Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season kicked off Thursday night with an exciting matchup between the Seahawks and the Cardinals. Arizona tied the score at 20 with 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but Seattle drove down for a game-winning, 52-yard field goal by Jason Myers as time expired.
Sunday’s action kicked off in Dublin, Ireland, as the Steelers beat the Vikings 24-21 in the second international game of the season. Back in the United States, the Patriots and Falcons bounced back from Week 3 losses with victories over the Panthers and Commanders, respectively.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.
Jump to:
CLE-DET | TEN-HOU | CAR-NE
WSH-ATL | MIN-PIT | SEA-ARI
Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap
How does the Lions’ offense improve from here on out? Detroit’s explosive offense knew it would face a difficult test against the Browns’ defensive front, but it passed the test with ease. The Lions registered 277 yards of total offense, which was their fewest since the Week 1 loss at Green Bay, but they controlled the game despite struggling to get a consistent run game going. Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs logged 91 of Detroit’s 109 rushing yards off 15 carries and a touchdown, while David Montgomery struggled with nine carries for 12 yards. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown also scored two touchdowns. Montgomery, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, should be more of a factor next week in his return to his hometown to face the Bengals.
Biggest hole in the game plan: Matching up against one of the NFL’s stingiest run defenses, Lions quarterback Jared Goff attempted to air it out with wide receiver Jameson Williams, his top deep ball threat, but the connection wasn’t there early on. Williams was targeted by Goff eight total times, but was able to connect only twice, including a dropped incomplete pass that could have been a huge gain at 6:17 in the second quarter. Goff also threw an interception to Browns cornerback Denzel Ward while trying to throw a deep right pass to Williams in the third quarter. Williams would lose another three yards on an end-around carry in the fourth. — Eric Woodyard
Next game: at Bengals (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)
How much longer can the Browns stick with Flacco and his turnovers? Flacco threw a pair of first-half interceptions and lost a fumble in the second half, increasing his season total to a league-leading eight giveaways. All the turnovers haven’t been Flacco’s fault, but they contributed to 17 points for the Lions and have been at the crux of Cleveland’s 1-3 start. Flacco’s six interceptions are the most by a Browns quarterback through the first four games of a season since Baker Mayfield’s six in 2019.
Biggest hole in the game plan: The Browns didn’t give their backup tackles help against Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson. Cleveland left Cornelius Lucas, filling in for injured right tackle Jack Conklin, alone for all 17 of his matchups with Hutchinson, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Hutchinson made Cleveland pay, recording two sacks and five pressures when matched up against Lucas. — Daniel Oyefusi
Next game: vs. Vikings (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. p.m. ET)
Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap
Is running back Woody Marks positioning himself to take over the RB1 role? Against the Titans, the rookie had a career day. He had career-highs in carries (17), overall touches (21), offensive snaps (41), receiving yards (50) and touchdowns (two). Marks outperformed starting running back Nick Chubb (11 carries for 47 yards) and got a bulk of the snaps and carries.
Turning point: Quarterback C.J. Stroud found wideout Nico Collins for a 37-yard gain on second-and-33. At this point the game, the score was 6-0 with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter. But after Stroud found Collins down the sidelines, the Texans scored on three straight touchdowns drives. — DJ Bien-Aime
Next game: at Ravens (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Where do the Titans go from here? This Titans team is a disaster four weeks in. There is no rhythm on offense, and the defense continues to wear down at the end. This was the fourth consecutive game in which Tennessee allowed an explosive run to the end zone that was littered with missed tackles. The offense has gone without a touchdown in two of its four games, and kicker Joey Slye missed two field goals. It’s hard to imagine things getting any worse for the Titans. But back-to-back road trips to the West Coast, followed by former coach Mike Vrabel and the Patriots at home, could spell disaster.
Stat to know: This was the first time the Titans were shut out in the first half under coach Brian Callahan. It was their first shutout in a full game since Oct. 13, 2019, when they lost 16-0 to the Broncos. They had only been shut out twice in franchise history before Sunday. Neither team made it to the red zone until the start of the fourth quarter, per ESPN Research. — Turron Davenport
Next game: at Cardinals (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET)
Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap
Have the Patriots found their new running back snap distribution? One week after Rhamondre Stevenson lost two fumbles and backup Antonio Gibson lost one, the Patriots altered the snaps played by running backs by lessening Stevenson’s workload with more of an even split. At halftime, Stevenson still led the way with 11 snaps, followed closely by TreVeyon Henderson’s 10 and Gibson’s five. The Patriots held a 28-6 lead at that point. Patriots running backs didn’t lose any fumbles this week, which could foreshadow a similar approach with snaps moving forward.
Turning point: Cornerback Marcus Jones’ 87-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter changed everything. The Patriots had another slow start on defense by giving up an early touchdown, then went three-and-out on offense; that left no energy in Gillette Stadium. Jones’ catch was impressive, as he broke an initial tackle, took off up the left side and then cut back in the middle to cap it off. His 167 punt return yards are the most by a Patriots player in a game in franchise history. — Mike Reiss
Next game: at Bills (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)
What happened to the chemistry between QB Bryce Young and WR Tetairoa McMillan? They had an almost magical chemistry all offseason and through Week 2. But it has been off since. Before this game became embarrassing, Young missed an open McMillan down the left side. And he later missed the rookie with room to run down the right side. McMillan had three catches for 40 yards before Andy Dalton replaced Young. The offense needs that magic to keep pace.
Most surprising performance: Carolina’s special teams unit. First, there was a missed PAT. Then, an 87-yard punt return allowed for a touchdown. Then, a badly missed 55-yard FG attempt. Then, a 61-yard punt return that almost went for a touchdown. The special teams group that was spectacular in last week’s 30-0 victory were dreadful Sunday. — David Newton
Next game: vs. Dolphins (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap
Was this the real Falcons offense all along? Running back Bijan Robinson had a career-high 181 yards from scrimmage. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw his first touchdown passes this season to a wide receiver (Drake London) and tight end (Kyle Pitts Sr.). Even running back Tyler Allgeier got in on the action with a rushing touchdown. After being shut out by the Panthers last week, firing wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard and moving offensive coordinator Zac Robinson down to the field, the Falcons came out firing in an encouraging win.
What to make of the QB performance: Penix hit London in stride on a deep shot in the second quarter that went for 43 yards, the longest pass play to a wide receiver of the season for the Falcons. That’s the kind of throw and performance — more than 300 yards passing — Atlanta expected out of Penix when it drafted him at No. 8 in 2024. — Marc Raimondi
Next game: vs. Bills (Oct. 13, 7:15 p.m. ET)
Was this just a bad game by the defense, or reason to be concerned? With the offense banged up, the Commanders needed their defense to play well. Instead, the Falcons gained 15 or more yards on 10 plays and had a season-high 436 yards overall. Washington’s coverage continues to have issues when teams use motion, leading to confusion and a free target. The problem is the big plays have been allowed all season. Washington’s inconsistency against the pass — it had allowed 20 pass plays of 15 yards or more, tied for 27th entering the game — will be the team’s undoing if that doesn’t get fixed.
What to make of the QB performance: The Commanders lack explosion minus quarterback Jayden Daniels and injured receivers Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown. The result was backup quarterback Marcus Mariota’s most pedestrian outing since signing with Washington ahead of last season. He threw for 156 yards and had one ill-advised deep ball picked off, but did manage a total of two touchdowns. Had Washington’s defense helped Sunday, that might have been good enough. There is hope that Daniels will return for Week 5, but it remains to be seen if McLaurin and Brown will do the same. — John Keim
Next game: at Chargers (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)
Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap
Is this version of the Steelers’ defense here to stay? The Steelers’ defense put together its best showing of the season, collecting six sacks and 10 tackles for loss against QB Carson Wentz. The return of S DeShon Elliott was crucial in thwarting RB Jordan Mason and the rushing attack, and Elliott also came up with a big second-quarter interception. LB T.J. Watt dramatically affected the game, too, with a third-quarter interception when he deflected the ball at the line of scrimmage and grabbed it out of the air. Even DT Keeanu Benton, who had a tough start to the season, got two sacks. Big plays still came back to bite the defense late, as Jordan Addison’s 81-yard catch-and-run set up Jalen Nailor’s late fourth-quarter touchdown.
Most surprising performance: With starting running back Jaylen Warren a surprise inactive with a knee injury, the already woeful Steelers’ run game seemed dead on arrival at Croke Park. But veteran Kenneth Gainwell quickly revived it with two touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards on 19 carries for 99 yards to go with six catches for 35 yards. The Steelers also used OL Spencer Anderson and TE Darnell Washington as extra blockers to help unlock the run game. — Brooke Pryor
Next game: at Browns (Oct. 12, 1 p.m. ET)
Where does the Vikings’ offense go from here? The Vikings showed some life with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but by the end of Sunday’s game, they were playing with more backup offensive linemen (three) than starters (two). And their results reflected it, with Wentz taking six sacks and facing pressure for most of the game. From a personnel perspective, there aren’t many reinforcements on the way. QB J.J. McCarthy (ankle) has missed two consecutive weeks of practice, making his return in Week 4 a long shot. Left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist) is going to miss at least one more game, and it’s difficult to project either right tackle Brian O’Neill (knee) or center Ryan Kelly (concussion) to be ready.
What to make of the QB performance: It was hard not to compare the Vikings’ struggling offense with the Steelers’ offense, quarterbacked by Aaron Rodgers, whom the Vikings decided against signing during the offseason. Rodgers’ nearly perfect afternoon (18-of-22, 200 yards) came mostly on the kind of timing-based, quick-pass offense that would work well for a team like the Vikings, who have protection issues. Instead, the Vikings were left with Wentz, whom the Vikings signed last month as a backup for McCarthy. — Kevin Seifert
Next game: vs. Browns in Dublin, Ireland (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET)
Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap
Where does Jaxon Smith-Njigba rank among the best receivers in football? Smith-Njigba got off to the best three-game start in franchise history with 323 receiving yards — second most in the NFL this season to that point. It took him a while to get going against Arizona on Thursday, but he finished with four catches for 79 yards, including a 22-yarder that set up the Seahawk’s winning field goal. Smith-Njigba, who also rushed for 11 rushing, was Seattle’s best receiver last season, even with DK Metcalf still in the fold. Now, Smith-Njigba has a case to be among the best in football.
What to make of the QB performance: Sam Darnold has been getting it done with his arm and his legs. In this contest, his poise on key drives was a factor, as well. In addition to the throw to Smith-Njigba that set up the winning kick, Darnold (18-of-26, 242 yards, one TD) threw a dime to his No. 1 receiver on the previous drive for 36 yards. Late in the first half, Darnold scrambled and hit rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo for 32 yards; on the next play, he found an open swath of turf and ran for 24 yards. That drive ended with a touchdown that put Seattle up 14-3 at halftime. — Brady Henderson
Next game: vs. Buccaneers (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET)
How do the Cardinals fix their offense? It won’t be easy or quick, but the Cardinals need to address a few issues to their offense: how to get the entire scheme and key players in a rhythm early; how to reduce the number of plays that are losses, no gain or gains of a yard or two; and how to complete “got to have it” plays on third down and in the red zone. If they can improve in those three areas, Arizona’s offense will look more like the one that scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter against Seattle.
What to make of the QB performance: Kyler Murray did what he could with what he had available to him, finishing with his lowest adjusted QBR this season (27.8). Both of his interceptions were on throws to Marvin Harrison Jr., and the wide receiver was likely more at fault for each of them. However, after going 1-of-5 when targeting Harrison in the first half, the duo was 5-of-5 for 58 yards and a touchdown in the second half. Murray finished 27-of-41 passing for 200 yards. — Josh Weinfuss
Next game: vs. Titans (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET)