The NFL season is nearly a quarter of the way gone, and Week 4 was a wild one with matchups between contenders across the board. The Ravens got crushed by the Chiefs in a critical AFC battle, while the Colts picked up their first loss after missing a handful of opportunities on Sunday against the Rams.
In the end, Week 4 ended with a dud as both Monday night games disappointed, leaving fans wanting more heading into Week 5. But first, it's time to take a look at the biggest losers from Week 4.
Games ending in ties
How, in 2025, are football games still ending in ties?
Packers-Cowboys was one of the most anticipated games on the slate, not necessarily for the football but for the return of Micah Parsons to Dallas. Parsons was impactful, but not spectacular, in his return, but the two explosive offenses overshadowed all of that with what turned out to be a riveting game.
On the Green Bay side, the Packers repeatedly attacked a depleted Cowboys secondary that has been struggling to prevent explosive plays all season. For Dallas, Dak Prescott turned in a supernova performance even without CeeDee Lamb, carving up a formidable Packers defense.
Even the overtime was great theater. After Green Bay drove down and tied the game with a field goal to force free football, the Packers stopped Dallas inside the 10-yard line and forced a field goal. The Packers then drove down and, with a chance to score a touchdown, nearly cost themselves the game with one of the worst clock management sequences you'll see all year. Still, another Brandon McManus field goal caused the game to end in a 40-40 tie.
A tie leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth, especially after one of the most entertaining games of the season. Can Roger Goodell come up with a way to fix that? Flip a coin, have the winner choose offense or defense, and run a play from the three-yard line to decide the game. Have a kicking contest. Have the coaches do an Oklahoma drill. Anything but a tie!
The Colts keep dropping the ball
The Colts have had a great start to the season, and they were overall very impressive on Sunday. A one-score loss to an NFC contender in the Los Angeles Rams is no reason to end up in a losers column, but the way it happened may have given Indianapolis fans flashbacks to last season.
In 2024, the Colts' season completely flipped on its head when Jonathan Taylor inexplicably dropped the ball before the end zone during a game against the Denver Broncos. Later in that game, Adonai Mitchell threw a pick-six on a trick play, swinging the game and the AFC Wild Card race as a whole. The Broncos won that game and eventually got the final spot in the playoffs.
On Sunday, Colts fans were feeling a little bit of deja vu. After Mitchell made one of the best catches and runs of the season, he dropped the ball before crossing the goal line and rolled out of the back of the end zone for a touchback.
Mitchell was also called for a hold that took a Taylor touchdown off the board, and the Colts ended up losing by seven points. Is it alarming that they lost this game? No. But is it weird that the same thing happened to them twice in such a short span? Absolutely it is.
It's over for the Bengals
The Bengals have played without Joe Burrow before, which gave the team and its fans optimism that they may be able to survive without him for three months while he recovers from a turf toe injury. After all, the Bengals were 2-0 and had an experienced backup in Jake Browning, so there was a chance they could hang around in the playoff race.
Faced with a similar situation back in 2023, the Bengals went 3-3 without Burrow to close out the regular season. This time, they don't appear to be having the same luck.
Just two weeks later, I'm here to tell you it's over. The Bengals got crushed 48-10 by the Minnesota Vikings in Browning's first start this year before the Denver Broncos waxed them 28-3 on Monday night.
Cincinnati's defense is porous and depleted after the attrition of the last few seasons, its offensive line is shaky and the running game is nonexistent. Browning is good enough to make the car go when it has all of the parts installed, but he can't cover up all of the holes that Burrow has over the last two seasons.
Two uncompetitive losses against two teams that are good, but not Super Bowl contenders, is a major red flag for Cincinnati. Even at 2-2, this is a team that looks like it's going to bottom out before it stays relevant without its star quarterback.
The Titans need to be careful with Cam Ward
The Titans, stink, but Cam Ward has still been one of the most fun quarterbacks to watch in football at the start of his young career. The No. 1 overall pick is flashy, reckless and entertaining, with a dynamic arm and a creative mind that unlocks any throw on the field. Once or twice a week, he will make a play that has you questioning both why he did that and how he did that at the same time.
Those players are fun! I want them to be successful in the league because they're great to watch, and Ward already fits into that category. However, it's been proven time and time again that young quarterbacks need functional ecosystems to succeed, and the Titans are walking a very thin line right now.
The offensive line in Tennessee is subpar, the coaching has also been rough from Brian Callahan, and it feels as if a change might be coming at the top soon. Ward doesn't have a ton of reliable pass-catchers either, and he may already be the best player on the offense.
That led to a brutal day at the office on Sunday against an elite Houston Texans defense. Ward finished 10-for-26 with 108 yards and an interception in a 26-0 loss that dropped the Titans to 0-4 and sparked the leader in the clubhouse for rant of the season from Ward.
There's still plenty of time, but the Titans had better become competent around Ward quickly. If not, they risk losing one of the most entertaining young players in the league right now.
The frisky Panthers are not-so-frisky anymore
After Bryce Young was re-inserted into the lineup for the second half of last season, the lowly Panthers were a tough out. Young played some good football, the chemistry between he and Dave Canales was growing, and the offensive line played some good football.
Coming into 2025, a healthier defense and the addition of Tetairoa McMillan on the outside both provided reasons for optimism that this Carolina team could be competitive and maybe even compete for the title in a gettable NFC South. A 30-0 shutout of the Falcons after an 0-2 start restored the faith in that notion.
On Sunday, all of that went out the window as the Panthers got crushed 42-13 by the New England Patriots in a game that was never competitive from the start. Carolina still looks like one of the worst teams in the NFL through four weeks, which will lead to a whole lot of questions about both Canales and Young if it continues.
