. In all, it was a wild game in which Oakland took advantage of the opportunities it was granted, while Cleveland largely didn't. That last call will linger in the minds of the Browns for some time, though.

3. Now, even with the questionable calls accounted for, the Browns still shot themselves in the foot plenty. Baker Mayfield fumbled deep in Cleveland territory, and miscommunication with J.C. Tretter resulted in another fumble. Mayfield threw three interceptions, with two being his fault. But the bright side, and the main purpose of this final point, is the play of Nick Chubb. Carlos Hyde is the Browns' bellcow, but Chubb spelled him with one of the best per-carry averages you'll ever see: 35 yards per tote. The shifty, compact running back is deceptively fast and has a hidden gear that only appears on the long runs, with it pushing Chubb over the hump to get past a final line of pursuers and into the end zone. He used it twice, on runs of 63 and 41 yards for touchdowns, and is a bright spot in a loss that surely stings for the Browns.

Similarly, the Raiders finally got Amari Cooper fully involved, with Carr finding him eight times for 128 yards and a touchdown. It was a very encouraging afternoon for a Raiders offense that had started the first three weeks hot and fallen off in the final quarter and a half, and did the opposite on Sunday for their first win.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 20, ARIZONA CARDINALS 17

1. With running back Chris Carson out with a hip injury, Mike Davis took the lead role over rookie Rashaad Penny and thrived. Davis entered Sunday with just 3 yards rushing on the season, but anchored the Seahawks' ground game with 101 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Davis' first touchdown run from 20 yards out came in the first quarter with quarterback Russell Wilson leading the way down the field as a blocker. Wilson threw a gorgeous block on Cardinals safety Antoine Bethea near the goal line to get Davis in the end zone.

As a team, the Seahawks produced 171 yards rushing on 34 carries, with Penny contributing 49 yards on nine attempts and quarterback Wilson chipping in with 21 yards on four carries. Sunday's effort marked a second straight game where the Seahawks remained committed to the run game, and the results are a 2-0 record after Seattle started 0-2 with an emphasis on the pass. The Seahawks' balanced attack produced 331 total yards of offense with a run-pass ration of 31 to 26. Additionally, the Seahawks won the time of possession for a second consecutive week. Good things do indeed happen when the Seahawks can control the game, but the defense will now need to overcome the loss of safety Earl Thomas, who suffered a lower left leg fracture.

2. Seahawks kicker Sebastian Janikowksi had a shaky first half, missing from 38 yards in the first quarter and 52 yards in the second period. But the veteran came through when it mattered with a 40-yard effort in the third quarter and booted a game-winning 52-yard field goal as time expired. Given the close games Seattle has played through the first quarter of the season, Janikowski's ability to shake off errors and come through in the clutch will serve the team well. The Seahawks have also played a ball-control offense in the two wins, so taking advantage of field position will be essential for the kicking game.

3. Don't get caught up in the box score when looking at Cardinals rookie quarterback Josh Rosen's first career start. Rosen completed 15 of 27 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown with some impressive throws, but his receiving corps didn't help out a lot early in the game. Wide receivers Christian Kirk, Larry Fitzgerald and J.J. Nelson all dropped passes, and Fitzgerald experienced a very uncharacteristic two drops in the first half. Rosen had perfect ball placement on deep passes to Kirk and Nelson, only to see the ball squirt away. Nelson, in particular, dropped a pass that should have set the Cardinals up with a first-and-goal at about the 5-yard line.

Nevertheless, Rosen showed poise throughout the game to overcome the drops and led the team late in the fourth quarter to the game-tying score with a laser 22-yard strike to wide receiver Chad Williams. Given his arm strength and ability to shake off early adversity, the Cardinals rookie's future looks bright.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 29, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 27

1. The Chargers usually find ways to self-sabotage their way out of winnable games. Sunday afternoon against an injury-riddled 49ers team without its starting quarterback looked to be one of those contests. But the Bolts pulled out a two-point victory on the backs of two of their young stars, Melvin Gordon and Derwin James, despite continued miscues from veterans (Philip Rivers) and newcomers (Caleb Sturgis) alike. Gordon paced the Chargers with 159 total yards on 22 touches, led the team in receptions (7) and was the engine behind their most successful drives. On the other side of the ball, first-year safety and surefire Defensive Rookie of the Year front-runner Derwin James was the Chargers' prime defensive disruptor, recording three QB hits, two passes defensed and a sack and forcing the game-winning interception via blitz. With the Raiders and Browns on their schedule the next two weeks, the Chargers are primed to re-enter the playoff conversation they briefly vacated after losses to league titans Rams and Chiefs.

2. The 49ers can survive and compete with C.J. Beathard under center. Taking over for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo, Beathard displayed toughness, confidence and, at times, touch in his first start in 10 months. The bulk of his career-high 298 passing yards went in the direction of George Kittle (125 yards), who took a third-quarter post route 82 yards to the house. Though the second-year quarterback's two interceptions were crucial field- and momentum-shifting plays, Beathard showed enough to reinforce Coach Kyle Shanahan's trust in him to lead this roster post-Jimmy G. With a healthier, more dynamic Matt Breida (knee) in the backfield next week, Beathard has a legitimate chance to lead the Niners past the rival Cardinals. Though the losses of Joe Staley (knee) and Dante Pettis (knee) will sting for however long they are out.

3. Sturgis is the Chargers' weather vane, the team's fate swaying with the direction of his unpredictable field goal and extra point attempts. Sturgis missed his first two attempts on Sunday, a field goal and an extra point, prompting the Chargers to attempt a two-point conversion on their next touchdown. The kicker missed another extra point in the second half and was spotted sitting solemnly on the bench, alone. But after the Bolts fell down one point in the fourth quarter, Sturgis' successful 21-yard field goal with less than eight minutes to go was the difference. On the season, Sturgis is 67 percent on extra points and 77 percent on field goals, which isn't quite cut-worthy. At least not yet.

CINCINNATI BENGALS 37, ATLANTA FALCONS 36

1. A gritty performance by Andy Dalton and the Bengals (3-1) ended in pure glory as the veteran quarterback found A.J. Green for a 13-yard, go-ahead touchdown strike with seven seconds left on the clock. That spirited, final drive capped a largely marvelous day for Dalton, who threw for 337 yards and three scores while overcoming the loss of Tyler Eifert. This high-scoring tilt shifted emotionally for the Bengals when their oft-banged up, playmaking tight end suffered a gruesome leg injury following a third-quarter catch. Seconds later, Cincy endured a blocked punt before Dalton saw a tipped pass picked off at the end of the third quarter. The Bengals, though, found their groove when it mattered most.

2. Not unlike last week's Falcons-Saints points-waterfall, both offenses had their way early on, with the Bengals and Falcons churning out 52 first-half points -- the second-highest first-half output all year -- while combining to go 18 of 27 on third-down conversions. Matt Ryan was nearly perfect, repeatedly finding his big-money targets Julio Jones (9/173), Mohamed Sanu (6/111) and rookie Calvin Ridley (4/54/2) for endless chunks of real estate against a wanting Bengals defense. Ryan was lucky to see Cincy cover man Tony McRae drop a would-be pick six with minutes remaining, but make no mistake about it: This offense is imbued with promise.

3. The Falcons (1-3) were my Super Bowl pick in the NFC, but Atlanta's defense looms as a sitting duck. The loss of linebacker Deion Jones and safeties Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen has turned the middle of this defense to mush, but the return of Takkarist McKinley (with three sacks) gave this unit a boost.

TENNESSEE TITANS 26, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 23 (OT)

1. Line em' up and knock 'em down. For three and half quarters, the Titans (3-1) lulled the Eagles into a false sense of security -- a deception unmasked by a precision air attack orchestrated by Marcus Mariota on the wings of his talented receiving corps that culminated in a thrilling overtime victory. The Titans converted on three fourth downs in overtime -- one of which came on a costly Eagles penalty -- before Mariota tossed a 10-yard pass to Corey Davis in the end zone to lock down the comeback win. The impressive, 16-play, 75-yard drive once again showcased what the Titans are can still achieve when hope is nearly extinguished. Two weeks ago against the Houston Texans, Tennessee showed its resiliency and last week they won a hard-fought defensive battle with the favorited Jacksonville Jaguars. Against the defending Super Bowl champs they rallied behind a devastating offensive flourish that looked perfectly fine without the recently departed Rishard Matthews.

The comeback started late in the third quarter with the Titans trailing, 17-3. A 2-yard touchdown dive by Mariota put Tennessee back into the game. But it was a pivotal, five-play drive late in the fourth quarter that exposed the Eagles' issues in coverage once their pass rush is de-taloned. Behind stronger offensive line play, Mariota kicked off the drive with a 51-yard bomb to Davis up the gut of the Eagles' defense. Davis' speed and sure-handedness coupled with Mariota's dime drop placed Tennessee just outside the red zone. An 8-yard run by Mariota coupled with a 7-yard pass to Taywan Taylor then set up an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tajae Sharpe. The impressive drive, which finished with a grand bowling-theme victory celebration in the end zone, swung the game's momentum back into the Titans favor even if Jake Elliott's 30-yard field goal forced overtime. After some early struggles, Mariota impressed over the last 20 minutes, completing 30 of 43 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns.

2. The Eagles' pass rush is often something to behold, but their secondary doesn't look capable of keeping up with younger, speedy receiving corps like the Titans deploy. Tennessee used a variety of different passes to pick apart the Eagles (2-2) in the fourth quarter and overtime, when the passing coverage more or less choked or was hobbled by penalties. The Eagles had three chances to walk away with a win in overtime but instead gave up passes of 19 and 17 yards in tandem with a pass interference penalty. On the times the Eagles' front seven couldn't get to Mariota within three seconds, he made them pay. Carson Wentz performed well in his second game back from injury, completing 33 of 50 passes for two touchdowns. Jay Ajayi added 70 yards on 15 carries, but it wasn't enough to stop Super Mariota.

3. What's up with the Titans' running game? With a quarterback still working back from injury, Tennessee doesn't seem interested in diverting away from its passing game even if was burdened by spurts of ineffectiveness in the first half. Granted, running into the mower blades that are the Eagles' front seven isn't easy, but Tennessee's O-line can hold its own -- especially with Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin together on duty. Derrick Henry entered the game criticizing his play in Week 3, calling it "trash," but he didn't even really get a chance to put out the "trash" again -- he was limited to eight carries for 24 yards. Dion Lewis, who the Titans signed in the offseason, was limited to zero ground yards, but he did have nine catches for 66 yards. Mariota was the top rusher with 46 yards on 10 carries. Tennessee's ability to battle through adversity is admirable, but a better running game would go a long way in transforming the Titans from pesky comeback artists to potential Super Bowl challengers.

HOUSTON TEXANS 37, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 34 (OT)

1. Deshaun Watson nearly won this game with a deep shot in overtime that just glanced off the hands of DeAndre Hopkins in the end zone. The Houston passer struck gold one possession later with a 24-yard strike to Hopkins that set up Ka'imi Fairbairn's 37-yard game-winner. The Texans seemed to find themselves down the stretch, with Watson throwing for 374 yards and showing some of the artistry and playmaking that made him a league-wide sensation last autumn. Hopkins (10/169/1) was typically fantastic while rookie Keke Coutee (11/109) offered up a breakout performance. Watson's protection remains a concern, with Indy's overachieving defense piling up seven sacks and nine tackles for loss. Still, the Texans can pull positives from a hard-fought win that snapped a nine-game losing streak.

2. Why on earth did Colts coach Frank Reich choose to go for it from his own 43 with 24 seconds left in overtime -- and why throw the ball? That decision led to an Andrew Luck incompletion and Houston's game-winning drive. The loss aside, chalk up this thriller as a step forward for Andrew Luck and Indy's air attack. Luck thrived with the game on the line to author a nine-play, 85-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown march that brought Indy within 31-29 of the Texans. Luck then found Chester Rogers for the two-point conversion to send the affair into overtime. After three weeks of low-octane air results, Luck amassed a monstrous 464 yards and four scores at 7.5 yards per attempt while breathing much-needed life into the passing game. Still, I'm not sure there's a more imbalanced offense league-wide after watching Indy's ground game produce just 41 yards at 2.4 yards per rush.

3. J.J. Watt flashed his beautiful gridiron powers last week with three sacks against the Giants. On Sunday, Jadeveon Clowney did his part, dialing up two sacks -- including a key takedown in overtime -- two tackles for loss and Houston's first score of the day when he fell on center Ryan Kelly's clunky, short snap that dribbled into Indy's end zone. Watt wasn't finished, though, piling up a pair of takedowns including a strip-sack of Luck at the Indy 5-yard line that set up Watson's short scoring strike to Hopkins. Any questions about Watt’s ability to terrorize quarterbacks following two injury-ravaged seasons have been put to rest.

Bonus: Hats off to Adam Vinatieri, the 45-year-old Colts kicker whose 42-yard field goal to close the first half gave him 566 in his career -- the most by any booter in NFL history.

CHICAGO BEARS 48, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 10

1. Welcome to the 2018 offensive party, Chicago! Mitchell Trubisky put on a show in the first half, raining a parade of deep shots on an overmatched Tampa Bay defensive secondary. In two quarters, the Bears' quarterback connected on passes of 47, 39, 34, 33, and 30 yards. Trubisky tossed for five touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 QB rating in the first half blowout. The Bears offensive line did a masterful job giving the QB time for deep routes to materialize, and Trubisky spread the ball around. Whereas the second-year quarterback struggled to see the field at times through three games, he had no problems in Sunday's whitewash. Trubisky entered Sunday with nine touchdown passes in 15 career starts. He threw for six scores today.

If this is the future of Matt Nagy's offense, sign us up. The Bears (3-1) confounded Bucs defenders with multiple creative formations, including getting a touchdown to Taylor Gabriel on a pop-pass when both Trubisky and backup QB Chase Daniel were in the backfield together. Nagy schemed up a cornucopia of wide open receivers down the field. Trubisky was throwing into windows seemingly as wide as the Gulf of Mexico. Nagy also utilized playmaker Tarik Cohen in both the run-and-pass game. Doing his best Tyreek Hill-impersonation, Cohen was uncoverable out of the backfield on wheel and angle routes (7 receptions, 121 yards, TD). Cohen is a mismatch all over the field that completely opens the rest of the Bears' offense. Expect Nagy to utilize the 5-foot-6 jitterbug more moving forward.

2. The Fitzmagic finally fizzled. Coach Dirk Koetter sent Ryan Fitzpatrick to the bench after the QB struggled through two quarters. Jameis Winston entered the game at halftime trailing 38-3. The Bucs offensive problems weren't all on Fitzpatrick, but the quarterback threw high repeatedly and struggled to manage Chicago's relentless pass rush. After the veteran quarterback became the first player in NFL history to throw for 400-plus pass yards in three consecutive games to open the season, he completed nine of 18 attempts for 126 yards and one interception, for a 49.8 passer rating Sunday before giving way to Winston.

After missing the first three weeks due to a suspension, Winston entered the game and fared little better. On his first possession, the quarterback had his arm hit by Khalil Mack causing the ball to flutter in the air for an interception. Winston looked a little rusty early and was repeatedly engulfed by a Bears pass rush that had its ears pinned back. Winston finished 16-of-20 for 145 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against a defense sitting back to avoid giving up big plays. With a bye next week, it made sense for Koetter to get Winston reps in a blowout. After Fitzpatrick steered the ship for three weeks, it appears Winston will get his job back moving forward.

3. The Bucs offense came crashing back to earth thanks mostly to a dominant Bears defense that played with its hair on fire. Mack completely wrecked the Bucs o-line play after play. The defensive end once again stuffed the stat sheet, compiling four tackles, one sack, one QB hit, one tackle for loss, one pass defended, and a forced fumble. His play was even more impressive than the numbers. Mack discombobulated the entire Bucs offense with unrelenting pressure. The Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner is worth every penny for the NFC North-leading Bears.

DALLAS COWBOYS 26, DETROIT LIONS 24

1. Ezekiel Elliott hauled in a gorgeous over-the-shoulder catch for 34 yards to set up Brett Maher's game-winning field goal as time expired. With apologies to pocket-crashing pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence's three sacks, Elliott was the best player on the field, leading Dallas in rushing (152 yards on 25 carries) and receiving (88 yards and a touchdown on four receptions). This was arguably the finest performance ever produced by the All-Pro running back, who leads the NFL in rushing yards (3,040) and 100-yard rushing games (14) since entering the league as the No. 4 overall pick in 2016. The bar is so low for Dak Prescott's attack that this also stands as the quarterback's finest outing of the season, leading the Cowboys to their most points (26) and passing yards (255) since early December of last year.

2. For all of the chatter about the Lions finding their long-lost ground attack last week, their porous run defense has garnered nary a mention. Coach Matt Patricia gathered his troops at halftime to emphasize that their performance was unacceptable on defense. It's worth nothing that Elliott's 38-yard touchdown via screen pass came one play after Romeo Okwara lost a sack to an unnecessary roughness penalty on a confusing play in which no whistle appeared to blow the play dead. In need of a stop after Golden Tate's 38-yard touchdown gave Detroit a one-point lead with two minutes remaining, second-year linebacker Jarrad Davis was beaten by Elliott for the downfield strike that led to the Lions' loss.

3. One of the NFL's most dangerous run-after-catch threats, Tate had his way with a Dallas secondary that has shown a disturbing penchant for surrendering big plays over the past two weeks. After embarrassing Jourdan Lewis and Jeff Heath on a 45-yard score, Tate gave the Lions a momentary 24-23 lead with a 38-yard touchdown against an overmatched Anthony Brown. As well as Byron Jones has played in his conversion from safety to No. 1 corner, the rest of Dallas' secondary is hit-or-miss on a weekly basis.

GREEN BAY PACKERS 22, BUFFALO BILLS 0

1. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers turned in an efficient outing as a passer, completing 22 of 40 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown with an interception, which snapped his streak of 150 straight passes without a pick. Rodgers should've had at least two other interceptions, but Bills defenders couldn't hold on to the ball.

Still, what stood out the most on Rodgers surrounded his mobility despite the bulky brace on his left knee. Rodgers, who has worked back from the injury suffered in Week 1, displayed good mobility. Whenever the Bills applied pressure, Rodgers easily moved up in the pocket or flashed lateral movement to slide to his left or right on numerous occasions. Rodgers also didn't hesitate when flushed from the pocket to run with the ball, totaling 31 yards on five carries, including a long of 15 yards. Whether Rodgers will be 100 percent healthy this season remains to be seen, but the mobility he showed Sunday is more than enough to give defensive coordinators nightmares.

2. The Packers' running game entered Week 4 ranked 24th in the league, averaging 89 yards per game, and have stuck with a running by committee. The approach produced a productive afternoon against a Bills defense that ranked fifth against the run, allowing 80 yards per game. Green Bay running backs Jamaal Williams, Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery combined for 110 of the team's 141 yards rushing.

Of the trio, Jones provided the explosion with 65 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, averaging a 5.9 yards per carry. Jones really stood on the Packers' third possession by producing a 30-yard run, a first down on a short third-down run, a 17-yard catch and capped off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. While the Packers appear comfortable in using all three running backs in a rotational role, Jones made a strong case to perhaps move up the depth chart.

3. Bills quarterback Josh Allen failed to build on Week 3's performance, and the ups and downs of a rookie signal-caller were on full display Sunday. A week after guiding the Bills to a stunning 27-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings, Allen snapped back to reality with an inconsistent performance against the Packers' defense.

Allen's first half was one to forget, as he entered halftime completing a dismal 5 of 19 passes for 58 yards and an INT, while posting a 17.9 passer rating. The seventh overall pick of the 2018 draft didn't top 100 yards passing until the fourth quarter and was consistently under pressure, as the Packers sacked Allen seven times. Allen finished the game completing 16 of 33 passes for 151 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions for a 36.3 rating.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 38, MIAMI DOLPHINS 7

1. Frank Gore reached pay dirt in garbage time to spoil New England's shutout bid, but Miami had already waved the surrender flag with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when backup Brock Osweiler replaced Ryan Tannehill in a 38-0 whitewashing. At that point in the game, Patriots rookie running back Sony Michel had more rushing yards than the entire Dolphins offense had total yards. After watching their pedestrian receivers fail to get open the past couple of weeks, the Pats unveiled a ground 'n' pound attack that forced the Dolphins' disruptive defensive line to concentrate on the run rather than the pass. Michel and James White combined for 224 yards from scrimmage on 41 touches as the engine that made Tom Brady's offense go.

2. Were the Patriots' 449 yards of offense a sign that the early-season woes are in the rear-view mirror or merely the byproduct of a brilliant game plan to exploit an opponent's weaknesses? We would lean toward the latter. Although a more confident Michel ran through big holes to notch his first career touchdown en route to his first 100-yard performance, he has yet to regain the elusiveness he flashed at Georgia. Cordarrelle Patterson took advantage of busted coverage on a pick play for his 55-yard score. Phillip Dorsett came through with a nice touchdown catch of his own, but also dropped Tom Brady's best throw of the afternoon. Playing on a tender hamstring and still getting up to speed on the Patriots offense, Josh Gordon reeled in his lone two targets for 32 yards. Rob Gronkowski caught four of seven targets for 44 yards before exiting with an ankle injury late in the third quarter. Will the All-Pro tight end be ready to face the Colts on a short week? Much to Brady's relief, possession receiver Julian Edelman should be available after serving his four-game suspension.

3. Handed a prime opportunity to announce a long-awaited changing of the guard in the AFC, the Dolphins did nothing to quell suspicions that their 3-0 start was aided by a friendly schedule. Tannehill was sacked just two times and still managed just 100 yards passing in just over three quarters. He also botched a shotgun snap that Kyle Van Noy recovered deep in Dolphins territory to set up James White's 22-yard touchdown scamper. New England's defense not only stifled Miami's ground attack but also erased Tannehill's scrambling ability and took away the jet sweeps and trick plays that broke Oakland's back in Week 3. This offense will need to get back on track with matchups looming against the first-place Bengals and Bears in the next two weeks.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 31, NEW YORK JETS 12

1. Blake Bortles is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but with Jacksonville's defense, that can be enough. We learned this last year, and we've learned it again with these last two weeks. In Week 3, Bortles and Jacksonville's offense didn't do much of anything in a 9-6 loss to Tennessee that was filled with punts and lacked Leonard Fournette and a fully healthy T.J. Yeldon. Bortles was presented with a slightly better situation in Week 4, getting Fournette back (briefly) and Yeldon at full strength, and becoming a poor man's Joe Montana with his collection of improvisations. Bortles dropped, clutched, hesitated, scrambled and threw his way to multiple gains for first downs, and when he threw from the pocket, he was sharper than usual. Watching a Bortles-led game is never overwhelmingly pleasing, but frankly, he was good (29-of-38, 388 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) in a non-traditional way. That was more than enough Sunday.

2. The Jets continue to take a less-than-adventurous approach -- understandably so -- with their offense, but it hurt them more Sunday than in any of the first three weeks. Jacksonville's highly touted defense limits things for any offense, but New York, which successfully ran the football for most of the season, did very little of it. Bilal Powell ran eight times for 26 yards. Isaiah Crowell rushed four times for a net gain of zero yards. To top it off, he was tackled in the end zone for a safety.

As a result of a lack of a ground game and a still-attainable deficit, Darnold was forced to throw 34 times. He missed his target occasionally and was nearly intercepted twice (Jalen Ramsey's dropped INT will loom in the season-ending stat race), but he also made more than a few excellent throws. The problem: His receivers dropped a handful of on-target attempts. Two straight drops killed what looked to be a key drive just before half. At least one more drop came at the hands of Jermaine Kearse this time, late in the third. The Jets' offense is still a work in progress.

3. Jacksonville's seemingly ragtag group of wideouts continues to play above expectations. Dede Westbrook caught nine passes for 130 yards and was a stumble away from a touchdown; Donte Moncrief caught five passes for 109 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown that essentially iced the win. James O'Shaughnessy and Austin Seferian-Jenkins combined for four catches and over 50 yards. And Yeldon caught three passes, including a very important 31-yard touchdown late in the first half to end Jacksonville's run of strictly field goals. There's no clear No. 1 and these aren't the days of the Allens, but this group excels at finding ways to get open as Bortles improvises. It was on full display Sunday.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 33, NEW YORK GIANTS 18

1. A heretofore maligned Saints defense came to play. Entering the week giving up a league-worst 34.3 points per game, 6.9 yards per play, and 421 yards per tilt, New Orleans bottled up Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley most of the day. With six minutes remaining OBJ was held to five catches for 17 yards. Taking advantage of an anemic Giants offense, the Saints compiled three sacks (two by linebacker Demario Davis) and two forced fumbles. The New York offense remained an excruciating watch. To open the game, the Giants marched for a 75-yard TD drive on 10 plays for a touchdown with seven first downs. Big Blue's next four dives (not counting an end-of-half kneel) generated 63 total yards on 20 plays with four first downs. At one point late in the third quarter CBS commentator Tony Romo sounded exacerbated, noting "I feel like every pass is like 3 yards for the Giants." Facing a Saints defense that had been bombarded by deep shots through three weeks, New York couldn't take advantage with anything downfield thanks in part to a porous offensive line. That inability made the difference Sunday.

2. The Big Blue defense did an admirable job slowing Drew Brees most of the day. Led by Janoris Jenkins and Landon Collins, New York silenced Michael Thomas early. The NFL's leading pass-catcher entering the week had just one reception through two quarters. The Saints were held out of the end zone in the first half, going 0-4 in the red zone, settling for four field goals. New York could only keep down the explosive Saints offense so long. Alvin Kamara, Brees, and Thomas got loose in the second half, punching in three touchdowns to blast the game open. Kamara punctuated the day with a game-sealing 49-yard touchdown run to culminate a 102-yard-rushing, 3 TD second half. It wasn't the most prolific day for Brees, 18-of-32 (56.3 percent) for 217 yards and no touchdowns, but the Saints will gladly take the road win.

3. Taysom Hill is officially a thing. The backup quarterback played a key role throughout the game. As the Saints were poised to go 3-and-out for the second straight drive to open the tilt, Hill tossed a fake-punt pass for a first down. The play jumpstarted the Saints, who earned a field goal on the drive. On the day, Hill returned a kick, played lead-blocker for Kamara, ran over a defensive back on a 19-yard run, and played a big role as a read-option quarterback in the red zone. On 15 offensive plays, Hill compiled four rushes for 28 yards, one reception for -4 yards, and 1-of-2 passing for 10 yards. He got overzealous on one QB keeper when he should have handed to Kamara for a touchdown. The backup atoned later on the exact same play giving it to the RB for a score. Hill's threat as a runner is clearly something Sean Payton wanted to take advantage of in the red area. It will be interesting to see if the Saints stick with Hill's option when Mark Ingram returns from suspension next week.