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NFL Week 4 picks, predictions, schedule, odds, fantasy tips | ESPN
What we’re hearing on the Chiefs: Following their first victory, the Chiefs are looking to have a complete performance on offense against the Ravens, hoping to build off the strong second half they had against the Giants. The expected return of speedy WR Xavier Worthy should help, too. “It’s going to make us even better because guys had to step up and they have,” Mahomes said. “You’ve seen Hollywood [Brown], you’ve seen JuJu [Smith-Schuster]
and you’ve seen Tyquan [Thornton] all step up into their roles. We’ll continue to get better and better as the season goes, but it’ll be an important week this week.” — Nate Taylor
Stat to know: The Ravens have scored 111 points this season, which is the most by a team with a losing record through three games in NFL history. The most points by a team with a losing record through four games is 140 by the 2022 Lions, who finished the season 8-9 and missed playoffs. — ESPN Research
Chiefs upset Ravens as home underdog
Patrick Mahomes is off to the worst three-game start of his future Hall of Fame career. Mahomes has played the worst football of his career through three games of a season since he became the Chiefs’ starter in 2018. He’s thrown for the worst completion (59%), yards per pass attempt (6.4) and fewest passing touchdowns (3) through three games in his career. His inaccuracy has him leading the NFL with 22 off-target incompletions this season, which are also his most in a three-game span in career, per Pro Football Focus. That’s why the Chiefs are averaging their fewest points per game (20.0), total yards per game (315.7) and yards/play (5.2) through three games since 2018, Mahomes’ first season as a full-time starter.
Chiefs’ Travis Kelce talks on heated exchange with Andy Reid | Kansas City Star
And Sunday in New Jersey, head coach Andy Reid lowered his shoulder to bump Kelce before the two exchanged words as the Chiefs settled for a first-half field goal.
“I love that guy, man,” Kelce told me Friday, taking media questions for the first time since that incident. “There’s nothing outside of this building that’s going to make me feel any different way. We know exactly each other’s intentions. “I think what Coach Reid does best is he challenges guys to be at their best, and I love that about him. It definitely helped me take my game to another level that game.”
Somehow, the Ravens-Chiefs loser will fall to 1-3. What is most discouraging about the Ravens, coming off the loss to the Detroit Lions? What is most encouraging about the Chiefs, coming off the win over the New York Giants?
Keefer: This isn’t the Ravens defense we’ve come to know. This is a leaky unit that’s faded late in losses to the Buffalo Bills and Lions. As spectacular as Lamar Jackson can be, the quick, efficient drives he leads mean his defense has to be on the field more, which is part of the reason Baltimore is somewhere no one thought it would be: sub-.500 three games into the season. As for Kansas City, Sunday night’s slog of a win over the Giants did little to dispel the offensive concerns. Until this team gets Rashee Rice back, or finds more of a consistent run game, it’s going to be playing catch-up in the AFC West, the division it’s owned nine years running.
Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo’s QB roots fueling legendary career | ESPN
Spagnuolo was a two-year starter at wide receiver at Springfield College in Massachusetts. But those details are not what surprised the players the most. Most shocking for Chiefs defenders — including pass rusher Chris Jones, safety Bryan Cook and linebacker Nick Bolton — was what position Spagnuolo played before college.
“They wouldn’t look at me and say, ‘He was a quarterback,'” Spagnuolo said, laughing.
Yes, Spagnuolo — one of the NFL’s greatest defensive minds, a strategist known for his complex blitzes and the lone coordinator in history to have four Super Bowl rings (including titles with two different franchises) — was once a high school quarterback.
Sometimes, often in passing when he’s just talking ball with his players, Spagnuolo will mention to them he was a pretty good quarterback, too. Two years ago, Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie had that exact experience.
“I thought he was a running back because I played running back [in high school],” McDuffie said of Spagnuolo, 65. “He said quarterback and I was like, ‘Ah snap … OK, Spags! … The leader of the team?!’
“It makes sense, just how smart he is and how much he understands offenses. When he said that, I was like, ‘Ah, I see.’ It was pretty cool to learn about that.”
Ravens -2.5: “This is a kitchen-sink game for both of these teams as they enter Week 4 looking to avoid a 1-3 start. While history tells us that Patrick Mahomes and Co. should have the upper hand in this matchup (5-1 against Lamar Jackson in his career), we’re siding with Baltimore. … Through three weeks, the Chiefs are averaging 20.0 points per game, 315.7 yards per game, and 5.2 yards per play. All of those are the lowest the franchise has produced since 2018 (Mahomes’ first season as the full-time starter). As for the Ravens, their 1-2 start is a bit different. While they’d like to win every game, falling to the Bills (Week 1) and Lions (Week 3) is understandable. The late-game turnovers are a concern, but Baltimore is simply the more talented and better put-together team at the moment.” — CBS Sports NFL writer Tyler Sullivan on why he’s betting on the Ravens bouncing back at Arrowhead
Around the NFL
After missing the last two games with shoulder and toe injuries, Purdy will return to start for the San Francisco 49ers in their Week 4 tilt against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced.
Purdy was limited in practice throughout the week, but had no injury designation on Friday.
He’ll return against a Jacksonville club boasting a so-far impressive defense ranked fifth in points allowed.
When Purdy was injured in a Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks, it was reported that he would miss two to five weeks. He’s returning on the earlier side and the timing is perfect.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs Roster: Tyquan Thornton is helping Patrick Mahomes throw deep
And he might be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Chiefs’ offense.
Yes… not everything in the Kansas City offense has been fixed. Its performance against the New York Giants certainly left plenty to be desired. But so far, this season has been about the offense taking baby steps. One of those is taking the top off of defenses with more deep balls. These are risky throws — but as we learned during quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ first couple of years as a starter, their potential reward is substantial.
In recent years, however, the two-time MVP hasn’t displayed much trust in his wide receivers’ ability to win their downfield routes — simply because many of his wideouts have earned that distrust. That’s why Mahomes’ deep-ball attempts have been decreasing every year.
Until now, that is.
Trust between Mahomes and Thornton is growing visibly. On Sunday, Mahomes targeted Thornton with four passes that traveled at least 20 yards downfield. While Thornton only caught one, it resulted in a 33-yard gain — Kansas City’s fifth-longest passing play of the season. Thornton has now been involved in three of the team’s five longest pass plays of 2025.
According to Pro Football Focus, no NFL receiver has more deep targets than Thornton (11), He’s averaging more than 3.5 deep targets per game, which works out to 60 deep shots over a 17-game season.
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