Patrick Mahomes vs Lamar Jackson, Micah Parsons vs Jerry Jones, Daniel Jones' resurgence and the NFL's Dublin takeover
Watch the Minnesota Vikings face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, live on Sky Sports NFL on Sunday September 28; followed by the Philadelphia Eagles against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Baltimore Ravens.
Friday 26 September 2025 13:30, UK
Patrick Mahomes vs Lamar Jackson, an awkward reunion in Dallas, the legend of Indiana Jones and a Dublin takeover. We look ahead to Sunday in Week Four of the 2025 NFL season...
Editor's note...
The Kansas City Chiefs are no longer the NFL's great and powerful, staggering grimacingly through the opening weeks of the season while, to no avail, attempting to nurse the sizeable gash inflicted by the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LIX back in February.
They are a measly shadow of their once-pyro-maniac selves, their cloak of inevitability shedding, their brand of offense bordering unwatchable and football's modern dynasty enduring the signs of a fading cycle. But they are still the Chiefs and he is still Steve Spagnuolo, both of whom have had Lamar Jackson's number for some time.
That Jackson encounters a familiar, agony-inciting nemesis a week removed from his seven-sack beating at the hands of the Detroit Lions is fitting timing in a season where Super Bowl expectations of his Baltimore Ravens have never been higher.
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Andy Reid's side are the long-established Lombardi gateway as rulers of the AFC and consistent tormentors of Jackson, who is 1-5 as a starter in his career against the Chiefs having notably come up shy when the two met at the AFC Championship Game back in January 2024. It has been quite the puzzle at times to watch Baltimore steamroll NFL defenses as one of the most dynamic and diverse attacks expertly orchestrated by Todd Monken and executed to perfection by Jackson and Derrick Henry, only to fire blanks upon facing Spagnuolo's labyrinth.
But even the mastery of the Chiefs defensive coordinator has proven irrelevant across the opening three weeks, burdened by an incohesive and stagnant offense reliant on Patrick Mahomes miracles, along with pass rush inconsistencies forcing him to dial down the funk levels to his coverage disguises a notch or two.
"We got to start fast," said Mahomes. "It unleashes 'Spags' to be able to do what he wants to do, and you always see when we get leads, he's a great finisher. He's a great closer of being able to give you different looks and stuff like that.
"We gotta take pressure off our defense and put pressure onto them by starting faster, and we can be better at that this week."
This is the perfect opportunity for Jackson and the Ravens to shirk any lingering mental hurdle perhaps associated with the Chiefs, and the latest acid test of their credentials when it comes to ousting Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the race to dethrone Mahomes.
Jackson has recorded a completion percentage of just 57.3 against the Chiefs across his six starts, while accounting for nine touchdowns and turning the ball over seven times. This is a quarterback boasting the best career passer-rating in history (103.1) while owning the second-best win percentage behind Mahomes, having spearheaded an offense ranked No 1 in points per game since taking over as full-time starter in 2018. But for whatever reason, he hasn't quite been able to work Spagnuolo out.
"We got so much respect for the dude, not just him, but their whole offense, really their whole team," said Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis. "They're tough; they do stuff the right way.
"Lamar specifically is so athletic, but he's such an accurate quarterback. I don't think he gets enough respect for that. He really can do it all, and I've talked about this before, he's one of those elite quarterbacks that really can do it all, he's MVP and all this stuff. Definitely a lot of respect for him, and it's going to take everything we got to stop him."
The two-time league MVP enters Sunday with a league-high passer rating of 141.8 and a league-most nine touchdown passers to zero interceptions. Such is the case he is a strong early favourite to clinch a third MVP award while piloting a team you often feel can afford to survive a couple of Detroit-esque setbacks in a season and still ease into the playoffs as contenders.
But between falling at the final hurdle in pursuit of a Super Bowl and the sour memories of Isaiah Likely's over-extended toe to lose agonisingly to the Chiefs on the opening day last season, anything but victory on Sunday against a rickety Chiefs team would leave a bad taste.
Week Four in the NFL meanwhile sees the league head to Dublin for the first-ever regular season game in Ireland as Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Carson Wentz-led Minnesota Vikings at the iconic Croke Park. The Jaxson Dart era in New York begins as he takes over from the benched Russell Wilson for the Giants, Jerry Jones faces the music on a not-so-friendly reunion with an old flame and the legend of Indiana Jones heads to Hollywood.
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What to look out for on Sunday
Minnesota Vikings @ Pittsburgh Steelers - KO 2.30pm, Sky Sports NFL
Aaron Rodgers threw three interceptions for just the third time in a game in 14 years when he and the New York Jets faced Brian Flores' Minnesota Vikings in London last season. Now of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the four-time MVP quarterback and Flores meet once again on international soil as part of the NFL's debut regular-season game in Ireland.
Rodgers is already on his way to faring better in Pittsburgh than he did in New York, delivering glimpses of the elite between-the-ear processing that will never abandon him, along with a sprinkling of the wow throws that will see him go down as one of the most talented passers in history. But with increasing age and declining mobility has come visible problems escaping pressure; Flores has reined in the Vikings blitz rate so far this season - who would bet against him turning up the heat once more for Rodgers?
Flores had been coasting back towards head coaching candidacy in 2024, and little has changed so far this season as he continues to lead the way in coverage innovation with his rotations. He could feast again in the face of a one-dimensional Steelers currently slumped in second-last in the running game.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers - KO 6pm, Sky Sports NFL
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could prove the most insightful test yet of the Philadelphia Eagles as the Super Bowl champions bid to iron out their early season struggles on offense.
Todd Bowles has had as much success against Nick Sirianni's attack as any coach in recent seasons, with Jalen Hurts 1-4 against the Bucs since becoming starter in 2021 having thrown five touchdown passes and five interceptions while rushing 131 yards for four touchdowns and being sacked 14 times.
Tampa meanwhile enter Sunday's matchup ranked sixth against the run having allowed just 84 yards per game as they seek to stifle Saquon Barkley, who has been limited to 194 yards at 3.3 yards per carry through three weeks in a slow start by his standards. The Eagles are experiencing some teething issues on offense under first-year coordinator Kevin Patullo, whose unit delivered a night-and-day performance against the Los Angeles Rams in Week Three that saw an outright inability to move the ball evolve into a dynamic AJ Brown-inspired passing attack en route to a comeback victory. The Rams could have and should have punished; Baker Mayfield and Emeka Egbuka might not be so forgiving.
Washington Commanders @ Atlanta Falcons - KO 6pm, Sky Sports Football
The Atlanta Falcons are being weird again. The team that just bamboozled J.J. McCarthy's Minnesota Vikings while neutralising the Flores defense just got blown out in a 30-0 defeat to the might-be-worst-team-in-the-NFL Carolina Panthers. Suddenly, there are fresh questions of Michael Penix Jr, who threw for 172 yards and two interceptions before being replaced late by benched predecessor Kirk Cousins, the threat of whom's return under center would be completely typical of Atlanta's merry-go-round progress since Matt Ryan. Head coach Raheem Morris told reporters this week that offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is set to move down from the coaching box to the sideline in response to the team's problems on offense.
Such has been the way of the Falcons that Parker Romo missed two field goals just days after the team cut long-time kicker Younghoe Koo. Go figure. Head coach.
While the fitness of Jayden Daniels remains up in the air, Washington proved they can survive on offense as they posted 400 yards of offense while scoring 34 points behind backup Marcus Mariota in last weekend's 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The sign of a good team.
Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs - KO 9.25pm, Sky Sports NFL
Derrick Henry is human, after all. An unlikely sub-plot to Baltimore's up-and-down start to the season has been their star running back fumbling three times, the latest of which stripped by Aidan Hutchinson with the Ravens trailing by four in the fourth quarter of their defeat to the Lions. Prior to that he notably surrendered the ball to Ed Oliver as Baltimore blew a 15-point lead over the Bills in Week One. To put it into context, he fumbled just three times in 325 carries during the 2024 season. Fears over Henry's production are premature, though; he has become something of a master for turning slow starts (slow in Henry terms, albeit) into mammoth campaigns as a focal point of his offense - the Ravens signed him for the business end of seasons, after all.
This is a welcoming 'get right' game for one of these teams, of sorts. The Chiefs offense remains among the worst in the league devoid of explosive plays amassing 20 yards or more and teetering towards a one-dimensional unit making Mahomes look average; Mahomes isn't average, and that he is the NFL's top scrambling quarterback speak volumes as to the lengths he must go to create this season. Baltimore's defense is meanwhile ranked last in total yards, second-worst against the pass, third-worst against the run and second-worst in scoring. Should Xavier Worthy be back in the fold, the Chiefs may get some joy - may, people. May.
Indianapolis Colts @ Los Angeles Rams - KO 9.05pm, Sky Sports Football
The tale of Daniel Jones lives on, and football shall continue to honour it until the wheels fall off. Reinvigorated in life after the Giants pit of despair, Jones has led the Indianapolis Colts to a 3-0 start while on course to become this year's great comeback story and potentially play his way into an unlikely play-day that would resurrect his NFL career. He is ranked third in passing yards with a completion percentage of 71.6 and a passer rating of 111.7, having been yet to turn the ball over. He is taking the top off defenses downfield, he is attacking tight windows and he is gliding through progressions with the help of an upgraded offensive line. Beside him, Jonathan Taylor has put himself into early Offensive Player of the Year contention while leading all running backs with 338 yards on the ground.
Puka Nacua would also like to throw his name into that discussion. The Los Angeles Rams receiver is building a case as the most productive in football as he leads all wideouts with 29 catches for 333 yards and 18 first downs through three games. While you wondered whether the introduction of Davante Adams would hinder his numbers, the former Green Bay man's proficiency against man coverage has only opened the door wider for Nacua to exploit zone looks.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ San Francisco 49ers - KO 9.05pm, Sky Sports+
The Jacksonville Jaguars finished last in the NFL with nine takeaways in 2024; they have already matched that total with three in each of their first three games so far in the 2025 season. Jourdan Lewis has starred with three takeaways alone, while up front Josh Hines-Allen is two more sacks away from equalling the Jaguars franchise record of 55 as he leads a defense ranked 10 in total yards and seventh in scoring.
Travis Hunter watch also continues, with the two-position rookie having played more defensive snaps (41) than offensive snaps (35) for the first time in his NFL career in last weekend's win over the Houston Texans.
The 49ers meanwhile begin life without Nick Bosa after losing their star pass rusher to a season-ending ACL injury, having seen him start the campaign strongly with two sacks and 15 tackles at the heart of a remodelled by improving defense under Robert Saleh. His absence heightens the importance of offseason addition Bryce Huff, who has been a standout performer with a team-high 11 quarterback pressures and two sacks through three weeks.
Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys - KO, 1.20am Monday morning, Sky Sports NFL
The NFL schedule-makers are proud of themselves for this one, I just know it. Micah Parsons, back in Dallas, a month after being traded to the Green Bay Packers by Jerry Jones, who now risks being haunted by his former star player in his own Cowboys back yard - on Sunday Night Football.
So far, the script has made for hideous writing as far as Dallas are concerned. The Cowboys have started the season as one of the NFL's most porous defenses while ranking last in passing yards allowed and sixth-worst in scoring with a fourth-lowest four sacks on the year. What's more, they sit just 17th against the run, after Jones insisted his decision to trade Parsons and bring in Kenny Clark was in aid of amending the run-stopping issues that has dented their Super Bowl pursuits of the past.
Parsons has barely got going in Green Bay, who have limited his snaps to protect him after a disrupted offseason. Already the contagious impact has been evident, the ability to rush inside and out while feasting one-on-one opening untold opportunities for teammates, among whom is NFL sack leader Rashan Gary. Green Bay are 5-0 at AT&T Stadium since its opening in 2009, including two playoff outings that saw Jordan Love stun the Cowboys on his postseason debut during the 2023 NFC Wild Card round.
News around the league
- The Giants announced that rookie Jaxson Dart will start at quarterback against the Chargers on Sunday, with Russell Wilson moving to the bench
- Ravens defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike is out of Sunday's game against the Chiefs with a neck injury and could miss extended time
- The Texans released C.J. Gardner-Johnson after just three games having arrived via a trade from the Eagles during the offseason
- The Eagles placed edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr on injured reserve with a triceps issue
- Titans head coach Brian Callahan has handed over offensive play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree after the team's 0-3 start to the campaign
- Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans is expected to miss multiple games with a hamstring injury
- Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb will miss at least two games with a high ankle sprain
- 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa is out for the year with a torn ACL
Stats corner
- Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has the chance to become the first quarterback in NFL history without an interception in 10 consecutive road games (minimum 15 passing attempts in each game)
- Lions quarterback Jared Goff is one more 300-yard passing games away from tying Drew Brees (44) and Dan Marino (44) for the third-most such games by a player in his first 10 seasons
- Ravens running back Derrick Henry currently has 109 career rushing touchdowns, and is just one away from tying Walter Payton for the fifth-most in NFL history
- Micah Parsons was the only player in the NFL with multiple games of eight-plus pressures through three weeks of the season
- Seattle's Grey Zabel is the only offensive lineman in the NFL with at least 25 pass block snaps who is yet to allow a pressure
- The Jaguars offensive line is ranked second in pressure percentage allowed and sack percentage through three weeks by NextGen Stats
Who said what?
Packers pass rusher Micah Parsons on sacking former teammate Dak Prescott: "It's going to be painful. That's my guy. He was always like a good mentor for me. But you know how it is, he always told me if I ever faced him that it'll be a great matchup, so I'm excited to see what Sunday brings itself."
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans on releasing C.J. Gardner-Johnson: "It was my decision to move on. I know what's best for my team. Coming from me, the head coach, it was the best for our team. That's why I made the decision."
Ravens running back Derrick Henry reacting to three fumbles in three games: "I'm still p*****, mad at myself. I don't try to harp on it too much. At the same time, it's a problem that's got to be fixed. It's testing my faith right now. I've just got to keep believing and keep working. I feel like I let my teammates down, which I don't want to do."
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa responds to criticism from former NFL MVP Cam Newton: "Well, anybody can play quarterback in this league then. I want to see anybody on the streets come and play quarterback. It's easier to be able to hold a clicker and talk about it that way or talk about what someone else is doing wrong when you're not going out and having to do the same as them. "I think it's easy to do that. I think anybody can do that. I don't think anybody can play quarterback."
Titans cornerback L'Jarius Sneed when asked about facing Texans receiver Nico Collins: "Who?"
Collins' response to Sneed: "He knows who I am."
Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald on Sam Darnold after Thursday's win over the Cardinals: "Sam's playing out of his mind right now. He's just such a cool customer. But he's a guy on a mission."
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