Week 4 in the NFL saw a couple of familiar teams resurface as potential contenders in the AFC, as well as a few wacky games in the NFC headlined by a tie between the Packers and Cowboys on Sunday Night.
Two teams, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills, improved to 4-0 and are the only unbeaten teams remaining in the league. However, it wasn't enough to crack the list of winners in Week 4. Let's dive into who should be feeling good coming out of September.
Are the Chiefs back?
Everyone was slamming the panic button on the Chiefs after their 0-2 start, and Kansas City was less than impressive in its Week 3 win over the Giants. On Sunday, however, Kansas City looked like the Super Bowl contender it has become known as with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback.
In its first game with Xavier Worthy back after he recovered from his shoulder injury, the Chiefs' offense marched up and down the field against a struggling Ravens defense in a 37-20 blowout. Worthy's presence added an element of explosiveness because of his speed, and the threat of him going deep also opened up space for the rest of the pass-catchers.
Defensively, the Chiefs held Lamar Jackson to one of the worst games of his career before he went out with a hamstring injury. Steve Spagnuolo prevented Derrick Henry from going nuclear on the ground, and Kansas City constantly got pressure on the former MVP in the passing game.
After the Chargers picked up their first loss of the season against the Giants, the Chiefs are now just one off the pace in the AFC West. With Worthy back in the lineup and Rashee Rice's suspension nearly over, the Chiefs look like they are finally rounding into form as the calendar turns to October.
Giants get to 1-0 in Jaxson Dart era
Brian Daboll surprised some people when he made the move to bench Russell Wilson for rookie Jaxson Dart after just three games. Dart was viewed as more of a raw prospect, but the Giants clearly deemed him ready to go in Week 4.
Dart didn't light up the stat sheet by any means, but he showed what he gives this New York offense that Wilson does not and took care of the ball against a very good Chargers defense. It wasn't pretty, but it was enough to get a 21-18 win for the first victory in the Big Apple this season.
Dart's stats aren't gaudy, as he finished 13-for-20 with 111 yards and a touchdown while running for 54 yards and another score on the ground. However, if he can keep taking care of the football and leaning on his legs to move the chains, this Giants team will be able to lean on its pass rush to stay competitive.
Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are doing it again
The Steelers have become known for scrapping out wins, particularly in games where they don't really deserve to. That was the case in Week 3, when Pittsburgh was thoroughly outplayed by the New England Patriots but used five takeaways to still come away with a win.
Mike Tomlin took his charge overseas in Week 4, but it was more of the same for Pittsburgh. Two opportune takeaways and a massive play to DK Metcalf buoyed an otherwise uninspiring Steelers effort, but they still came out on top 24-21 to get to 3-1 on the season. Pittsburgh even survived one of the more puzzling fourth-down decisions of the year from Tomlin, forcing Carson Wentz into a lot of Carson Wentz-y errors to get the win.
Now, the Steelers are alone in first place in the AFC North, and their prospects of winning the division look a whole lot better than they did coming into the season. The Bengals are in second place at 2-2 but are spiraling out of control without Joe Burrow, and the Ravens are now 1-3 and have a ton of injury issues of their own to deal with.
As it stands, the Steelers are in the pole position to win the division after four weeks. Dates with the Browns and Bengals on the horizon present them with a good opportunity to get to 5-1 after Week 7.
Jaguars make a statement
The Jaguars have gotten a lot of negative press in the first four weeks, mostly related to their odd usage of Travis Hunter and the struggles of Brian Thomas Jr. However, Sunday's 26-21 win over the San Francisco 49ers got the Jags to 3-1, and they now share first place in the AFC South with the Colts.
Trevor Lawrence is playing some good football, even with some of the inconsistencies that have plagued him in the past popping up from time to time. The running game looks much-improved with Coen calling the shots, and Travis Etienne Jr. has had somewhat of a resurgence this season. Brenton Strange also looks like a home run at tight end and has been a reliable target for Lawrence in the passing game.
The defense has arguably been even more impressive for the Jags so far this season. They took the ball away from the 49ers four times on Sunday and have been making big plays on that side of the ball all year. Their 13 takeaways this season leads the league by a wide margin and is a good sign moving forward.
The Seahawks are winning with Sam Darnold
One of the more scrutinized decisions in the league this offseason was the choice by the Seahawks to trade away Geno Smith and bring Sam Darnold in free agency. Smith has been a quality starter for Seattle over the last few years, while Darnold's Cinderella season with the Vikings came to an ugly end last year.
So far, Seattle has been vindicated as Darnold is playing some of the best football of his career while Smith struggles to get things going with the Las Vegas Raiders. On Thursday night, Darnold put on a laser show in a 23-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Sam Darnold is an elite QB pic.twitter.com/9q2aRM2CxB
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 26, 2025
The Seattle offense is a little bit inconsistent, but Darnold's ability to push the ball down the field and his chemistry with Jaxon Smith-Njigba will give it a chance week in and week out. Pair that with a very good defense, and the 3-1 Seahawks are right in the mix after four weeks.
