NFLBy Kevin McGuire on

Sunday’s Week 4 action provided a packed day of NFL football with another early kickoff from London and some surprising results in the regular time slots.

We have a jam-packed edition of The NFL Blitz to roll through so put that delay of game penalty flag away and let’s get to it.

Panthers the latest to expose New England’s defensive holes

http://gty.im/856355442

The first month of the season has not exactly gone according to plan for the defending Super Bowl champs, but it would be unwise to pushing the panic button in the New England region just yet. If you have learned nothing else from watching Bill Belichick and Tom Brady over the years, it is to never think they are going to stay down for too long. Eventually, the success will be harder to come by, though, and we may be witnessing that to a degree.

The Patriots were run over by the Kansas City Chiefs in the season opener, and on Sunday the Patriots lost for the second time at home in the first four weeks of the season. The Carolina Panthers had a 30-16 lead in the fourth quarter before having to call on Graham Gano for a 48-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in Foxboro.

Cam Newton passed for 316 yards and three touchdowns, topping Tom Brady with his 307 yards and two touchdowns. Kelvin Benjamin caught four passes for 104 yards and Devin Funchess caught two of Newton’s touchdown passes. After watching the Patriots go back-and-forth with the Texans last week and do so again with the Panthers this week, it appears New England is playing with some fire this season.

In The Boston Globe, the feeling is the Patriots can no longer hope Brady will be able to do everything, and that is more than fair given his age. But the defense has shown serious issues in the first four games of the season after giving up 42 points to Kansas City, 33 to the Texans, and 33 to the Panthers.

https://twitter.com/patriotsfansfl/status/914555738118410240

The Patriots have a short week to prepare for a Thursday night road contest at Tampa Bay. Can Jameis Winston be the next quarterback to give the Patriots some fits?

As for the Panthers, the win moved them to 3-1 and 2-0 away from home. Is this going to be one of those good seasons from Carolina? If it is, then watching Newton is going to be a whole lot of fun.

Derek Carr’s injury could derail another Raiders season

http://gty.im/856417554

Derek Carr was having an MVP-worthy season last year until he suffered a season-ending injury. As Carr went down, so did Oakland’s chances to do anything special in the postseason. Over the offseason, the Raiders did what they could to give Carr a stronger supporting cast, including the notable addition of running back Marshawn Lynch.

As Carr went down on the field Sunday with an apparent back injury, Raiders fans had good reason to hold their breath and hang their heads in disbelief.

That agonizing feeling only grew stronger as Carr was witnessed going from the medical tent on the sideline to the locker room. Later, he was announced as questionable to return in an eventual road loss, 16-10, to the Denver Broncos. The Raiders drop to 2-2, while the Broncos improve to 3-1).

After the game, Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio explained Carr had back spasms and will be going in for an MRI today. If Carr is going to miss any amount of playing time, the Raiders will be handing the ball to backup EJ Manuel, and that may not bode well for the Raiders’ postseason goals this year.

The Raiders will get their next three games at home, which might help overcome the possible loss of Carr. Oakland hosts the Ravens next week, followed by two AFC West games against the Chargers and Chiefs. This is a critical stretch for the Raiders to figure out who they are. The good news is it doesn’t sound as though Carr will miss too much time, but we shall see.

How many teams really passed on Deshaun Watson?

http://gty.im/856385102

When it became clear the Houston Texans were going to draft quarterback Deshaun Watson, I knew it was the perfect situation. After years of mediocre signal-callers at his disposal, Bill O’Brien finally got himself a stud quarterback.

Although Watson did not start the season as the team’s starting quarterback, the former Clemson star is already proving the Texans made a good move to draft him last spring. A week after going toe-to-toe with Tom Brady in Foxboro, Watson returned home to Houston and led a 57-point outburst in an absolute rout, 57-14, against Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans in an AFC South showdown.

“He’s a fun guy to coach,” O’Brien said (per The Houston Chronicle). “He knows how to operate within that realm of what we’re doing. In fact, we’ve learned a lot from him about it, to be honest with you. He’s very smart. Somebody, whether it’s next week against Kansas City, somebody’s going to give us something different.”

It sure beats having to play with Tom Savage.

Watson was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and the third quarterback chosen, but that does not necessarily mean 11 teams really passed on him. Every team has different needs, not always a quarterback, that early in the draft. So instead of lazily suggesting 11 teams passed on Watson, let’s see just how many teams really whiffed on this one.

1. Cleveland Browns: They drafted DE Myles Garrett, who was widely considered the best player in the draft. He might make his NFL debut next week if his ankle’s good. The Browns ended up drafting DeShone Kizer in the second round. We can say the jury is out on this one.

2. San Francisco 49ers: While the selection of defensive end Solomon Thomas wasn’t necessarily a bad one, the 49ers now have Brian Hoyer and rookie C.J. Beathard. Bad call.

3. Chicago Bears: Chicago drafted Mitch Trubisky out of North Carolina. The Chicago Tribune is already calling the team’s QB plan a bomb. This one was a mistake.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags used the third overall pick on Blake Bortles in 2014 and are not ready to move on from that one yet, so that makes sense.

5. Tennessee Titans: They have Mariota. Despite the result on Sunday, the Titans had no need for a QB.

6. New York Jets: Rather than take a chance on another young quarterback after already having Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty, the Jets signed Josh McCown and will likely use an early pick on a QB in 2018. (Too bad Sam Darnold’s resume is taking a few lumps.) Swing and a miss.

7. Los Angeles Chargers: The team has plenty of room for improvement, but still feels they’re in good shape with Phillip Rivers. We’ll give this one a pass, although Rivers won’t be around forever.

8. Carolina Panthers: They have Cam Newton, so they’re in good shape. Picking up Christian McCaffrey was a solid selection too.

9. Cincinnati Bengals: How much longer is this franchise going to ride with Andy Dalton? I’m torn on this one, but will reluctantly give the Bengals a pass after some careful consideration, even if I would take Watson over Dalton in a heartbeat.

10. Kansas City Chiefs: Here is our first real point of contention. Andy Reid likes getting himself a quarterback and it looks as though he decided to go with Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech to be his next Donovan McNabb. Mahomes has yet to make a start for the Chiefs while Alex Smith remains in charge of the offense, so it remains unknown just when the changing of the guard will eventually happen.

Making the decision more interesting is that Mahomes was expected to need some grooming before being truly NFL-ready, while Watson is as battle-tested as they came. We can suggest the jury is still out on this one, because Reid would probably still be running with Alex Smith right now instead of Watson anyway. But five years from now, if this comes down to Watson or Mahomes, I think this one will favor Watson.

11. New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees has been around for quite some time and is going to be 39 years old after this season. The time to think forward about the quarterback position is now in New Orleans, and Watson would have been a good pick here. Even if you sit him behind Brees for a year, learning from Brees is not a bad plan of attack. Instead, the Saints drafted cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who has already been sidelined for a concussion concern this season (but may end up being a fine pick regardless).

12. Houston Texans: Perfect pick.

So what is the final tally? I count four teams that certainly made a mistake (49ers, Bears, Jets, Chiefs) and three more where I’d entertain the argument (Browns, Chargers, Saints). And of course, this doesn’t include any of the teams that could have made a move up to the 12th spot (or higher) to draft Watson (Miami being the one that sticks out to me).

The Texans are now looking like a real threat in the AFC South after a rough start to the season with a blowout loss at home to Jacksonville and a rough offensive showing against Cincinnati in Week 2. But with Andrew Luck still out for the Colts (who were trounced Sunday night) and the Titans potentially playing without Mariota for an undetermined amount of time, and the Jaguars still actually being the Jaguars, the Texans are in a position to make a run for the division crown.

As for the Titans, Mariota left the game with a hamstring injury in the third quarter. Matt Cassel will take over for as long as Mariota is going to be out of action. Mariota will have an MRI today.

The Rams might be good

http://gty.im/856380392

Last year, the Philadelphia Eagles started the year with a 3-0 record and I let my imagination get the best of me by thinking they might have what it takes to win the NFC East. That obviously did not pan out, so I’ll refrain from jumping all in on any team that has had a quality start to the season (and conversely writing any team off that is 2-2, like the Patriots).

But there is something noticeably different about the Los Angeles Rams this season and it’s difficult not to like where this team seems to be going under new head coach Sean McVay.

The Rams are 3-1 after a 35-30 victory in Arlington against the Dallas Cowboys (who are now 2-2), and this record is not looking like a fluke with the way the Rams offense has been firing. The Rams scored 224 points last season, and have already put 142 points on the boards this year. At this rate, the Rams could eclipse their 2016 scoring total by Week 7.

Jared Goff and Todd Gurley are beginning to look like a solid backfield combo for the Rams, and that should be a relief for a franchise that struggled just to get Goff ready for the NFL last season. It’s amazing the difference a coach can make, though. Sean McVay is already being hailed as a fantastic hire by the Rams, and given the early results in his first season as head coach, it would be silly to argue otherwise.

But the question remains for the Rams: Can they keep this going for the long haul, or is this a short-term flash in the pan? We’ll find out, but the Rams have every reason to feel confident about their direction right now after winning on the road against the Cowboys. The Rams certainly caught the attention of Jerry Jones.

And how do you think former Cowboys coach Wade Phillips felt about the win?

But seriously, Rams. You really can’t go back on the field looking like this. This is a horrible uniform combination. Pick a color scheme and run with it.

The NFL Blitz

Bills 23, Falcons 17: It was not a good day at home for last year’s Super Bowl participants. In addition to the Patriots losing at home, the Falcons took their first loss in their brand new stadium against a Buffalo Bills team that is playing some surprisingly good football right now. Atlanta’s last effort to grab the win fell incomplete on a 4th-and-1 from the Buffalo 10-yard line. Matt Ryan’s pass fell short of his intended receiver and Buffalo ran the clock out a couple of plays later.

The Bills are now 3-1 and have handed the Broncos and Falcons their only losses so far this season. And the only team to beat them, the Panthers, just won in New England. The Bills are now in sole possession of first place in the AFC East.

Eagles 26, Chargers 24: The Eagles are in first place in the NFC East too after using LeGarrette Blount and a strong running attack to sink the Chargers to 0-4. Eagles fans flocked to the Chargers’ stadium and created a west coast home-field advantage in a stadium where the Chargers continue to really struggle to sell tickets.

Buccaneers 25, Giants 23: The Giants have come so close to two straight wins, yet remain without a win this season after falling to 0-4 on Sunday. Eli Manning (30-of-49, 288 yards, 2 TD) was good, but Jameis Winston (22-of-38, 332 yards, 3 TD) was just a little better in this one.

Manning stepped off the field after giving his team a 23-22 lead but Winston drove the Bucs into field goal range as time expired by completing all five of his pass attempts, including a key 3rd-and-1 pass attempt that was good for a 26-yard gain to Cameron Brate to setup the field goal try by Nick Folk as time expired.

The Giants were banged up everywhere in this game. DE Oliver Vernon left with an ankle injury. RB Paul Perkins left with a rib injury. Center Weston Richburg suffered a possible concussion. And wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was injured twice in the game, first with his ankle and later with a dislocated finger. The TV cameras managed to get a shot of Beckham’s finger being put back in place, but I won’t share that with you. Instead, I’ll share an image of some puppies on a treadmill in hopes it will cheer up any Giants fans reading this.

Lions 14, Vikings 7: The Minnesota Vikings may have some of the worst luck when it comes to injuries to key offensive players. Stay tuned for an update later today on the status of rookie running back Dalvin Cook as he goes in for an MRI with a possible ACL injury that took him out of the game. Losing a talent like that while being without Sam Bradford, who effectively has replaced an injured Teddy Bridgewater (remember him?), are tough obstacles to overcome.

The Lions are feasting on turnovers this season with a NFL-leading +9 turnover margin. The Lions also saw running back Ameer Abdullah leave the game with an undisclosed injury before he could end a four-year drought without a 100-yard rusher. How is that even possible? I know they haven’t had Barry Sanders back there, but you would think the Lions would have had one 100-yard rusher at some point in the past four years, even if by accident. Abdullah had 94 rushing yards.

Steelers 26, Ravens 9: The Ravens have scored 16 points in their past two games. After a second straight offensive outage led to a loss, Joe Flacco had no other way to explain things other than to say he sucked. The Steelers take over first place in the AFC North with the win. Prior to the game, the Ravens took a knee for a brief moment of prayer in the latest show of unity, and Ravens fans booed the heck out of it, following it all by disrespecting the national anthem themselves by shouting “O” toward the end.

Bengals 31, Browns 7: After a rough start to the year, the Bengals finally picked up a win. Andy Dalton had himself a four-touchdown day against the lowly Browns as the Bengals ripped right through their in-state rivals. Things got so bad that Adam Jones showed mercy for demolishing the Browns. Rookie Browns quarterback DeSehone Kizer had a rough afternoon with just 118 passing yards and an interception. The Browns are now 0-4 and can already start making some plans for the 2018 NFL Draft, or so it seems.

The good news for the Cleveland sports fan? The Indians and Cavs are still pretty good.

Saints 20, Dolphins 0: Last week’s game in London was a blowout. So was this week’s game. Drew Brees passed for 268 yards and two touchdowns as the Saints blanked the Dolphins.

Cardinals 18, 49ers 15 (OT): Larry Fitzgerald saved the day, but can anybody in the NFC West besides the Rams score?

Seahawks 46, Colts 18: Oh, yes. I suppose the Seahawks can.

Seattle blew the doors wide open on this one in the second half with a 22-point third quarter followed by a couple of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. And if you were like me and had the Seattle defense in fantasy football, you were probably feeling pretty good (2 TD, 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery) until you noticed your opponent started Russell Wilson (295 passing yards, 2 TD passes and one incredibly strong effort for a rushing TD) this week.

Jets 23, Jaguars 20 (OT): Don’t look now, but the Jets have the same record as the Patriots after edging the Jaguars in overtime.

All your rowdy friends are coming over tonight

The Week 4 schedule wraps up Monday night with a showdown between the Washington Redskins (2-1) and Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) in Arrowhead Stadium.

Rookie running back Kareem Hunt has already rushed for 401 yards and four touchdowns, but the Chiefs also have Tyreek Hill making plays at receiver. Washington could have its hands full on defense on the road. If Kirk Cousins can lead Washington to a win in this one, he’ll gain some bargaining power. But look for Kansas City to be too tough to take down as the Chiefs improve to 4-0.

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.

View all posts by Kevin McGuire