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Another Sunday in the NFL has come and gone, and the slate delivered once again.
The afternoon saw 10 games decided by one possession, Ben Johnson and the Bears notch their third win of the year with a third different quarterback behind center, the 49ers stifle the Broncos in Santa Clara and the Panthers come out on top against the Lions in aSunday Night Football shootout.
As such, there’s plenty to parse through as we put a bow on the first month of the 2026 season. Here are our winners and losers from Week 4.
Winner: Brian Schottenheimer, the play-caller
The Cowboys took down the Texans in the Battle of Texas on Sunday afternoon, and they did so behind an incredible offensive performance.
While scoring 31-plus points for a third straight game, Dallas saw quarterback Dak Prescott throw for 335 yards, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb catch 17(!) passes for 189 yards and a touchdown and running back Javonte Williams find the end zone three times on the ground. It was the kind of performance Brian Schottenheimer needed after he took some heat for Dallas’s last-second loss to the Ravens in Brazil last weekend.
The Cowboys coach, who also serves as the team’s offensive play-caller, didn’t seem to view Sunday’s matchup against Houston as a must-win, but he certainly wanted to make a statement.
“I wanted this game,” Schottenheimer said during his postgame press conference. “I don’t think we needed this game. Rio doesn’t define us. But I wanted this game. Why? Because these guys came back off a 10-hour trip. The Ravens, I think, played at home today; we played on the road. We play Thursday night. We’ll play anybody anywhere. And we’re looking forward to that. But Rio had nothing to do with this game, this game stood by itself.” —Mike Kadlick
Loser: Texans’ defense
The oft-maligned Texans’ offense more than did its part on Sunday. C.J. Stroud completed 21 of 31 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns and put up 30 points. Yet the Texans’ defense, which was supposed to be the best in the league entering the season, could not stop Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense in the second half. Prescott completed 80% of his passes in the second half as the offense totaled 28 points to win 34–30 and drop Houston to 0–4. Now, the Texans’ playoff hopes verge on them becoming just the second team in NFL history to make the postseason after going 0–4. —Eva Geitheim
Winner: John Harbaugh
Less than two games into his first season as the Giants’ coach, John Harbaugh saw his quarterback, Jaxson Dart, go down with a season-ending knee injury. The Giants could have easily seen their season slip away, but instead, they’re 2–0 since then. Sure, the wins came against the lowly Titans and Cardinals, but at the end of the day, the Giants showed they were a notch above those squads. Harbaugh’s defense came through with two clutch interceptions in back-to-back weeks to seal the victory, including a walk-off pick-six by Deonte Banks on Sunday. Now, the Giants are 3–1 and hold sole possession of first place in the NFC East. —EG
Loser: NFL officials
Officials unfortunately overshadowed the on-field action throughout Sunday’s games.
As we outlined here, referees somewhat became the story of Week 4. Across the first 14 games of the slate, officials threw 238(!) flags totaling a whopping 1,830 penalty yards. These numbers factor into what has become the most penalty-ridden season in NFL history, according to @nflrefstats1 on X, with officials throwing 17 flags per game and averaging 130 penalty yards.
Additionally, two officials—Adrian Hill and Jeff Seeman—got into altercations with players that the NFL is now reviewing. At the same time, Bill Vinovich penalized Mike Vrabel for what appeared to be a run-of-the-mill interaction between a coach and a referee.—MK
Winner: Zay Flowers
Zay Flowers is living up to his contract early on in the 2026 campaign. Flowers agreed to a four-year, $140 million extension a month before the regular season, making him the league’s fourth-highest-paid receiver. He is proving more than worth the deal, particularly after nabbing six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown by halftime against the Titans. Flowers had consecutive 1,000-yard seasons heading into this year, but he appears to be reaching a new level of play in this Declan Doyle offense. —EG
Loser: The Commanders’ quarterback room
With starter Jayden Daniels recovering from an elbow injury, the Commanders traveled across the pond this week with just two healthy quarterbacks. They’ll return home with only one.
Marcus Mariota, who started his second game of the season in Daniels’s absence on Sunday, was behind center for just 11 plays against the Colts in London before defensive end Laiatu Latu rolled up on him. He left the contest and did not return, which thrust rookie seventh-round pick Athan Kaliakmanis into action.
The 23-year-old completed just 15 of his 33 pass attempts (45%) for 186 yards, one touchdown and one interception, finishing with a passer rating of 60.9 while the Commanders lost their third consecutive game to fall to 1–3 on the season.
Mariota reportedly reaggravated an MCL injury he suffered during training camp. He will undergo tests after the Commanders return to the States, but is expected to miss some time. The good news? Washington expects Daniels back for their Week 5 matchup against the Giants. —MK
Winner: Fantasy football players who drafted Will Reichard
The Vikings are one of just four teams who remain undefeated through the first four weeks of the 2026 season. On Sunday afternoon, they notched a win without scoring a touchdown.
In a 15–10 win over the Dolphins, Minnesota’s Kyler Murray–led offense possessed the ball 10 times, with four drives ending in a punt, one with a kneeldown at the end of the game and five with a field goal from kicker Will Reichard.
Reichard has scored 27 of the Vikings’ 71 points on the year and is currently the NFL’s leader with 12 field goals made. The 25-year-old has now made 28 consecutive field goal attempts dating back to last season.
In standard scoring leagues, Reichard tallied a whopping 19 fantasy points Sunday. —MK
Loser: The Bills’ secondary
The Bills’ secondary did not play its best, allowing Drake Maye and the Patriots’ passing attack to find its groove again as Maye completed 22 of 37 passes for 269 yards, three touchdowns and a pick.
Second-year corner Maxwell Hairston struggled in particular, giving up a pair of touchdowns and receiving criticism for his effort on one of the Patriots’ game-sealing third-down conversions.
Per Matt Parino of Syracuse.com, Hairston declined to be interviewed after the game. One Bills defender that did hold a postgame interview was safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. He referred to Efton Chism III, the Patriots receiver who caught the game-winning touchdown, as a practice squad player, despite the fact that Chism has never been on a practice squad. It was a poor look for Gardner-Johnson, who has been a part of several controversial moments in his career.
Coach Joe Brady defended Hairston after the game. “There’s a reason that Maxwell Hairston is out there,” Brady said. “We’re young on defense. We need to be able to work through some things. We need to be able to have unsuccessful plays and still play the next one. I trust our defensive coaches to understand the rotation. I trust our defensive coaches in terms of understanding what the rotation is. I don’t want to be a micromanager and say, ’Hey, take him out.’ I’ve got all the confidence in Maxwell.” —EG
Winner: George Kittle
Less than 10 months after tearing his Achilles, George Kittle came through with a 56-yard touchdown catch and run to seal the 49ers’ win over the Broncos. Kittle returned in Week 1, but this was easily his biggest play of the season thus far. Kittle caught four passes for 70 yards and a touchdown.
Overall, it was a strong win for the 49ers. San Francisco has been hot to start the season, but its first win came against a Rams team that clearly was not itself in Australia. The 49ers followed that with wins over the Dolphins and Cardinals, who have combined for one win this season. By taking down the Broncos, 24–14, the 49ers secured their most convincing win of the season. —EG
Loser: Klint Kubiak’s halftime proclamation
Unfortunately for the Raiders, Klint Kubiak’s halftime message was not prophetic. Before the second half, Kubiak told CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson, “We’re gonna win the game.” Yet the Raiders did not win. After leading 13–10 at the half, the Raiders lost 30–27 to the Chiefs. Both teams came into the game undefeated, and the Raiders fell to 3–1 as the Chiefs took the AFC West lead at 4–0. The Raiders made a noble effort, matching their 2025 win total, but ultimately fell short of a statement win over their division rival. —EG
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MIKE KADLICK
Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.
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