–At the four-week mark, which used to be the first quarter pole before they went to 17 games, there are just two unbeaten teams – Philadelphia and San Francisco at 4-0. In the AFC, there are no 4-0 teams or 0-4 teams. Meanwhile, Chiefs fan Taylor Swift is 2-0 when she watches Travis Kelce play for the Chiefs. She has become the sensation of the season, overshadowing the players. In the NFC, there are two 0-4 teams (Chicago and Carolina) but Chicago got the Panthers first round pick next year in the Bryce Young trade so they are likely to wind up with the first two picks.
–San Francisco crushed Arizona and Philadelphia just got by Washington as they both remained unbeaten. If the 49ers beat Dallas next Sunday, they could be undefeated when they meet the Eagles on Dec. 3 in what could be a preview of the NFC title game. The 49ers play Dallas, Cleveland, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and Seattle after Thanksgiving before they meet the Eagles. The 49ers have won 14 regular season games in a row, a feat Joe Montana never pulled off. The Eagles aren’t likely to go into that game undefeated. They play the Rams, Jets, Dolphins, Commanders, Cowboys, Chiefs and Bills before they play the 49ers. The odds are against them beating probably the three best AFC teams – Dolphins, Chiefs and Bills –plus Dallas in a five week span.
–The Buffalo Bills have come all the way back from their opening game loss against the Jets. They boosted their record to 3-1 by handing Miami a 48-20 loss a week after the Dolphins routed Denver, 70-20. The only other two 3-1 teams are the Ravens and Chiefs. The four AFC South teams are all 2-2
–The Chiefs escaped with what Patrick Mahomes called an ugly win over the Jets. Mahomes threw two picks and had a third one nullified by a controversial holding call on Sauce Gardner. The Chiefs took a 17-0 lead before Zach Wilson brought them back to tie it 20-20. The Chiefs won it on a field goal but failed to cover when Mahomes slid down at the two yard line late in the game so the Chiefs could run out the clock without giving the ball back to the Jets
–A year ago, the Bengals started off 0-2 but won four of the next five and finished 12-4. This year they started off 0-2 and are 1-3 after losing to the Titans 27-3. Joe Burrow hasn’t been the same since missing most of camp with a calf injury and the Bengals line isn’t protecting him. Unless they turn it around quickly, they may not make the playoffs.
–C.J. Stroud was the second player picked in the draft by Houston after Carolina took Bryce Young, but he now looks like the best rookie in the draft. He is averaging over 300 passing yards a game and has led the Texans to convincing wins over the Jaguars and Steelers the last two weeks. They are now in a four way tie for first place in the AFC South.
–It is now looking like Bill Belichick should have retired when Tom Brady left or convinced him to stay or hired a general manager. Having Belichick run the whole show without Brady hasn’t worked. They suffered the worst loss in Belichick’s 29-year coaching career, a 38-3 rout in Dallas, Sunday. The Patriots were down 28-3 at halftime (a familiar score) but there was no comeback. Belichick is 26-29 since Brady left. So what does owner Robert Kraft do now? Stay tuned.