2026 NFL Week 4 Biggest Takeaways for Every Team

Week 4 provides teams around the NFL an opportunity to prove whether they're included among the haves or have nots as the 2026 campaign makes it way around the quarter bend.

Entering the weekend slate, five teams remain undefeated and five teams are winless. A lot can be ascertained through the early portion of the season. Though last year's Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans reminded everyone that no certainty exists after reversing their early-season starts.

Still, no one expected the Cleveland Browns to start the season with a 3-1 record, as they did thanks to a victory Thursday over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bleacher Report NFL analysts Brent Sobleski, Kris Knox, and Moe Moton will followall of the action then break down each contest, provide takeaways and ask the most pressing questions.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/David Richard

Cleveland Browns' standout defensive tackle Mason Graham left Thursday's contest with an injury.

Browns 27, Steelers 24

Rookie WRs Highlight Surging Cleveland Browns Offense

The quarterback position has been at the forefront of every conversation regarding the Cleveland Browns for so long that the amount of young talent currently found on the roster has been overshadowed. After Thursday's victory and Deshaun Watson playing well for three straight games, everyone else is going to get far more attention.

General manager Andrew Berry drafted wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston 15 selections apart from one another. They've already showed they're high-end targets in their first year. So much so, Jerry Jeudy has become an afterthought.

Concepcion and Boston combined for 153 yards Thursday as Cleveland's top two receivers. Concepcion provides significant juice to create after the catch, while Boston, who led all rookies in receiving yardage entering Week 4, is a legitimate big-bodied target as an X-receiver.

Watson may be playing better than expected, but he's getting a lot of help from two talented, young pass-catchers.

Injury Derails Mason Graham's Ascent to Superstardom

Last year's fifth overall draft pick had been nearly unblockable during the first three weeks of play. Unfortunately, he left Thursday's contest after getting his left leg rolled up and didn't return.

Graham's potential loss for any period of time will revamp Cleveland's defensive front. With Myles Garrett no longer in the lineup, the second-year interior tackle has been a consistently disruptive presence. Maliek Collins and Mike Hall Jr. both made plays throughout the night, but Graham had performed at an elite level to start the campaign.

Any absence will also place a brighter spotlight on Jared Verse, who has yet to record a sack and failed to settle in as the squad's defensive tone-setter.

Aaron Rodgers Needs Help From His WRs

The wide receivers' inability to create easy throws for 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been common theme through the Pittsburgh Steelers' first four games. Almost everything in their passing game has been difficult to generate, because the team's targets lack explosive traits.

Outside of DK Metcalf, whom opponents are keying to limit his options, the Steelers are searching for anyone to make a play. Pittsburgh's offense had the same problem last season. General manager Omar Khan added veteran Michael Pittman Jr. and drafted Germie Bernard to rectify the situation. Those two produced a combined 26 yards against Cleveland.

As Sumer Sports' Sam Bruchhaus noted after three quarters of play, the Steelers' receivers created separation on only 14.7 percent of their routes. Rodgers is basically asked to make a perfect throw every time he drops back to pass.

RB Jaylen Warren Remains a Bright Spot

As bad as the Steelers' passing game is at times, Pittsburgh's running game has been impressive, particularly over the last two games.

Jaylen Warren always had spring in his step, with the ability to create after contact and produce chunk plays. The 27-year-old ball-carrier followed last weekend's 127-yard outing with 93 against the Browns' stingy defense. Warren averaged 5.5 yards per carry.

The Steelers couldn't really stick to their run game, because they trailed for most of the second half. Even so, Warren should clearly be the team's offensive focal point as the season progresses.

Sunday Slate

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers

Thursday's action opened with a divisional contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. It'll end the with another rivalry, when the New Orleans Saints host the Atlanta Falcons for Monday Night Football. In-between those two points, only two division matchups will take place. Three games will feature opponents with winning records, highlighted by the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs facing the undefeated Las Vegas Raiders.

Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Commanders, in London (9:30 am)

New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills (1 pm)

New York Jets vs. Chicago Bears (1 pm)

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cincinnati Bengals (1 pm)

Arizona Cardinals vs. New York Giants (1 pm)

Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles (1 pm)

Green Bay Packers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 pm)

Tennessee Titans vs. Baltimore Ravens (1 pm)

Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans (1 pm)

Miami Dolphins vs. Minnesota Vikings (4:05 pm)

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders (4:25 pm)

Denver Broncos vs. San Francisco 49ers (4:25 pm)

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Seattle Seahawks (4:25 pm)

Detroit Lions vs. Carolina Panthers (8:20 pm)

Monday Night Football: Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Matt Ludtke

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson

Both the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints enter their primetime showdown as two teams searching for an identity.

The Falcons are coming off their best outing and may have found something with Michael Penix Jr. now serving as QB1. Meanwhile, the Saints are close and they're highly competitive, with each of their first three contests coming down to the wire.

"We can't have a game like last week and go backwards," Falcons running back Bijan Robinson told reporters.

The same applies to the Saints.