Vikings ⬆, Packers ⬇, and more NFL Week 4 takeaways

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NFL Week 4 is ( almost ) in the books, and here are some key takeaways from the games :

➤ Game of the day: Atlanta Falcons 26, New Orleans Saints 24 — The Falcons hadn't scored an offensive touchdown the entire game and seemed on the verge of losing a third home game this season. However, a fortuitous pass interference penalty in the final minute set up kicker Younghoe Koo, who connected on a career-long 58-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to deliver the win for the Falcons. It was Koo's fourth field goal of the game, which also featured a pick-six by Troy Anderson and a muffed punt return that was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown . The win was big for the Falcons , who improved to 2-2 – while also sending the Saints to 2-2 – and sets up an intriguing Week 5 showdown at home against the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) on "Thursday Night Football."

➤ Play of the day: Philadelphia Eagles get two points off block point-after try . The Eagles might have lost Sunday against the Buccaneers, but they did pull off one of the NFL's rarest plays. Isaiah Rodgers blocked kicker Chase McLaughlin's extra-point attempt. Kelee Ringo scooped up the ball and scampered for a two-point score for the Eagles. Why two points? Per page 42 of the NFL's official rulebook , "If a Try results in a touchdown by either team, two points are awarded." The last such instance of this play occurred during the 2021 season and was pulled off by the Seattle Seahawks . The first blocked extra point returned for two points came during the 2016 season , and it was done by the New Orleans Saints .

➤ Quotable: "Stats are for losers, man." — Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons head coach. Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts did not having a catch – despite Kirk Cousins attempting 35 passes – in Atlanta's win on Sunday. His coach doesn't seem too concerned, however.

➤ How about the ...!

• Baltimore Ravens : After all the hand-wringing over the team's sluggish 0-2 start, the Ravens have won two straight against teams that were division winners last season.
• Minnesota Vikings : Vagabond quarterback Sam Darnold is a bona fide early season MVP candidate for a team that looks like the best in the NFC.
• Washington Commanders : Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is the first player in NFL history with a completion percentage of 85% or higher in consecutive games (minimum 15 pass attempts per game). His 82.1 completion percentage is the highest through the first four games of a season in NFL history, surpassing TV analyst Tom Brady (79.2% in 2007), who apparently played some quarterback back in the day.

➤ What's up with the ...?

• Green Bay Packers : Maybe Jordan Love – three picks against the Vikings (though, he did have a career-high four TD passes) – should have taken another week off to get right.
• New York Jets : The Jets followed up an impressive win in Week 3 with a sloppy, mistake-riddled performance in the rain at home against the Broncos . "The weather sucked ... but so did some of my throws," Aaron Rodgers said after the game.

➤ Alt uniform of the week: Despite two other teams – the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys – going with O.G. throwback looks this weekend , the Atlanta Falcons take the honors. The Falcons should go back to these throwbacks permanently.

📸: Alternate and throwback uniforms of 2024 NFL season

➤ Don't forget: There are TWO "Monday Night Football" games: Fire up that two-TV setup for a second consecutive Monday night, sports fans, as two NFL games will be played semi-simultaneously again this week as the Miami Dolphins host the Tennessee Titans (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) and the Detroit Lions host the Seattle Seahawks (8:15 p.m. ET on ABC). There will be no ManningCast ; that show will return next week.

📸: Best of NFL Week 4

NFL Week 4 key storylines

➤ Winners and losers: While the number of unbeaten teams is down to three, several teams thought to be contenders suffered ugly defeats.

➤ 32 things we learned: While the Vikings look like the NFC's top team, a new contender might be emerging in the NFC East. What else did we take away from Week 4?

➤ NFL has overpowering force emerging: With Derrick Henry and quarterback Lamar Jackson – equally effective with his legs and his right arm – the Ravens have the ability to run all over teams .

➤ Rashee Rice's injury opens the door for Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy: The back-to-back Super Bowl champions were dealt a significant blow in their win over the Chargers on Sunday.

➤ Nerve-wracking finishes have forged one NFL team's identity : The Falcons have repeatedly gone down to the wire, and Atlanta has shown it can dig deep enough to pull out unlikely wins, Jarrett Bell writes.

📸: Fans, mascots, cheerleaders and celebrities at NFL games

NFL Week 4 results

• Baltimore Ravens 35, Buffalo Bills 10 : A week after running all over the Cowboys defense for 151 yards and two touchdowns, Derrick Henry came one yard short of 200 in the Ravens' statement win over the Bills on "Sunday Night Football."
• San Francisco 49ers 30, New England Patriots 13 : Nothing like a matchup against the hapless Patriots to overcome a two-game skid and numerous key injuries.
• Kansas City Chiefs 17, Los Angeles Chargers 10 : Even though the Chargers got out to a 10-0 lead, it seemed inevitable that the Chiefs would come back and win . The Chiefs now have won six consecutive games – as well as 11 straight road games – against the Chargers. That road game win streak dates back to when the Chargers were the San Diego Chargers .
• Las Vegas Raiders 20, Cleveland Browns 16 : This is the Browns' worst start to a season (1-3) since 2017, when the team went 0-17.
• Washington Commanders 42, Arizona Cardinals 14 : A new contender might be emerging in the NFC East. The Commanders have won three straight games , sit atop of the NFC East and boast the early season frontrunner for NFL offensive rookie of year in Jayden Daniels.
• Atlanta Falcons 26, New Orleans Saints 24 : Younghoe Koo came up clutch in the final seconds, nailing a 58-yard field goal to give the Falcons a thrilling win over the NFC South rival Saints. The Falcons managed to win this game without scoring an offensive touchdown.
• Cincinnati Bengals 34, Carolina Panthers 24 : Joe Burrow willed this Bengals team to its first victory of the season.
• Chicago Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 18 : Caleb Williams and the Bears offense finally got going as the rookie quarterback led four scoring drives and running back D'Andre Swift had his best game with the Bears.
• Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 29 : Four turnovers (three via interceptions), two missed field goals and eight penalties prevented the Packers from knocking the rival Vikings from the ranks of the NFL's unbeatens.
• Indianapolis Colts 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 24 : A familiar old foe, Joe Flacco , stepping in for injured quarterback Anthony Richardson to help the Colts knock the Steelers from the ranks of the NFL unbeatens.
• Houston Texans 24, Jacksonville Jaguars 20 : C.J. Stroud and the Texans pulled out this win with 18 seconds remaining to keep the Jaguars winless.
• Denver Broncos 10, New York Jets 9 : A week after a stunning win over the Buccaneers in Tampa, the Broncos pulled off another shocker with this low-scoring victory over the Jets in the rain.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33, Philadelphia Eagles 16 : Baker Mayfield and the Bucs built a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter and the Eagles were forced to play catch-up the rest of the game.
• Dallas Cowboys 20, New York Giants 15 (Thursday): The Cowboys were sloppy, penalty-riddled, outgained by the Giants and saw their best defensive player needing assistance to leave the field, but managed to get an important bounce-back victory on the road.

📅: Complete 2024 NFL schedule

Coming up this week

➤ Monday: For the second straight week, Week 4 features two "Monday Night Football" games. The Miami Dolphins host the Tennessee Titans at Hard Rock Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN), then the Detroit Lions host the Seattle Seahawks at Ford Field at 8:15 p.m. ET (ABC).

➤ Tuesday: USA TODAY Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 4 .

➤ Thursday: Week 5 kicks off with an NFC South showdown between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on "Thursday Night Football" (8:20 p.m. ET, Prime Video). Before the game, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 5 game.

If you enjoy reading 4th & Monday 📰, encourage your football fan friends to subscribe 📱. Follow the fervently festive writer of this newsletter on X and/or Threads @jimreineking 🧵.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vikings ⬆, Packers ⬇, and more NFL Week 4 takeaways