NFL Week 4 Winners and Losers
Winners
Mitchell Trubisky
Chicago Bears fans have been waiting for their “franchise QB” Mitchell Trubisky to show his true potential. Well, he finally showed up. Going for a total of 407 yds and 6 TDs, he helped the Bears win over the Buccaneers 48-10. Bears fans have seen glimpses of hope in the past, but this was a full vision. Trubisky probably won’t keep this form all year, but as long as he can be somewhat consistent, he can help the Bears make the playoffs.
Los Angeles Rams
The LA Rams are proving that they are the team to beat in the NFC this year. After beating the Minnesota Vikings 38-31 Thursday night, they improved to 4-0 on the season, and don’t look like slowing down. Usually, it has been the dominant Rams defense and consistent RB Todd Gurley winning LA games, but this time it was 2nd year QB Jared Goff who really impressed. Goff has always had the weapons, but not the accuracy. If the offense keeps producing and the defense stays dominant, I don’t know how they do not end up in the Super Bowl.
Oakland Raiders
Jon Gruden finally has received his first win this season for the Oakland Raiders. After beating the Cleveland Browns in overtime 45-42, maybe things are starting to turn on the bright side in Oakland. QB Derek Carr had an above average game with 400+ yards and 4 touchdowns but also had two interceptions. The Raiders defense was not great, allowing 487 yards total. But hey, they finally got a win and Jon Gruden will take it, even if they got lucky with a certain call...
Honorable mentions: Patrick Mahomes, Calvin Ridley, and Baltimore Ravens
Losers
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Is it the end of Fitz-magic in Tampa Bay? QB Ryan Fitzpatrick got benched for the second half of Sunday’s game after throwing for 126 yards and one interception. After the game, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter stated that QB Jameis Winston will take over as QB after their bye week. Fitzpatrick looked excellent his first few games filling in for Winston (due to suspension), but Sunday was inaccurate and lazy. Fitzpatrick will retain his backup role for now. This may have been the last time he is a starting QB in his career, so at least he had a few decent weeks before returning to normal form.
Earl Thomas
One of the biggest headlines this past offseason was if Seattle Seahawks S Earl Thomas was going to get a new contract extension with guaranteed money or be traded. Neither happened and now Thomas’ season is over. Thomas broke his leg during his game vs the Arizona Cardinals. After being pulled onto the cart, Thomas flipped off the Seahawks sideline, obviously upset that the very reason he wanted to get a new contract extension happened. Now, Earl Thomas has the whole season to figure out his future. If I had a guess, he will not be returning to Seattle next fall.
Pittsburgh Steelers
I am going to be brief and say that the Steelers really should have paid RB Le’veon Bell. Pittsburgh look and are performing like a totally different team without him. Yes, fill in RB James Conner looked ok at first, but with only 19 yds rushing Sunday looked poor. But honestly, the whole Steelers team looked average in their loss to Baltimore on Sunday. The whole staff needs to look at each other in the face and ask, “What are we doing wrong, and how should we fix it right now”. With Pittsburgh facing the Atlanta Falcons this weekend at home, they need to get a win, or their season can theoretically be over.
Honorable mentions: Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, and Sam Darnold
