Week 4 Walkthrough: No One Wants to Hear About Your Injuries

In this jam-packed NFL Week 4 edition of Walkthrough:

• The Raiders lose to the Chiefs, but win our hearts in the process.
• Drake Maye discovers the cure for what ails him: the Bills in one of their Let's Drop a Divisional Game moods.
• Matthew Stafford tries to melt in the Philly rain, but Puka Nacua – and the injury-ravaged Eagles – won’t let it happen.
• The Jaguars climb to 3-1 despite nearly penalizing themselves into oblivion.

And much more. But first …

Injuries, Injuries, Injuries 

For all our endless scrutiny of quarterbacks, coaches, cultures, stats and schemes, NFL analysis often boils down to one question: did a team succumb to its injuries, or did it overcome them?

Take the Carolina Panthers. They faced an injury crisis as they hosted the Detroit Lions on Sunday night. The Panthers placed starting cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, two of their best players, on injured reserve during the week. Starting wide receiver Jalen Coker and guard Damien Lewis were also out for the Lions game. Popular/occasionally useful wide receiver Xavier Legette also landed on IR, where he joined running back Jonathon Brooks, who owns a quaint Victorian home there. 

The Lions were also dealing with injuries, particularly in the secondary. But an early-season injury rash on the offensive line has subsided, with Blake Miller, Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany all back in the lineup on Sunday. Also, the Lions have at least five starters who are better than anyone who has been on the Panthers roster since the Ron Rivera era.

So did the Panthers curl up in a little ball and let Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams run circles around them? Hardly. Chuba Hubbard and Tet McMillan helped Bryce Young carve up the depleted Lions defense. St. Brown, Williams and others made their share of chunk plays, but the Panthers did just enough to force the Lions to settle for four field goals.

The Panthers appeared to have the Sunday nighter locked up when Ryan Fitzgerald kicked a field goal to give them a 32-19 lead midway through the fourth quarter. But then ...

• Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips pulled a hamstring, and
• Dave Canales demonstrated that he does not know what "clock management" means.

With Phillips out, Jared Goff had plenty of time to throw, allowing the Lions to score a quick touchdown. Young, meanwhile, kept throwing incomplete passes and taking sacks as if the Panthers were trailing instead of leading. The Lions got one last chance with 1:22 remaining, but Princely Umanmielen sacked Goff to force fourth-and 13. Will Lee, starting because of the Horn/Jackson injuries, stopped Isaac TeSlaa after a fourth-down completion to seal the 32-26 Panthers win.

The Panthers are now 2-2, which in the NFC South is like being 7-2. For all of their flaws, the Panthers never wilt in the face of adversity. If anything, they're better when it looks like they have no hope, which is why they've upset so many opponents over the last two seasons. They've got more gumption than talent, though McMillan (14-192-2 on Sunday) has gobs of talent.

The mercurial Lions, on the other hand, are also 2-2 but trending in the wrong direction in a much more competitive division. They're fortunate they face the Cardinals in Week 5, then have a bye week to get healthier, and/or make a trade to get better, on defense.

Any discussion of NFL injuries should really begin in Santa Clara, where an unstoppable force (the substation) faced an immovable object (the Broncos offense, in anything but the fourth quarter) on Sunday. 

The substation went easy on the 49ers in Sunday's 24-14 victory. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk suffered a knee injury. Safety Marques Sigle sustained an ankle injury. Defensive back Upton Stout left the game but returned. Three injuries? That’s an unpadded Friday practice for the 49ers. 

The Broncos, on the other hand, lost cornerbacks Patrick Surtain and Riley Moss to injuries which appeared serious; Surtain suffered a non-contact ankle injury, and those are never good. Receiver Pat Bryant, a major factor in the Week 3 Broncos comeback against the Rams, suffered a nasty ankle injury.

The 49ers offense, stymied in the first half, was able to move the ball once Surtain and Moss were out of the picture. A 56-yard screen-and-run by George Kittle late in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach of Broncos Comeback Mayhem.

The Broncos, now 2-2 by the grace of fourth-quarter comebacks, have scored just 13 points total first-half points through four games. They’re just not built to overcome significant losses on defense. They visit the 0-4 Chargers next week in what promises to be a Quarterback Take Bowl, as the Herbert Hive seems to take particular umbrage when Bo Nix gets any credit for the Broncos' success. (He deserves a little smidgen of it.) 

The 49ers, still undefeated, were born and bred in this briar patch. They hear other teams' complaints about injuries and cackle like madmen.

Elsewhere on Sunday: the Vikings, without Justin Jefferson, hosted the Dolphins, without De’Von Achane. Jefferson is an important component in the Vikings’ Super Bowl equation. (Brian Flores’ Defense + Great Special Teams + Jefferson - Any Hope at Quarterback = Anything’s Possible???) Achane, lost for the season with a torn ACL, was the only person keeping the Dolphins from tumbling head first into the Sun Belt Conference. 

The Vikings beat the Dolphins 15-10 to remain undefeated. Will Reichard kicked five field goals. The Vikings defense held Malik Willis and the Randos to 198 net yards of offense, 53 of them on one Ollie Gordon run. Kyler Murray was non-disastrous, though the Dolphins defense recorded four sacks after recording zero through the first three games. 

The Vikings also committed 11 penalties for 85 yards: some motion penalties, a roughness foul on the Vikings defense (those will happen), offensive pass interference against Jauan Jennings (that will also happen). The Dolphins, for their part, committed nine penalties. The Week 3 Vikings victory over the Buccaneers featured 17 total penalties for 176 yards. If you like flags and field goals, the Vikings are your jam. 

No one expects the Vikings to go undefeated in 2026. But Flores’ defense, Reichard and Jefferson are all proven commodities. We’ve seen the Vikings kick-and-flag their way to improbable success before. They’re gnarly, but they cannot be written off.

Sunday’s Week 4 action began in London, where the Colts faced a Commanders team without Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin, among many others. Marcus Mariota got hurt early in the first quarter, entrusting the Commanders offense to seventh-round Rutgers rookie Athan Kaliakmanis, previously best known for sometimes looking halfway decent while tossing RPOs in the first quarter against Ohio State.

Kaliakmanis, the Piscataway Popgun, spent the first half being treated like a blueberry scone by Laiatu Latu and other Colts defenders. In the third quarter, however, he completed bombs to Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown – with Sauce Gardner in coverage on both plays – to throw a scare into the listless-since-2016 Colts.

The Colts were also banged up, most notably at wide receiver, where Alec Pierce, Keenan Allen and Darius Slayton were unavailable on Sunday. But a third-string quarterback renders all other injury conversations a little asymmetrical. Also, a team that’s relying on Keenan Allen and Darius Slayton to play significant roles in 2026 is just asking for trouble.

Fortunately for the Colts, Jonathan Taylor can carry their offense against weaker opponents, Laquan Treadwell is having the best season of his decade-long career, and it’s only a matter of time before Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Dante Pettis, Denzel Mims and Jalen Reagor all find their way to Indianapolis. 

The Colts prevailed in a 30-13 victory against Kaliakmanis’ Upside-Down Golden Gophers (the Commanders rookie also played for the University of Minnesota) to achieve their preferred flavor of unsweetened tapioca .500 blandness. 

Mariota may be out a while, but Daniels will return next week, then get hurt again in about three weeks. Last week’s Seahawks upset was fun, but the Commanders just don’t have the manpower to sustain success in 2026.

Speaking of quarterback injuries, the Buccaneers were without Baker Mayfield when they hosted the Packers in a do-or-die game between teams off to scuffling starts. 

Mayfield played poorly in the first three games, though not as poorly as the conversation surrounding him would suggest. Mayfield spent much of September running away from two defenders and into the arms of a third, sometimes fumbling once he arrived. The Bucs haven’t looked like a team that would get better by tossing an undrafted rookie quarterback onto the field just to see what would happen.

The Packers’ early-season issues had less to do with unexpected injuries (it’s not like Micah Parsons’ absence has caught them off guard) than with the fact that they spent free agency and the draft daydreaming about how perfect their roster would be once the Madden Franchise Mode algorithm automatically turned their young backups into starters. The Packers went on a midweek Costco spending spree on the offensive line, signing Kevin Zeitler, Laken Tomlinson and Mekhi Becton to replace the rain barrels and velvet ropes that “protected” Jordan Love early in the season. The Packers also plan to stock up on Halloween candy on Election Day.

Their rebuilt line, with Tomlinson in the lineup, helped the Packers offense rack up 283 yards in a 17-14 nailbiter against the Buccaneers. No, 283 yards are not a lot, but one little victory at a time. Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels completed just one pass of 20-plus yards, but he nearly led a comeback after Jacob Parrish intercepted Jordan Love late in the fourth quarter.

Say what you will about the 2-2 Packers, but they are definitely slightly better than a winless opponent with a UDFA quarterback. 

The Bears were without Caleb Williams again as they faced the Jets on Sunday. But Ben Johnson is a freakin’ alchemist who can turn 2026 Case Keenum into 2017 Case Keenum, making Williams’ absence appear less-than-catastrophic.

The Bears also placed left tackle Braxton Jones on IR this week. Ozzy Trapilo is racing back from a ruptured patellar tendon in last year’s playoffs but is not ready to play just yet, so often-used third option Theo Benedet started on Sunday.

Perhaps Johnson’s alchemy comes at a magical cost. You can cast Owl’s Wisdom and Cat’s Grace upon Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent. You can cast Charm Person on both Caleb Williams and his father. But you are cursed to forever f**k with Theo Benedet as your left tackle.

The Jets were without running back Breece Hall, receiver Adonai Mitchell, guard Dylan Parham, tight end Mason Taylor, and linebacker Francisco Mauigoa. If those injuries don’t sound very significant, keep in mind that if you have heard of a Jets starter, it probably means that he is: a) a 2026 first-round pick; or b) about to turn 36 years old. And one of the first-round picks (receiver Omar Cooper) is on IR. The Jets don’t have enough decent players to lose a few of them. 

The Bears rushed for 232 yards in a 23-12 victory which wasn’t as close as the score. Bagent somehow threw for 268 yards; every time I checked on this game, Kyle Monangai was running up the middle for eight yards, so I don't know when Bagent had time to break a sweat.

The Jets were 0-of-7 on third downs and never got a chance to try to convert a fourth down. Opponents are now 9-of-38 on third down conversions against the Bears defense this year.

The Bears, in short, are doing everything a team must do to overcome injuries. They illustrate what a balanced, well-coached team can do, under difficult situations, even when down to their backup quarterbacks and third-best left tackle.

The 1-3 Jets, meanwhile, have run out of pluckiness. Injuries are just making the situation worse. Geno Smith was terrible for most of Sunday, but Geno is still being graded on the Brother-in-Law Who No Longer Borrows Money from You to Pay His Water Bill Curve, so I guess he was fine.

The Ravens beat the lowly Titans 24-18 on Sunday, but no Ravens victory is ever easy. Lamar Jackson suffered an ankle injury. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey and others were also ruled out during the game. The extent of Jackson’s injury wasn’t clear at presstime. But Jackson did not speak to reporters after the game, which is not a good sign.

The Ravens face the Falcons next Sunday night. If Jackson is unavailable, the stage will be set for a truly miserable evening of football, and perhaps one of those Falcons upsets that lifts them to 8-9 by season’s end.

Not all Week 4 injury news was grim. Nico Collins returned to the Texans. He went 7-118-2, making their offense functional again! Unfortunately, it was time for the Texans defense to suffer another hiccup. CeeDee Lamb went 17-189-1, with the touchdown coming with 40 seconds to play in a 34-30 comeback victory for the Cowboys.

The 2-2 Cowboys should be the best team in the NFC East: their offense is humming, and they are adding talent (cornerback Joey Porter Jr.) while every one of their divisional opponents is coping with an injury plague. They will screw things up somehow.

If you want to see a truly crippled team that is still doing well, then check out the Giants, who grew so desperate for attention this week that they traded for J.J. McCarthy. Jaxson Dart and edge rusher Brian Burns are lost for the year, while left tackle Andrew Thomas is doing what he does best: barely practicing all week, then bravely playing through an injury (a groin injury this time) that will eventually land him next to Dart and Burns. 

The Cardinals were without Josh Sweat (groin) on Sunday. I was unaware that the Cardinals were with Josh Sweat this season. Sweat’s injury may end up needing radical treatment, like a trade to the Lions.

The Giants are 3-1 after Sunday’s 36-24 victory over the Cardinals. They have won back-to-back games due to:

• Inept opponents.
• Rainy conditions.
• Malik Nabers.
• Rookies Malachi Fields (touchdown on Sunday) and Arvell Reese (one interception, lots of big hits).
• Did we mention the bad opponents? And …
• Despite Jameis Winston.

The Giants actually faced the Reverse Cardinals on Sunday. Instead of falling behind, then coming back to cover the spread, the Cardinals took an early lead, then fell behind, then allowed a late-game 98-yard pick-6 in the fourth quarter so they would NOT cover the spread.

Also, instead of ignoring Marvin Harrison Jr. all afternoon, they threw an early 12-yard touchdown pass to him! Harrison finished with one catch on four targets for 12 yards.

Quibbles with the quality of their competition aside, the Giants are doing what they need to do to survive an injury crisis. Remember: 9-8 and a playoff berth will feel like a Super Bowl for the Giants. And their upcoming opponents (Commanders, Saints, Texans, bye, Eagles) are all vulnerable in different ways.

As you will see, injuries played a key role in several of Sunday's spotlight games as well.

Forecast Calls for PAIN Spotlight: Los Angeles Rams 24, Philadelphia Eagles 20

What Happened

The Dream Team to End All Dream Teams narrowly overcame their greatest foes on Sunday. 

No, not the injury-riddled Eagles, who started the game without DeVonta Smith, Lane Johnson, Zack Baun and others, then lost Saquon Barkley and Quinyon Mitchell as the game wore on. The Rams overcame their real foes:

• Their own special teams.
• Their inflated sense of their own greatness.
• Slightly inclement weather.

The Eagles took a 20-10 lead into the fourth quarter. Matthew Stafford, looking damp and chilly and therefore miserable, threw two first-half interceptions. Harrison Mevis missed a field goal and placed his kickoffs everywhere but the landing zone. Jalen Hurts threw a pair of touchdown passes to perennial preseason superstar Darius Cooper. An upset was in the making.

The Eagles were poised to put the game away when they failed to convert on both third-and-2 (a bobbled snap broken play) and fourth-and-2 (an off-target throw under duress to Cooper) from the Rams six-yard line with 7:31 to play. Stafford shook off the autumn drizzle and realized that, with Mitchell injured, the Eagles had no one who could cover Puka Nacua. 

Stafford led two easy touchdown drives while Jalen Hurts tried and failed to manufacture enough offense to respond out of Cooper, Will Shipley and the reincarnated corpse of Zach Ertz.

What It Means for the Rams

Anyone who tells you that Stafford and the Rams play well in poor weather is reverse-engineering their opinion from the fact that the Rams often win games in rainy/chilly conditions. Why yes, the Rams, with the best roster and coaching staff in the NFL, usually win under any circumstances. But they are far more likely to make things hard on themselves if it’s cold, or wet, or they are at altitude, or they are on the East Coast in an early game, or there are koalas nearby.