Before Week 4 rolled around, it had been 10 years since the Carolina Panthers last appeared on Sunday Night Football.
Their performance against the Detroit Lions was definitely worth the wait. Carolina’s 32-26 victory was deserving of the prime-time stage. Bryce Young was ready for his close-up, distributing the ball with great accuracy and command and showing off some clear chemistry with his top weapons to the tune of 29 completions for 329 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. And he looked like he was enjoying every minute of it, too.
How could he not, with receiver Tetairoa McMillan catching absolutely everything and toe-tapping his way into the highlight reels and the win column, and running back Chuba Hubbard running all over the Lions? (On a night with lofty expectations focused on Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs, it was Carolina’s Canadian RB1 who stole the show with 122 yards on 20 carries.)
We’ve seen glimpses, of course, of what the Panthers are building. They won the division last year — albeit, with a losing record — to end a seven-year playoff drought, and very nearly upset the Rams on Wild Card Weekend. But questions that cropped up last year, especially around Young’s ability to be a true franchise QB, followed the club into this new season. So far, Young has answered all of them. He leads the league in passing yards through four weeks, his performance thus far this season serving up a lesson in patience. Like the Panthers’ prime-time return, Young’s own rise has been worth the wait.
Sunday night’s victory brings Carolina’s record to 2-2, but it felt bigger than that. Can they build on it? The Panthers have an early bye in Week 5, so a little more patience will be needed to find out.
McMillan shines brightest on big day for receivers
Week 4 brought out some sensational receiving performances, not just in terms of yardage and scores racked up, but workload.
CeeDee Lamb, suiting up against the Texans, overshadowed Nico Collins’ 118 yards and two TDs with an incredible 17 receptions for 189 yards and a touchdown as Dallas’ biggest driver in Sunday’s 34-30 win over Houston.
Rookie Carnell Tate had himself a breakout game with 145 yards on nine catches, though his Titans lost to a Ravens team led by Zay Flowers’ 118 yards and two scores.
Before Tee Higgins went down with an injury late against Jacksonville, he’d registered 11 catches for 157 yards in a losing effort.
In Minnesota, T.J. Hockenson shone with 13 catches for 119 yards, clearly flexing his chemistry with QB Kyler Murray as the Vikings kept their perfect record intact with a 15-10 win over the winless Dolphins.
Sunday’s slate saved the best for last, as Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan put on a show befitting the Sunday Night spotlight. McMillan caught 14 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He was basically unguardable, exposing the Lions’ already-struggling defence, play after play.
Stafford’s play a far cry from MVP form
After losing to the Denver Broncos in dramatic fashion in Week 3, the Los Angeles Rams bounced back with a 24-20 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. In many ways, it was the bounceback they needed in order to regain a little swagger as they brought their record back to .500. Despite not having their two-headed pass-rushing beast in Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald, the Rams’ defence got to Jalen Hurts, holding the Eagles to a mere 172 total yards of offence and sacking Hurts four times. After giving the game away a week ago, the Rams closed out this crunch-time win thanks to a pair of rushing touchdowns by Kyren Williams in the final four minutes. Puka Nacua got back into the lineup after missing the last two with injury, and had an instant impact with nine catches for 125 yards and also registered a rushing score.
And yet, all does not feel right in L.A. Too often on Sunday, the Rams got in their own way. Penalties were once again an issue, and a massive reason why this wasn’t a blowout for the Rams, who, despite holding Philly to just three yards per play, still trailed 20-10 going into the fourth quarter.
The biggest concern right now is Matthew Stafford. While he’s clearly still slinging it — 317 passing yards on the day — the veteran QB has a worrisome interception streak early on in this season. After throwing one pick in each of the first two games of the year, he’s now had two in back-to-back matchups for a total of six on the season so far. Last year, it took him until Week 17 to throw his sixth pick. He threw just eight picks in each of the past two years.
The only quarterback to throw more interceptions than the reigning MVP thus far? That’d be last year’s runner-up for the award, Drake Maye, with seven. But maybe Maye’s game is starting to turn around…
Maye bounces back with big win over Bills
Drake Maye’s September was defined by fumbles, interceptions, and a general lack of command, with Week 3’s shocking 35-6 loss to Jacksonville serving up rock bottom. But the quarterback who hit the field in Buffalo on Sunday looked like someone starting to get his groove back.
He opened October by marching the Patriots 97 yards downfield on a 12-play drive to score a touchdown in New England’s first possession of the day. He was solid through the air with 22 completions on 37 attempts for 269 yards and three touchdowns (both season-highs) and was sacked just once (a season-low). He was fast on his feet, running for 54 yards. While he did add another pick to bring his season total to seven, the misplay was the result of a weird bounce off his receiver — not Maye’s decision-making.
Most impressive was Maye’s late game-winning drive, which saw him shake off Josh Allen’s own heroics to take the lead late in the fourth quarter and take back control with an eight-play, 73-yard drive that ended with a game-winning touchdown pass to Efton Chism III. It was exactly the kind of drive — and exactly the kind of game — Maye needed to regain last year’s confidence. With a 2-2 record, Maye and the Patriots must now build on this.
The Eagles’ offence is falling apart
Within the Rams’ aforementioned comeback win was a loss that could have some pretty deep ripple effects in Philly. Because the Eagles’ offence wasn’t just lacklustre against L.A. on Sunday. It was downright bad.
Jalen Hurts threw for just 93 yards. (That two of his 12 completions were TDs is pretty impressive, all things considered.) The team was held without a point in the second half, allowing L.A. to come back and win. Third-down conversions? Nope. Philly went 0-for-12 there. They had just 12 first downs all game.
The most troubling part was that this wasn’t a one-off. Last week against Chicago, the Eagles put up just seven points, none of which came in the second half.
Yes, injuries are a big part of the story when it comes to Week 4’s loss to L.A. The Eagles hit the field without DeVonta Smith, and Saquon Barkley suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury. But with a trip across the pond to play the Jaguars in London next week, they’re going to have to find some answers fast.
Barkley, Jackson headline tough week of injuries
The list of injuries across the league this season got a lot longer on Sunday — and more star-studded, too.
A rough day for quarterbacks saw the Washington Commanders turn to third-stringer Athan Kaliakmanis against the Colts after backup Marcus Mariota went down with a knee injury. In the early-afternoon window of Week 4, Lamar Jackson sustained an ankle injury and sat out the entire second half. He reportedly left the stadium in a walking boot.
The Bengals suffered a massive blow when Ja’Marr Chase left Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville with a concussion, then their bad luck doubled when Tee Higgins sustained an adductor injury.
The Broncos’ defence took a hit with a non-contact injury for Pat Surtain II, while the bad luck continued for the Chargers when Joe Alt and Ladd McConkey left Sunday’s game against Seattle.
Week 4 brings a day of wild stats
Good, bad, ugly… Sunday brought a little bit of everything, including history.
Just how soundly did the Chicago Bears defeat the New York Jets? The Bears’ offence ran a whopping 89 offensive plays, nearly tripling that of the Jets (32). In fact, Chicago registered more first downs on Sunday (34) than New York did total offensive plays.
The tiniest silver lining for the Jets: New York’s defence finally ended its long, ugly interception drought. Minkah Fitzpatrick’s second-quarter interception of Tyler Bagent marked Gang Green’s first pick since the 2024 campaign.
Maybe Sam Darnold and Justin Herbert needed a little extra warm-up time: The opposing QB1s launched Sunday’s Seahawks-Chargers contest in the weirdest way possible. After Herbert threw a pick on his first pass of the matchup, Darnold did the Exact. Same. Thing.
San Francisco’s quest for perfection is intact. While the 49ers aren’t the last undefeated team standing — the Chiefs are the AFC’s lone 4-0 team after surviving the Raiders, and the Vikings have control early on in the NFC North — they are in rarefied air when it comes to how they’re winning. In keeping Brock Purdy on his feet in their 24-14 win over the defence-heavy Broncos, the 49ers made some pretty cool history:
