It's seemingly impossible to get a read on the NFL these days, and that certainly proved to be correct in the Cleveland Browns' 27-24 last-second home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on "Thursday Night Football." The Browns are now 3-1 and in sole possession of first place in the AFC North for the first time with Deshaun Watson as their quarterback, and they traded for him four years ago. The last time they were in first place in the division was Sept. 22, 2022, when Watson was still suspended by the NFL for his off-field legal issues. How miraculous has their 3-1 start been this season?
They have won three consecutive games, all as an underdog for the first time since 2001, per CBS Sports Research, and Watson is now just the second Browns quarterback with a game-winning drive in three straight weeks since 1950. Only he and Brian Sipe in 1979 have done so as Cleveland quarterbacks in that span. So what other insane events could happen in Week 4?
Let's take a look at five bold predictions. The Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) at the Las Vegas Raiders (3-0) in Week 4 marks the renewal of a classic division rivalry. However, there are a few new twists to a series that has been dominated by Kansas City since three-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes came on the scene.
The Chiefs are 13-2 in Mahomes' 15 starts against the Raiders, with Mahomes averaging nearly 300 yards passing per game (295.1) to go along with 36 touchdown passes and only five interceptions. What are these twists you ask? Sunday marks the first game in series history where both teams are 3-0 or better.
Yes, the Raiders, who drafted first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, are 3-0 despite top overall pick Fernando Mendoza not yet having taken a regular-season snap. That's because 38-year-old Kirk Cousins co-leads the league in touchdown passes with nine through three games. That makes Cousins the second quarterback 38 or older in NFL history with at least nine touchdown passes in the first three games of a season, along with Tom Brady in 2015 and 2021.
While Las Vegas has cultivated its 3-0 record off the easiest schedule in the league (the Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints have a combined record of 1-8), they've done so in dominant fashion. The Raiders lead the NFL in turnover margin (+5), takeaways (9) and opponent fumbles recovered (5). The Raiders will upset Mahomes and the Chiefs to take sole possession of first place in the AFC West entering Week 5.
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