Week 3 of the NFL season brought plenty of exciting moments, and now teams are beginning to jockey for position in the standings. Six undefeated teams remain heading into the fourth week of the season.Two of them will meet Sunday.
That is just one of the intriguing matchups in Week 4. Here is a rundown of the games to watch closely this week.
Vikings (2-1) vs. Steelers (2-1) in Dublin, Ireland
The NFL heads overseas once again as Dublin will host the Week 4 matchup between Minnesota and Pittsburgh. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will get the opportunity to face an old NFC North foe in Ireland. The 21-year NFL veteran moved into fourth all-time with his 509th career touchdown pass in Pittsburgh’s 21-14 win over New England last week. Rodgers has thrown three interceptions in his last two games as the Steelers’ passing game looks to get on track in Ireland. The Vikings have experience facing Rodgers on foreign soil. Their defense forced the then-Jets quarterback into three interceptions in London leading to an eventual 23-17 win. Carson Wentz stepped in for injured J.J. McCarthy last week, and the veteran performed well. He finished with two touchdown passes in the 48-10 win over the Bengals and could be making a case to be the starter moving forward.
Packers (2-1) at Cowboys (1-2)
The Week 4 matchup between Green Bay and Dallas has been circled on the calendar for many fans since the later traded away its best player, Micah Parsons, to the former. The elite edge rusher has worked to downplay his return to Dallas, but there will be plenty of eyes on AT&T Stadium when the two teams meet Sunday night. Parsons has already made his presence felt with the Green Bay defense, which has allowed the fewest points through three games. The Packers are coming off a last-minute loss to Cleveland last week in a game in which Jordan Love struggled to get the offense in a rhythm. Dallas will be dealing with the loss of star receiver CeeDee Lamb, who injured his ankle in a 31-14 loss to the Bears. The Dallas defense has not looked the same without Parsons this season.
Eagles (3-0) at Buccaneers (3-0)
Two of the six remaining undefeated teams will meet up at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Sunday. The Eagles used two blocked field goals to edge out the Rams in Week 3. Jalen Hurts was also able to kickstart the offense in the second half of that victory. This week they will travel to face the Buccaneers, which are coming off a last-second victory of their own. A 36-yard field goal from Chase McLaughlin gave Tampa Bay a 29-27 win over the New York Jets in Week 3. The Buccaneers are expected to be without star receiver Mike Evans because of a hamstring injury. So, it will be up to Baker Mayfield to connect with his other targets to keep Tampa Bay unbeaten following Sunday’s matchup.
Colts (3-0) at Rams (2-1)
Daniel Jones’ rocky tenure in New York came to an end last season. His new surroundings seem to have reignited his career. The seventh-year quarterback has Indianapolis off to a 3-0 start, and Jones has yet to have a turnover through the first three games. Colts head coach Shane Steichen seems to have unlocked something with Jones, who has passed for 816 yards and three touchdowns so far. He also has rushed for three scores at this point in the season. The Rams had two field goals blocked last week negating what was a strong start to their game against Philadelphia. Los Angeles led the Eagles 26-7 early in the third quarter before Philadelphia reeled off 26 unanswered points. The Rams still have the fifth-best total offense in the NFL and rank fifth in yards allowed on defense. Sunday’s matchup with the Colts will give them a chance to get on track against a quality opponent.
Chargers (3-0) at Giants (0-3)
About the only thing that could make a matchup of arguably the top team in the league versus one of the worst is a changing of the guard at quarterback. Russell Wilson was benched this week following the third loss of the season for the Giants. In will step rookie Jaxson Dart, who had an impressive preseason for New York. Brian Daboll could be hanging his future with the Giants on the rookie from Ole Miss. Dart passed for 372 yards and three touchdowns plus rushed for another score and 52 yards during the preseason. The Giants are hoping the rookie can spark an offense that struggled behind Wilson. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert leads the NFL with 860 yards passing and has his team rolling through three weeks. Los Angeles upended three AFC West opponents through the first three games including a 23-20 victory over Denver last week.