It was an eventful Sunday in Week 4 of the NFL season. The day got started earlier when the Saints pitched their first shutout in five years when they blanked the Dolphins 20-0 in London.
NFL scores 2017: Live results, highlights, and more from Week 4
The quarter mark of the NFL season is here as teams start to establish where they stand.
Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
In the afternoon, the (first-place) Bills handed the Falcons their first loss of the season. The Patriots — now tied at 2-2 with the Jets — fell at home for the second time this year, in a 33-30 defeat to the Panthers. The Cowboys also dropped to 2-2 with a loss at home to the 3-1 Rams.
Two games — the Jets’ win over the Jaguars, and the Cardinals last-minute victory over the 49ers — went to overtime.
Here’s all the highlights and major news from Sunday.
News
The Saints kneeled as a team before the national anthem and then stood during it.
Ravens fans boo their team for kneeling in prayer prior to the national anthem.
Marshawn Lynch wore an “Everybody vs. Trump” shirt before the Raiders-Broncos game.
The 49ers played for the first time since President Trump’s attack on the NFL. Some players kneeled and others placed their hands on their teammates’ shoulders.
Cam Newton doesn’t want to do any interviews after the Panthers’ win.
Alejandro Villanueva says he does not want to be used to push any national anthem agenda.
On Sunday Night Football, several Seahawks players, including Michael Bennett, sat during the national anthem. The Colts players linked arms.
Highlights
Julio Jones and Mohamad Sanu wore special Ric Flair tribute cleats.
The Rams’ uniforms are so mismatched it’s like their jerseys got lost in the wash.
Bilal Powell tackled himself, then ran 75 yards for the second-longest TD run in Jets history.
What the heck were the Ravens doing on this punt against the Steelers?
Antonio Brown flipped a cooler and screamed at coaches after not getting the ball thrown his way.
Kenny Britt dropped a ball into a defender’s arms in back-to-back Browns games.
Yeah, the the Steelers really had a nine-play, 15-yard drive.
Jonathan Stewart accidentally found himself lodged in a Patriots lineman’s butt.
Matt Ryan ate some turf when he tried to run out wide for a wildcat play.
The Bills scored on a fumble recovery that should have been an incomplete pass.
Deshaun Watson tied an NFL rookie quarterback record with five touchdowns.
Cam Newton looked like himself again and made history against the Patriots’ struggling defense.
The Rams beat the Cowboys, and Jeff Fisher’s ghost is exorcised.
Here are the four dumbest things about the Jets’ overtime win over the Jaguars.
O.J. Howard scored his first NFL touchdown and he couldn’t have been more open.
A.J. Derby also caught his first NFL touchdown for the Broncos, and it was a one-handed beauty.
Marquette King pretends to ride a pony against the Broncos again after his perfectly placed punt.
Eli Manning scored the Giants’ longest rushing touchdown in two years.
Tony Romo is at it again, this time predicting exactly how the Raiders would run out the clock.
The Raiders ran a horrible fake punt just three plays after Derek Carr’s injury.
The Eagles’ defense asked for crowd noise — and got it — in a road game against the Chargers.
Larry Fitzgerald saved the Cardinals with a last-minute TD in OT vs. the 49ers.
The Colts punted from the Seahawks’ 36-yard line and it paid off with a safety.
Jacoby Brissett shook off a pick-six to lead two consecutive Colts TD drives.
Injuries
Panthers safety Kurt Coleman will not return against the Patriots with a knee injury.
Julio Jones (hip) and Mohamed Sanu (hamstring) both left the Bills game with injuries. They were ruled out for the rest of the day.
Dalvin Cook suffered a scary non-contact knee injury. The Vikings fear it could be an ACL injury. Cook will get an MRI Monday.
Marcus Mariota left the game against the Texans with a hamstring injury. He’ll undergo an MRI on Monday.
Giants defensive end Olivier Vernon re-aggravated an ankle injury and will not return.
Derek Carr left the game against the Broncos with a back injury.
Seahawks rookie running back Chris Carson was carted off with a leg injury.
Complete schedule and results (all times Eastern)
New Orleans Saints 20, Miami Dolphins 0 (London)
Buffalo Bills 23, Atlanta Falcons 17
Los Angeles Rams 35, Dallas Cowboys 30
Houston Texans 57, Tennessee Titans 14
New York Jets 23, Jacksonville Jaguars 20 (OT)
Arizona Cardinals 18, San Francisco 49ers 15 (OT)
Denver Broncos 16, Oakland Raiders 10
Before the games:
We’re entering Week 4 of the NFL season, and while it’s still a bit early to tell who the real contenders and pretenders are, we’re starting to get a good idea of where teams stand in the last weekend of September.
Sunday’s schedule starts bright and early with another trip to London when the Saints take on the Dolphins. Both teams have shown some heavy flaws so far, with Miami looking weirdly flat in a blowout loss to the Jets. The Saints managed to dispatch the Panthers last week, but it was just their first win of the year. The loser of this game will see their playoff chances continue to dwindle.
The AFC North is typically a slugfest, and we could see more of the same when the Ravens host the Steelers. This is one of the better rivalries in football, but both teams didn’t really find their identity last week. The Ravens’ defense collapsed in a loss to the Jaguars, while the Steelers struggled to move the ball against the Bears. The winner here will have an early jump on the division lead, but it’s far from secure.
Another early game to watch is the Patriots taking on the Panthers. New England nearly lost to the Texans last week, but Bill O’Brien put too much faith in his defense and Tom Brady played the hero once again. The Patriots stay home to host the Panthers, who are 2-1 but have a broken offense at the moment. Cam Newton doesn’t seem recovered from shoulder surgery, and he’s missing important weapons with Greg Olsen on IR and Kelvin Benjamin dealing with a knee injury. Carolina needs its defense to step up more than ever right now.
In the late afternoon, the Eagles fly into Los Angeles to face the Chargers, still looking for their first win of the year. It’s a new city but familiar story for the Chargers, losing heartbreakers and suffering key injuries. Melvin Gordon is banged up again, which is a problem for Philip Rivers, who threw four interceptions in last week’s loss to the Chiefs.
The biggest game of the week is an AFC West showdown between the Broncos and Raiders. This game lost a bit of its sizzle after both teams turned in disappointing performances last week. Denver’s offense fell flat in a loss to the Bills, while Washington walked all over the Raiders, who barely even showed up on Sunday night. With the Chiefs looking like one of the best teams in football, Denver and Oakland should be motivated to bounce back and keep pace in a tight division.
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