After four weeks of the NFL season, only one team remains undefeated. And for the Arizona Cardinals, the dazzling play of Kyler Murray is only one reason.
The Cardinals are the fifth team to average 30 or more points and 400 or more yards over its first four games, joining the 2013 Denver Broncos, the 2011 and 2007 New England Patriots and the 2002 Oakland Raiders. Each of those teams eventually played in — and lost — the Super Bowl.
As big as their win over the Rams was, the Cardinals are subject to a few caveats. One of their wins came against the dysfunctional Jacksonville Jaguars, while another was a squeaker over the Minnesota Vikings that required a missed field goal at the last second. And besides, they started hot last season but finished 8-8, missing the playoffs after a 5-2 start. Arizona hasn’t won the NFC West or finished .500 or better since 2015, when it advanced to the NFC championship game.
Arizona will try to keep things rolling this week against San Francisco. Here’s a look at Sunday’s schedule, including a few other games to keep an eye on:
All times Eastern.
New York Jets (1-3) vs. Atlanta Falcons (1-3) in London, 9:30 a.m., NFL Network
Detroit Lions (0-4) at Minnesota Vikings (1-3), 1 p.m., Fox
New Orleans Saints (2-2) at Washington Football Team (2-2), 1 p.m., CBS
New England Patriots (1-3) at Houston Texans (1-3), 1 p.m., CBS
Miami Dolphins (1-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1), 1 p.m., CBS
Green Bay Packers (3-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-1), 1 p.m., Fox
Denver Broncos (3-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3), 1 p.m., Fox
Philadelphia Eagles (1-3) at Carolina Panthers (3-1), 1 p.m., Fox
Tennessee Titans (2-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4), 1 p.m., CBS
Cleveland Browns (3-1) at Los Angeles Chargers (3-1), 4:05 p.m., CBS
Chicago Bears (2-2) at Las Vegas Raiders (3-1), 4:05 p.m., CBS
San Francisco 49ers (2-2) at Arizona Cardinals (4-0), 4:25 p.m., Fox
New York Giants (1-3) at Dallas Cowboys (3-1), 4:25 p.m., Fox
Buffalo Bills (3-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (2-2), 8:20 p.m., NBC
9:30 a.m.
Jets vs. Falcons in London: The Jets hit Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill 14 times in winning for the first time last week, and rookie signal caller Zach Wilson, dare we say it, started to show some swagger. Sure, the Jets needed overtime and the Titans were without star wide receivers Julio Jones and A.J. Brown, but a win is a win. Facing a Falcons secondary that was porous in a loss to the Washington Football Team last week might help them win their second game. The NFL’s first foray into London this season takes place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
1 p.m. games
Packers at Bengals: Which quarterback — Aaron Rodgers or Joe Burrow — exhorted his teammates to just let him take over last week by saying, “put it in my hands, put it in my hands”? It was Burrow, who passed for 348 yards and two touchdowns (with a 132.8 passer rating) against the Jaguars, as Cincinnati exited Week 4 in a three-way tie for first in the AFC North. Rodgers will, of course, challenge the Bengals’ defense, but Green Bay enters the game with significant injuries. On defense, cornerback Zaire Alexander and pass rusher Za’Darius Smith are out, cornerback Kevin King has missed two games with a concussion (though he did return to practice this week), and linebacker Chauncey Rivers tore his ACL in practice Wednesday. On offense, the line is missing tackle David Bakhtiari and guard Elgton Jenkins.
Patriots at Texans: Ordinarily, a matchup of 1-3 teams might not be compelling, but this one bears watching if only to see what rookie quarterback Mac Jones can do after showing poise and promise on “Sunday Night Football” in “The Return of Tom Brady to New England.” Adele is unlikely to be singing a preview, though, this week.
Titans at Jaguars: Morbid curiosity may be the best reason to tune in after Jaguars Coach Urban Meyer had to apologize to his players and management for a “stupid” viral video. He also had to explain why he didn’t return to Jacksonville with his team after it fell to 0-4, opting instead to take a long weekend in Ohio to, he said, see his grandkids. Can a Jaguars team disgusted by that behavior beat the Titans, for whom Derrick Henry rushed for 215 yards and two touchdowns against Jacksonville last December? If Jacksonville can find its heart, it might have a chance in a poor division without a team with a winning record. If it can’t, at least the bye arrives in two weeks.
Late afternoon games
Browns at Chargers: The MVP talk bubbled up (with apologies to Murray) after Justin Herbert passed for 222 yards and three touchdowns in a Monday night victory that lifted Los Angeles into a tie with Las Vegas and Denver atop the AFC West. Austin Ekeler chipped in 117 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Cleveland has a star of its own at quarterback, but this matchup might be a defensive struggle, like the one the Browns won, 14-7, last week at Minnesota. Baker Mayfield, who has been dealing with a partially torn labrum in his non-throwing arm since Week 2, had a poor showing by his own assessment against the Vikings, completing 45.5 percent of his passes for 155 yards and a 59.5 passer rating. He was sacked three times, with the rushing attack and defense bailing him out. “I have to pick it up because if I think that p--- poor performance is going to cut it, it’s not.”
Giants at Cowboys: Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott shredded the Carolina defense last week, throwing four touchdown passes (with no interceptions) and completing 14 of 22 passes for 188 yards and a 130.3 passer rating. The defense, however, may be his equal. Cornerback Trevon Diggs is the first Cowboys player with an interception in each of the first four games of a season, and he leads the league with five. But he took a cleat to the back and missed the fourth quarter of the victory over the Panthers with back tightness. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is likely to have a tougher time this week after passing for a career-high 402 yards in a win last week against New Orleans.
Sunday night
Bills at Chiefs: Can anything top Brady’s return from Week 4? The Bills and Chiefs will certainly try. Buffalo, now No. 1 in The Washington Post’s power rankings, is a team that is far-removed from a baffling season-opening loss to Pittsburgh. The Bills have outscored the Dolphins, Washington and Texans 118-21 in the three weeks since, shutting out Miami and Houston. The Bills, who lost to the Chiefs in January’s AFC championship game, face a 2-2 team uncharacteristically resting at the bottom of the AFC West standings behind their 3-1 rivals. Patrick Mahomes is riding a 12-game streak in which he has passed for at least 250 yards, the longest such run in the NFL, and he passed for five touchdowns (with three to Tyreek Hill, who caught 11 of 12 targets for 186 yards) as the Chiefs’ two-game losing streak ended last week in Philadelphia. The Chiefs went 9 for 10 on third down against the Eagles for the best third-down percentage in a game by any team since 2008.
