User-Endzone: Are the Browns actually... good?

Cleveland Browns

27-24 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers

by DM79

Any of the three undefeated 4-0 teams could be here – like the Chiefs, 49ers, or Vikings. The Patriots would also have been a candidate, having pulled off a remarkable comeback on the road against the Bills. But how often do you get the chance to choose the Cleveland Browns – and in the very first User Endzone that you get to co-create?

A victory in the Thursday Night Game (more on that in "Number of the Week") against a division rival, securing first place in the AFC North, is reason enough to name the often-maligned Browns as the winner of the week.

Regarding the Browns' performance, it must be said that the defense is simply well-positioned even after Myles Garrett's departure, and although I'm not a Deshaun Watson fan, he's currently just working for the Browns, showing flashes of the Watson from his Houston Texans days in every game (with the exception of Week 1).

This is a considerable achievement, especially against the Steelers' defense, which has ensured this team doesn't have a losing record for years.  Watson had a passer rating of 94, threw for 268 yards, had a completion percentage of 72.7 with one touchdown, one interception, and two fumbles.

It's only Week 4 and the season is still long, but as far as we can tell, the Browns look significantly more functional than in previous years, and the draft picks like Spencer Fano, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, as well as Carson Schwesinger and Mason Graham (who unfortunately got injured in the game) from the 2025 draft, are working out and forming a foundation that may allow them to be mentioned positively more often in the future.

Philadelphia Eagles

20-24 loss against the Los Angeles Rams

by DM79

Several teams could be here, for example, the 0-4 Texans, who lost again at the last second, or other 0-4 teams like the Titans, Dolphins, Bucs, and Chargers – but I chose the Eagles.

Is it acceptable to lose to the Rams? Of course, the question is how you lose! They had the game under control for a good three quarters, holding Matthew Stafford to a passer rating below 50 until the fourth quarter (63.9 at the end), but with just under eight minutes left, the Eagles' collapse began.

With a 20-10 lead at the Rams' 2-yard line, a "Tush Push" was initially botched before Hurts threw an incompletion on 4th and 2, resulting in a turnover on downs. This brought the Rams back into the game, and on the subsequent drive, they marched in four plays to the Eagles' 35-yard line.

There, the Eagles could have ended the drive, as Cooper DeJean had forced Kyren Williams out of bounds after nine yards on 3rd and 10. However, Williams was then so unbelievably foolishly fouled by Jonathan Jones, resulting in a 13-yard penalty, and instead of 4th and 1 at the 26-yard line, it was 1st and 10 at the 13-yard line. The Rams then scored the touchdown and were back in the game. The Eagles' following drive ended with a punt after gaining only six yards, and with the next touchdown, the Rams took a 24-20 lead.

The final drive was telling; Jalen Hurts would have had to traverse almost the entire field without timeouts, but instead, there were two sacks, and with a turnover on downs and boos from their own fans, they sealed the loss.

The Eagles failed to convert a single 3rd down throughout the entire game (out of twelve attempts). In the second half, Hurts completed only two of his nine pass attempts for a total of ten yards. Of course, there were notable absences before and during the game (DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley, etc.), but that alone cannot explain the collapse. Thus, "Fly"... became "Cry Eagles Cry".

Will Reichard (Kicker, Minnesota Vikings)

15-10 victory against the Miami Dolphins (5/5 Field Goals)

by RP74

This category caused the most headaches. Who do you choose as Player of the Week when there's a CeeDee Lamb with 17 catches for 189 yards and a TD, making him only the fourth receiver in NFL history with such numbers? When there's a Kenneth Walker III with 22 carries for 177 yards and 2 TDs, only the third player in history to achieve this twice in a team's first four games?
Or a Tetairoa McMillan with a career high of 14 catches for 192 yards and 2 TDs?

That's right, you choose someone completely different.

Will Reichard is arguably the most reliable and perhaps the best kicker in the NFL. This Sunday, he was solely responsible for all 15 of his Vikings' points. Of course, it takes an offense to get the kicker within convertible distance. Many kickers failed to make field goals last season, as we also discussed here.

Reichard is absolutely perfect this season, both on field goals (12/12) and extra points (6/6). With a total of 42 points kicked, he is co- if not solely responsible for the Vikings' 4-0 record. The entire offense has scored 86 points in the games so far, meaning Will Reichard accounts for almost half of them.

The choice to name him Player of the Week certainly leaves room for discussion. Who would you have chosen?

Jacoby Brissett (QB, Arizona Cardinals)

24-36 loss against the New York Giants (21/35, 166 Yards, 2 TD, 3 INT, 4 rushes for 18 Yards)

by RP74

The real underperformance of the week belongs to a sideline judge. In the aforementioned game, he verbally abused Cardinals player Trey McBride in the worst possible way, without wanting to reproduce the exact wording here. Such behavior is undesirable from players, and even more so from refs. The NFL has already launched an investigation into the matter.

On the sporting side. QB Brissett and the Arizona Cardinals showed how to let an opponent back into the game. In a game that was entirely going the Cardinals' way, with the score at 14-6, Brissett threw his first interception. The previously harmless Giants then cut the lead to 12-14. In the next drive, another interception followed, and the momentum shifted to the Giants.

In a game with a total of six turnovers, the outcome was completely open until eleven seconds before the end. Brissett led his Cardinals to the 4-yard line with the score at 24-30. With a TD and extra point, the Cardinals would have left the field victorious. It happened as it had to. Brissett threw his last of three interceptions, which, to the Cardinals' dismay, resulted in a Giants pick-six for a final score of 24-36.

The Bengals also deserved a mention in this category for their running game. They gained only 23 yards on 15 attempts. It helps little then when QB Burrow throws for 428 yards including 1 TD, but also racks up 2 INTs!

Another hypothetical: Had the Chargers not already been featured in the Loser of the Week category in Week 2, the Chargers with QB Herbert would have found themselves here now. Herbert produced 1 fumble, 2 interceptions, and was sacked four times.

How helpless the offense, including the O-Line, is, is shown by a look at Herbert's four-game stats: 4 TDs, 6 INTs, 4 fumbles, 12 sacks taken.

What do you think is the reason? Has Herbert been notoriously overrated for years? Were the wrong players drafted and traded, or is it due to new OC McDaniel, who overburdens his players with his play calls?

Kahlil Benson (LT, Kansas City Chiefs)

30-27 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders

by RP74

When we look at rookies, we mostly focus on the productive ones. Those who score touchdowns through the air or on the ground. Or those who stand out with interceptions.

There are position groups, like that of the left tackle, that are immensely important but often not in the spotlight. Yet, the left tackle is "the" quarterback protector par excellence, as he defends the quarterback's blind side (provided the quarterback is right-handed).

Benson allowed no sacks in the Chiefs' game against the Raiders – just as he has throughout the entire season so far. At first glance, this might not sound impressive enough. However, Benson is no ordinary rookie. He was invited to the Chiefs' training camp as an undrafted player, made the team, and has since played every game as the starting LT. This is despite never having played this position in college.

His impressive performance to date is also highlighted by the NFL's "Offensive Rookie of the Month September" award.

Thanks to his performance, QB Patrick Mahomes is among the least-sacked quarterbacks after four weeks of play.

A few more words on another rookie, whose name probably few of us knew before gameday. Washington's QB Athan Kaliakmanis (186 yards with 1 TD and one INT, plus 16 rushing yards), who was supposed to serve as backup for Mariota after Daniels' injury. However, he made his NFL debut already in the first quarter after Mariota also got injured.

For a seventh-round draft pick who had practically no practice sessions with the offense before, he delivered a respectable performance. Especially on his deep passes, he showed flashes of his talent several times.

8 and 1950

by DM79

As already mentioned in the winner of the round, the number 8 is one of the numbers of the week. With the 8th consecutive Thursday Night Game won by the Cleveland Browns, this is their longest active winning streak and the fourth longest in NFL history.

Four of these victories have come against the Steelers, making them undefeated in these games since 2018. Their last loss was at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens in 2016.

The Steelers were certainly the most fitting opponent for this, first, because half of these consecutive wins were against them, and second, because the Steelers have been waiting for a road win against a division rival in a Thursday Night Game since 1950.

Thus, 1950 is the second number of the week, as this is also a streak that is hard to match. The last time the Steelers achieved such a victory was against the Chicago Cardinals, which was before the founding of the current NFL (1970 through the AFL – NFL Merger) and before the invention of the internet (1969). Since NTSC was only introduced in 1953, one could say it was when the world was still black and white.

DM79:

Quarterbacks at any cost? Let's draw a conclusion.

If we look at the QB picks from 2023 – 2025 (too early for 2026), it shows that not every talent justifies a high draft pick.

It is especially sensible when talent, draft position, and the environment align. This was generally the case for the Houston Texans with C. J. Stroud, also applies to Drake Maye and the Patriots, the Washington Commanders with Jayden Daniels, and the Chicago Bears had to seize the opportunity with Caleb Williams.

On the other hand, with the Titans, you see that a QB alone is not enough, and I mean the Panthers still don't know if Bryce Young was worth the price. The rest of the squad also needs to be able to compensate for fluctuations in form. See C.J. Stroud with the Texans or this year Drake Maye with the Patriots; in his second season, he looked like an absolute difference-maker, but so far this season, he has mostly fallen short of expectations. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Jaxson Dart are injured and currently cannot help their teams.

This also shows that a good quarterback is a game-changer, but he needs receivers he can throw to, an O-line that can block for him, a run game that makes it harder for the defense to anticipate plays, and a defense that can compensate for less-than-stellar performances. If the #1 QB is out, that roster depth can also help the backup succeed.

For future drafts and (thus probably as advice to my Phins): Even if Dante Moore and Arch Manning sound great, who would they throw to right now, who would consistently block for them, etc.? In my opinion, it would be better to address these problem areas and give Malik Willis a fairer chance with, for example, Jeremiah Smith (WR, Ohio State), or even acquire more draft capital, because there are plenty of holes to fill, and in an optimally stocked roster, even a slightly less talented QB can seem like a star.