The 32 issues we realized from Week 4 of the 2022 NFL season:
1. The league’s concussion protocol – it is subject No. 1 hanging over this season. No. 1 additionally occurs to be the jersey quantity of Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, who was in apparent peril – at the very least to any informal observer, and most actually to current and former NFL gamers who have been watching – after his head snapped into the underside twice in a 5-day stretch spanning Weeks three and 4. Tagovailoa and the Dolphins blamed a again damage on the fundamental incident in opposition to the Buffalo funds, which left him staggering again to the huddle earlier than shortly leaving the sport. The NFL gamers affiliation initiated an investigation into Tagovailoa’s remedy – the case stays open – nonetheless the union has already fired the unaffiliated neurotrauma advisor who helped deal with the quarterback Sept. 25. Since Tagovailoa was cleared that day, he was not positioned in concussion protocol inside the occasions main as a lot as Thursday’s sport in Cincinnati, when he suffered a vicious sack in opposition to the Bengals which left little doubt about his situation – the third-12 months quarterback left in a fencing place on his again earlier than being carted off the sphere and to a neighborhood hospital. Saturday, the league and union launched a joint assertion, which be taught partly: “The NFL and the NFLPA agree that modifications to the Concussion Protocol are needed to enhance participant safety. … We anticipate modifications to the protocol being made inside the approaching days based mostly on what has been realized up to now inside the consider course of.”
1a. the current system failed as quickly as as quickly as extra Sunday night, when Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE Cameron Brate re-entered the sport after struggling a blow to the prime.
1b. The upside is that the NFL and NFLPA acknowledge their system is simply not working, and that a better decision needn’t be delayed by two sides that are so usually bitterly divided on collectively bargained factors. Thank goodness they’re expeditiously working in the direction of what ought to be a typical objective.
1c. The draw again is the plain worth paid by Tagovailoa, who wasn’t sufficiently protected by medical professionals nor, apparently, his staff – rookie coach Mike McDaniel’s protests pretty different however – which clearly forged warning to the wind by permitting him to play Thursday regardless of the scary episode from the earlier sport.
1d. Let’s get this mounted and safeguard the gamers, who’re the one indispensable a part of this sport, regardless of how expendable they might seem given soccer’s inherently violent nature. They deserve greater and followers virtually universally want the proper for them – and the house owners greater acknowledge as a lot lest their golden goose go the method all by way of which of boxing and horse racing as as quickly as ubiquitous sports activities that have been relegated to area of curiosity standing.
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2. prolonged island Jets QB Zach Wilson gave a gritty and Griddy efficiency in his 2022 debut. Wilson, who missed the fundamental three weeks following surgical procedure from a preseason knee damage, threw a pair of picks in opposition to the Pittsburgh Steelers however additionally handed for 252 yards and a TD in a 24-20 upset at Acrisure Stadium. Wilson grew to become the fundamental Jets quarterback to ever catch a TD go … and celebrated accordingly.
three. As for the Steelers, who’ve misplaced three in a row with out OLB T.J. Watt, rookie QB Kenny Pickett made his common-season debut. The 2022 first-rounder grew to become the fundamental quarterback in league historic previous to hurry for a quantity of TDs in his inaugural sport. He additionally threw a trio of INTs, one a Hail Mary try on the opponents’s closing play.
4. although Pickett did not throw a touchdown go, New England Patriots QB3 Bailey Zappe related on one – making him the fundamental rookie to take movement in 2022.
5. Time to commerce Dak Prescott? Backup Cooper Rush grew to become the fundamental Dallas Cowboys quarterback to win his first 4 begins after overseeing a 25-10 win in opposition to the Washington Commanders. Rush handed for 223 yards and a pair of TDs whereas the Dallas protection largely snuffed the Commanders offense.
5a. mentioned Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones of Rush, who might want made his closing start if Prescott is in a place to hit his focused Week 5 return: “to current us an alternative to take a seat right here after these final three ball video games and maybe have the probability we have for the the rest of the 12 months – it is superb. it is extra of what i might’ve anticipated.”
5b. Or anyone else. nonetheless the Cowboys are three-1 and solely a sport behind the league’s solely unbeaten staff, the Philadelphia Eagles, inside the NFC East.
6. additionally three-1 inside the NFC East? How regarding the mannequin prolonged island soccer Giants. The final time they started three-1 was 2011 – which additionally occurs to be the final time they acquired the great Bowl.
6a. Sunday, the Giants and Chicago Bears mixed for 226 passing yards. No, Y.A. Tittle and Billy Wade weren’t the starting quarterbacks.
7. Lest you’d already mentally moved off the newest iteration of the league’s concussion disaster, a reminder that Tagovailoa was on the turf at Paycor Stadium for better than seven minutes Thursday night.
eight. The Eagles improved to 4-zero – for the sixth time in staff historic previous and first since 2004 (as quickly as they finally misplaced great Bowl 39) – largely due to RB Miles Sanders, who proved to be an all-climate again by scoring twice and speeding for a profession-most interesting 134 yards at waterlogged Lincoln monetary discipline.
9. Sunday’s sport in London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints was the NFL’s a hundredth performed outdoors American borders, forty one of these of the common-season different.
10. For the fundamental time in an NFL worldwide collection sport, “God Save the King” was sung earlier to kickoff. King Charles III did not attend.
10a. The late Queen Elizabeth II’s reign of 70+ years predated the existence of all however eleven of the NFL’s 32 teams.
eleven. The Vikings’ 28-25 win moved them to three-zero in worldwide collection video games, tying them with the Patriots for the proper doc on overseas soil.
12. Had Saints kicker Wil Lutz had solely a bit extra juice on his sport-ending sixty one-yard discipline-objective try – he established a profession extreme earlier inside the sport by connecting from 60 yards – New Orleans would have had a shot to enhance to three-zero in London.
12a. however Lutz’s “double doink” – maybe an upright-to-crossbar carom ought to be worth two factors? – actually added an extra layer of drama for our soccer-loving allies, who proceed to progress into fervent American soccer followers.
12b. And we’re glad to embrace them … as prolonged as we’re in a place to reasonably decrease this concussion bugaboo.
thirteen. Cool to see the forged from “Ted Lasso,” collectively with Jason Sudeikis, on the season’s first London matchup. A disgrace there’s not any NFC Richmond given this sport was between the Vikes and Saints.
14. The Giants and inexperienced Bay Packers will meet in London in Week 5, the Pack turning into the final of the NFL’s 32 teams to play a daily-season sport overseas.
15. extra Patrick Mahomes magic as a consequence of the Kansas metropolis Chiefs thumped Tom Brady and the Buccaneers forty one-31 on Sunday night, the rating nearer than the sport ever was.
15a. Mahomes evened is doc in opposition to TB12 to three-three and acquired a (small) measure of revenge for okay.C.’s embarrassing efficiency on this similar Raymond James Stadium discipline in great Bowl fifty five.
15b. Mahomes additionally surpassed 20,000 profession passing yards on this, simply his fifth season as an NFL starter.
sixteen. The Bucs offense did, uh, erupt for 4 TDs on Sunday night – this after posting three in the course of the fundamental three weeks mixed. maybe it helps falling proper into a 21-level hole and being so grossly imbalanced that the run sport managed all of three yards.
17. By edging New England in overtime, the Packers notched their 785th franchise victory – tying the archrival Bears for most probably the most in NFL historic previous.
17a. The Pack additionally ran their common-season worthwhile streak at Lambeau discipline to fifteen. (in spite of all the things, they’ve misplaced their previous two playoff video games at house, each occasions as a consequence of the NFC’s No. seed.)
18. additionally Sunday, inexperienced Bay QB Aaron Rodgers threw his five hundredth profession TD go, collectively with playoffs – the fifth man in NFL historic previous to attain that plateau.
18a. Brady (716), Drew Brees (608), Peyton Manning (579) and Brett Favre (552) are the others.
19. Like Philadelphia, Baltimore was soaked by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, placing a damper on the showdown between funds QB Josh Allen and the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson. most probably the league’s main MVP candidates entering into Week 4, they mixed for three TDs and three interceptions in suboptimal situations.
20. nonetheless Allen collected a mannequin new feather for his cap, main the funds to a 23-20 victory after they trailed by 17 factors inside the second quarter. It was Allen’s first profession comeback from a deficit so large and Buffalo’s first since 2011, when Ryan Fitzpatrick was the staff’s quarterback.
21. If the Cleveland Browns hope to be related when suspended QB Deshaun Watson is scheduled to return in Week thirteen, QB2 Jacoby Brissett and Co. can’t afford to lose to teams simply like the Atlanta Falcons and Jets. sturdy break for the Browns to be with out starting DEs Jadeveon Clowney and Myles Garrett, who was injured final Monday in a automotive accident. however they’re going to certainly rue these defeats given their schedule is about to get significantly tougher, starting with the la Chargers in Week 5.
22. and gives Atlanta (2-2), now tied for the NFC South, some deserved flowers. We’re all overdue.
23. The Tennessee Titans have acquired 4 in a row in Indianapolis. earlier to that, they’d misplaced 14 of sixteen to the Colts inside the Circle metropolis.
23a. The Titans, who acquired the AFC South the previous two seasons, improved to 2-2 and claimed a share of the division lead following the Jacksonville Jaguars’ loss at Philadelphia. Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson’s return to the metropolis of concord was marred by 5 turnovers from QB Trevor Lawrence.
24. Lawrence grew to become the fundamental participant inside the twenty first century to lose 4 fumbles in a single sport.
25. The over/beneath for the Seattle Seahawks’ go to to the Detroit Lions was 47½. seems, that ought to’ve been the over/beneath for every staff, Seattle prevailing forty eight-forty five. The teams mixed for 12 TDs and 1,075 yards of offense.
26. Chargers RB Austin Ekeler tied for the league lead with 20 TDs scored in 2021 however started Sunday with a doughnut inside the scoring column. however he reached the tip zone thrice as a consequence of the battered Bolts notched a badly needed 34-24 win in opposition to the Houston Texans.
27. The Las Vegas Raiders’ Josh McDaniels broke a private six-sport dropping streak as a head coach, a skid courting to 2010, as a consequence of the Silver and Black secured their first win of 2022 by beating his former staff, the Denver Broncos, 32-23.
28. The Texans (zero-three-1) are actually the league’s solely winless staff.
29. The Arizona Cardinals’ 26-sixteen win over the Panthers on Sunday ended a six-sport dropping streak to Carolina that dated to 2015. His doc now eleven-26, what quantity of extra nails are needed to close the coffin on Panthers coach Matt Rhule?
30. the fundamental 14 video games of Week 4 have been inside one rating in some unspecified time finally inside the fourth quarter, tied for most probably the most in a single week in NFL historic previous. In sum, there have been forty nine video games inside a rating inside the closing interval – a doc for this level of an NFL advertising campaign.
31. There have additionally been 23 video games this season decided by three factors or fewer, additionally a doc inside the fundamental 4 weeks of a season.
32. And the fixed drama and upsets are what assist make NFL soccer so compelling. however how about we do a better job addressing and managing the concussion subject, y’all? And lest we overlook, it is hardly simply Tagovailoa. Patriots QB2 Brian Hoyer and Colts All-professional LB Shaquille Leonard additionally suffered head accidents Sunday.
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observe USA immediately sports activities’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.
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