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NFL Week 4 Underdog Report: These undefeated teams deserve respect
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NFL Week 4 Underdog Report: Show some respect to these undefeated teams

Of the NFL’s six undefeated teams, only four are favored to win their next game. The Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t among them, but probably should be. 

Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Rams (-3.5)

With a 41-20 road victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts are 3-0 for the first time since 2009 when quarterback Peyton Manning led the team to a 14-2 record and Super Bowl XLIV.

Daniel Jones is no Manning, but he’ll enter Sunday’s game as a top-five quarterback in nearly every statistical category. No player has a better QBR (85.8), which could explain why the Colts offense has the second-most yards (418.7) and points (34.3) per game of any team.

No running back has more yards this year than Jonathan Taylor (338), who rushed for 102 yards and three scores against the Titans. His current 5.6 yards per carry is reminiscent of his 2021 season when he averaged 5.5 yards per attempt for a league-high 1,811 yards, 18 scores and 107 first downs. 

Of course, L.A. has plenty of talent as well, led by quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Puka Nacua, who leads the NFL with 29 catches for 333 yards. The Rams put up 356 total yards against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, taking a 19-7 lead into halftime before giving up 26 unanswered points in a 33-26 loss at Lincoln Financial Field.

That’s a tough pill to swallow for a talented team that clearly has eyes on the NFC title and something Rams head coach Sean McVay hopes the team takes to heart.

"These are the chances to be able to lean in and see what you’re really about," McVay said after the game. "It’s a disappointed locker room, but it’s a locker room that’s going to respond."

It would be easier to expect a bounce-back performance if the Rams were playing a lesser opponent, but the upstart Colts have reason to be confident in Week 4. 

Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3.5)

Tampa Bay’s defense had a meltdown of its own in Week 3, blowing a 17-point lead to the Jets before kicking a 36-yard field goal to win the game as time expired. The Bucs have had an easier time with Philadelphia of late, with quarterback Baker Mayfield holding a 3-1 record against the Eagles, including the playoffs, where the Bucs eliminated the Eagles in two of the past four seasons.

On the other hand, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is 1-2 against Tampa Bay for his career, and looked awful with -1 yards passing in the first half of last week’s game. He recovered to throw three second-half touchdowns, but there’s clearly something wrong with Philadelphia’s 29th-ranked passing game.

Defensively, 6abc’s Jason Dumas reports that Eagles cornerbacks Adoree' Jackson and Jakorian Bennett could both miss Sunday’s game with injury. If so, rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka could see his fourth touchdown in as many games and lead Tampa Bay to 4-0.

Bruce Ewing

Bruce Ewing is 183 pounds of twisted steel and Happy Meals. His work has appeared on Yardbarker, 5th Down Fantasy, Inside the Iggles and MSN. Give a Philly fan a break and follow him on Twitter/X at @fantasybruce.

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