The first month of the NFL season is almost over and there were some big concerns around flagship teams. One of the most notable was the Kansas City Chiefs, the reigning three-time AFC champions who were 0-2 to start the season before struggling through the first half against the New York Giants in Week 3, raising questions as to whether the Chiefs' dynasty is on its last legs.
Those doubters will have to eat some crow after Kansas City's most dominant performance of the season as the Chiefs rolled to a 37-20 victory over one of their biggest challengers in the Baltimore Ravens. A game of that magnitude will see both teams represented in the latest edition of FanSided's NFL Winners and Losers, so we'll start with Kansas City as the victors reap the spoils.
NFL Week 4 Winners And Losers
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs
The reports of the Chiefs' demise were greatly exaggerated as the return of Xavier Worthy, along with a visit from a suddenly leaky Baltimore defense, unlocked a vintage passing day from Patrick Mahomes. After looking more like a game manager over the first three weeks of the season, Mahomes put Kansas City's offense on his back, completing 25-of-37 passes for 270 yards with four touchdowns.
The offensive explosion allowed the Chiefs to take away Baltimore's running game, forcing the Ravens to go to the air early and often, which is not how John Harbaugh's team prefers to operate. With a rough opening schedule beginning to ease up and the Chargers getting tripped up at MetLife Stadium, a path to another AFC West title suddenly seems more realistic than it did prior to the start of the week.
Loser: Baltimore Ravens
The two games Baltimore gave away at the end in the first three weeks of the season will loom large after another defensive disaster in Kansas City, dropping the Ravens to 1-3 on the season. Even without Joe Burrow in the mix for Cincinnati, the Ravens are staring at a huge hole in the AFC North as Aaron Rodgers has guided Pittsburgh to three wins in its first four games.
The defense continued to let Baltimore down, allowing at least 37 points for the third time in four games, and to make matters worse Lamar Jackson left the contest injury with a hamstring injury. If Jackson is forced to miss any time things could spiral quickly for a presumed Super Bowl contender.
Winner: Michael Penix Jr
One week after being yanked for Kirk Cousins in a blowout loss to Carolina, Penix answered the bell with one of his best games as a pro. With the Washington Commanders down Jayden Daniels, Penix outplayed Marcus Mariota, completing 20-of-26 passes for 313 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, nailing several big throws in the clutch.
Development for quarterbacks isn't always linear and Penix will surely have another rough start at some point this season. Atlanta's front office has to be encouraged Penix was able to shake off his worst game and beat a quality defense in his next outing, offering some hope that he will reach his potential and be the long-awaited heir to Matt Ryan.
Loser: Carolina Panthers
Building a program in the NFL requires teams learning how to win, and when you've lost for a long time it won't be easy to break bad habits. Exhibit A of this is in Carolina, where they followed up a 30-0 win against Atlanta with a 42-13 loss against the New England Patriots that was never particularly close.
The Panthers managed to outgain New England in the game and didn't commit a turnover but still surrendered 42 consecutive points after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter, which seems impossible to pull off. Dave Canales' group did, however, which shows that there is still a long road back to NFL respectability for Carolina.
Winner: Brian Daboll
With his job starting to come under fire, Giants' head coach Brian Daboll made a bold move by benching veteran Russell Wilson in favor of rookie Jaxson Dart. While the choice definitely pleased the fans, Dart provided a much-needed spark to New York, helping them upset the previously unbeaten Los Angeles Chargers 21-18 at MetLife Stadium.
With a trip to lowly New Orleans on tap next week, there's a chance for the Giants to get to 2-3 and begin making a push to get back to .500. While Dart was far from perfect in his NFL debut, his mobility added a new dimension to the Giants' offense, giving fans some hope that Daboll can turn him into their next franchise quarterback.
Loser: Malik Nabers
Just as Nabers finally got a quarterback, his season likely came to an end thanks to MetLife Stadium's infamous turf. Nabers went down in the second quarter with a nasty knee injury that required him to be carted off the field with early fears that he tore his ACL on the play.
The turf at MetLife Stadium is among the worst in the league and has claimed multiple victims over the years, including Aaron Rodgers during his Jets' debut in 2023 and numerous members of the San Francisco 49ers during a visit to the building in 2020. It is hard to understand why the Jets and Giants refuse to switch to grass after seeing numerous key players lost for extended periods on turf fields that never seem to get better.
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars
There are certain wins that qualify as statements and Jacksonville certainly earned one of those in Week 4. Flying across the country to take on the undefeated San Francisco 49ers, the Jaguars controlled the pace of play from the jump and left Santa Clara with a 26-21 win to move into a tie for first place in the AFC South.
Trevor Lawrence wasn't flashy by any means, but he made enough positive plays against the 49ers' strong defense to put his team in position to win. With the Ravens in trouble and several other projected contenders struggling, the Jaguars' hot start has them positioned to be a factor in the Wild Card race all season long.
Loser: Jaylen Warren Fantasy Owners
One of the big storylines from the London game was a surprise inactive for Steelers' running back Jaylen Warren, who entered the contest with a knee injury. Reports on Saturday suggested the Steelers' starter was good to go, leading some fantasy owners who didn't wake up early enough to check their lineups with a donut from one of their top running backs.
Making matters worse was a breakthrough effort from Kenneth Gainwell, who racked up 134 yards from scrimmage and added two touchdowns in Pittsburgh's 24-21 win over Minnesota. That effort should earn Gainwell more run, potentially turning this backfield into the kind of committee that is almost impossible to navigate for fantasy purposes.