Week 4 NFL disappointments: The New York Jets are stuck on the runway

NFL teams were hoping to end the first quarter of the season on a strong note heading into October, but many failed to reach that goal. We’ll take a look at the players and squads who were left shaking their heads in disgust after Week 4. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to piece their backfield together after the serious injury to starter Isiah Pacheco. The team gave Carson Steele the first chance to run away with carries, but it seems like that experiment is nearing an end. Steele fumbled the ball on Kansas City’s first drive on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

CBS Sports wrote that Steele has lost his grip on a prominent role in the Chiefs’ running back room, and Roto Baller said that he (quite literally) fumbled an opportunity away. He only saw three touches in Week 4, as the newly signed Kareem Hunt stepped in to snatch work away from the rookie back.

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The forecast for the New York Jets looked pretty sunny heading into Week 4. They had a home game against a rookie quarterback, and seemed poised to win their third game of the season. However, the skies opened up for most of the afternoon at MetLife Stadium, and the rainy conditions drowned the Jets in their sorrows as they absorbed an embarrassing loss to the Denver Broncos.

The Jets were expected to overcome the weather to defeat a seemingly inferior opponent, but couldn’t get the job done. ESPN spoke about the pounding Aaron Rodgers took during the game, as he limped off the field in the fourth quarter. After the contest, the future Hall of Famer spoke about the bevy of mental mistakes the team made.

Even though they got the victory, Denver’s performance was almost as unflattering as New York’s. Bo Nix threw for 60 yards during the entire game, with Courtland Sutton being the only Broncos player who had more than three (yes, three) receiving yards. The Broncos tried to give this game away several times.

The Broncos defense was all over Rodgers, especially during the fourth quarter when it became clear he was having trouble moving. Denver anticipated the quick passes that Rodgers wanted to throw, and got the ball back for their offense multiple times. However, Denver couldn’t get a first down to ice the victory, and it came down to a Jets missed kick in order to seal the win.

The Philadelphia Eagles went into Tampa Bay on Sunday hoping to perform better than they did in a Wild Card playoff defeat at the hands of the Buccaneers in January. Things didn’t go much better for them in Week 4, as Tampa Bay raced out to a 24-7 lead at halftime. The Bucs ended up winning 33-16.

ESPN wrote that the Eagles are “an average, mistake-prone team right now.” Things might get better for them if they can get healthy, as Philadelphia was without three key offensive pieces in Lane Johnson, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. With that said, their defense has fans concerned that last year’s swoon down the stretch was no fluke.

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Heading into Week 4, many were pleasantly surprised by how well the Arizona Cardinals played. Those positive vibes were cut down on Sunday, as the Washington Commanders blew them out in their own building. PHNX Sports wrote that the Cardinals defeat on Sunday “makes talk of progress a hard sell.”

The Commanders were red hot entering Week 4’s contest, so perhaps it isn’t a surprise that they came away with the victory. With that said, the fact that Arizona got shellacked 42-14 is something that not many saw coming. It was particularly discouraging that the Cardinals could not get anything going against an embattled Washington secondary.

The Buffalo Bills were clicking on all cylinders before their Week 4 primetime battle against the Baltimore Ravens. That momentum came to an end, as the Ravens defense swarmed Josh Allen all night. ESPN noted that Baltimore hit Allen eight times. Kyle Van Noy recorded two sacks, one of which forced Allen to give up the ball.

The Bills probably weren’t going to throttle opponents every week, as they had previously done to the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars in Weeks 2 and 3. With that said, Buffalo had little answer for the onslaught Baltimore brought on Sunday night, which is something to keep in mind as this season wears on.

The NFL has effectively legislated onside kicks out of the sport, which is unfortunate considering their potential to keep an exciting game going. The Green Bay Packers roared back from a huge deficit against the Minnesota Vikings, and attempted an onside kick in order to complete their comeback. Like the end result of most onsides, the receiving team easily covered the ball up, putting an end to a thrilling fourth quarter.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson told ESPN after his Week 4 game that his hip is sore, but his injury is not serious. He was once again forced out of a game, which has become an all-too common theme in his brief NFL career. It might be fair to wonder whether Richardson, who has all the physical talent in the world, can ever make it through a full NFL schedule.

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The Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers to move to 4-0 on Sunday, but it came at a steep price. Emerging wide receiver Rashee Rice suffered a knee injury, which head coach Andy Reid has indicated is likely pretty serious. The injury came on a freak sequence, where Rice was trying to get out of the way of a mad scramble for the ball after a fumble. This could have serious ramifications for the Chiefs down the road.