Week 4 of the 2018 NFL Season saw the New England Patriots win handily at home against the undefeated and division-leading Miami Dolphins 38-7. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions while rookie running back Sony Michel gained 112 yards on the ground with one touchdown.
The embarrassing loss showed Miami they are not ready to dethrone New England in the AFC East and served as a reminder to the conference the road to the Super Bowl goes through Foxborough. Week 4 also saw Jon Gruden win his first NFL game in ten years as the Oakland Raiders defeated the Cleveland Browns 45-42 in a thrilling overtime game where the Browns once again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield, making his first NFL start, threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions and a fumble lost. Mayfield's fumble lost in the fourth quarter crucial, allowing Oakland to score a touchdown and take the lead 31-28 with 12:46 remaining in the game.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw for 437 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions while running back Marshawn Lynch totaled 130 yards on the ground. Receiver Amari Cooper hauled in eight passes for 128 yards while tight end Jared Cook caught eight passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
Cincinnati 37, Atlanta 36
Another thrilling game in Atlanta saw the Bengals score the go-ahead touchdown with seven seconds remaining in the game with quarterback Andy Dalton finding receiver A.J.
Green for 13 yards and the score, dropping the Falcons to 1-3 on the season.
Dalton threw for 337 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while running back Giovanni Bernard totaled 96 yards from scrimmage and accounted for two touchdowns. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan dazzled again despite the loss throwing for 419 yards and three touchdowns while receiver Julio Jones hauled in nine passes for 173 yards.
Rookie receiver Calvin Ridley, another Alabama product, caught two more touchdowns giving him five in the past two weeks. Atlanta scored 73 total points the past two weeks, losing both games to the Bengals and the Saints, showing how much the Falcons miss their Pro Bowlers, Keanu Neal and Deion Jones on defense.
Tennessee shocks Philadelphia 26-23
The defending champion Eagles fell to 2-2 on the season after losing an overtime thriller to the Titans 26-23 after a daring fourth down play with five seconds remaining in the game saw the Titans score the game-winning touchdown.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota, battling an elbow injury, was magnificent in the win throwing for 344 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while adding 46 yards on the ground. Second-year receiver Corey Davis broke out in the game catching nine passes for 161 yards and one touchdown. Carson Wentz, in his second game returning from a torn ACL suffered in December 2017, threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
Tight end Zach Ertz caught ten passes for 112 yards while Alshon Jeffery, playing in his first game in 2018 caught eight passes for 105 yards and one touchdown. The Titans and first-year head coach Mike Vrabel is one of the early surprises of the 2018 NFL season with a 3-1 record.
FitzMagic takes a seat behind Famous Jameis
The Buccaneers were crushed by the Chicago Bears 48-10 in a game where second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky threw for 354 yards and six touchdowns. Ryan Fitzpatrick was replaced in the second half by Jameis Winston who returned from his three-game suspension levied for an incident two years ago involving the alleged groping of an Uber driver.
Tampa enters their bye Week 5, giving Winston two weeks to prepare for their Week 6 game against division rival Atlanta.
Speedy Tarik Cohen totaled 174 yards from scrimmage with one touchdown while receiver Taylor Gabriel caught seven passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears enter their bye week atop the NFC North at 3-1 with two weeks to prepare for the Miami Dolphins.