NFL Reactions: Week 4

-Jared Goff was bad against the Buccaneers and threw three interceptions, but his fantasy owners are still seeing dollar signs since he threw for 517 yards and two touchdowns. Robert Woods had the big game he was overdue for (13 catches for 164 yards on 15 targets) and Cooper Kupp did what he's done all year (nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets), while Brandin Cooks was marginalized (six catches for 71 yards on nine targets). Todd Gurley's season has been somewhat eerie if not disappointing, but he still cashed in Sunday with five carries for 16 yards and two touchdowns to go with seven catches for 54 yards on 11 targets. Malcolm Brown had five carries but only one target.

- With 19 carries (for 70 yards and a touchdown) to Peyton Barber's nine carries for 19 yards and a touchdown, it seems that Tampa has finally caught on to the fact that Ronald Jones is their best running back.

-Jameis Winston makes no sense at all, but his owners can only feel optimistic after he completed 28-of-41 passes for 385 yards, four touchdowns and, yes, the mandatory pick-six. Either Chris Godwin wasn't really hurt or he's a total beast, because limping mortals don't catch 12 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns on 14 targets. O.J. Howard's season is a waste, however, because Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich have made clear that they will continue to subsidize usage for Cameron Brate (three catches for 36 yards and one touchdown on three targets) at the expense of Howard (three catches for 33 yards on three targets). Dare Ogunbowale and Bobo Wilson both saw more targets than Howard. Sometimes it's just hard to think of how to use an elite player.

-Gardner Minshew really might be the real deal, staying composed against a suddenly lively Denver pass rush (five sacks, 12 hits) and leading a last-second game-winning drive that began with just 1:32 left. Dede Westbrook finally played well (five catches for 66 yards), and Leonard Fournette ran wild with 225 yards on 29 carries.

-Joe Flacco couldn't tie up the win, but he might have had his best game of the season against Jacksonville on Sunday, completing 22-of-38 passes for 303 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Courtland Sutton and Emmanuel Sanders are legitimately excellent receivers, the second-year budding star catching six passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns as Sanders turned nine targets into five catches for 104 yards.

-Dan Quinn isn't going to work in Atlanta. He was supposed to be a defensive genius, yet Marcus Mariota of all people diced up his defense for 227 yards and three touchdowns on 27 attempts, taking zero sacks. A.J. Brown and Corey Davis are both good receivers, and both ill-served by Tennessee's prehistoric scheme. Davis caught five passes for 91 yards and a touchdown on six targets, but the rookie Brown may be the better player -- he ruthlessly turned three targets into three receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Every target Tennessee gives to Adam Humphries or Tajae Sharpe instead of Davis/Brown is a waste. Dion Lewis is perhaps the league's worst specialist, turning five targets into four catches for four yards. That leaves him with 22 receiving yards on 11 targets this year.

-Matt Ryan still isn't right. The Falcons offense is basically a mess, and you can see it in how -- even though he threw for a vaguely nice-looking 397 yards (7.5 YPA) -- Ryan not only threw no touchdowns, but also checked down to an absurd degree, sending 32 targets toward Austin Hooper (nine catches for 130 yards), Mohamed Sanu (nine catches for 91 yards), and Devonta Freeman (eight catches for 72 yards). If this offense were working right, Ryan would instead land strikes to his playmakers Julio Jones (four catches for 52 yards on seven targets) and Calvin Ridley (three catches for 32 yards on six targets).

-Tom Brady was as bad against the Bills on Sunday as he was dominant in the first three games, completing just 18-of-39 passes for 150 yards and an interception. It was Sony Michel of all people who anchored the offense, running for 63 yards on 17 carries against Buffalo's smothering defense. This offense will bounce back, but it's evidently beatable.

-Josh Allen was gutsy but mistake-prone against New England's brutally tough defense, completing only 13-of-28 passes for three interceptions, though running for 26 yards and a touchdown. Frank Gore ran for 109 yards on 17 carries -- perhaps the Patriots were willing to let him run in exchange for shutting down the passing game.

-Patrick Mahomes stayed mostly clean (no sacks, three QB hits), yet he struggled against the Detroit secondary, even without top corner Darius Slay, and when his receivers did get open the connection was often just a little bit off. LeSean McCoy ran well (56 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries), but Darrel Williams took two short-yardage touchdowns and is clearly the better pass-catching back between the two (three catches for 43 yards on four targets). Still, Darrel's lack of speed compared to Damien (knee) is immediately obvious on tape, and meaningful in terms of skill set. I'm a major Damien investor, but I think the Chiefs lose something when he's out.

-Matthew Stafford played well through his hip injury, rekindling the connection with Kenny Golladay (five catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns on nine targets) and T.J. Hockenson (three catches for 27 yards and one touchdown on three targets), though Hockenson landed hard on his shoulder after an ill-conceived hurdle attempt. Not to be morbid, but wouldn't be surprising if something is busted in his shoulder or collarbone. Kerryon Johnson owners had to be thrilled to see him run for 125 yards on 26 carries (4.8 YPC), but it's a bummer that he saw only three targets in a game where Stafford threw 34 passes.

-His production trailed off after a fast start, but Derek Carr made plays to help establish a 24-10 lead against Indianapolis before creaking to a finish of 21-of-31 for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Tyrell Williams caught one, and rookie fourth-round pick tight end Foster Moreau the other. Moreau is a promising prospect and Williams is enjoying a strong season, but lead tight end Darren Waller really might be the most effective pass catcher in this offense. He finished the game with seven catches for 53 yards on eight targets, giving him a highly impressive total of 33 catches for 320 yards on 37 targets (89.2 percent catch rate, 8.65 YPT) in 2019. Waller is a beast – his uncommon athleticism means the big plays should happen soon enough. Someone will miss a tackle eventually. Josh Jacobs was productive, his 17 carries going for 79 yards while he caught both targets for 29 yards.

-Jacoby Brissett is clearly limited as a downfield passer, and it's fair to question his long-term viability of starter when he has games like the one he did against Oakland on Sunday. Going 24-of-46 for 265 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception looks somewhat acceptable at a glance, but it really isn't by 2019 standards. Parris Campbell couldn't seize the opportunity with T.Y. Hilton (quadriceps) out, turning eight targets into just five catches for 25 yards and a lost fumble. No tight end has offered more empty calorie production over the last two years than Eric Ebron, whose day was defined by drops more than his 48-yard touchdown catch. Marlon Mack's production suffered along with the rest of the offense, totaling just 39 yards on 11 carries.

-Eli Manning doesn't deserve a Hall of Fame spot, but it's easier to make the case for Philip Rivers. Rivers quite simply has an uncanny ability to thrive in challenging conditions, the absence of Mike Williams (neck) not even slightly slowing him as he completed 24-of-30 for 310 yards and two touchdowns. It was Austin Ekeler's last stand with Melvin Gordon back next week, but Ekeler made the very most of his time, running for 60 yards and a touchdown while adding five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown on five targets.

-The Chargers still covered, but the Dolphins managed to look vaguely dignified in this game, with Kenyan Drake showing some life (nine carries for 44 yards, three carries for 29 yards on five targets) and the wideout duo of DeVante Parker/Preston Williams combining for eight catches for 116 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. Josh Rosen had no blocking (four sacks to 24 pass attempts), but completing 17 passes for 180 yards, one touchdown, and one interception wasn't bad at all.

-Perhaps Washington had resolved to end the Case Keenum experiment following a 6-of-11 showing for 37 yards and an interception, but the Dwayne Haskins showing of 9-of-17 for 107 yards and three interceptions offered no relief. The whole offense is toast if this is how it will look.

-Daniel Jones had a great first quarter but generally found the sledding tough from that point, finishing 23-of-31 for 225 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, though 33 yards on the ground helped. Teams will start sitting on short routes over the middle until Jones shows the ability to strike vertically, because Sterling Shepard (seven catches for 76 yards on nine targets) and Evan Engram (four catches for 54 yards on seven targets) primarily operate underneath. The Giants would be wise to establish the rookie Darius Slayton as a downfield threat to create room for those two and the imminently activated Golden Tate. Wayne Gallman was highly effective as a pass catcher (six catches for 55 yards and one touchdown on seven targets), making up for an inefficient showing on the ground (18 carries for 63 yards and one touchdown).

-Nick Chubb stole the Sunday spotlight with his performance, which featured 165 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. Jarvis Landry suffered a concussion but was wildly productive before then, turning 10 targets into eight catches for 167 yards. Perhaps the Ravens were more so focused on Odell Beckham -- it's otherwise difficult to explain how he managed to finish the game with just two catches for 20 yards on seven targets. The mercurial Ricky Seals-Jones posted three catches for 82 yards and a touchdown, but that he did it on only three targets makes it difficult to chase this breakout performance. Baker Mayfield threw one touchdown and interception each, but the Browns were in control for the majority of this game and Mayfield's play (20-of-30 for 342 yards) was a highly encouraging performance.

-Lamar Jackson struggled for the second week in a row, taking four sacks (six hits) at home against the Browns. His fantasy output was strong, however, as he overruled the sacks and two interceptions with 247 yards and three touchdowns passing to go with 66 yards on the ground (7.3 YPC). The Ravens offense is easily contained when Marquise Brown is bottled up, and four catches for 22 yards on seven targets in a game like this won't cut it. Perhaps fellow rookie Miles Boykin can build on his three catches for 32 yards and a touchdown to add a complementary deep threat opposite Brown.

-Kyle Allen struggled in his second 2019 start, with each of D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Greg Olsen shut down against the Texans, combining for just eight catches for 81 yards on 16 targets. Christian McCaffrey was almost the entire offense, producing 179 yards and a touchdown from scrimmage, including 10 receptions.

-Deshaun Watson couldn't take advantage of Carolina's vulnerable secondary, even with lead corner Donte Jackson out. James Bradberry and journeyman Ross Cockrell can't at all run with receivers like DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller, but 10 quarterback hits and six sacks made it impossible for anything good to happen. Bill O'Brien's unconscionably negligent and shortsighted team management – selling the team's future to acquire Laremy Tunsil and Duke Johnson out of naked selfishness – has done nothing to stabilize the short term either. He may go down as one of the most destructive coaching hires in NFL history, and in the meantime he's doing his best to waste the prime years of Watson and Hopkins.

-Russell Wilson could have torched the Cardinals, but it wasn't necessary as the Cardinals posted just 10 points Sunday. Will Dissly posted yet another big game anyway, catching seven passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. He should keep producing, because Wilson is great and Dissly seems quite good for his own part. Chris Carson didn't fumble, so he should stay safely ahead of Rashaad Penny even when he returns.

-The Cardinals offense is garbage at the moment, as Kyler Murray turned in his second putrid performance in a row. Five hits and four sacks make it difficult, but 22-of-32 for 241 yards and an interception won't cut it, even with 27 yards and a rushing touchdown. David Johnson's season may turn out great, good, bad, or whatever else, but despite whatever value he stands with at the end, the specific outcome will entail a distinctly weird journey. Johnson had 11 carries and 11 targets each, the result being 40 yards in the first case and eight catches for 99 yards in the second.

-Kirk Cousins only brought more criticism on himself with Sunday's weak showing against Chicago, even as the Bears played without their second and third-best players in Akiem Hicks and Roquan Smith. Cousins didn't score, and most of his 233 passing yards occurred in meaningless situations. The showing was so bad the Bears were even able to neutralize Dalvin Cook, whose garbage time touchdown eased the blow of 35 yards on 14 carries. Cook's owners in PPR leagues probably didn't notice, the six catches for 35 yards helping substantially.

-Mitch Trubisky's shoulder injury might cost him multiple weeks, and Chase Daniel played well enough that Trubisky might land on the bench anyway. Daniel completed 22-of-30 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown, helped out by the excellent play of Allen Robinson (seven catches for 77 yards on seven targets). Javom Wims stepped up also, snagging four of his five targets for 56 yards with Taylor Gabriel (concussion) out, but Gabriel will have that job when he's ready to play again.

-David Montgomery's usage continues to ascend, securing a mammoth 21 carries and five targets in this one. It only resulted in 53 yards rushing and three catches for 14 yards, but Montgomery will have much easier matchups in upcoming weeks.