NFL Week 4 Recap: Sunday Delivers Upsets, Comebacks and a Big Monday Night Rivalry
October 5, 2026
NFL Week 4 delivered a Sunday packed with late-game drama, unbeaten teams protecting their records, major upsets and an uncomfortable number of injuries to star players.
From Dallas stealing a win in the final minute to New England stunning Buffalo and Carolina closing the night with an upset of Detroit, Sunday gave the league plenty to talk about before the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints put a bow on the week Monday night.
Cowboys Complete Dramatic Comeback in Houston
The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Houston Texans 34-30, rallying from a 16-6 halftime deficit behind Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Javonte Williams.
Prescott threw for 335 yards, while Lamb exploded for a career-high 17 receptions and 189 yards. Their biggest connection came with less than a minute remaining when Prescott found Lamb for the game-winning touchdown.
Williams added three rushing touchdowns, all in the second half.
Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns, but the Texans dropped to 0-4 while Dallas improved to 2-2.
Patriots Hand Buffalo Its First Loss
One of Sunday's biggest surprises came in Buffalo.
The New England Patriots beat the Bills 29-26, handing Buffalo its first loss of the season.
Drake Maye threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns, including a 23-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Efton Chism III with 1:50 remaining. New England followed with a two-point conversion before Craig Woodson intercepted Josh Allen on Buffalo's final possession.
The Patriots moved to 2-2, while Buffalo fell to 3-1.
Panthers Shock Lions on Sunday Night
Carolina closed Sunday with one of the week's loudest statements.
The Panthers defeated the Detroit Lions 32-26, with Bryce Young producing one of his strongest performances of the season.
Young completed 29 of 41 passes for 329 yards, connecting twice for touchdowns with Tetairoa McMillan. McMillan finished with an enormous 14 catches for 192 yards.
Chuba Hubbard added 122 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff threw for 412 yards, but the Lions struggled to finish drives and couldn't complete their fourth-quarter comeback.
Carolina improved to 2-2, while Detroit fell to 2-2.
Chiefs Survive Raiders and Stay Perfect
Kansas City survived a serious challenge from Las Vegas, defeating the Raiders 30-27.
The win moved the Chiefs to 4-0, while Las Vegas suffered its first loss and fell to 3-1.
Kansas City joined Minnesota and San Francisco among the teams that finished Sunday undefeated at 4-0.
49ers and Vikings Also Reach 4-0
The San Francisco 49ers defeated Denver 24-14, keeping their perfect start intact.
The Minnesota Vikings moved to 4-0 with a 15-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Miami's loss dropped the Dolphins to 0-4, making the opening month increasingly difficult for a team now searching for answers on both sides of the football.
Rams Take Down the Eagles
The Los Angeles Rams defeated Philadelphia 24-20, improving to 2-2 and knocking the Eagles back to the same record.
Philadelphia entered the game missing several offensive starters, and running back Saquon Barkley was among the players who later appeared on the league's Sunday injury list with a hamstring issue.
Jaguars Beat Bengals as Injuries Become Major Story
Jacksonville improved to 3-1 after defeating Cincinnati 22-17.
Trevor Lawrence completed 18 of 23 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, earning his first victory over Joe Burrow in four meetings.
Burrow threw for 428 yards but was intercepted twice.
More concerning for Cincinnati was the loss of star receiver Ja'Marr Chase to a concussion. Tee Higgins was also among the notable Bengals players dealing with an injury coming out of Sunday.
Ravens Win, But Lamar Jackson Injury Looms
Baltimore defeated Tennessee 24-18, moving the Ravens to 3-1 and dropping the Titans to 0-4.
The bigger story coming out of Baltimore, however, is quarterback Lamar Jackson's ankle injury. Jackson exited Sunday's game and did not return.
Early reporting indicated Jackson was considered day-to-day, but his status will be one of the league's major stories entering Week 5.
Sunday's Complete NFL Scoreboard
- Indianapolis Colts 30, Washington Commanders 13
- Baltimore Ravens 24, Tennessee Titans 18
- New England Patriots 29, Buffalo Bills 26
- Chicago Bears 23, New York Jets 12
- Jacksonville Jaguars 22, Cincinnati Bengals 17
- Dallas Cowboys 34, Houston Texans 30
- New York Giants 36, Arizona Cardinals 24
- Los Angeles Rams 24, Philadelphia Eagles 20
- Green Bay Packers 17, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
- Minnesota Vikings 15, Miami Dolphins 10
- Kansas City Chiefs 30, Las Vegas Raiders 27
- Seattle Seahawks 30, Los Angeles Chargers 23
- San Francisco 49ers 24, Denver Broncos 14
- Carolina Panthers 32, Detroit Lions 26
The NFL's official Week 4 schedule confirms all 14 Sunday finals.
Monday Night Football Preview: Falcons vs. Saints
Week 4 isn't finished yet.
The Atlanta Falcons visit the New Orleans Saints tonight at Caesars Superdome, with kickoff scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Central / 8:15 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Both teams enter the game at 1-2, giving this NFC South rivalry significantly more weight than a normal early-October matchup.
New Orleans trails Atlanta 57-56 in the all-time regular-season series and is trying to avenge Atlanta's sweep of the Saints last season. Remarkably, 57 games in this rivalry have been decided by seven points or fewer.
Strength Against Strength
One matchup stands above the others.
Atlanta enters Monday ranked second in the NFL in rushing offense at 173 yards per game, while the Falcons defense ranks first against the run, allowing only 47.7 yards per game.
New Orleans has been dangerous through the air, averaging 281.3 passing yards per game, third-best in the league entering Week 4.
That creates an interesting chessboard: Atlanta wants to control the game on the ground while New Orleans has shown greater explosiveness through its passing attack.
Turnovers could decide everything.
Neither team has protected the football particularly well. New Orleans enters with a minus-four turnover differential, while Atlanta sits at minus-six, worst in the NFL entering the matchup.
Saints Defense Dealing With Injuries
New Orleans enters Monday night with several defensive concerns.
Linebackers Kaden Elliss, Carl Granderson and Anfernee Jennings are out, while linebacker Pete Werner and tight end Noah Fant are questionable.
Atlanta also has several questionable defenders, including Divine Deablo and Samson Ebukam.
That could become particularly important against an Atlanta rushing attack that has been one of the NFL's strongest through three games.
What's at Stake Monday Night
This isn't simply another Week 4 game.
With Carolina now 2-2 after beating Detroit and Tampa Bay sitting at 0-4, Monday night's winner has an opportunity to reshape the early NFC South race.
And because Falcons-Saints games have historically lived in one-score territory, don't be surprised if Week 4 saves one more fourth-quarter headache for Monday night.
Sources and Full Links
NFL — Official 2026 Week 4 Schedule and Scores
https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-week/week-4
NFL — Week 4: What We Learned From Sunday's Games
https://www.nfl.com/news/2026-nfl-season-week-4-what-we-learned-from-sunday-s-games
Reuters — NFL Roundup: Cowboys' Last-Minute TD Caps Big Second Half
https://www.reuters.com/sports/nfl-roundup-cowboys-last-minute-td-caps-big-2nd-half-upends-texans--flm-2026-10-04/
Reuters — Patriots Stun Bills With Late Score
https://www.reuters.com/sports/nfl/drake-maye-3-tds-patriots-stun-bills-home-with-late-score--flm-2026-10-04/
Reuters — Panthers Defeat Lions 32-26
https://www.reuters.com/sports/nfl/bryce-young-tetairoa-mcmillans-connection-leads-panthers-past-lions--flm-2026-10-05/
Reuters — NFL Week 4 Injury Roundup
https://www.reuters.com/sports/nfl-injury-roundup-lamar-jackson-hurts-ankle-star-wrs-go-down--flm-2026-10-05/
New Orleans Saints — Falcons vs. Saints Monday Night Football Preview
https://www.neworleanssaints.com/news/atlanta-falcons-vs-new-orleans-saints-preview-monday-night-football-2026-nfl-season-week-4-series-history-stats-connections
NFL — Official Week 4 Injury Report
https://www.nfl.com/injuries/