Who will win the weekend in NFL's Week 4: Buzzing over Baker Mayfield, Patriots angst and Drew Brees' milestone
Yahoo Sports NFL senior writers Terez Paylor, Kimberley A. Martin and Charles Robinson select games this week that will leave us buzzing heading into Monday.
Martin’s pick
Oakland Raiders at Cleveland Browns
Will this be the week Jon Gruden, the Raiders’ $100 million man, finds a pass rush – and a “W”?
The Raiders (0-3) are desperate, while the Browns (1-1-1) are looking to ride the Baker Mayfield hype train to their second consecutive victory. All eyes will be on the No. 1 overall pick, who came off the bench to replace a concussed Tyrod Taylor against the New York Jets last week and led Cleveland to its first victory in 635 days. Mayfield was masterful against a confused (and, apparently, unprepared) Jets defense, but Oakland will have a week to prepare for the dual-threat quarterback. He completed 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards. Thus, Mayfield became the first No. 1 overall pick to complete more than 70 percent of his passes in his first career game
But it remains to be seen if Gruden’s Khalil Mack-less defense can get after a QB consistently.
Paylor’s pick
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
Do you know how long it has been since a team other than the Patriots won the AFC East? Give up? Nine seasons. You know which team did it? The Dolphins in 2008.
So yeah, this showdown between the surprisingly undefeated Dolphins (3-0) and curiously down Patriots (1-2) is gonna be lit, and I’m here for it. Not just because this is a chance to shake up the AFC East, but because I love watching games that bring the best out of players. Please believe that the Dolphins are going to give the Patriots their best shot at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Of course, the Patriots still shouldn’t be counted out, even if they lose. The 2001 Pats started 1-3 as well and went on to win the Super Bowl. After Sunday’s game, I expect the Pats’ sluggish offense to wake up with the return of receiver and Tom Brady confidante Julian Edelman from his four-game PED suspension. Regardless, don’t expect the Patriots to be OK with losing their third straight game — at home no less — and following a miserable showing in Detroit on Monday night, I’d be surprised if they don’t bounce back in a big way. Either way, this game should be entertaining.
Robinson’s pick
New Orleans Saints at New York Giants
It’s not often you get a chance to see one of the top sports records broken – particularly in the NFL, where the brutality of the game can translate into some all-time performances lasting a generation. The Saints-Giants game wins this weekend simply because we’ll get an opportunity to see New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees take over the NFL’s all-time passing leader mark of 71,940 from Peyton Manning.
It’s not exactly a given that it will happen in this game, with Brees needing 418 yards to break the record. But you can bet he’ll be calling his own number a lot in this one, as he guns to set the mark in New York. Even if you’re not a Brees fan, this one will be worth watching. After all, it may be decades before we see this record broken again.
As it stands, Brees is hoping to play into his mid-40s. It’s possible he could push the all-time passing mark to well over 80,000 yards. That would mean that a quarterback would have to come into the league and average 5,000 yards per season for 16 years to get near it. That’s hard to fathom happening, even in an era that coddles quarterbacks and orbits around pass-happy offenses. So tune in now and see this piece of history rewritten while you still can.
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