What to know about NFL Week 4: Aaron Rodgers isn’t saving the Jets

The NFL universe was still sorting through the first wave of Sunday games when a moment from the late games reverberated throughout the league: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice rode off the field in the back of the cart, a towel over his face, after he suffered an apparent knee injury. Suddenly, the two-time defending champions appeared more vulnerable. Here is what to know from the first half of Week 4.

Jalen Hurts needs to be better Return to menu The Eagles ended last season with a humiliating playoff defeat in Tampa Bay that convinced Philadelphia management to overhaul Coach Nick Sirianni's staff. How much progress can they say they've made after Sunday? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers embarrassed them again, 33-16, taking a 24-0 lead before the Eagles recorded a first down.

The Eagles were missing injured wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but Hurts is at a stage where that cannot be an excuse. Quarterbacks playing on $255 million contracts need to elevate their team above obstacles, not succumb to them. Hurts wilted Sunday, throwing for 158 yards on 18-of-30 passing while taking six sacks and losing one of the two fumbles he committed. He was indecisive in the pocket and lacked explosiveness when he escaped it.

The Eagles have plenty of problems. They haven't scored a first quarter point all season. They muffed a punt and missed countless tackles Sunday. For the Eagles to return to the top of the NFC, they need elite quarterback play. Hurts hasn't been good enough, and he played his worst game of the year Sunday.

The Vikings are lapping the field Return to menu One month ago, the Minnesota Vikings were widely viewed as an NFC North also-ran, stuck in a holding pattern as they used a journeyman quarterback as a bridge to injured first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Even more surprising than their 4-0 record is the manner in which they've achieved it. Minnesota has not eked past opponents. They have destroyed teams.

The Vikings beat divisional rival Green Bay, 31-29, in a game far more lopsided than the final score. The Vikings scored touchdowns on their first three possessions while gaining 8.0 yards per play, eventually opening a 28-0 lead in the second quarter. They needed more of that cushion than they would have hoped, with the Packers closing the deficit to 28-22 in the middle of the fourth quarter and then pulling within a field goal in the final minute.

Protecting a giant lead has grown routine for the Vikings. They have turned games into barely competitive exercises, sometimes right away. The Vikings have taken a double-digit lead in the first half of every game, led by at least 13 points in all four victories and by at least 22 in all but one. The Vikings have trailed for only 3:26 all year, and never by more than three points.

Maybe Sam Darnold, who leads the NFL with 11 touchdown passes after Sunday's early slate, will make more mistakes as defenses gather more film of him in Coach Kevin O'Connell's offense. Maybe offenses will start to better diagnose defensive coordinator Brian Flores's exotic scheme. But the Vikings are so far ahead of opponents that they could keep rolling even if regression strikes. Minnesota is no fluke.

Meanwhile, it's a good bet the Packers will have a new kicker by next weekend. Rookie Brayden Narveson, whom Green Bay added just before Week 1, missed two field goals from inside 50 yards in the first half. He's missed three of five field goals from between 40 and 50 yards this season, which is unacceptable given the state of NFL kicking.

Anthony Richardson is close to becoming a cautionary tale Return to menu Richardson, the wildly athletic Indianapolis Colts passer taken fourth overall last year, possesses as much raw talent as any quarterback in the NFL. He has not been able to stay on the field long enough to display or develop it. Richardson needs to better protect himself, and he needs more help from his own team in doing so.

Richardson has played in eight NFL games. He has been unable to finish three of them after he exited Sunday's 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh Steelers. In the first quarter, Richardson grabbed his hip and winced after he took a designed run 14 yards. Backup Joe Flacco replaced Richardson for two snaps. When Richardson returned, Coach Shane Steichen recklessly called a run-pass option. Richardson kept the ball, slid late and absorbed another big hit. Richardson left the field, walked into the Colts locker room and did not return.

In his rookie season, Richardson suffered a concussion in one of the four games played. In the fourth, he suffered a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery. All of his injuries have occurred by taking damaging hits at the end of a run — he put his shoulder down against two Steelers defenders at the end of his first run Sunday.

Richardson needs to learn to slide and step out bounds. And the Colts need to stop putting him in obviously risky situations. His size and speed make him a unique weapon, but if he cannot use them without exposing himself to physical harm, they'll become irrelevant.

Richardson's absence Sunday meant the return of Flacco, who was named the Comeback Player of the Year after leading the Browns' improbable march to the 2023 postseason. Flacco did enough to outlast Pittsburgh's mistake-prone offense, passing for 168 yards and two touchdowns.

The Falcons have a backbone Return to menu The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons played some Grade A Choice NFC South football — wild swings, wacky decisions, a long field goal deciding the outcome. The Falcons outlasted New Orleans, 26-24, when Younghoe Koo blasted a 58-yard field goal on the game's final snap.

As loopy as it was, the victory said something for the Falcons. They had their guts ripped out at home last Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. They fell behind by a touchdown as the Saints pushed them around early, with Taysom Hill (who later exited with an injury) plowing for two short-yardage touchdowns.

The Falcons bowed up, starting with linebacker Troy Andersen scoring a pick-six off a deflection. The Saints scored a touchdown with a minute left that nudged them ahead by a point and left the Falcons with no timeouts. One week after his last-minute drive fell short, Kirk Cousins led the Falcons into field goal range. Koo became the hero with his 58-yarder.

The Falcons moved to 2-2, tying them with the Saints and putting them only a game behind Tampa Bay in the division.