A pair of reigning playoff teams from the AFC needed to get up off the mat in Week 4. One side did so in resounding fashion while the other suffered the kind of loss that could effectively end its hunt for a return to the postseason. The New England Patriots took down the conference's best team for a get-right win, and the team they beat in last year's divisional round, the Houston Texans, fell to 0-4 to continue a miserable start to the season.
That dichotomy underscores how high the stakes are as the 2026 season enters its first month. This is one of those weeks when the NFL learns which teams are for real and which are bound to compete at the bottom of the league ladder. The separation built between Super Bowl hopefuls and No. 1 draft pick contenders on Sunday was eye-opening.
Week 4 has also been a brutal one from an injury standpoint. Players, unfortunately, get hurt every week. But the name value of those who dropped out of action this weekend was as significant as that of any of the previous three slates of games.
Here are the NFL's biggest winners and losers from Week 4. There might have been no bigger disappointment across the NFL through three games than Drake Maye, whose regression from MVP runner-up to the league's second-worst quarterback by passer rating was a puzzling fall from grace. The 2025 version of Maye reappeared in the New England Patriots' 29-26 upset of the Buffalo Bills.
He passed for 269 yards and three touchdowns and led the Patriots in rushing with another 54 yards. Brown to a high ankle sprain in Week 1 seemed to throw Maye off. His return is near, but importantly, Maye might have finally found a groove with his other targets.
He spread the ball around to seven receivers on Sunday, tossed a pair of touchdowns to Romeo Doubs and got a little help from Efton Chism III on a one-handed catch for what proved to be the game-winning score. This should be a major confidence builder for a quarterback who could not get out of his own way to begin the year. Maye's rounding into form is, of course, a crucial development for a Patriots team that could have ill-afforded to drop into a 1-3 hole.
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