NFL Week 4’s prime-time slate has a little bit of everything: a divisional grudge match on Thursday, a shootout setup on Sunday, and a Monday night game tied to a moment that still lives outside the Superdome.
Start with Pittsburgh and Cleveland, where the Steelers and Browns both arrive at 2-1, but the mood around each team is different. Cleveland has already shaken off that ugly 34-10 Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19 and the Carolina Panthers 21-18. Pittsburgh, for its part, is fresh off a 30-27 upset of the Cincinnati Bengals, but its secondary still looks shaky.
That could matter against Deshaun Watson, especially with Pittsburgh dealing with injury questions in the defensive backfield. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey is trying to play through a broken right wrist suffered in Week 3, while Brandin Echols is questionable because of a concussion. Joey Porter Jr. practiced Monday and Tuesday after missing three games in the middle of a contract dispute, so he may be on his way back.
The other side of that matchup brings its own concerns. The Browns’ offensive line is banged up, with center/guard Elgton Jenkins (concussion), guard Teven Jenkins (back) and right tackle Tytus Howard (knee) all listed as questionable.
Cleveland is already tied for fourth in the league in sacks allowed with nine, which sets the table for Pittsburgh’s pass rush. T.J.
Watt, who has 3.5 sacks and is tied for No. 4 in the NFL, could be the difference-maker here.
Prediction: Steelers, 20-17
Sunday night in Carolina looks like the kind of game where both offenses can keep the scoreboard busy. Detroit has been humming at 31 points per game, good for No. 3 in the league, but Carolina has been right there with 29.7 points per game, tied for fifth. The big reason the Panthers are dangerous is Bryce Young, who leads the NFL in passing yards per game at 313.
That’s a problem for a Lions defense that has been getting roasted. Detroit became the first team since the 1994 New England Patriots to score 30-plus points in each of its first three games while still carrying a negative point differential, sitting at minus-2. DraftKings Sportsbook had the Lions as 3.5-point favorites as of Wednesday morning, but this matchup sets up better for Carolina if Young keeps airing it out the way he has.
Prediction: Panthers, 34-31
Monday night sends Atlanta to New Orleans for a game with a built-in historical backdrop. The Saints and Falcons are meeting in a matchup that marks the 20th anniversary of Steve Gleason’s punt block in New Orleans’ first game in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. That play came in the 23-3 “Monday Night Football” win over Atlanta on Sept. 25, 2006, and there’s a statue outside the stadium honoring it.
On the field, New Orleans is coming off a 35-27 home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, but second-year head coach Kellen Moore said Monday that “There was a lot of good” on the tape. The Saints will lean on second-year quarterback Tyler Shough, who is averaging 305.7 passing yards per game, No. 2 in the NFL. He draws a Falcons defense that ranks 29th in passing yards allowed at 263 per game.
Prediction: Saints, 27-21
In Other News...
Panthers Get A Crucial Defensive Lift At The Right Time
The Panthers are getting a much-needed boost on defense as they head toward a Week 4 matchup with the Lions. After losing Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson to injured reserve and watching their secondary take another hit, Carolina is looking for stability wherever it can find it, and Devin Lloyds return from the issue that kept him out against Cleveland arrives at the right moment. He has still managed to lead the team in tackles despite missing a game, which says plenty about how quickly he has become part of the front sevens rhythm.
Lloyd said he is feeling good and ready to play, a welcome development for a defense that has had to absorb too many setbacks already. The timing matters even more with Detroit coming up next, because Carolina needs players who can help steady the middle of the field while the back end sorts itself out. For a unit trying to keep from being stretched thinner, getting Lloyd back could be one of the more important developments of the week. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Loss Exposed A Bigger Problem With Dave Canales Offense
Dave Canales left points on the field against the Browns, and the two failed fourth-down tries became a snapshot of a larger issue with the Panthers offense. In a one-score game, those calls mattered, but the bigger concern is how little confidence Carolina seems to have built in its short-yardage package. Bryce Young is not the kind of quarterback who naturally lends himself to sneak situations, which makes those spots especially revealing when the offense gets stuck there.
Carolinas staff now has to show it has more than a hope-and-see answer when the chains get tight. The article points to alternatives that could help, including using Kenny Pickett in those situations and finding ways to lean on Mitchell Evans as part of a more functional short-yardage plan. Until the Panthers have something sturdier in that part of the game, every fourth-and-short decision is going to feel bigger than the down and distance in front of it. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Secondary Just Took A Hit Carolina Cant Easily Absorb
The Panthers secondary took a major blow with starting cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Michael Jackson both landing on injured reserve, a setback that forces Carolina to reshuffle one of its most vulnerable spots on the roster. Horn, one of the teams top defensive pieces, is sidelined by a quad injury, while Jackson is dealing with a groin injury, leaving the Panthers to patch together depth at corner at a time when stability on the back end matters plenty.
In the moves that followed, Carolina promoted wide receiver David Moore and running back Anthony Tyus to the active roster and added cornerback Robert Rochell to the practice squad. The personnel shuffle underscores how thin the Panthers are on the perimeter right now, and it leaves the team searching for answers while it waits to see how long it will have to manage without two of its top defensive backs. [Read more 🡒]