NFL Week 4 is packed with intrigue, but a few matchups stand out for all the wrong reasons if you’re rooting for certain teams. Nothing is ever automatic in the NFL, of course, yet there are still spots where the outcome feels a lot easier to call than usual.
After breaking down the slate, three teams jump off the page as the ones most likely to end the week with a loss: the Carolina Panthers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Panthers are dealing with a brutal development ahead of their matchup with the Lions. News broke that Carolina placed both starting cornerbacks, Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, on injured reserve. That is a major problem against Detroit, which owns one of the league’s best passing attacks.
Carolina’s defense was already in shaky shape. The Panthers gave up 59 points in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, and even with Horn and Jackson available, that side of the ball has been vulnerable.
Now they have to find a way to slow down a Lions offense that looks built to stress them all afternoon. That would take a massive, unexpected defensive performance from Carolina.
Tampa Bay is another home team that looks set up for trouble. That alone makes this week unusual, since these kinds of calls usually land on road underdogs. But the Buccaneers may have to hand the offense to backup quarterback and undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels, who will officially be the first rookie QB to start a game this season.
That’s a wild note in a draft class that includes a #1 overall pick, a Heisman winner and a National Championship winner at quarterback. Daniels could absolutely make this interesting, but the opponent matters.
Green Bay comes in desperate, even if the Packers have been underwhelming enough that they’re only 3.5-point favorites against a rookie UDFA at quarterback. Still, the pick here is the Packers, and the expectation is that they win without much drama.
Then there’s Philadelphia, and this one feels just as shaky. The Eagles are coming off a loss to the Chicago Bears that exposed them badly on both sides of the ball.
That game was ugly enough on its own, but there were warning signs before it too. Philadelphia managed only 10 first downs in its Week 1 win over Washington, and it needed a late comeback to get past the Titans.
Now the Eagles face a Rams team sitting at 1-2 and looking for a response. There’s also the travel wrinkle, since West Coast teams going East for a 1:00 PM ET kickoff has a history of producing tricky results. Even so, the confidence here is clear: the Eagles are the team being picked to lose, even more than the Rams are being picked to win.
In Other News...
Rams Pass Interference Frustration Is Fueling This NFL Debate
Controversial pass interference calls in Week 3 have pushed an old NFL argument back into the spotlight, with coaches once again weighing whether those penalties should be reviewable or challengeable. Around the league, the frustration is familiar: a single flag can reshape a drive, yet the sport has long struggled with how much oversight is too much once officiating starts to slow the game down.
Sean McVay added more fuel to the conversation by confirming the league agreed a pass interference penalty against the Rams was incorrect in a recent game. Across the division, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he once supported allowing challenges on those calls, but he is more hesitant now because of the effect on game flow. For the Rams, it is another reminder that the debate is not just about fairness, but about what kind of game the NFL is willing to live with. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Fans Will Relate To Kelly Staffords Reaction After That Call
The Rams trip to Denver ended with plenty of frustration, and one late pass interference flag on Josh Wallace became the kind of call fans could not stop replaying in their heads. Jason Kelce even weighed in on the New Heights podcast, saying Broncos receiver Pat Bryants exaggerated wrist movement should have worked against the penalty, and Bryant later admitted he had indeed sold the contact to draw the flag. Denver then cashed in with the game-winning touchdown, leaving Los Angeles with another tough result to dissect.
Kelly Stafford seemed to capture the mood from the family side of the trip, sharing photos from Denver as the game played out. For Rams fans, it is the familiar mix of travel, emotion and officiating frustration that can make a loss linger a little longer, especially when a single call ends up shaping the final moments. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Offense Just Lost A Piece Sean McVay Has Counted On
Terrance Fergusons rookie season hit a setback this week, with the Rams placing the tight end on injured reserve because of a medial ankle sprain. The move means Ferguson will miss at least four weeks, taking away a young pass-catching option Sean McVay had been counting on as the offense tries to keep its depth intact.
To help cover the roster shuffle, Los Angeles elevated wide receiver Alex Bachman and defensive end Larrell Murchison from the practice squad. Fergusons absence also opens the door for rookie Max Klare to see more snaps at tight end, giving the Rams another chance to test their depth at a position that suddenly looks thinner than it did a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]