NFL Week Four has concluded, and a quarter of the season is complete. Once again, it was another crazy week, with 11 of the 16 games finishing within one score. Let’s dive deep into this weekend’s biggest storylines.
There’s no other way to put it: Brock Purdy has been sensational through four games. Through four games, he has thrown for 11 touchdowns to just one interception on an outstanding 69.9% completion percentage. He has the highest passer rating among QBs who have started all games at 126.2.
The most impressive stat is that Purdy hasn’t taken a sack yet. Only three quarterbacks in NFL history have made it through the first four games without being brought to the ground. Dan Marino in 1986, Peyton Manning in 2005, and now Purdy in 2026. That is elite company to be in.
Purdy has also been excelling without an elite supporting cast. His running back, Christian McCaffrey, is just 21st in the league among running backs in total rushing yards. His best receiving options include aging Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel, or George Kittle, who came off an Achilles injury early in 2026.
Despite questions surrounding parts of the San Francisco 49ers’ supporting cast, Purdy has continued to produce at an elite level. Right now, he’s has made an early case as the MVP frontrunner. This is my first NFL Week Four takeaway.
The second NFL Week Four takeaway is that the Los Angeles Rams may have just saved their season. Things were looking bleak against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team they had lost four straight times. They were down 20-10 early in the fourth quarter.
Philly had the ball at the Rams’ nine-yard line with a chance to go up 27-10 and finish the game off. Instead, Los Angeles made a clutch defensive stop on their own two-yard line and forced the Eagles to turn the ball over on downs.
From that point on, Matthew Stafford and company did not look back. The Rams drove 98 yards in three and a half minutes to make it 20-17. The defense then got a quick stop and forced a punt. Los Angeles got the ball back with just under three minutes to go down 20-17.
The Rams scored in less than two minutes to take the lead 24-20, and then the defense slammed the door shut with an interception. What made this win so significant was that they avoided a 1-3 start.
The Seattle Seahawks are 3-1, and the San Francisco 49ers are 4-0, therefore, Los Angeles could ill-afford to start 1-3. Now, at 2-2, the Rams are still somewhat in the division race.
From a mental standpoint, the comeback victory over Philadelphia was needed after a 16-0 lead blown to the Denver Broncos last week. For a Los Angeles team that was viewed as the Super Bowl favorite, a 1-3 start could have put their season in jeopardy. Now, the Rams have life and have a chance to keep the momentum going against a good Buffalo Bills team on Monday night.
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NFL Week Four gives us a good idea of what is real or not. It’s hard to make any proclamation after one, two, or even three weeks. After four weeks, though, we have a better grasp of where the league is at.
A good example is how we can begin viewing the Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans. After NFL Week Four, the Raiders look like a legitimate contender to surprise people this season. They took the Kansas City Chiefs down to the wire and lost 30-27. They sit at 3-1, and their record matches the product we see on the field.
The flip side is that Houston is not a great team in 2026. The defense is not elite, as they have allowed 30+ points twice in four games. The Texans did not allow anything north of 30 last year. Even after NFL Week Three, when Houston was 0-3, people still held out hope.
At 0-4, the terrible start gets a bit more difficult to overcome, as only one team in NFL history has started a season 0-4 and made the playoffs. That team is the 1992 San Diego Chargers.
What is your biggest takeaway from NFL Week Four?
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