Ranking 10 AFC Winners and Losers From NFL Week 4 Matchups

NFL Week 4 AFC recap: Ranking 10 winners and losers from Sunday’s matchups, highlighting standout performances, big letdowns, and shifting playoff outlooks.

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1) Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills come in as the top winners from Week 4 after knocking off the New Orleans Saints. Obviously, NOLA isn’t much of a challenge to a championship contender like the Bills, but remaining as the lone undefeated team in the AFC lands them on this list.

Verdict: Winner

2) Kansas City Chiefs

The start to the season was every bit concerning for the Kansas City Chiefs and their fanbase. Offensively, the team didn’t look as explosive as the year before, and the defense showed plenty of lapses that made it seem as if the entire team had taken a step back. However, on Sunday, Andy Reid’s squad showed up and showed out, making a statement against Baltimore mainly due to Patrick Mahomes looking like his former MVP self again.

Verdict: Winner

3) Ashton Jeanty

Ashton Jeanty entered the season with plenty of hype, but after an underwhelming start, the noise around the Boise State product started to get loud for all the wrong reasons. Nonetheless, the star running back finally found the end zone on Sunday, not once, but three times. Finally proving the hype was warranted, Jeanty may be able to continue silencing the noise and prove his doubters wrong.

Verdict: Winner

4) Liam Coen

Liam Coen had plenty of heat on him entering this matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, but not exactly for what you’d think. Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh seemingly made accusations during the week that the Jacksonville Jaguars used “signal stealing" methods to their advantage. Saleh essentially made it a point to give Coen’s squad nothing to use to their advantage. However, the Jags proved that not only did they not need that so-called method to win the game, but Jacksonville handled  San Francisco seemingly from start to finish, proving that they’re not the same pushover Jaguars from last season. Not to mention, Coen got the last laugh, including a comment to Saleh post-game letting him know to “keep his name out of his mouth" moving forward.

Verdict: Winner

5) New England Patriots

The New England Patriots looked impressive on Sunday in their dominant win against the Carolina Panthers. Not only does Mike Vrabel’s new culture seem to be turning things around in Foxboro, but Drake Maye is emerging to be the franchise quarterback the Pats hoped he could be when they drafted him.

Verdict: Winner

6) Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts may seem like losers this week after seemingly choking against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. However, considering the self-inflicted mistakes cost them 14 points, it’s fair to say that Indy still passed the test Sean McVay’s squad posed, even with the loss. Indy looks like a true contender, and while there’s no such thing as a moral victory, the Colts could very well be 4-0.

Verdict: Winner

7) C.J. Stroud

C.J. Stroud has struggled not only to start this season, but dating back to the end of last year. The quarterback was beginning to look like a player who was losing confidence in himself. Still, after a strong performance against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, the Ohio State product may be able to leave his struggles behind and start to change the narrative about himself.

Verdict: Winner

8) Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson is rarely a player who would be found on the list of losers after a week of football. Still, after an underwhelming team performance ended with a hamstring injury to the star quarterback, it’s safe to say the 2x MVP winner came out on the losing end in Week 4.

Verdict: Loser

9) Adonai Mitchell

Adonai Mitchell entered Week 4 with a prime opportunity that he could be the receiver Indy drafted him to be. With Alec Pierce out, Mitchell was set to have a bigger role in the Colts’ offense. If you look at the box score, you’d see that the Texas product finished the day leading the Colts with 96 receiving yards. However, what the box score doesn’t show is that the wideout cost the team 14 points effectively after fumbling a 76-yard touchdown pass on the one-yard line. A play that could have been the defining moment in his career now becomes one of the worst memories for not only Mitchell but the fanbase.

To make matters worse, his terrible day didn’t end there. After the Colts managed to overlook the last mistake and re-take the lead, Mitchell was flagged for a holding call away from a game-sealing touchdown run that capped off his horrid day, especially with Shane Steichen’s squad falling to 3-1 after their 27-20 loss.

Verdict: Loser

10) Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers entered Week 4 with the chance to improve their 3-0 record to 4-0 against a struggling New York Giants team that was starting a rookie quarterback. Unfortunately, on the road, Jim Harbaugh’s team couldn’t get the job done, losing to an injury-riddled Giants squad 20-18. The bad loss lands them on the list of losers from Week 4.

Verdict: Loser

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