Best & Worst NFL Week Four

That's the beautiful thing about the National Football League. Anything can happen week to week. That's why the old saying goes that it's Any Given Sunday! Look at what happened at Metlife Stadium: A rookie gets a start and upsets an unbeaten team. We had a couple of big days from rookie running backs, and there's only two teams left with a perfect record after the first month of the season in Buffalo and Philadelphia. Still a lot more to dive into from the week that was, so let's get right into it. Here's the best, and worst, from week four around the NFL!

Best: Puka Nacua, Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Rams
There's dominating performances and then there's what Puka did on Sunday. The Rams handed Indianapolis their first loss of the season, a 27-20 win by LA. Try going for 13 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown in the win Sunday afternoon. Puka not only should grab offensive player of the week, he making a vert early case for offensive player of the year, and we only a month into the season. He's already got 42 catches for 503 yards. If somehow he can keep this up, he's on pace to finish with over 2,300 receiving yards. The record is 1,964 yards in a single season set by Calvin Johnson in 2012. Puka has been that good for the first month. 

Worst: Bryce Young, Quarterback, Carolina Panthers
It seems to slowly be getting worse for the former top overall pick. They got blown out, at home, on Sunday, to the tune of a 42-13 blowout against the Patriots. Young only threw for 150 yards. He's had one game all season where he's thrown for over 200 yards, that was in week two when he threw for 324. He can't find much mojo to work off  of and it is not looking like its going to get much easier. He has got to be able to find some sort of confidence to let the ball fly more. If he doesn't I'm not sure how much longer a leash he's going to have.

Best: Rookie Running Backs
It's safe to say that week four was a bigtime coming out party for the first two running backs taken back in April's draft. First, there's the day Ashton Jeanty had for the Raiders. The 6th overall pick went off in the Vegas 25-24 loss to the Bears, Jeanty had 21 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown. he almost got the Raiders the win all by himself. Oh and not to be outdone, there's Omarion Hampton, the 22nd overall pick by the Chargers. In a 21-18 loss to the Giants, Hampton had 12 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown. Those two guys had the top two rushing performances in the NFL this week. Pretty good for a couple first year guys.

Worst: Adonai Mitchell, Wide Receiver Indianapolis Colts
There had been some flashes of hope that things are going to get better for the Colts this season. Indy now sits at 3-1 on the season following the loss to the Rams, which we touched on earlier. Mitchell had a decent day with three catches for 96 yards. He had a chance to make an insane 75 yard touchdown catch but instead dropped the ball through the endzone, turning it into a touchback. Oh and he cost the Colts again late in the game. With the scored tied at 20 it looked like Jonathan Taylor ripped off a 53 yard score. What happened? Play was called back cause Mitchell got flagged for holding. Colts punted and Rams scored the go ahead touchdown on the insuring drive.

Best: Jaxson Dart, Quarterback New York Giants
At least one New York metro area team managed to get a win. The Giants walked away with a 21-18 win over the Chargers, which was the first loss of the year for the Chargers. Dart wasn't the flashiest in his first game, but he was good enough to get himself a win. He went 13 of 20 for 111 yards and a touchdown. Only downside was he was sacked five ti4mes on the day, but that's more of an indication of his offensive line than it was him. Still, you get your first start in the NFL, you get a win, and you do it against a previously unbeaten team. This is a good starting point. Lets hope the kid can build off of it.

Worst: New York Jets Discipline
Things were supposed to be better for the Jets this season. That's not to say that they'd be competing for a Super Bowl or anything, but they were supposed to be a bit more competitive. That hasn't happened. The Jets are now 0-4 following a 27-21 loss to the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. Gang Green took 13 penalties for 101 yards and fumbled the football three times on the day, which killed any chances they might have had. This was supposed to be a team that was going to play a more disciplined game and limit the turnovers. Neither has happened over the first month.

Best & Worst NFL Week Three

Week three has come and gone in the National Football League. To call it a wild week around the league would be an understatement. There was last minute heroics, teams that are starting to slip fast, and others that are looking fantastic right out of the gates. Lots to dive into and a whole lot more, so lets not waste anymore time. Here's some of the best, and worst, of the week that was in the NFL!

Best: Isiah Rogers, Cornerback Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota handed the Bengals their first loss of the season, and it happened in a big way. Sunday the Vikings slapped around the Bengals to the tune of a 48-10 mauling, and doing it at home made it all the sweeter. Isiah Rogers was a huge reason for that performance. First, he stepped in front of a pass heading for Ja'Mar Chase and returned it 87 yards for a score. He wasn't done yet. He followed that up by stripping Noah Fant and taking that for 66 yards for his second defensive score on the day. He had more yards by himself then the Bengals did all day through the air. More on that coming up.

Worst: Jake Browning, Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals
Go back to the end of training camp in 2021 and Jake Browning was let go by the Minnesota Vikings, having never taken a snap for them. He joins on with the Bengals as the backup to Joe Burrow, and when he did get playing time he took advantage of it. He had a chance to do that on Sunday, against his former team no less. And he totally laid an egg. Browning was horrible on the day. 19 of 27 for 140 yards a touchdown and a pair of picks. One of those picks was a pick six early on, from which the Bengals could never recover from.

Best: Jonathan Taylor, Running Back Indianapolis Colts
A big day came around for the Colts on Sunday, to the tune of a 41-20 win on the road in Tennessee. Daniel Jones had himself a good day, throwing for 228 yards. That's good enough to help add to the lure of his redemption story that is the 2025 season, so far. But another story on the day was the play of Jonathan Taylor. Because of what Jones did through the air, it opened up the ground game for Taylor. He finished with 17 carries for 102 yards and, just as importantly, three touchdowns. Oh and I almost forgot to mention. That performance upped his season total to 338 yards on the ground, the most by any running back in the league so far this season.

Worst: New England Patriots Ball Security
The goal of the game of football is to hang onto the ball. When you have it, your not supposed to be giving it up. And you would think that a team coached by a guy the talent of Mike Vrable, would be able to hang onto the ball. But that didn't happen to New England on Sunday in a 21-14 loss at home to the Steelers. New England turned the ball over five times on the day, four of which came via the fumble. Rhamondre Stevenson had two himself while Antonio Gibson and Drake Maye had the other two. To make matters worse, two of those fumbles happened inside the Steelers five yard line. And those turnovers cost the Pats the game.

Best: Jordan Davis, Defensive Tackle Philadelphia Eagles
Things looked like they might be getting away from the Eagles on Sunday against the Rams. The Rams were up 26-7 before the Eagles found their game and fought back. But it was two major plays from Jordan Davis that we just as huge if not bigger than what the Eagles offense did. First Davis had a huge chase down and sack of Matthew Stafford late in the football game. Then, as the Eagles were attempting to kick a game winning field goal, which was from 61 yards out, was blocked by Davis. After the block, he had the ware withal to grab the ball and rumble all the way into the endzone for what was the game winning touchdown. Thanks to that play the Eagles walked away with a 33-26 win and remain unbeaten on this young season.

Worst: Michael Penix Jr, Quarterback Atlanta Falcons
There had been such high expectations on Penix when he was taken 8th overall by the Falcons in the 2024 Draft. But in six career starts, Penix has just two wins, one last year over the Giants and last week over Minnesota. Then he turns it around this week in a not so good way, as the Falcons got blanked 30-0 by the Panthers in Carolina. 18 of 36 for 172 yards and a pair of picks got him pulled for Kirk Cousins. He's looked rattled all day long, and those two picks showed the signs of that. He can't seem to get it figured out and unless he does fast, it could be a quick hook for him in Atlanta, a job he took over from a bad throwing Cousins last season.

Best & Worst NFL Week Two

What a week we had in the National Football League. By the time all was said and done, ten teams remain unbeaten, while another ten teams are still searching for their first win on the season. Last Sunday saw four games with former number one overall picks squaring off. We had some big games from offensive weapons, and other games saw some lack luster offensive outputs. So lets not waste anymore time and dive right into it. Here's some of the best, and worst, of week two in the NFL.

Best: Brandon Aubrey, Kicker Dallas Cowboys
You talk about a wild game on Sunday, look no further than this one. It wasn't pretty football but man was it fun. Dallas pulled out a 40-37 overtime win over the New York Giants. When the game went into OT, the teams tied at 37, we saw leads change hands five times in the 34th quarter alone. But the insanity of all of it was saved for the Cowboys thanks to the leg of Brandon Aubrey leg. He drilled the game winner from 64 yards out, a kick that might well have been good from 70. His heroics save the day in Dallas and sent the Giants to 0-2.

Worst: Kaleb Johnson, Running Back Pittsburgh Steelers
There had been some hope going into the season in Pittsburgh that Johnson might be a good back to run the ball with in their backfield. He was a factor in this game, just not the way the Steelers wanted. It's bad enough they got blown out, losing 31-17 to Seattle (at home no loess). Johnson had one rush for one yard on the day. That's bad enough. It was made worse when he let a kickoff bounce through his hands early in the fourth quarter and simply did not go try and recover it. The Seahawks recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown to extend their lead from three points to 10. Yikes.

Best: Detroit Lions Offense
If beating the Packers in week one was good, what they did against the Bears was even better last week. They followed that up with a big win over the Bears, a really big win. Try a 52-21 win at home over Chicago. They rang up 511 yards of offense allowing those 52 points. Amon Ra St Brown (115 yards and three TDs) and Jameson Williams (108 yards and a touchdown) each had massive days. Oh yeah, and they managed to really get something out of the run game this week, which racked up 177 yards among six different ball carriers.

Worst: New York Jets
Now which team is the real New York Jets? The team that almost pulled out a win against the Steelers in the opener, or the team that showed up against Buffalo at home on Sunday? They got the doors blown off 30-10 at home by Buffalo, a game that was never even close. The D couldn't stop the Bills run game, while the offense couldn't get anything right. Justin Fields is out for at least next week, going down with a concussion. Things have to get better for the Jets right? Right?

Best: Daniel Jones, Quarterback Indianapolis Colts
There had been some question marks for Daniel Jones going into this season, taking over in Indy. He hadn't done good when he was with the Giants. Looks like it was the Giants system that failed, because he looks like a totally different quarterback in Indy. He went into Denver, which is a tough place to play, and di a fine job. Indy beat Denver 29-28 at home, and Jones game was a big part of it. He finished 23 of 34 for 316 yards and a touchdown. That's become a sign of things that its not the quarterback, its the system. look at what happened with Sam Darnold and Geno Smith leaving New York and becoming at least serviceable to good at this level. Sure, Jones has less time in his new city so he hasn't been able to really establish it yet. But after the first couple of games, the return on investment looks really good.

Worst: Joe Burrow, Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals
I really do feel bad for Joe Burrow. He looked like he might be able to get the Bengals back on track. until injury struck. Cincinnati got a win over Jacksonville on Sunday, beating the Jags 31-27 at home. Burrow left the game with injury. Turned out to not only be turf toe but it will cost him most of the season. He had to have surgery on it to be able to correct the problem. Just when it looks like things might be going in a great direction for Cincy, they now have to rely on Jake Browning to get them through the next stretch until Burrow comes back this season.

Best & Worst NFL Week One

And with that, the first week of games in the National Football League is in the books. And a wild one it was. Spitting circus in Philly, wild night cap in Buffalo, bigtime rookie debut of sorts for Minnesota. We also saw some decisions that made ones scratch your heads. There's a lot to take in from the opening week around the league. So let's not waste anymore of your time. Here's the best, and worst, from week one in the NFL.

Best: Aaron Rogers, Quarterback Pittsburgh Steelers
If there was ever a time and place to stick it to an old team, Sunday afternoon in Metlife Stadium was the spot. Arron Rogers, the 41 year old gunslinger for the Steelers, went in against his old team and showed flashes of his old self. Rogers helped lead the Steelers to a 34-32 win over the Jets with an almost vintage performance. Sure the mobility isn't there quite like it used to be. But what he did do was make quick decisions and go 22 of 33 for 244 yards and four touchdowns. Is this Aaron Rogers here to stay? We will find out in the coming weeks. But if it does, then Pittsburgh could be a big threat in the AFC North.

Worst: New York Giants Front Office
I'm almost not totally sure who to put the blame on here for the Giants. Yes, you are playing a very good team in Washington in the opener. Yes you lost 21-6 to said Washington team, who is in the opinion of most a playoff bound team this year (possibly). But what the Giants did was destroy whatever good hopes they might have had coming out of training camp and the preseason games. Going with Russel Wilson over rookie Jackson Dart is making that hot seat even hotter for Brian Daboll. The Giants couldn't seem to do anything right in the opener, which makes me wonder. Who's going to get canned first for the Giants. The head coach or general manger.

Best: Derreck Henry, Running Back Baltimore Ravens
Credit has to be given where its due in Baltimore. Derreck Henry did everything he possibly could to try and win the Ravens the game Sunday night in Buffalo. Henry finished the day with 18 carries, two of which went for touchdowns, and 169 yards on the ground. Those yard totals were the most amongst NFL runners in the opening week. He did almost everything he possibly could to help the Ravens win that game. Its the rest of the tea that failed to show up. Why? See below.

Worst: Rest Of The Baltimore Ravens
You score 40 points and have a three score lead late in the football game......and still manage to lose 41-40 to the Buffalo Bills. In Buffalo. How does that happen? A total meltdown over the final five minutes is what happened. Derreck Henry had a monster day. You had a 15 point lead with four minutes left, and became the first team in NFL history to score 40 points and rush for over 235 yards and lose. It was a total meltdown in a big game. Yes, it's week one. but losing a game like this to a team that, let's be honest here, is a favorite in the AFC in the Bills. That going to make things just that much harder for the Ravens as the season rolls along.

Best: Rookie Tight Ends
There's two guys in particular who stick out from the tight end class in the 2025 NFL Draft. Tyler Warren of the Colts (taken 14th overall) and Harrold Fanning Jr of Cleveland (taken 63rd overall). Warren had 7 catches for 78 yards in he debut win over Miami. Only guy in the Colts lineup who had more yards was Michael Pittamn with 80. As for Fanning, he also had 7 catches on the day, for 63 yards. That was good for 3rd on the Browns that day (even though it was a 17-16 loss to the Bengals). Both guys were able to find openings in the opposing defense and give their quarterbacks some solid options. If both guys can keep this up as the season wears along, they could have massive impacts on their teams and the playoff pictures.

Worst: Mike McDaniel, Head Coach Miami Dolphins
We talked earlier about the Giants management being on the hot seat earlier on. Well you can make the same argument for Mike McDaniel in Miami. The Dolphins went into Indy and got steamrolled by the Colts, to the tune of a 33-8 loss. Judging by some of went down on the field on Sunday, the Dolphins seem to be getting tired of the schtick from McDaniel. If they quitting on him in week one, who knows how long he's going to stick around.

Best: Green Bay Packers Defense
There had been high expectations on the Green bay Packers before camps even opened this year. They got even higher when Micah Parsons was added into the mix. So what did they do to show that off? They opened up at home against old friends the Detroit Lions. And held said Lions team to just 13 points in a 27-13 Green Bay win. That Packers defense sacked Jared Goff four times on the day. They also held them to just 62 total yards of offense in the 2nd half and 246 total yards. It was a big statement early on by Green Bay.

Worst: Younghoe Koo, Kicker Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were supposed to be the team to challenge the Tamp Bay Buccaneers for the top spot in the NFC South this season. But after one week, the Falcons are already possibly exploring options for a new kicker. Younghoe Koo missed a huge kick late in the game that would have tied it for the Falcons at home, but ended up missing the kick. Atlanta's coaching staff said, at this point, he is still the teams starting kicker. But if he keeps missing big kicks like this, it could be sooner rather than later if the plug gets pulled.

Baseball Legend Passes

When the late 80s New York Mets come up in conversation, one of the names that gets brough up is Davey Johnson. The man at the helm of one of the most fun baseball teams every, and a stretch for the best teams in Mets franchise history, Davey had a lot to handle. And handle it well he did. Word has come down that, at the age of 82, Davey has passed away.

He was more than just a great manager, he was a pretty good ballplayer in his own rights.

Davey played for 13 years in the Majors, eight of which were with the Baltimore Orioles, where he was best known. He also played three years in Atlanta, two in Philadelphia and one with the Chicago Cubs. He was a lifetime .261 hitter, with 136 home runs  and 609 driven in. Solid enough numbers for a playing career. Once his playing career ended, his really great work in the game took off.

In 1984, Davey was given the helm to manage the New York Mets, a position he held until getting fired 42 games into the 1990 season. From there, he managed the Cincinnati Reds from 1993-95, then Baltimore for 1996 and 1997, then the Dodgers for 1999 and 2000, and finally the Nationals 2011 to 2013. During those 17 years as a manager, Davey had a record of 1,372-1,071. His best work was with the Mets, going 595-417 in his seven season in New York. During that time he lead the Mets to the 1986 World Series title, and another division title again in 1988. His career .562 winning percentage is the sixth highest among managers with at least 1,300 wins.

Davey was a great baseball mind, he knew how to get the best out of his players. He pushed the right buttons and knew how to handle the personalities he had. Need proof? Look at what he was able to do with the wild bunch he had with the Mets in the mid to late 80s. He was able to stay around the game for another two decades, but his best work was with those 80s Mets teams.

His impact on the game will never be forgotten!

Hockey Legend Passes

There have been more than a fair share of outstanding netminders that have graced the crease in the National Hockey League. Too many to list here. One of those names was Ken Dryden. His on ice exploits were well documented, as were what he did off the ice post playing career. Yesterday the hockey world lost Dryden at the age of 78 after a long cancer battle.

His on ice exploits were the stuff of legend. Dryden began his playing career in 1970, but didn't take over full time until the start of the 1971 season. He would stay in the nets  until the end of the 1979 season. All that time was spent playing for the Montreal Canadiens. His list of accolades during that time is long: 397 games played, 258 wins, 2.24 goals against, .922 save percentage 46 shutouts. Calder Trophy 1972, Vezina Trophy five times, Conn Smyth Trophy once, Stanley Cup six times, all star game five times, Hockey Hall of Fame induction. When his playing career ended, he started out as a commentator, calling the 1980, 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics. From there, he stepped into a management role in the game. Beginning in 1997, he worked in a management role for the Maple Leafs and Canadiens, roles in which he held until 2004.

In 2004, he left the hockey world and entered the Political relm. Holding down positions in Canadian office from 2004 until around 2013. During his playing career, Dryden finished his law degree, which helped him parlay into a successful political career after his hockey life ended.

Having two great careers, one on the ice and another off of it, are something most people only really dream of. Ken was able to do both and do both very very well. He impacted so many peoples lives, in different ways. He did amazing things on the ice, and off it as well in the role of management for two of the leagues most notable franchises. Then when he stepped into the political game, he did so with the intent of making lives better of the Canadian people. His impact on not only the game of hockey but the betterment of his country will be felt forever.

It truly was a well lived life!

Big Week For Junior

At the start of spring training this year, there were some high expectations for the young guys with the Tampa Bay Rays. One of the guys who had high expectations placed on him was Junior Caminero. This year, he has more than lived up to the hype. Earlier this week, Junior became only the second player in the history of the franchise to hit 40 or more in a season. He hit the mark at home Tuesday night against the Seattle Mariners.

He joins Carlos Pena in 2007 (who hit 46 that year) as the Only Rays players to collect 40 or more in a year. It's also just the 18th time in 27 years that a Rays player has ever clubbed more than 30 or more home runs in a single season. He's also tied for 10th on the Rays list for most RBI's in a season at 102 (and counting). That's joining some pretty good company, but more on that in a second.

For a team that's been around for 27 years, the fact that there's only two guys that have ever hit 40 or more homers in a season says a lot about the two guys that have done it. Junior has been carrying this team to this point. Which is pretty impressive, because at the time of this writing the Rays are 70-69 and in 4th place in the AL East. Oh and they are two and a half games back in the wild card race in the AL at the moment as well. The way he's been playing, he's a big reason why the Rays are even still sniffing a playoff spot this late in the season. And there's still a lot of time left for them to make noise.

As for his standing in Rays history, hitting 40 or more home runs for this club is a pretty big deal. He's got an outside shot of hitting two more milestones this season with a little over three weeks left in the season. He's got a chance to pass Carlos Pena's club record of 46 homers in a season. And he's also got a chance to become the first player in Tampa Bay history to crack the magical 50 home run mark. Both would be major power marks to hit. Oh but he's not done. He's also got a shot at passing Pena's club mark of 121 RBI in a season, which Pena set in 2007. Right now, Caminero is sitting at 102 RBI which is tied for 10th most in a season in club history.

So lets see if the Rays can not only make the playoffs, but Junior can set a couple of club records.