The New England Patriots did not look like defending conference champions. Their 1-2 start featured a Week 1 loss to Drew Lock and a Week 3 thumping at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quarterback Drake Maye, an All-Pro and MVP runner-up to Matthew Stafford, looked entirely broken. Through three games he'd turned the ball over seven times against only a single touchdown.
Turns out, all Maye needed to get back on track was a road showdown against his toughest competition in the AFC East. Maye overcame early turnovers -- one not quite his fault and the other very, very much so -- to turn a three-point Buffalo Bills halftime lead into a streak-breaking 29-26 Patriots win in western New York. Before Sunday, the Bills had won 18 straight games
while leading at the break.
It's not just that Maye found his rhythm, it's how he did it. His struggles in Weeks 1-3 were the function of an offensive line that allowed pressure at a higher rate than 2025 while opponents blitzed considerably less (from 10-plus times per game down to eight). Those extra defenders in the secondary clogged passing lanes, and when Maye defaulted to the targets that worked in practice he was confronted with tighter windows and an unacceptable amount of interceptions.
On Sunday, we saw him return to the improvisation and escape tools that served him so well in his 2025 breakthrough. He threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns. He also led the team with 54 rushing yards on eight carries. After being sacked thrice in each game he'd played this season, the Bills -- who came into Week 4 with a top-10 sack rate -- only got to him once.
Drake Maye escapes pressure and goes back to Romeo Doubs despite his second quarter interception for a nice gain between two guys who've struggled to get on the same page this year
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-10-04T18:46:40.504Z
More encouraging was Maye's connection with embattled free agent addition Romeo Doubs. Doubs' Patriots debut was a disaster, logging zero catches on three targets along with a brutal drop on a deep ball downfield. He'd improved since then, but not only looked like a woeful replacement for an injured A.J. Brown but also a player undeserving of a four year, $68 million contract.
But with Brown on injured reserve and Mack Hollins exiting the game in the second half due to injury, New England needed someone to step up. For the first time all season, Doubs was ready -- and his connection with Maye finally began to make sense.
.@DrakeMaye2 puts it in there 🎯
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 4, 2026
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/S2Ph9nvKJE
Doubs also drew a defensive holding penalty in the end zone to turn a field goal drive into one that ended with six points.
Six points to Doubs, specifically, on his second touchdown of the afternoon.
Drake and Romeo part 2
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 4, 2026
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/WriKh34jDX
His day ended with nine targets, six catches, 58 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It could have been even better if he'd been able to haul in a gorgeous deep ball on which a diving Doubs couldn't quite get a handle.
gorgeous deep ball from Drake Maye, but Romeo Doubs (who is having one hell of a day) can't haul it in
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-10-04T19:58:17.242Z
(Doubs and Chism weren't the only embattled young(ish) wideout to thrive in Orchard Park. Keon Coleman stepped up with D.J. Moore nursing a shoulder injury. He had six catches for 116 yards and a late go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. He set up that touchdown by doing this:
probably a good thing the Bills didn't trade away Keon Coleman for nothing this offseason
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-10-04T19:38:05.641Z
Awesome.)
Maye was 11 of 18on throws more than 10 yards downfield, notching a pair of touchdowns without an interception. He threw for 162 yards on such throws -- a 126.2 passer rating leagues ahead of his 58.6 mark through the first three weeks of the year. He performed well both under pressure and with a clean pocket, no longer forcing the ball like he had whilst getting mollywhopped by the Jaguars seven days earlier.
Importantly, he looked like the guy who can lift up underwhelming receivers again. Doubs was the most obvious beneficiary, but after Mack Hollins left the game with injury he needed someone new to step up. With the game on the line, that was undrafted second-year wideout Efton Chism III who, well, you probably saw this a whole bunch Sunday afternoon and into the evening.
CHIZZZZZ @EftonChism
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 4, 2026
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/FPb2kg9mqi
After weeks of hearing how overrated he was -- and a Boston sports radio carousel that eventually came to the obvious (for the rockheaded) conclusion New England's best path forward was a trade for Mac Jones (this really happened! Someone who is paid to be on the radio said this!) -- Maye delivered an emphatic answer to beat the Bills in Buffalo for the second straight season. The third-year quarterback fended off pressure. He found open receivers. He threw gorgeous passes downfield to places only his receivers could catch them.
In short, he looked like the guy who led the Patriots to their first post-Tom Brady Super Bowl appearance. Now he has to prove he can do it again with a lively Las Vegas Raiders team coming to Foxborough.
Let's talk about what else stood out Sunday.
Best, but also worst: Darius Cooper, the young emerging Eagles wideout we all expected
We could run 2,000 words examining why the Philadelphia Eagles offense is as punchless as it is. First year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion looks like someone three years into their coaching career. Philly had Saquon Barkley cooking last week and not only stopped giving him carries, but largely ignored the concept of play-action passes that would create the space over the middle that continues to be the easiest criticism of Jalen Hurts' passing.
The Eagles were without Devonta Smith and Dallas Goedert Sunday afternoon. Saquon Barkley joined him after two carries thanks to a hamstring injury. A listless offense needed someone to step up. This would have been a great place for rookie first round pick Makai Lemon to show out. Or for offseason trade addition Dontayvion Wicks to expand his game and emerge as Hurts' huckleberry.
Instead, the wideout with the most targets and receiving yards, as well as the team's two touchdowns, was an undrafted second-year player who had 11 targets in 13 games last year.
— NFL Daily News (@insidenflnews.bsky.social) 2026-10-04T18:10:17.248Z
Hurts only attempted four passes that traveled more than 15 yards downfield. He completed two, both to the 5-foot-11 receiver from Tarleton State (these were two of his three completions that went at least 10 yards in the air; the third went to Lemon). When Philadelphia needed someone over the middle for a clutch touchdown before the half, Cooper was the guy.
Anotha one for DC 🦅 pic.twitter.com/VII8knlKrt
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 4, 2026
This didn't matter, because the Eagles are matched only by the Green Bay Packers in their inability to capitalize on early leads in the second half (we'll talk about that later). Philadelphia let a compromised Los Angeles Rams team escape on a day where Matthew Stafford threw a pair of interceptions and needed 51 passes to throw for 317 yards. The run game sputtered and a passing offense led by a player with 11 career receptions before Sunday was not enough to sustain the drives needed to grind clock with a lead.
The Eagles are only 2-2, but this is still a significant disappointment. If Nick Sirianni has more days when Cooper is his top target, the rapidly warming seat beneath him is going to reach uncomfortable temperatures.
Eagles fans weren’t happy with Nick Sirianni’s coaching performance in the team’s 24-20 loss to the Rams. “What’s happening at halftime? Are we eating meatball subs?”
— CBS Philadelphia (@cbsphiladelphia.bsky.social) 2026-10-04T23:31:25.461Z
Worst: Geno Smith allows the haters to write him off once more
Smith's career has been a roller coaster, so it wasn't entirely surprising he'd gone from being one of the league's worst quarterbacks in Las Vegas to a stabilizing veteran presence for the New York Jets' offense less than a year later. He ranked 33rd out of 34 quarterbacks to play at least 300 snaps with -0.066 expected points added (EPA) per dropback last fall. But one year removed from only being better than Cam Ward, his 0.183 EPA per dropback ranked 12th across the first three weeks of 2026. The Jets were still 1-2, but their two losses were in one possession games. This was promising.
Then, Smith faced the Chicago Bears -- a defense who allowed 478 yards and 37 points in its season opener. Without Breece Hall or Adonai Mitchell in the lineup, he piloted an offense that had fewer plays run than the Bears, led by backup Tyson Bagent, had first downs.
Smith's Jets had seven first downs while going 0-7 on third down. They ran just 32 offensive plays and gained just 157 yards -- 58 of which came on one fourth quarter deep ball to Isaiah Williams.
Geno Smith's passing chart, with the one touchdown coming in the fourth quarter while trailing 23-6. the haters are gonna start writing him again like Paul to the Corinthians
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-10-04T22:33:01.728Z
That long touchdown was more than double the length of the Jets' second-longest drive of the game (24 yards). Smith completed two of five passes for 13 yards on third down, with each of those passes stopped short of the sticks. He lost another 17 yards on two sacks, which meant the team's average third down play went for negative yardage.
Pair that with a defense that gave up 268 passing yards to Tyson Bagent and you've got a recipe for disaster. The Bears wrapped up this game with an 18-play, 76-yard drive that covered more than nine minutes of game time and, mercifully, prevented us from watching any more of the Jets offense. Whatever good vibes were raised in Smith's 1-2 start were fully vacated Sunday. The 2026 Jets suddenly look like the 2025 Jets, and that's terrible for everyone.
Best: The Travis Hunter breakthrough we were promised
The Jaguars paid big to add the Heisman Trophy winner to their depth chart(s). They traded a pair of first round picks to move up to the second overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. He showed promise as a two-way player, but his rookie campaign was cut short after seven games due to a torn ACL.
2026 saw him focus primarily on defense. Through three games he'd taken 15 offensive snaps. This would, in theory, create the recovery and concentration needed to fulfill his All-Pro promise as a playmaker in the secondary. In practice... ah, yeah, that's pretty much what's happening.
Trav teach tape#JAXvsCIN on CBS pic.twitter.com/ZYp8XsG3oK
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 4, 2026
Hunter was a menace, harassing Joe Burrow across the field and providing lockdown coverage on a day where injuries forced Jacksonville to rely on a backup safety. Though he gave up four catches for 30 yards when targeted, he was mostly burned by Dohnte Meyers.Per NFL Pro, across 11 coverage snaps against Tee Higgins and Mike Gesicki -- Cincinnati's top two receivers following Ja'Marr Chase's exit due to a concussion -- he allowed a single target and zero completions.
He also had an interception negated due to roughing the passer. That in itself isn't super notable, but his ability to put Higgins on skates during the return is.
Tee still trying to find his socks
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) 2026-10-04T18:34:58.172Z
Hunter is emerging as a shutdown corner worthy of mortgaging a future first round pick for. That's scary for the rest of the NFL, because the Jaguars offense is a whole wagon right now, in large part because of...
Worst, but also best: Brenton Strange's hurdles
That's not a metaphor for his struggle to get to the NFL. Strange is an important piece of the Jacksonville Jaguars offense. His utility as a blocker and receiver is the straw the stirs head coach (and Rhode Island High School Football Legend (tm)) Liam Coen's drink. He's a plus athlete who can thoroughly rumble after the catch.
But we saw the dangers of tight ends hurdling defenders in Week 2 when Kenyon Sadiq's jump ended with a helmet to the groin. Strange was able to protect his beans, but otherwise this went about as poorly as it could have.
some guys should just not try to hurdle
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) 2026-10-04T19:11:04.334Z
The good news? Strange wasn't deterred by his jump fumble, which Jakobi Meyers swatted out of bounds (it wasn't illegal batting as it wasn't pushed forward or in the end zone). He wound up leading all Jaguars in targets. His seven catches and 96 yards were more than Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington had combined (six and 57).
This illustrates why the Jaguars offense is so dangerous under Liam Coen. The Cincinnati Bengals used their top seven defense to shut down Jacksonville's top passing weapons. They sacked Trevor Lawrence four times. But Coen's playbook includes as many exits as a 1924 speakeasy.
Thus, Strange, with 72 receiving yards in his first three games, can emerge as his team's top offensive threat. Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez, overlooked engines behind one of the league's most efficient rushing offenses, can spring for 4.7 yards per carry between them. Everybody rows in Coen's boat, and at 3-1 with a tight loss to the Denver Broncos on the resume thus far, it's making the Jaguars a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Worst: The Packers fail to close out a game, even whilst closing out a game
Matt LaFleur's modus operandi in the Green Bay Packers' latest string of spirals has been its inability to hold late leads. They blew a 12-point second half lead to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. A 21-3 Wild Card lead in Chicago turned into the Bears' high-water mark of the last decade -- and came after coughing up a 10-point advantage in the final two minutes of a Week 16 tilt against Ben Johnson's team.
Green Bay didn't lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4, but they gave an undrafted rookie multiple opportunities to make it happen. After an 84-yard fourth quarter touchdown drive put Jalon Daniels in position to generate a stirring comeback in a 17-14 game, the Packers drove to the Tampa Bay 21-yard line or deeper twice. They came away with zero points.
Kaleb Johnson capped off what should have been a 68-yard touchdown response by fumbling inside the two-yard line, ruining a day in which he'd been Green Bay's most effective back (though, in fairness, MarShawn Lloyd gained 13 yards on seven carries, so it wasn't especially difficult).
FUMBLE! Bucs Ball 🏈@GBvsTB on FOX/FOX One
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/qGdaMniTQH
Johnson's fumble wasn't excusable, but it was understandable. He's a second year running back who was nearly released by the Pittsburgh Steelers after an underwhelming rookie season before being shipped north to a Green Bay roster in dire need of runners. Jordan Love, however, is supposed to be a franchise quarterback. Why is he throwing into triple coverage on the brink of the red zone?
PICK ‼️
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 4, 2026
📺: #GBvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/UZgUnPK0dM
This is endemic to the Packers failure under LaFleur. Green Bay's offense of wide open looks creates early leads, but as defenses make adjustments, that edge crumbles. From Week 15 to the club's Wild Card defeat -- five losses -- Love had a 0.604 expected points added (EPA) per dropback in the first half, comfortably ahead of second-place Drake Maye (0.481). After halftime, that fell to -0.135 EPA/dropback, better than only:
- Philip Rivers (44 years old)
- Quinn Ewers
- Shedeur Sanders, and
- Brady Cook
That's awful company to keep. He's been worse to start games in 2026, where his 0.132 EPA/dropback in the first half ranks 14th among starters. That drops to -0.039 EPA/dropback after halftime, which ranks 24th.
The Packers aren't going to win games with a quarterback who's just barely outside the bottom quartile of starters trying to close things out. Defenses are figuring out how to slow LaFleur's offenses, LaFleur is slow to react, which puts Love in a position where he's trying to force throws. The outcome is bad decisions like the interception above.
It didn't matter in Week 4 because Green Bay was up against a winless opponent starting a rookie quarterback who threw for fewer than 150 yards. It's going to matter in the NFC North. With the Packers' first round pick headed to the Dallas Cowboys to pay off the Micah Parsons trade, there is no silver lining to a lost season. If LaFleur's game plan can't make adjustments late in games, his team will be nothing more than the league's most frustrating watch.
Best: Corgis
In a way, they are all winners because they are all very good dogs.
Put the league on notice.
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 4, 2026
Halftime MVP: BANANA 🐾 https://t.co/bTIl6nfVol pic.twitter.com/ioCs9OhVE0
In another, more accurate way, Banana and his/her Usain Bolt stare back at the competition are the winners, because their tiny little legs were merely a blur over 50 yards.
Worst: Sean Payton's (justified) lack of confidence in Bo Nix
Bo Nix had, on average, more than three seconds to throw against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday. The Niners, though undefeated, had fielded a slightly below average passing defense dependent on less heralded young defensive backs emerging as playmakers. With Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton heading up a receiving corps filled with young talent behind them, this should have created space for a big downfield performance and a victory capable of picking up where 2025's momentum left off.
Instead, Nix's average pass went 4.6 yards downfield. He wasn't sacked. He was only hit twice. But he still needed 42 passes to throw for 214 yards.
It was, somehow, worse than it looked.
Bo Nix's passing chart today:18 passes at or behind the line of scrimmage9 passes that traveled more than 10 yards downfield1 completion that traveled more than 10 yards downfieldoh no
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-10-05T00:54:13.467Z
The Nix we saw in Week 4 looked skittish. Take this third-and-5 play. San Francisco rushes four and gets repelled. Though the edges are wavering, there's room to step up in the pocket. Instead, Nix waits a beat too long and throws off his back foot. That gives Malik Mustapha time to recover and jump the out route, resulting in an incompletion and a Denver punt.
Mustapha breaks it up 🙅♂️
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 4, 2026
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/nMlTBcldjy
Nix looked decidedly juice-less on a winnable afternoon in which his defense largely kept the Niners in check. Brock Purdy had racked up over 50 EPA his previous two games but was held to fewer than seven against the Broncos. San Francisco's running backs combined for just 65 rushing yards on 21 carries. Denver still lost by double digits because Nix played like he was dumbstruck by controller lag for four quarters.
Best: Bryce Young, franchise quarterback
Let's begin with a caveat. Young's impressive performance Sunday night came against a Detroit Lions secondary that may wind up signing guys off the street in November and starting them at cornerback days later.
there's a reasonable chance 🫵you🫵 will be taking snaps for the Lions at corner at some point this season
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-10-05T02:17:47.848Z
But Young's improvement in his third season under head coach Dave Canales has been undeniable. Per Scott Spratt, his four games this season with at least 275 passing yards has already matched his career total from 2023 to 2025.
In Week 4 he was forced to operate without Jalen Coker, effectively turning his wideout cache into a one man show (a very good one, since it stars Tetairoa McMillan). That's no problem. While Carolina lacks a top-line receiving threat at tight end, it has the depth to run out of 13 personnel (one running back, three tight ends) and baffle opponents with a diverse array of targets to Tommy Tremble, Darren Waller and Mitchell Evans.
the Panthers going from "we haven't had a reliable receiving TE since Greg Olsen" to "we've got the horses to baffle you with 13 personnel" is such a fun change of pace
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-10-05T02:56:24.022Z
Young peppered those guys, along with John Metchie III and Brycen Tremaine, for 329 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 32-26 win over the Lions. It was a victory that, briefly, puts the Panthers atop the NFC South with the capacity to repeat as champs -- maybe this time without a losing record.
He threw 16 passes that traveled at least 10 yards downfield Sunday night. He completed nine for 169 yards and two touchdowns. That's a sterling 132.6 passer rating on the difficult throws that simply were not in his arsenal early in his career.
Beautiful ball
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 5, 2026
📺 NBC#DETvsCAR pic.twitter.com/8zCzIdhA6s
While Young had some misfires (an incompletion streak late gave the Lions room for hope), he rose up and put balls on the money when Carolina needed it the most. His downfield touch was remarkable. His decision making swift, deliberate and overwhelmingly correct. When Detroit stiffened late and trailing, the Lions loaded up to stop the run and force Carolina into third-and-long situations. Young wasn't able to grind the clock all the way down, but he was able to burn the clock to the fringe of the two-minute warning with a picture perfect sideline strike, on the run, to McMillan.
perfect placement from Bryce Young. incredible concentration and body control from Tetairoa McMillan. first down, and Detroit's in some trouble
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-10-05T03:33:14.142Z
The Panthers defense likely caps their postseason ceiling -- they were still outgained by Detroit, 452 to 445. But Young is pushing himself closer and closer to a $50-plus million annual salary as he heads into the team option fifth year on his rookie contract. Extending a shaky quarterback can be risky. Daniel Jones is a case study unto that on his own. Young's ability to access the touch and placement that made him such an intriguing prospect while maintaining the play-extending scrambles to frustrate defenses suggests this could be sustainable.
Four games isn't nearly enough data to land on a conclusion either way. Young's continued growth under Canales, however, might be.
3 unexpected fantasy studs
- WR Tyquan Thornton, Kansas City Chiefs (Three percent owned in Yahoo! fantasy leagues): Eight targets, five catches, 111 yards, two touchdowns and one leg injury you absolutely should not watch a replay of.
- WR Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills (Four percent): Seven targets, six catches, 116 yards and one touchdown
- WR Darius Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles (Zero percent): Seven targets, three catches, 33 yards and two touchdowns
3 bewildering fantasy duds
- RB David Montgomery, Houston Texans (98 percent): 10 carries, 24 yards, 19 receiving yards on a lateral
- WR Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (97 percent): Four targets, two catches, 13 yards
- TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (97 percent): Four targets, two catches, 15 yards
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Drake Maye's demise may have been exaggerated and the best, worst of Week 4
