NFL News Today: Injuries Reshape Week 4 as Chiefs-Raiders, Cowboys-Texans Headline Sunday
Sunday, October 4, 2026
The NFL rolls into a packed Week 4 Sunday with injuries reshaping several offenses, undefeated teams trying to protect fast starts and divisional races already beginning to tighten.
From a quarterback change in Tampa Bay to major absences in Washington, Philadelphia and New York, depth charts are being tested early. Meanwhile, Kansas City and Las Vegas meet in one of Sunday’s biggest games, Dallas heads to Houston for an all-Texas matchup, and Detroit-Carolina closes the day on Sunday Night Football.
Jayden Daniels Out as Commanders Face Colts in London
The NFL's international schedule continued Sunday morning with the Washington Commanders and Indianapolis Colts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Washington entered the game without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was ruled out with a dislocated left elbow. Daniels is missing his second consecutive game, leaving veteran Marcus Mariota to handle the quarterback duties.
Washington is also without wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who was ruled out because of a hamstring injury.
The injuries put additional pressure on a Commanders team coming off an impressive 33-31 upset of the defending champion Seattle Seahawks. Mariota threw three touchdown passes in that victory.
For Indianapolis, veteran receiver Keenan Allen is also unavailable because of a groin injury, according to the NFL's Week 4 injury report.
Baker Mayfield Out, Rookie Jalon Daniels Gets His Chance
One of the biggest quarterback stories of Week 4 is unfolding in Tampa.
Baker Mayfield will miss at least three weeks after dislocating his right thumb during Tampa Bay's 23-16 loss to Minnesota last Sunday.
The injury ends a streak of 57 consecutive starts for Mayfield since he joined the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay will instead turn to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels, who is making his first NFL start against the Green Bay Packers.
The circumstances make today's Packers-Buccaneers game especially important. Tampa Bay entered Week 4 at 0-3, while Green Bay arrived at 1-2.
Daniels now gets an opportunity to become one of the early surprise stories of the season, but he will be doing it for an offense already dealing with other injuries.
Wide receiver Jalen McMillan is expected to miss six to eight weeks because of a knee injury, further reducing Tampa Bay's offensive depth.
Eagles Lose DeVonta Smith for Multiple Games
Philadelphia will face the Los Angeles Rams without one of its most important offensive weapons.
Wide receiver DeVonta Smith is expected to miss multiple games because of a hamstring injury.
Smith caught 19 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown through Philadelphia's first three games, but he did not practice during the week and was ruled out against Los Angeles.
The Eagles are also missing Marquise Brown with an ankle injury, creating a much thinner receiving group for Sunday's matchup.
Philadelphia's official injury report also lists tight end Dallas Goedert, linebacker Zack Baun and several other players as out.
The Rams-Eagles matchup was already one of the more interesting games on Sunday's early schedule. Philadelphia's injuries now add another layer to it.
Jets Without Breece Hall Against Chicago
The New York Jets have their own injury problems entering Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears.
Running back Breece Hall is out with a quadriceps injury, leaving New York without one of its most explosive offensive players.
The Jets are also missing receiver Adonai Mitchell, guard Dylan Parham and tight end Mason Taylor.
Chicago has a quarterback change of its own.
Tyson Bagent is expected to start for the Bears, while regular starter Caleb Williams remains sidelined with a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
Bagent had been recovering from a concussion but received most of Chicago's first-team practice repetitions this week.
The Bears enter the game 2-1, while New York is 1-2.
Chiefs-Raiders Has Early AFC West Stakes
One of Sunday's biggest games sends the Kansas City Chiefs to Las Vegas to face the Raiders.
Both teams opened the season 3-0, making this an early measuring-stick matchup in the AFC West.
Kansas City defeated Miami 24-10 last week, with Patrick Mahomes accounting for two touchdowns, while Las Vegas improved to 3-0 with a 35-27 victory over New Orleans.
It may still be early October, but games like this can matter significantly once playoff tiebreakers and divisional records become part of the conversation later in the season.
Kansas City-Las Vegas kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Cowboys Visit Winless Texans
Texas football takes center stage when the Dallas Cowboys visit the Houston Texans.
Houston entered Sunday at 0-3 and desperately needs a victory to prevent the season from slipping further away.
Dallas, meanwhile, arrives at 1-2 after falling to Baltimore 34-31 last week on a last-second field goal.
Houston may receive some defensive help. NFL.com reported that defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, listed as questionable with a knee injury, is expected to play.
Beyond the records, Cowboys-Texans brings the extra electricity of two franchises sharing the same football-crazed state.
Browns Already Make Their Week 4 Statement
The Cleveland Browns have already secured one of Week 4's most dramatic wins.
Cleveland defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 on Thursday Night Football, improving to 3-1.
Kicker Andre Szmyt drilled a 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining to put Cleveland ahead.
Pittsburgh had tied the game at 24 with 1:42 remaining after Aaron Rodgers connected for a touchdown and the Steelers converted the two-point attempt.
Cleveland's defense then sealed the victory when Grant Delpit intercepted Rodgers' final desperation throw.
The Browns are now 3-1 while Pittsburgh falls to 2-2, adding another twist to what could become a bruising AFC North race.
Several Undefeated Teams Put Their Starts on the Line
Sunday also provides another test for some of the NFL's strongest early-season teams.
The San Francisco 49ers enter Week 4 at 3-0 and host Denver in the late afternoon window. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who had been listed as questionable because of a quadriceps injury, is expected to play.
Minnesota is also 3-0 and hosts a Miami Dolphins team still searching for its first victory.
For Miami, the difference between 0-3 and 0-4 is enormous. Teams can recover from slow starts, but each additional September and early-October loss rapidly reduces the margin for error.
Lions and Panthers Get the Sunday Night Spotlight
Sunday's schedule concludes with the Detroit Lions visiting the Carolina Panthers on Sunday Night Football.
Carolina enters at 1-2, while Detroit arrives following a 31-24 victory over the Jets in which running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored three touchdowns.
Weather could also become a factor, with forecasts calling for potentially wet conditions around the East Coast during parts of Sunday's NFL schedule.
Detroit-Carolina kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET, 7:20 p.m. Central.
What to Watch Today
Week 4 has reached the point where the first month of the season starts separating early surprises from legitimate contenders.
Kansas City and Las Vegas have an opportunity to make an AFC West statement. San Francisco and Minnesota can continue undefeated starts. Cleveland already strengthened its position with a divisional win.
At the other end of the standings, Houston, Tampa Bay, Miami, Tennessee and the Los Angeles Chargers entered Sunday still searching for their first wins.
And injuries are becoming impossible to ignore.
From Jayden Daniels and Baker Mayfield to Breece Hall and DeVonta Smith, some of the NFL's biggest names are watching from the sideline while backups and younger players suddenly find themselves in season-shaping situations.
That's the NFL in October: the depth chart gets thinner, the standings get louder, and every Sunday starts carrying a little more weight.
Sources and Full Links
NFL.com — Week 4 schedule:
https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-week/week-4
NFL.com — Week 4 Sunday injury updates:
https://www.nfl.com/news/week-4-injuries-sunday-pregame-2026-nfl-season
NFL.com — Complete Week 4 injury report:
https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-week-4-injury-report-player-statuses-for-all-16-games
NFL.com — Baker Mayfield out, Jalon Daniels to start:
https://www.nfl.com/news/buccaneers-qb-baker-mayfield-thumb-out-at-least-three-weeks-jalon-daniels
NFL.com — Browns defeat Steelers 27-24:
https://www.nfl.com/news/steelers-browns-on-thursday-night-football-what-we-learned-from-cleveland-s-27-24-win
Reuters — Jayden Daniels ruled out against Indianapolis:
https://www.reuters.com/sports/commanders-rule-out-qb-jayden-daniels-vs-colts-london--flm-2026-10-02/
Reuters — DeVonta Smith expected to miss multiple games:
https://www.reuters.com/sports/report-eagles-wr-devonta-smith-hamstring-miss-multiple-games--flm-2026-10-03/
Reuters — Bears QB Tyson Bagent expected to start against Jets:
https://www.reuters.com/sports/reports-bears-qb-tyson-bagent-start-vs-jets--flm-2026-10-03/
Reuters — Baker Mayfield sidelined at least three weeks:
https://www.reuters.com/sports/buccaneers-qb-baker-mayfield-thumb-out-least-3-weeks--flm-2026-09-28/
Reuters — Week 3 NFL roundup and results:
https://www.reuters.com/sports/nfl-roundup-marcus-mariota-commanders-stun-seahawks--flm-2026-09-28/