Week 4 has a way of separating the noise from the real thing, and the schedule is full of games that can do exactly that. A few unbeaten teams are still standing - the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers - but there are also clubs already staring at early-season pressure.
That’s what makes Rams-Eagles so interesting. It’s not just a matchup between NFC teams coming off losses. It’s a game where both sides need a reset, and fast.
The Los Angeles Rams come in at 1-2, while the Philadelphia Eagles are 2-1 after an ugly 27-7 loss to the Chicago Bears and backup quarterback Case Keenum, who before last week hadn’t played a game in 1,009 days. Philly’s two wins - over the Washington Commanders and Tennessee Titans - were by a combined six points, and the offense has looked flat while the defense has given up 20-plus points every week.
For the Eagles, this is a chance to clean up a messy start and prove last week was a blip. For the Rams, it’s just as important.
They need to show they can shake off the early-season rust and remind the league they belong in the contender conversation. The matchup gives Los Angeles a real opening to attack the Eagles’ pass rush, offensive line and safeties.
The stakes feel even bigger when you look at the context around the Rams. Any Sean McVay team comes with expectations, and 1-3 is not where that kind of team wants to be.
The Rams fell to 1-3 most recently in 2024, still made the playoffs at 10-7, and then lost in the wild-card round. Add in a tough division with the 3-0 49ers and defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, and every win matters even more.
If Rams-Eagles is a game built on pressure, Chiefs-Raiders is built on surprise. Before the season, most people would have laughed off the idea of a Week 4 meeting between Kansas City and Las Vegas featuring two undefeated teams. Now it’s very real.
And the Raiders are the reason why. The question this game forces is simple: are they actually good?
It’s a divisional matchup, it features the year’s biggest surprise team, and one side is guaranteed to take its first loss. That alone makes it must-see, especially with the game on CBS and Paramount+.
There’s also a familiar edge to it. This has the feel of the old Chiefs-Raiders battles from the Oakland days.
Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins is tied atop the NFL with nine passing touchdowns, and the return of top weapon Brock Bowers has clearly helped. If Las Vegas can beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, the conversation around the Raiders changes in a hurry.
The last game on the list has a different kind of intrigue. Cardinals-Giants may not have the same headline power, but it has plenty going on underneath.
The Giants are still tough to pin down. Losing Jaxson Dart to a season-ending injury changed the identity of the team, and while they won their first game without him, it wasn’t pretty.
Jameis Winston went 14-of-22 for 118 yards and no touchdowns in the 12-7 win over the Tennessee Titans. They also took a hit when linebacker Brian Burns went down with an ACL and meniscus injury.
Even so, there’s still a path for New York to pick up more wins, especially with the Eagles not playing their best and the Cowboys and Commanders sitting at 1-2. If things break right, the Giants could even find themselves at the top of the NFC East standings this week.
The quarterback situation adds another layer. If Winston keeps struggling, the Giants now have another option in Nine Eighteen, aka J.J.
McCarthy, who was added this week in a trade that drew plenty of reaction. Head coach John Harbaugh said Winston is the starter for the rest of the season, but that only holds if he stays in the “up” phase of his up-and-down career.
Arizona brings its own uncertainty. The Cardinals are also still trying to figure out exactly who they are, and they’ve got veteran Jacoby Brissett leading the way.
One of their two losses was a blowout against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, while the other was a close game against the San Francisco 49ers, one of the conference’s best teams. They’re not the worst 1-2 team out there, and they remain a team worth watching.
What ties Cardinals-Giants together is the search for identity. Both teams are leaning on veteran quarterbacks, but neither passer is the long-term answer. That makes this more than just a Sunday afternoon game - it’s another step in figuring out what each team actually is.
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 🡒]