Is Week 4 an Elimination Week Already in the NFL? (feat. Arif Hasan)

The Dan Le Batard Show

The hosts examine whether NFL Week 4 functions as an early elimination window for contending teams like the Cowboys, Texans, Chargers, and Rams.

Key takeaways

• Brock Purdy is posting a 133 QB rating and 94 QBR, leading the 49ers to elite performance despite significant injuries on the roster.
• The hosts debate whether Week 4 acts as an elimination window for teams like the Cowboys, Texans, Chargers, and Rams after early losses.

Main topics

• NFL Week 4 game predictions
• Brock Purdy's MVP-caliber play

Notable quotes

"He's not a gunslinger. He's an assassin."

Conclusion

The episode delivers a comprehensive Week 4 preview that balances betting

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) I may not be a cowboy, but this ain't my life. Speaker 2 (0:06) My Speaker 3 (0:07) fellow football Americans, I know it's just week four, but it does feel like an elimination Sunday is already upon us. We've got an important Lone Star Bowl. The Texans and Cowboys only have one win between them, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Neither of the L.A. teams can much afford a loss, and neither can the defending AFC champs. Plus, we've got Dolphins, Vikes in a Super Bowl VIII rematch, and Niners, Broncos, just as it was in the Superdome for Super Bowl XXIV. Got a catfight brewing in Cincy between the Bengals and Jaguars and an AFL classic between the Chiefs and the Raiders who are both good? Maybe? Let's figure that out. Let's start the show. Speaker 3 (0:56) Hi and hello, my fellow football Americans. Welcome to NFL Week 4. Welcome to Football America presented by DraftKings Sports. Now in all 50 states, subscribe, leave us a comment. This week, special prize for one subscriber, Buddy Badowski is going to swing by your place to watch football with you all weekend long. He's going to sleep right there on the couch. Speaker 6 (1:20) That kind of sounds like my last weekend, Dave. I spent a lot of time on couches and air mattresses and in airports flying all over the country. So I might as well just do it again this weekend. Speaker 3 (1:30) You're a regular Joey Porter Jr. traveling here, there, and everywhere across football America. It's episode 87. We have Arif Hassan coming up in just a bit to talk about these critical games and how many teams suddenly feel like, at least to me, before September's out, their season is kind of hanging in the balance if you're looking at shared reality here. Number 87, just in time for hockey season. Isn't that nice? Here he goes, Gina. And that leads us. We have, I should, hello to Mikabayo. 10-day Tony. Hello, Dave. Speaker 5 (2:06) And you just Speaker 3 (2:06) heard Buddy Badowski. And we have Gino Fuentes. Take it away. Who, I guess, NFL player? Let's get to the NHL player who wore the number 87 vest. All Speaker 2 (2:16) right. NFL players, this is a tight end number. This is Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelsey territory. If you want to go back in time, Dave Casper, Ben Coates. A couple of wide receivers. You might have heard of them. The architect of the catch, Dwight Clark and Reggie Wayne, populate that number as well. Speaker 2 (2:34) I'm just going to back out. Four first names. The wide receivers. So Speaker 3 (2:39) if you're a high-end wide receiver, I should say, who wears 87, you can only have first names. Yes. Dwight, Clark, as everybody learned in vacation, Chevy Chase, and Reggie, and Wayne. But, you know, Reggie Wayne needs to get into the Hall of Fame already. It's ridiculous he isn't in there. But, yes, number 87. Worn by maybe the best hockey player in the history of people. Isn't that nice? Speaker 4 (3:06) These Speaker 6 (3:06) superlatives. Maybe the greatest hockey player in the history of people. Have you ever heard of Wayne Gretzky? Speaker 3 (3:14) Yeah, he was terrific. I don't know if you've seen his work of late. Oh, he's dynamite analyzing stuff with his big puffy Botox cheeks and all that. Yeah, what's going Speaker 6 (3:23) on there? There's a weird line under his chin. I don't want to insult the great one, but something weird is going on there. Speaker 3 (3:30) I'm glad you don't want to insult him. Oh, no. He's royalty after all. Who would have the gall to talk to 99? Let me throw this one at you, Mr. Hockey, then, with your superlatives or whatever you said. What would happen if you could trade $2,000? 2010 Sidney Crosby to 1984 for Wayne Gretzky who would win that trade I Speaker 6 (3:55) think Sidney Crosby would pretty much do exactly to the 1980s what Wayne Gretzky did to the 1980s. He was ahead of his time. And Sidney Crosby is obviously now the kind of player that Wayne Gretzky was back then. They're two of the greatest hockey players of all time, but Wayne Gretzky is the greatest. And that's, it's fine. We can just leave it at that. It doesn't have to go any further than Speaker 2 (4:18) that. Speaker 3 (4:18) You're lucky that this is a football show because we would not leave it at that. In fact, it would be four and a half hours worth of discussion of me browbeating you. But 87 in football terms. I do think it is a significant number, Dwight Clark making the catch. Because in 1981, January of 82, he makes that play and swings. Really, it's one of, in my book, one of the three or so biggest inflection points of the Super Bowl era. The Cowboys, keep in mind, were the dominant force of the NFC. Roger Staubach retires in 79. Danny White takes over. They almost go to the Super Bowl, fall short in Philadelphia. They would have won that Super Bowl had they gotten there against the wildcard Raiders. 81, the Cowboys. Have the game, one, the catch happens. Then after Dwight Clark makes the grab, the Cowboys almost score. Drew Pearson over the middle catches the ball. The DB for the Niners barely wrangles him or else Drew Pearson houses the football. And the Cowboys don't just win that game and don't just go to the Super Bowl and beat the Cincinnati Bengals. They maintain their stranglehold on the NFC. Whereas Bill Walsh says, I like Joe Montana, but... After this season, he got us to a certain point. He basically is Alex Smith giving way to a Colin Kaepernick type, I think, in the person of either John Elway or Dan Marino. I think Bill Walsh would have moved heaven and earth to get one of those cats in springtime of 1983, as it is the Niners take over the NFC and rule over it for the bulk of the 80s. Anywho, can we get to the here and now, please? I would like to do that. Fellas, we're looking for a team. Let's start off the game picks for NFL Week 4, 2026. We're looking for the team or teams who we reckon will have the breeziest Sunday. So to help out anyone in a survivor pool or who enjoys watching blowouts, it's time for Stress-Free Sunday delivered by Little Caesars, the official pizza sponsor of the NFL. Right now, score two faves, just you, four Detroit-style slices and sticks for only... $4.99, only at Little Caesars, officially delicious. I don't want to brag, but for what it's worth, I'm already 2-0 in this little game here. Seahawks are laying seven to the visiting Chargers. Many people are saying special counselor Jack Smith attended this game featuring the Hawks. That doesn't even make sense because the game hasn't been played yet. How could anybody make that claim? Either way, I like the Seahawks. to take care of business. I don't think what we're seeing with the Chargers turns around to a large degree, at least. They're not going to go 0 for the season, but they are not going to wind up in the playoffs. The Hawks are for real. The Seahawks, that is. I think they cover that seven points. How say you, me, Caballo? Speaker 7 (7:14) I'm going to take a team that got blown out in Thursday night football last week. I'm going to take the Packers to beat the Buccaneers. Minus three and a half is the line there. Packers didn't look – they're not going to look as bad as they did against the Falcons. And we got Jalen Daniels starting in place of Baker Mayfield. I don't know what that offense – that offense looked bad with Baker. I can only imagine how bad it looks with Daniels. I'm picking the Packers here with what is kind of a spooky line, a very odd line at minus 3.5, Dave. Speaker 3 (7:43) I hear you. I do, though, allow for the wild card factor of a guy who we have not seen play in a pro football game. I don't know what he's going to be able to do out there, but neither do the Packers. Maybe that gives the Bucs some minor edge there as an unknown, but I hear your noise. Talk about elimination games. You don't want to be on the losing side of this one either. I mean, whoever loses this one is in some real jeopardy. Buddy, you're next. Speaker 6 (8:10) Yeah, I am going to go down to the Big Easy. I'm going to set up on Sunday with some, or Monday night, that is, with some crazy bread, and I'm going to take it nice and easy on Monday night because I've got the Saints minus two and a half in the dome. Dave, this is a Monday night football game. It is the 20th anniversary of that. Monday night football game. The Steve Gleason game. The first game back from Hurricane Katrina when they rebuilt the Superdome. We all know it's one of the most epic. You want to talk about inflection points in NFL history, right? Like that sets up that run for the Saints that ends in a Super Bowl with Drew Brees down here in Miami. I think there's going to be all kinds of emotions in that building. The Superdome is going to be insane. And I really, I'm buying into the Saints. I'm not buying into the Falcons off of that win against Green Bay last Thursday. Give me the Saints minus two and a half. Speaker 3 (8:59) Do yourself a favor. Don't buy anything related to the NFC South. They all stink. I agree with that. Speaker 6 (9:05) If I had to take one team, give me the Saints because I really like that offense with Tyler Shook. Speaker 3 (9:11) I'm interested in what the Panthers do this weekend against Detroit. Another really big game in the month of September. Well, wait. It'll be October, actually. So, wait. It is October. It's currently Speaker 6 (9:22) October now. Yeah, Dave. Speaker 3 (9:26) I don't have time to pay attention to things like calendars. Speaker 4 (9:30) I don't want to wait. I can only do so much. There are only so many hours in the day. Speaker 3 (9:34) Now, Gina, it's your turn after that embarrassing display by Buddy trying to show me up. Speaker 2 (9:40) Guys, lots of things in football are hard. So you got to take the easy ones. Speaker 6 (9:45) Yeah. So when Speaker 2 (9:46) you identify the worst team in the league, and they're the worst by a lot, you just keep... Going to the well. No, it's the Dolphins, man. This guy. Speaker 7 (9:53) He can't do this every single week. He can't do this. It's a T Speaker 2 (9:57) -code. It's a stress-free Sunday knowing that the Dolphins are going to lose. And this time, there's the added bonus of Brian Flores being the defensive coordinator on the other side. Have you ever seen a team blitz 100 % of the plays? Because I think that's what's going to happen. Yikes. So take Minnesota over the Dolphins. Holy hell. Speaker 3 (10:12) I mean, I haven't spent a lot of time considering the Vikings and Dolphins game. I had not considered that Brian Flores, of all the chips on all the shoulders this weekend, his is the biggest one. He wants to humiliate the Dolphins, no doubt. And coincidentally, the Dolphins want to be humiliated. So yes, I can't push back too hard. It just feels like you're taking the low-hanging fruit here, Gino. Speaker 2 (10:38) You want a stress-free Sunday or not? Speaker 3 (10:41) Touche, touche. And that's it. Stress-free Sunday, even better. Get that Detroit-style pizza, Little Caesars. All right, now let's get to it. The big event for me on our end-of-week show. We talk about the three biggest games of the week. And if you can only watch a few games, these are those. We're not doing Chargers-Seahawks here. No, at number three, we have the aforementioned Super Bowl redo. Denver, San Francisco, Niners. Laying three, 46 and a half is your total at the time of this recording. The injury plague has become so bad for San Francisco fans. Our guy Ethan Schreier says he and his Niners pals are now texting each other when there's an injury, and they're happy when it turns out that the injury is not too severe. It's sad. He's not out for the year? We did it! Very sad. Not sad is how good the Niners are playing in spite of all the injuries. Niners averaging 33 points a game. Defense allowing 16-ish or so points a game. And the Niners O-line has inexplicably allowed pressures just 13.5 % of the time. Broncos are all about pressuring the QB. They did it 57 % of the time against Stafford last week. I don't think that happens this week. So, Niners get it. 26-20, buddy, you're next. Speaker 6 (12:05) Yeah, Dave, I'm going to just be honest with you here. I'm watching that Broncos-Rams game last Sunday night, and I'm just thinking to myself, the Broncos could not continue to get away with this. They're 13-2 in one-score games in the last two seasons. That is... One of the most unsustainable stats, factoids you will ever see in the NFL that simply cannot last. And I think this is the week where we finally see it start to break a little bit. I'm not a huge believer in this Broncos team. I'm not crazy about the offense. They just keep finding ways at the end of games. They get a pass interference call that goes their way. I'm not buying into them at all, but I'm really buying into the 49ers. This team is playing out of their minds. I'm going to have to repent eventually on Brock Purdy if this guy keeps playing at an MVP level like this. He's been outstanding this year. Give me the Niners 24-13. Speaker 3 (12:56) I like your conversation there about repent and they're doing it at the last minute, even though they don't look good for the whole game. It sounds like Tim Tebow, who happened to play for the Denver Broncos, doing exactly that, and he needs to repent for his sins, according to Pablo Torre. Gino, you're up before you go, Gino. What are we doing there? To my Speaker 6 (13:19) boy. To Timmy Speaker 3 (13:21) Tebow? You don't think he... We don't know. We don't know. We don't know. Let's let Speaker 6 (13:26) all the facts come out. What? Speaker 3 (13:29) What happened? I've only been involved in... I've only been on the public stage for the last 20 years. You can't accuse me of being a little dim. Gino, before you go, I think this is real interesting stuff because I mentioned... everybody's aware of all the injuries the thing that has this team still playing at such a high level above and beyond everything else in the QB league is their QB take a listen to Brock Purdy if Speaker 5 (13:58) you go to a combine and all those things you're just throwing on air and yeah you look all good with a strong arm and fast jump and all that stuff but when it comes down to 11 on 11 and you got guys that are a foot taller than you can't see it comes down to the processing like Before the play, like, I know that the safety is probably going to rotate down. It's going to be one high. And I got one hitch, no more than that, to rip it where Debo's supposed to be, like, just inside the hash. And there's a backer that's also got a 40-inch vert that I got to put up. You know, like... Speaker 2 (14:27) Brock Purdy, his QB rating is at 133 so far. His QBR is at 94. Sweet Speaker 3 (14:33) Jesus, 133. Speaker 2 (14:34) He is ridiculous